Comprehension: Unseen Passage, Vocabulary and Inference
Comprehension: unseen passage, vocabulary and inference
The comprehension section gives an unseen Tamil passage and asks for the main idea, specific details, word meaning in context, and inference. The passage is self-contained; every answer must be defensible from it, not from outside knowledge.
Core rules
- First read for the gist: who, what, where, why.
- Then scan for the exact line that supports each answer.
- Vocabulary: use the sentence around the word. A familiar word may have a special sense.
- Inference: combine two clues; do not invent a third.
- For 'what does this show about X?' answers, name the quality and cite the action.
- For negation questions, underline words such as இல்லை, மாறாக, அல்ல.
Worked example
Passage: 'கிராமத்தில் ஒரு ஆசிரியர் தினமும் மாணவர்களுக்கு இலவசமாகப் பாடம் நடத்தினார். மழை வந்த நாட்களிலும் அவர் தவறவில்லை.' Question: What does this show about the teacher? Answer: dedication. Reasoning: 'தினமும்' shows regularity; 'இலவசமாக' shows service; 'மழை வந்த நாட்களிலும்... தவறவில்லை' shows persistence despite difficulty. The inference is built from three textual clues, not from a general opinion about teachers.
Traps
- Choosing an option because it contains a word from the passage.
- Over-reading a single detail into a broad claim.
- Ignoring a negative or concessive word.
- Translating the passage instead of answering in Tamil.
- Giving a one-word answer when the question asks 'why.'
Answer shape
State the point, quote or paraphrase the clue, and stop. Unsupported commentary loses marks.