English
What this domain tests
The English section assesses reading comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary in maritime and security contexts. Passages may concern search and rescue, vessel boarding, pollution, or international cooperation.
Core rules
- For reading, separate main idea from detail and inference. The correct inference must be supported by the text, not by general knowledge.
- Grammar frequently tests subject-verb agreement, tense, passive voice, relative clauses, participles, and inversion after negative adverbials.
- Learn maritime terms: distress, mayday, pan-pan, securite, salvage, bow, stern, port, starboard, contraband, boarding, and pollution.
Worked example
“Not until the patrol boat arrived ___ the crew send a distress signal.” The correct form is did: inversion occurs after the negative adverbial “Not until.” Reasoning: the main clause uses past tense, so the auxiliary “did” precedes the subject, and the main verb returns to its base form.
Traps
Do not translate word by word. Watch negatives, double negatives, and scope words such as “only” and “not until.” Do not confuse mayday (grave distress), pan-pan (urgency), and securite (safety).
Key points
- Inference must be text-supported.
- Negative adverbials trigger inversion.
- Distinguish mayday, pan-pan, and securite.
- Agreement can be hidden by prepositional phrases.
- Read the question stem before scanning the passage.