Longer passages and information retrieval: structure plus cross-checking
What is tested
The longer-passage items ask for the main idea of a paragraph, the meaning of a blank (often a connective or pronoun), a true/false judgement, the best title, or a short written answer in English. The information-retrieval items hand you a notice, email, timetable or poster, often two documents at once, and require you to combine conditions before answering.
Core rules
- Read the first sentence of each paragraph; the topic sentence carries the paragraph's job.
- For a blank inside a passage, decide the word class first, then the logic: contrast (however, but), cause (because, so), example (for example), addition (also, moreover).
- For true/false items, underline the exact sentence that decides it. The false option usually changes one detail: a number, a person, a place, or cause and effect.
- In retrieval tasks, circle the conditions in the question (曜日, 時間, 料金, 対象) before reading the options, then test every option against every condition.
- Answer in English in the form the question uses: How many ~? needs a number plus noun; Why ~? needs a reason clause.
Worked example
A poster announces a science workshop on Saturday, 10:00-12:00, fee ¥500, ¥300 for students. A bus leaves the station at 9:40 and takes 15 minutes. Question: Yuki is a high school student. When does the bus arrive, and how much will she pay? Reasoning: arrival is 9:40 plus 15 minutes, so 9:55. Yuki is a student, so the fee is ¥300, not the general ¥500. Answer: 9:55 and ¥300.
Traps that cost marks
- Matching words between the passage and an option instead of matching meaning.
- Missing a restriction such as not available on Mondays or students only.
- Confusing a percentage with a number of people.
- Writing a fragment when the question demands a full sentence.