• Reading Comprehension

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    How to answer reading comprehension?
    Reading Skills are a perennial topic for standardized tests. Nursing Entrance Test generally have a reading comprehension component as do most College Entrance Exams.  Some tests, like the Nelson Denny, is primarily reading comprehension.  Before entering University or Nursing School, the institution wants to make sure that you will be able to handle reading technical material and textbooks.   Most High School Tests have reading comprehension components as this is a critical skill required for graduation.
    At first sight, reading comprehension tests look challenging especially if you are given long essays to answer only two to three questions. While reading, you might notice your attention wandering, or you may feel sleepy. Do not be discouraged because there are various tactics and long range strategies that make comprehending even long, boring essays easier.

    Your friends before your foes. 
    It is always best to tackle essays or passages with familiar subjects rather than those with unfamiliar ones. This approach applies the same logic as tackling easy questions before hard ones. Skip passages that do not interest you and leave them for later when there is more time.

    Don’t use ‘special’ reading techniques. 
    This is not the time for speed-reading or anything like that – just plain ordinary reading – not too slow and not too fast.

    Read through the entire passage and the questions before you do anything. 
    Many students try reading the questions first and then looking for answers in the passage thinking this approach is more efficient. What these students do not realize is that it is often hard to navigate in unfamiliar roads. If you do not familiarize yourself with the passage first, looking for answers become not only time consuming but also dangerous because you might miss the context of the answer you are looking for. If you read the questions first you will only confuse yourself and lose valuable time.

    Familiarize yourself with reading comprehension questions.
    If you are familiar with the common types of reading questions, you are able to take note of important parts of the passage, saving time.
    • Main Idea– Questions that ask for the central thought or significance of the passage.
    • Specific Details – Questions that asks for explicitly stated ideas.
    • Drawing Inferences – Questions that ask for a statement’s intended meaning.
    • Tone or Attitude – Questions that test your ability to sense the emotional state of the author.
    • Context Meaning – Questions that ask for the meaning of a word depending on the context.
    • Technique – Questions that ask for the method of organization or the writing style of the author.

    Read. Read. Read. 
    The best preparation for reading comprehension tests is always to read, read and read. If you are not used to reading lengthy passages, you will probably lose concentration. Increase your attention span by making a habit out of reading.
    Reading Comprehension tests become less daunting when you have trained yourself to read and understand fast. Always remember that it is easier to understand passages you are interested in. Do not read through passages hastily. Make mental notes of ideas that you think might be asked.

     

    Reading Strategy

    When facing the reading comprehension section of a standardized test, you need a strategy to be successful. You want to keep several steps in mind:

    First, make a note of the time and the number of sections. 
    Time your work accordingly. Typically, four to five minutes per section is sufficient. Second, read the directions for each selection thoroughly before beginning (and listen well to any additional verbal instructions, as they will often clarify obscure or confusing written guidelines). You must know exactly how to do what you’re about to do!

    • Now you’re ready to begin reading the selection.
    Read the passage carefully, noting significant characters or events on a scratch sheet of paper or underlining on the test sheet. Many students find making a basic list in the margins helpful. Quickly jot down or underline one-word summaries of characters, notable happenings, numbers, or key ideas. This will help you better retain information and focus wandering thoughts. Remember, however, that your main goal in doing this is to find the information that answers the questions. Even if you find the passage interesting, remember your goal and work fast but stay on track.

    • Now read the question and all the choices. 
    Now you have read the passage, have a general idea of the main ideas, and have marked the important points. Read the question and all the choices. Never choose an answer without reading them all! Questions are often designed to confuse – stay focused and clear. Usually the answer choices will focus on one or two facts or inferences from the passage. Keep these clear in your mind.

    • Search for the answer. 
    With a very general idea of what the different choices are, go back to the passage and scan for the relevant information. Watch for big words, unusual or unique words. These make your job easier as you can scan the text for the particular word.

    • Mark the Answer. 
    Now you have the key information the question is looking for. Go back to the question, quickly scan the choices and mark the correct one. Understand and practice the different types of standardized reading comprehension tests. See the list above for the different types. Typically, there will be several questions dealing with facts from the selection, a couple more inference questions dealing with logical consequences of those facts, and periodically an application-oriented question surfaces to force you to make connections with what you already know.
    Some students prefer to answer the questions as listed, and feel classifying the question and then ordering is wasting precious time. Other students prefer to answer the different types of questions in order of how easy or difficult they are.

    Reading Question :

    Questions 1–4 are about the following announcement.


    Student Volunteers Needed!
    On Saturday, December 12th, from 10 A.M. until 4 P.M., Carverton Middle School will be holding a music festival in the school gymnasium. The special event will feature a variety of professional musicians and singers.
    Task
    Time
    Date
    Make posters
    1 P.M.–4 P.M.
    December 5th
    Set up gym
    11 A.M.–4 P.M.
    December 11th
    Help performers
    9 A.M.–4 P.M.
    December 12th
    Welcome guests
    10 A.M.–2 P.M.
    December 12th
    Clean up gym 
    4 P.M.–7 P.M.
    December 12th
    Interested students should speak with Ms. Braxton, the music teacher. Students who would like to help at the festival must have written permission from a parent or guardian.
          1.     What time will the festival begin?
          A.    10 A.M.
          B.    11 A.M.
          C.    1 P.M.
          D.    2 P.M.
          2.     In line 3, the word feature is closest in meaning to _______.
          A.    look
          B.    keep
          C.    include
          D.    entertain
          3.     What job will be done the day before the festival begins?
          A.    Making posters
          B.    Setting up the gym
          C.    Cleaning up the gym
          D.    Helping the performers
          4.     Who is told to talk to Ms. Braxton?
          A.    Parents
          B.    Students
          C.    Teachers
          D.    Performers

    Questions 5–11 refer to the following story.

    "Did you see that?" Joe said to his friend Bill.
    "You're a great shooter!"
    Bill caught the basketball and bounced it before throwing it again. The ball flew into the net.
    "Bill, you never miss!" Joe said admiringly.
    "Unless I'm in a real game," Bill complained.
    "Then I miss all the time."
    Joe knew that Bill was right. Bill performed much better when he was having fun with Joe in the school yard than he did when he was playing for the school team in front of a large crowd.
    "Maybe you just need to practice more," Joe suggested.
    "But I practice all the time with you!" Bill objected.
    He shook his head. "I just can't play well when people are watching me."
    "You play well when I'm watching," Joe pointed out.
    "That's because I've known you since we were five years old," Bill said with a smile.
    "I'm just not comfortable playing when other people are around."
    Joe nodded and understood, but he also had an idea.
    The next day Joe and Bill met in the school yard again to practice. After a few minutes, Joe excused himself.
    "Practice without me," Joe said to his friend.
    "I'll be back in a minute."
    Joe hurried through the school building, gathering together whomever he could find—two students, a math teacher, two secretaries, and a janitor. When Joe explained why he needed them, everyone was happy to help.
    Joe reminded the group to stay quiet as they all went toward the school's basketball court. As Joe had hoped, Bill was still practicing basketball. He made five baskets in a row without noticing the silent people standing behind him.
    "Hey, Bill!" Joe called out finally.
    Bill turned. A look of surprise came over his face.
    "I just wanted to show you that you could play well with people watching you," Joe said.
    "Now you'll have nothing to worry about for the next game!"

          5.     What would be the best title for the story?
          A.    Joe Joins the Team
          B.    Practice Makes Perfect
          C.    Bill Wins the Big Game
          D.    Bill's Basketball Problem
          6.     In line 8, the word performed is closest in meaning to _______.
          A.    acted
          B.    played
          C.    moved
          D.    changed
          7.     Why is Bill upset?
          A.    He plays better in practice than he does during games.
          B.    The school yard is not a good place to practice.
          C.    Joe watches him too closely when he plays.
          D.    His team loses too many games.
          8.     Why does Bill play well when Joe is watching him?
          A.    He is comfortable with Joe.
          B.    Joe tells him how to play better.
          C.    He does not know that Joe is there.
          D.    He wants to prove to Joe that he is a good player.
          9.     Why does Joe decide to gather a group of people?
          A.    Because he wants more players for his team
          B.    Because he wants to help Bill feel less nervous
          C.    Because he wants to show them his talent
          D.    Because he wants more people to see the next game
         10.  At the end of the story, all of the following people watch Bill practice EXCEPT _______.
          A.    Joe
          B.    a janitor
          C.    a math teacher
          D.    the basketball coach
         11.  Why does the group have to be quiet when they go to the basketball court?
          A.    Because Joe is telling Bill what to do
          B.    Because they do not want Bill to know they were there
          C.    Because Bill likes to practice alone
          D.    Because the group needs to listen to Joe’s instructions

     

    Questions 12–20 are about the following passage.

    When another old cave is discovered in the south of France, it is not usually news. Rather, it is an ordinary event. Such discoveries are so frequent these days that hardly anybody pays heed to them.
    However, when the Lascaux cave complex was discovered in 1940, the world was amazed. Painted directly on its walls were hundreds of scenes showing how people lived thousands of years ago. The scenes show people hunting animals, such as bison or wild cats. Other images depict birds and, most noticeably, horses, which appear in more than 300 wall images, by far outnumbering all other animals.
    Early artists drawing these animals accomplished a monumental and difficult task. They did not limit themselves to the easily accessible walls but carried their painting materials to spaces that required climbing steep walls or crawling into narrow passages in the Lascaux complex. Unfortunately, the paintings have been exposed to the destructive action of water and temperature changes, which easily wear the images away. Because the Lascaux caves have many entrances, air movement has also damaged the images inside. Although they are not out in the open air, where natural light would have destroyed them long ago, many of the images have deteriorated and are barely recognizable. To prevent further damage, the site was closed to tourists in 1963, 23 years after it was discovered.
          12.  Which title best summarizes the main idea of the passage?
           A.    Wild Animals in Art
           B.    Hidden Prehistoric Paintings
           C.    Exploring Caves Respectfully
           D.    Determining the Age of French Caves
          13.  In line 4, the words pays heed to are closest in meaning to _______.
           A.    discovers
           B.    watches
           C.    notices
           D.    buys
          14.  Based on the passage, what is probably true about the south of France?
           A.    It is home to rare animals.
           B.    It has a large number of caves.
           C.    It is known for horse-racing events.
           D.    It has attracted many famous artists.
          15.  According to the passage, which animals appear most often on the cave walls?
           A.    Birds
           B.    Bison
           C.    Horses
           D.    Wild cats
          16.  In line 10, the word depict is closest in meaning to _______.
           A.    show
           B.    hunt
           C.    count
           D.    draw
          17.  Why was painting inside the Lascaux complex a difficult task?
           A.    It was completely dark inside.
           B.    The caves were full of wild animals.
           C.    Painting materials were hard to find.
           D.    Many painting spaces were difficult to reach.
          18.  In line 14, the word They refers to _______.
           A.    walls
           B.    artists
           C.    animals
           D.    materials
          19.  According to the passage, all of the following have caused damage to the paintings EXCEPT _______.
           A.    temperature changes
           B.    air movement
           C.    water
           D.    light
          20.  What does the passage say happened at the Lascaux caves in 1963?
           A.    Visitors were prohibited from entering.
           B.    A new lighting system was installed.
           C.    Another part was discovered.
           D.    A new entrance was created.


         Answer Key For Reading Comprehension
         1.     A
         2.     C
         3.     B
         4.     B
         5.     D
         6.     B
         7.     A
         8.     A
         9.     B
         10. D 
         11. B
         12. B
         13. C
         14. B
         15. C
         16. A
         17. D
         18. B
         19. D
         20. A


    Sources :
    https://www.test-preparation.ca/tips-for-reading-comprehension-questions/
    https://www.ets.org/toefl_junior/prepare/standard_sample_questions/reading_comprehension
    https://www.ets.org/toefl_junior/prepare/standard_sample_questions/answer_key_reading_comprehension
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