Reading Comprehension: Short Passages and Dialogues
This part presents passages of roughly 150 to 350 words: school newsletters, e-mails, blog posts, short speeches and conversations. Questions ask for the main idea, a specific detail, the meaning of a pronoun, an inference, or the writer's purpose, and they are answered in English or by choosing a letter.
Read with a purpose
- Skim the question stems first so you know which lines to hunt for.
- Use paragraph shape: the first sentence usually states the topic, and the final paragraph often carries the opinion or the request.
- For "it / this / they", look at the previous sentence and match number and meaning, not just gender.
Inference means evidence
A correct inference is supported by words in the passage. If an option is true about the world but not stated or implied in the text, it is wrong.
Worked example
Passage: "At first, Yuki joined the riverside cleanup only because her friend invited her. A year later she was organizing the events herself." Question: Why did Yuki first take part in the cleanup? Choices: A she wanted to protect the river; B a friend invited her; C she was organizing the event; D her teacher told her to. Reasoning: "only because her friend invited her" is the stated starting reason, so B is right. C describes a later stage and is a classic trap for students who read only the second sentence.
Traps that cost marks
- Matching a word in the passage instead of matching the meaning.
- Ignoring capitalised instructions such as NOT or EXCEPT.
- Choosing the later event when the question says "first" or "at the beginning".
- Over-reading: inventing a feeling or result the text never states.