Reading Comprehension (Short Passages and Dialogues)
Short passages and dialogues test whether you can follow a two- or three-turn exchange: who asked what, how the other person answered, and how each speaker felt about the result. The texts are short, so the marks are lost on detail, not on speed.
Rules that hold
- Map the turns in the margin: A asks → B hesitates → A offers → B accepts or refuses. Label each turn with a one-word tag (invite / refuse / suggest).
- Track reference words - it, this, that, one, they. The referent is usually the nearest matching noun, but check singular and plural before you commit.
- Indirect questions keep statement order: 'Could you tell me where the post office is?' never 'where is the post office'.
- Negative questions (Why didn't you call me?) ask for a reason, not for yes or no.
- Feelings are carried by action and tone words: sighed, smiled, I can't wait, That's a shame. An option such as relieved or disappointed must be supported by one of these.
Worked example
Text: 'Ken: Are you free on Sunday? I have two tickets for the baseball game. Mika: Oh, I'd love to, but my sister is coming home that day. Ken: That's OK - bring her, too. Mika: Really? Thanks!' Question: How does Mika feel at the end? Options: (1) sorry (2) pleased (3) worried. Reasoning: 'I'd love to, but' marks the obstacle, and 'Really? Thanks!' resolves it, so the final feeling is positive. Answer: (2).
Traps that cost marks
Picking an option that is sensible in real life but absent from the text; reading only the first line of a reply and missing the resolution; confusing which speaker has the problem; and accepting options containing always, never or must when the passage does not go that far.