Information Transfer and Practical Reading
Information transfer and practical reading uses charts, schedules, notices, and emails. You must locate data, combine two sources, and complete a task: fill in a form, choose a time, or answer a question.
Procedure
- Read the task: what exactly must you produce - a time, a price, a name, or a yes/no?
- Read the source headers: units, dates, legends, and footnotes.
- Find the intersection of the constraints: open days, available times, cost limits.
- Write the answer in the required form.
Worked example
A club notice says: 「The science club meets on the second and fourth Saturday of each month at 10 a.m. at the city library.」 A calendar shows Saturdays: May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31. Question: When is the next meeting after May 10? Reasoning: the second Saturday is May 10; the fourth Saturday is May 24. 「After May 10」 excludes May 10 itself. Answer: May 24.
Reading charts
Check axis labels and units: minutes vs. hours, yen vs. dollars. Compare bars or lines using the legend. Do not assume a trend continues beyond the data shown.
Traps that cost marks
- 24-hour time: 14:00 is 2 p.m.; midnight and noon are easy to misread.
- 「Second Saturday」 counts from the first Saturday, not from the first day of the month.
- Information split across two sources; one source alone is not enough.
- Except, not included, and free conditions.
- A later email that changes an earlier notice; the newer information usually wins.