Reading Comprehension: Unseen Passage Strategy
Domain and what it tests
The Reading Comprehension domain uses an unseen passage to test location of information, inference, vocabulary in context, tone and summary. Answers must come from the passage, not from general knowledge. BSEB items often include short-answer questions and a word-meaning question.
Core rules and concepts
- Read once for gist, then read the questions and return to the passage for detail.
- Underline signal words: however, therefore, although, despite, once, today.
- Answer in your own words but keep the passage's key terms.
- Inference means evidence plus a logical step, not guesswork.
- For word meaning, substitute your candidate into the sentence and check whether the sense survives.
- In a summary, give the main idea and key supporting points; omit examples and repetition.
Worked example
Passage: 'The village pond was once the centre of daily life. Today plastic waste clogs its edges, yet elderly residents still gather there at dusk. For them, the pond is less a water source than a calendar of festivals.' Question: What does 'calendar of festivals' mean? Model: 'It means the pond marks the timing of festivals and holds collective memory; it is valued for social meaning rather than only for water.' Reasoning: 'less a water source than' signals a contrast, and 'calendar' is metaphorical, not literal.
Traps
- Copying a whole sentence when a short answer is required.
- Adding outside facts not stated or implied.
- Missing negatives such as 'not' and 'except'.
- Giving a noun answer where the question needs an adjective.
- Exceeding a word limit and losing marks for extra material.