1. Unit 2
Before you read any passage , it is good to know what kind of information you need to look
for. Hence, as you read, do not just read word by word. Instead, continually ask yo rself
questions that relate to the text and its purpose. Questions such as the following Will be
very useful:
• Why was this passage written?
• Is there anything special in the manner of writing and what does this signify?
• What are the tone, themes , and major points?
Look out for words , especially nouns, which are repeated often during the course of the
passage.These will often tell you what the main themes or fundamental points of a passage
are.
+ Read the Passage First
You should read the material that is given to you in order. Some students have been told
to look at the questions first before reading the passage. While some do well using this
method, many find it confusing because there are simply too many questions to remember
and things start getting mixed up. Hence, it is probably better to read the passage first and
pay no attention to the questions until you have finished reading the passage .
+Skim
The purpose of your first reading is not to dwell on details, but to make sure that you get a
general understanding of what the passage is about. You should read the passage quickly and
lightly. This is called skimming . It is somewhat like speed reading, only you are keeping an
eye out for the main themes, so try not to get bogged down trying to completely understand
every fact. Look for topic sentences and make a mental mark of them. While reading, try to
understand the themes of the passage and the reason the passage was written .
The facts brought up by the author are only a part of his effort to achieve a certain goal.
Hence, as you read, you should be more concerned with what the facts lead a reader to
conclude than with the specific facts themselves .The only time you should slow down and
go back is If you Jose the flow of the passage and end up lost. When you finish reading a
passage, you should understand the structure of t_ passage and of where things lie within
he
it as well as be able to answer the general questions mentioned above.
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2. Proceed to the questions after you have finished reading the passage . You should
be able to answer general questions without having to look at the passage . Most of the
time. questions will indicate the paragraph in the passage where you will be able to find the
answer. Before going back to the paragraph, ask yourself exactly what the question
requires. Is it straightforward or does it require some level of inference? Once you have
established the purpose, go to the specified area in the passage . If it is a little hard to
understand.read the few lines before and after it to get a sense of the context. Come up
with your own answer to the question, and write your answer without referring to the
passage.
+Concentrate,Concentrate,Concentrate
Nervousness. or even boredom, can make one's mind fidgety and it can become
rather difficult to focus on the task of answering all your comprehension questions. This
tendency to drift can have a devastating effect on your performance and cost you
precious marks, so you need to tackle it immediately.
Pace yourself , paragraph by paragraph. This can be done if you find yourself reading
word after word without understanding . Once this happens, take a very short mental
break by breathing in deeply and then thinking about the paragraph . What relation does
it have with the overall passage? By stopping after each paragraph, you give yourself a
structure that will help you concent rate and better understand what is in the passage.
Another way to help you focus and remember things when you have to go back to
the passage is to underline or circle the key ideas . Identify the topic sentence in each
paragraph and underline it. Circle opening statements or closing conclusions. Mark down
anything that relates to general themes and ideas, the main idea of each paragraph, or
other aspects of the passage that strike you as important. This will reinforce what you
read and save you time when you refer back to the passage.
+A Note on Dual
Passages
Most examination scripts feature two passages, instead of j ust one nowadays, so it is
vital to manage them. Always read both first, before going on to the questions. Do not
treat them as two separate passages. Try to think of a linking thread between them
- this will help you to identify the main points of the passage.
After you finish reading, proceed to the questions, attempting those from the first
passoge before movmg on to the questions for the second ono Try your best to do
everythmg in the order that they are set.
