Page 35 - Young&Wise

ACADEMIC CORNER

TIPS

READING COMPREHENSION TIPS
General Strategies
Beware of distractors Look for signal words
Some answer choices are partially true or use familiar words Words like ‘however’, ‘although’, ‘because’, ‘therefore’, and ‘in
differently. Always compare carefully with the passage. contrast’ guide you to the main idea, cause-effect relationships,
Time management or contrasts.
Avoid spending too much time on one question. If unsure, Analyse question stems
mark it and move on, then return if time allows. Questions can be categorised into four groups:
Paraphrasing practice 1. General question stems:
The YDT often paraphrases information in questions. Practise In this type of question, there are no clues; the answer could
recognising synonyms and alternative expressions. be anywhere. This necessitates comprehension of the complete
Practise regularly text.
Consistent practice with past YDT passages improves speed, e.g. “It is pointed out in the passage that ----.”
accuracy, and the ability to infer meanings. 2. Specific question stems:
Specific Points These contain keywords directing you to specific sections.
Skim first, read later Focus on the relevant part.
Quickly skim the passage to gain a general idea of the topic and e.g. “As we understand from the passage, solar energy is
structure. Do not focus on every word initially. beneficial ----.”
Focus on key sentences 3. Mixed question stems:
Often, the main idea is in the first sentence, but occasionally it This type of question may seem general, but it can be specific
is in the second or last sentence, especially if there is a contrast depending on context. If the paragraph is entirely about solar
or summary. energy, it is general; if solar energy is only part of a broader
topic, it is specific.
Identify keywords
e.g. “It is pointed out in the passage that solar energy ----.”
Pay attention to names, numbers, dates, and technical terms.
Mark these key elements as they often appear in questions or 4. Inference questions:
serve as distractions: They require making inferences from the passage, so they are
1. Quantifiers (most, many, all, some, etc.) more time-consuming and challenging than other question
2. Adjectives and Adverbs (comparatives, superlatives, etc.) types.
3. Modals (can, could, should, must, etc.) e.g. “It can be inferred/concluded from the passage that ----.”
4. Information between Punctuation Marks (‘—’, parentheses)
33