Reading Comprehension of Unseen Passages
Unseen comprehension rewards method. The passage is new, so you cannot rely on remembered content; you must locate, paraphrase and infer under time pressure.
Method
- Read the questions first, then the passage, so you read with purpose.
- Skim for the topic sentence of each paragraph.
- Locate the key word from each question and read around it.
- Answer in your own words unless the question says 'quote'.
- For vocabulary, substitute the word in the sentence and test whether the sense survives.
Question types
- Factual: the answer is stated; keep it short.
- Inference: the answer is implied; support it with a phrase from the passage.
- Vocabulary: give a synonym that fits the context, not the dictionary's first sense.
- Purpose or tone: ask why the writer includes the detail.
Worked example: the passage says the town 'wore its history lightly'. Asked what this suggests, a weak answer says 'the town was old'. A strong answer notes the personification, explains that 'lightly' suggests the past is not a burden, and concludes that the town is comfortable with its past.
Traps that cost marks
- Copying long chunks instead of paraphrasing.
- Adding opinion the passage does not support.
- Missing negatives and qualifiers such as 'rarely' or 'not only'.
- Giving a synonym with the wrong register.
- Writing one-word answers where a full sentence is required.