Reading Comprehension (Short Passages)
Short reading (短文読解) presents notices, emails, advertisements, and short articles of roughly 100 to 150 words. The questions are usually written in Japanese, and they ask for a specific detail, the main point, or the option that is not true.
How to work
Read the question first, then scan the text. Identify the text type: a notice has a heading, date, place, and conditions; an email has a sender, a recipient, and a request. Find the sentence that matches the question and compare it with each option. Correct options usually paraphrase the text: 「Please bring your own lunch」 becomes 「You should bring food.」 Incorrect options often repeat exact words but reverse the meaning.
Worked example
Notice: 「The school library will be closed on May 2 for cleaning. It will reopen on May 3 at 9 a.m. Books borrowed before April 28 may be returned on May 6.」 Question: 図書館が閉まっているのはいつか。 Options: May 2 / May 3 / April 28 / May 6. Reasoning: 「closed on May 2」 is stated directly. May 3 is the reopening; April 28 and May 6 are return dates. Answer: May 2.
Traps that cost marks
- 適切でないもの: mark the negative question word before reading the options.
- Dates attached to different actions: closed, reopened, and deadline.
- Scope words: all students vs. some students; must vs. may.
- Options that are generally true but not stated in this text.
- Email requests: separate what the writer asks you to do from what the writer has already done.