Reading Comprehension: Unseen Passages
Unseen passages carry a large block of marks, and the section tests four levels of reading: literal retrieval, inference, vocabulary in context, and evaluative judgement (tone, purpose, attitude). You are almost never asked for your general opinion on the topic - every answer must be anchored in the passage you were given.
Question types you will meet
- Direct retrieval ('State two reasons why...') - the answer sits in one or two sentences of the text.
- Inference and attitude ('What does the writer imply about...?') - evidence plus a stated deduction.
- Reference ('What does "this" in line 12 refer to?') - substitute the nearest noun phrase that fits grammatically and in meaning.
- Vocabulary ('Give a word from the passage meaning...') - copy that exact word; a synonym of your own scores zero.
- Note-making and summary - compression, not copying.
Note-making and summary rules
- Notes: a title, headings and sub-headings, indented points, standard abbreviations with a key, no full sentences.
- Summary: roughly one-third of the original, third person, no examples, no opinion, your own linking words.
Worked example
Passage: 'In the Pokkali fields of coastal Kerala, salt-tolerant paddy and prawn seedlings share the same water. Prawn droppings fertilise the paddy, while the paddy stubble shelters the young prawns.' Question: 'Why is Pokkali farming called mutually beneficial? (2)' Reasoning: the word 'mutually' signals two directions of benefit, and a two-mark question usually rewards one mark per direction. Model answer: 'The prawns' droppings fertilise the paddy and the paddy stubble shelters the young prawns, so each species helps the other.' A one-direction answer earns one mark only.
Traps that cost marks
- Lifting whole sentences when the question says 'in your own words'.
- Putting examples or personal opinion into a summary.
- Ignoring the word limit; excess length is penalised.
- Resolving a reference to the nearest noun without checking that the sentence still makes sense.