Reading Comprehension - Short Passages and Dialogues
Short reading items are one-exchange dialogues or 40–80 word texts followed by a single question. Either a line is blank and you choose the reply, or you choose the statement that matches what was said. The examiner is checking whether you can follow the logic of a short exchange, not whether you can translate every word.
What is tested
- Responding appropriately: a question needs an answer, an offer needs an acceptance or refusal, an apology needs a response.
- Reference: what "it", "that", or "one" points to.
- Tense and time: did / has done / will do.
- Speaker meaning: "You didn't have to do that" expresses thanks plus mild surprise.
Worked example
A: "You look tired this morning." B: "I stayed up until two finishing my report." A: "_____" (a) That sounds like fun. (b) You should go to bed early tonight. (c) I finished mine last week. (d) Do you like writing reports? Reasoning: B gives a cause, lack of sleep. A natural reply responds to that cause with advice. (a) contradicts "tired"; (c) ignores B and talks about A; (d) reuses the word "report" but does not respond to the situation. Answer: (b).
Traps
- Choosing the option that repeats a word from the dialogue instead of the one that fits the meaning.
- Ignoring the punctuation of the gap: a question mark means a question is needed, not a statement.
- Politeness pairing: "Would you like ~?" takes "Yes, please", not "Yes, I would like".
- Answering from your own opinion rather than from the other speaker's words.
- Missing a negative in the first line, which reverses the whole exchange.