READING STRATEGIES 3 doc

MAIN IDEA, PURPOSE, TOPIC QUESTIONS - Don’t answer the initial overview questions until you have answered the other questions - Usually focus on the first sentences of each paragraph for

READING STRATEGIES

1 MAIN IDEA, PURPOSE, TOPIC QUESTIONS

- Don’t answer the initial overview questions until you have

answered the other questions

- Usually focus on the first sentence(s) of each paragraph for the topic and main idea; also focus on the last

sentence for the conclusion and a possible restatement of

the topic and main idea

- Skim (read very quickly) the rest of the passage for the key words that will confirm the topic and main idea

- Read the answer choices and eliminate the distractors which may have one of these characteristics:

a too general

b too specific (detailed)

c incorrect

d irrelevant (not mentioned)

1 Information/Factual Questions often begin with the phrases

“According to the passage/the author, wh- questions ”

2 Negative Questions contain the words NOT, EXCEPT, or LEAST

- Focus on one or two key words in the question

- Scan the passage looking for the key words or related words (synonyms, word family)

- Carefully read the sentence in which the key words occur (You may have to read the sentence preceding or following that sentence as well.)

- Choose the correct answer

III INFERENCE QUESTIONS

Inference Questions usually include such words as “infer, imply, suggest, guess, probably, likely” or such phrases as “Why … mention?” “What … to do next?”

Answer choices to inference questions require students to

1 understand what the question is asking and know where to find the answer in the passage

2 relate the information in the answer choice to a synonym or paraphrase of information in the passage; and

3 determine what is true and not true in the answer choices

• Note: Answer choices that contain such words

as always, never, all, and only are usually

NOT correct.