Reading Comprehension
What Reading Comprehension tests
NEB Class 12 Reading Comprehension asks you to work with a seen or unseen passage and show three levels of understanding: literal detail, inference, and evaluation. Questions commonly appear as short answers, true/false, matching, table completion, and vocabulary-in-context.
Core rules
- Skim first for the gist and structure: title, opening, closing, and contrast markers such as however or although.
- Scan for names, numbers, dates, and cause-effect words. Answer in your own words unless the question says 'quote'.
- For reference questions, trace the pronoun back to the nearest grammatically possible noun phrase.
- Separate fact from opinion: an opinion may contain judgement words such as should, better, or unfortunately.
- Keep answers within the word limit; a one-line answer can earn full marks if it is precise.
Worked example
Passage line: 'The municipality banned plastic bags last year. They now fine shopkeepers who ignore the rule.' Question: 'What does They refer to?' Reasoning: They is the subject of 'fine'; the only plural agent that can issue fines is 'The municipality'. 'Plastic bags' cannot fine anyone. Answer: the municipality. If asked 'Why was the ban introduced?', do not copy the whole sentence; state the reason only.
Traps that cost marks
- Copying a full sentence when the question asks for a phrase.
- Treating an inference as a fact: the passage may imply, not state.
- Missing a negative: 'not uncommon' means common.
- Ignoring the question type: true/false needs evidence; matching needs exact correspondence.