Reading Comprehension
Reading Comprehension
In Ishikawa Entrance English, the Reading Comprehension domain checks whether you can extract meaning from short passages and answer question stems using only the text. Expect main-idea, detail, inference, pronoun-reference, and author's-purpose items; some questions ask for the best paraphrase rather than a direct quotation.
Core rules
- Read the question stems first, then scan for the paragraph that answers each one; do not read every passage at the same speed.
- Separate stated detail from inference: an inference must be forced by the text, not merely plausible in real life.
- Track paragraph function (example, contrast, conclusion) because purpose questions depend on structure.
- For pronoun items, substitute each candidate into the sentence and check number and logic.
- Watch qualifiers: some, most, only, mainly change the scope of a correct answer.
Worked example
Passage: “Many students assume that highlighting improves recall, but research suggests that rereading highlighted text can create a false sense of mastery.” Question: What does the author imply about highlighting? Reasoning: The contrast marker but reverses the students' assumption. “False sense of mastery” means students feel confident without necessarily remembering more. The safe answer is that highlighting may make learners overconfident-not that it is useless, which the passage does not say.
Traps that cost marks
Choosing an answer because it is true in general rather than true in the passage; selecting extreme wording (always, never) when the text is qualified; confusing the author's view with a view the author reports; and ignoring line references that limit where the answer must come from.