Reading and Comprehension
Reading and Comprehension
This domain tests how you make meaning from unseen Thimbukushu prose and non-fiction. Expect literal questions, inference, vocabulary in context, summary, and evaluation of the writer's purpose, tone and structure. Passages may be narrative, descriptive, argumentative or informational, often with a Kavango setting.
Core rules and concepts
- Read the questions first, then the passage twice: once for gist, once for evidence.
- Answer in your own words unless the question says 'quote'. Copying whole sentences loses marks.
- For inference, point to the clue and state what it implies. Do not invent background knowledge.
- For summary, select the requested number of points, remove examples and repetition, and write in continuous prose or a list as instructed.
- Track pronoun reference and discourse markers such as contrast, cause and sequence to follow the argument.
- Distinguish fact from opinion and identify the writer's attitude from word choice.
Worked example
Question: 'Give two reasons why the writer says the gardens were moved.' Passage: 'The gardens were moved to the higher ground because the river had changed course and because the old fields were exhausted.' Reasoning: the keyword is 'reasons'. The signal words are 'because' and 'and because'. Point 1: the river changed course. Point 2: the old fields were exhausted. A weak answer copies the sentence. A strong answer paraphrases: 'The river shifted its channel, and the previous fields had lost their fertility.' Both points are separate and concise.
Traps
- Writing one long answer when two points are required.
- Lifting sentences instead of paraphrasing.
- Giving a personal opinion when the question asks for the writer's view.
- Missing the second part of a two-part question.