Reading (읽기): topic vs main idea, connectives and reference
Reading (읽기) covers 실용문 (notices, ads, instructions), 설명문 and 논설문. Questions ask for 주제, 중심 생각, 세부 내용, and also sentence insertion (문장 삽입) and sentence ordering (순서 배열).
Rules that decide the answer
- 주제 vs 중심 생각. 주제 is a noun phrase you could use as a title (종이책의 장점). 중심 생각 is a full sentence stating the writer's claim (종이책은 눈이 덜 피로해서 다시 인기를 얻고 있다). Check which one the question actually asks for.
- Connectives encode logic. 그러나/하지만 = contrast, 따라서/그러므로 = conclusion, 즉 = restatement, 반면에 = comparison, 게다가 = addition. The answer almost always sits on the far side of a contrast.
- Reference chains. 이것, 그, 이러한 point backwards; find the nearest matching noun phrase, not the topic of the whole paragraph.
- Scope words. 모든, 대부분, 항상, 거의, 만 - an option that widens or narrows the claim beyond the text is wrong.
- Ordering items. The first sentence usually has no backward-pointing pronoun; then chain pronouns and connectives to build the rest.
Worked example
"요즘은 스마트폰으로 책을 읽는 사람이 많다. 하지만 종이책을 찾는 사람도 늘고 있다. 종이책은 눈이 덜 피로하고, 읽은 내용을 더 오래 기억할 수 있기 때문이다." Question: 이 글의 중심 생각은? Option A says smartphone reading is decreasing - the text says the opposite (많다). Option B, 종이책 독서의 장점, matches: 하지만 pivots to 종이책, and -기 때문이다 supplies the reason supporting the claim that paper books are regaining readers. Options about price or library use are never mentioned.
Traps that cost marks
Choosing an option that is true in general but not stated in the passage. Reading -기 때문이다 as a cause of the previous event instead of a justification of the writer's claim. Ignoring a single 모든 or 대부분. Treating every -는데 as contrast when it may only set background.