Reading Comprehension: Short Passages and Dialogues (対話文・短文読解)
This part of the Shizuoka paper gives you short dialogues, e-mails and notices, each followed by one to three questions. It tests whether you can follow who says what, what a speaker actually means (not what the words literally say), and how a missing line fits the flow.
Read the question first
You do not need every word. Read the question and options, then hunt for the one or two lines that decide it. This is faster and stops you from over-reading a short text.
Functions, not translations
Match the line to its job:
- Request: "Could you…?" / "Would you mind…ing?"
- Permission: "Do you mind if I…?"
- Invitation: "Why don't we…?" / "How about…?"
- Offer: "Shall I…?" / "I'll do it."
- Response: "Not at all" (= I don't mind, go ahead), "I'd love to" (accept), "I'm afraid I can't" (decline).
Blank-sentence items
A missing line must connect to what comes before and after. Look for pronoun links (this, that, it pointing backwards) and for connectors (but, so, however) that signal contrast or result.
Worked example
A: "Would you mind closing the window? It's cold." B: "______" Options: (1) Yes, I'd like to. (2) Not at all. (3) No, it isn't cold. (4) You're welcome. Reasoning: "Would you mind…ing?" asks whether the listener objects; agreeing to help is expressed as "Not at all" (I don't mind). Option (3) answers "Isn't it cold?", and (4) answers thanks. Answer: (2).
Traps that cost marks
- Answering "Do you mind…?" with "Yes" while intending "yes, I'll do it."
- Choosing an option that repeats words from the text but reverses the meaning.
- Ignoring "but", "so" and "actually", which usually carry the answer.
- In e-mail and notice items, missing the writer's purpose (asking, refusing, reminding).