Reading Comprehension: Short and Long Passages
What the section asks
Shiga’s reading section moves from short practical texts-notices, emails, timetables-to longer narratives or expository passages. Questions ask for main ideas, specific details, reference (what “it” points to), inference, and the writer’s purpose. The passage stays within junior-high vocabulary, so difficulty comes from information density and paraphrasing.
Core moves
- Read the questions first; underline the line numbers or paragraph markers they mention.
- Map each paragraph’s job: setting, problem, example, conclusion.
- Track referents: pronouns, “this,” “such,” and ellipsis.
- For charts and notices, compare conditions (“except,” “only,” “if”) before calculating.
- For long passages, answer in your own words first, then match to the option.
Worked example
Text: “The city library will open at 9 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. on Saturdays from April. On the first Saturday of each month, however, it closes at 5 p.m. for staff training.” Question: How long is the library open on the second Saturday in April? Reasoning: “second Saturday” is not the first-Saturday exception; use 9 a.m.–7 p.m.; that is 10 hours. The “however” signals the exception, and “from April” confirms the new schedule.
Traps
Using the old closing time; applying the first-Saturday rule to every Saturday; confusing “open at” with “open until”; choosing an option that is true in the passage but does not answer the question.