Reading comprehension (長文読解)
What the reading section asks
The 長文読解 uses a narrative or explanatory passage, often with a small graph or table, followed by questions in Japanese and some in English. It tests paragraph-level understanding: what happened, why a character acted, what a pronoun refers to, and what the writer wants to say.
Core rules
- Read the first sentence of each paragraph and the final paragraph first. The final paragraph usually states the main idea.
- Track pronouns: it, they, this, such a thing. Draw a line back to the noun; Japanese questions love 指示語.
- Mark connectives: however, so, for example, in fact. They tell you the function of the next sentence.
- For 空所補充, read the sentence before and after; the missing sentence must connect both.
Worked example
"Kenji had practiced for weeks. But when he stood on the stage, his hands were shaking." Question: How did Kenji feel on the stage? Reasoning: "had practiced for weeks" shows preparation; "But" reverses the expectation; "his hands were shaking" is physical evidence of nervousness. An option saying "he was confident" fights the "But"; the answer is nervous.
Traps
- Choosing an option because it repeats words from the passage; correct options usually paraphrase.
- Extreme words: always, never, everyone, only.
- Answering from general knowledge rather than the text.
- For English answers, writing a full sentence that ignores the question word (Who/Why/How).