Tài liệu Reading Comprehension Skills

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READING COMPREHENSION SKILLS

Skill 1: MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS

Almost every reading passage will have a multiple-choice question about the main idea of a passage Such a question may be worded in a variety of ways; you may, for example, be asked

to identify the topic, subject, title, primary idea, or main idea It is relatively easy to find the main ideas by studying the topic sentences, which are most probably found at the beginning of each paragraph

If a passage consists of only one paragraph, you should study the beginning of that paragraph

to determine the main idea

Example

The passage:

Basketball was invented in 1891 by a physical education instructor in Springfield, Massachusetts, by the name of James Naismith Because of terrible weather in winter, his physical education students were indoors rather than outdoors They really did not like the idea

of boring, repetitive exercises and preferred the excitement and challenge of a game Naismith figured out a team sport that could be played indoors on a gymnasium floor, that involved a lot

of running, that kept all team members involved, and that did not allow the tackling and physical contact of American style football

The question:

What is the topic of this passage?

A The life of James Naismith

B The history of sports

C Physical education and exercise

D The origin of basketball

The first sentence of this passage states that basketball was invented, so the invention of

basketball is probably the topic A quick check of the rest of the sentences in the passage

confirms that the topic is, in fact, the beginnings of the sport of basketball Now you should check each of the answers to determine which one comes closest to the topic that you have determined Answer A mentions James Naismith but not basketball, so it is not the topic Answer B is too general; it mentions sports but does not mention basketball Answer C is also too general; it mentions physical education but does not mention basketball The best answer is therefore answer D.: the origin of basketball means that the way that basketball was invented

MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS

HOW TO IDENTIFY THE

QUESTION

What is the topic of the passage?

What is the subject of the passage?

What is the main idea of the passage?

What is the author's main point in the

HOW TO ANSWER THE

2 Look for a common theme or idea in the first

the topic sentence(s).

4 Eliminate any definitely wrong answers and

choose the best answer from the remaining

choices.

Skill 2: STATED DETAIL QUESTIONS

A stated detail question asks about one piece of information in the passage rather than the passage as a whole The answers to these questions are generally given in order in the passage, and the correct answer is often a restatement of what is given in the passage this means that the correct answer often expresses the same idea as what is written in the pas-sage, but the words are not exactly the same

Example

The passage:

Flutes have been around for quite some time, in all sorts of shapes and sizes and

made from a variety of materials The oldest known flutes are, about 20,000 years old, they were made from hollowed-out bones with holes cut in them In addition to bone, older flutes were often constructed from bamboo or hollowed-out wood

Today flutes are generally made of metal, and in addition to the holes they have a complicated system of keys, levers, and pads The instrument belonging to well-known flautist James Galway is not just made of any metal, it is made of gold

The question:

According to the passage, the oldest flutes

A had holes cut in them

B were made of metal

C were made 200,000 years ago

D had a complicated set of levers and pads

Since this question asks about the oldest flutes, you should see that this question is answered in the second sentence The passage states that the oldest known flutes were bones with holes cut in them, so the best answer is answer A Answers B and D are true about today's flutes but not about the oldest flutes, so they are incorrect Answer C is an incorrect number; the oldest flutes are 20,000 years old, not 200,000 years old

The following chart outlines the key information that you should remember about

STATED DETAIL QUESTIONS

HOW TO IDENTIFY

THE QUESTION

According to the passage…

It is stated in the passage

The passage indicates that…

Which of the following is true ?

WHERE TO FIND THE

ANSWER The answers to the questions are found in order in the passage.

HOW TO ANSWER

THE QUESTION

1 Choose a key word in the question.

2 Skim in the appropriate part of the passage for the key word or idea.

3 Read the sentence that contains the key word or idea carefully.

4 Eliminate the definitely wrong answers and choose the best answer from the remaining choices.

Skill 3: FIND "UNSTATED" DETAILS

You will sometimes be asked in the reading section to find an answer that is not stated or not mentioned or not true in the passage This type of question really means that three of the answers are stated, mentioned, or true in the passage, while one answer is not

Example

The passage:

The Florida Keys are a beautiful chain of almost 1,000 coral and limestone islands These islands form an arc that heads first southwest and then west from the mainland U.S Highway 1, called the Overseas Highway, connects the main islands in the chain On this highway, it is necessary to cross forty-two bridges over the ocean to cover the 159 miles from Miami, on the mainland, to Key West, the farthest island on the highway and the southernmost city in the United States

The question:

Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the Florida Keys?

A The Florida Keys are a chain of islands.

B The Florida Keys contain coral and limestone

C The Florida Keys are in the shape of an arc

D The Florida Keys are not all inhabited

This question asks for the one answer that is not mentioned about the Florida Keys The passage states that the Florida Keys are a chain (answer A) with coral and limestone (answer B) in the shape of an arc (answer C), so these answers are not correct The best answer is therefore answer D The passage does not mention whether or not the keys are all inhabited

The following chart outlines the key information that you should remember about

“UNSTATED” DETAIL QUESTIONS

HOW TO DENTIFY THE

QUESTION

Which of the following is not stated ?

Which of the following is not mentioned ?

Which of the following is not discussed…?

Which of the following are true except ?

WHERE TO FIND THE

1 Choose a key word in the question

2 Scan the appropriate place in the passage for the key word (or related idea)

3 Read the sentence that contains the key word or idea carefully

4 Look for answers that are definitely true according to the passage Eliminate those answers

5 Choose the answer that is not true or not discussed in the passage

Skill 4: IMPLIED DETAIL QUESTIONS

In this type of question, you will be asked to answer a multiple choice question about a reading passage by drawing a conclusion from a specific detail or details in the passage Questions of this type contain the words implied, inferred, likely, or probably to let you

know that the answer to the question is not directly stated In this type of question, it is important to understand that you do not have to "pull the answer out of thin air." Instead, some information will be given in the passage, and you will draw a conclusion from that information.

Example

The passage:

The number of rings in a tree can be used to determine how old a tree really is Each year a tree produces a ring that is composed of one light-colored wide band and one dark-colored narrow band The wider band is produced during the spring and early summer when tree stem cells grow rapidly and become larger The narrower band is produced in fall and early winter when cell growth is much slower and cells do not get very large No cells are produced during the harsh winter and summer months

The question:

It is implied in the passage that if a tree has 100 wide bands and 100 narrow bands, then

it is

A a century old

B two centuries old

C fifty years old

D two hundred years old

This question asks about the age of a tree with 100 wide bands and 100 narrow

bands The passage does not tell the age of a tree with 100 wide and narrow bands, but it does indicate that….wide band and one narrow band are produced each year From this, you can draw the conclusion that a tree with 100 wide and narrow bands is 100 years, or a century, old The best answer to this question is therefore answer A

The following chart outlines the key information that you should remember about

IMPLIED DETAIL QUESTIONS

It is implied in the passage that……

It can be inferred from the passage that ….

It is most likely that……

What probably happened ?

The answers to these questions are generally found in order in the passage

1 Choose a key word in the question

2 Scan the passage for the key word (or a related idea)

3 Carefully read the sentence that contains the key word

4 Look for an answer that could be true, according to that sentence

Skill 5: VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT QUESTIONS

You may be asked to determine the meaning of a difficult word or expression that you do

not know In this case, the passage often gives you a clear indication of what the word or expression means

Example

The passage:

Professor Richmond's hobby is philately The professor has been quite

interested in collecting stamps for a number of years

The following chart outlines the key information that you should remember about

VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT QUESTIONS

HOW TO IDENTIFY THE

QUESTION What is the meaning of “X” in line Y?

The word “X” in line Y could best be replaced by…

WHERE TO FIND THE

ANSWER

Information to help you understand the meaning of

a vocabulary word can often be found in the context surrounding the word.

HOW TO ANSWER THE

QUESTION

1 Find the word in the passage

2 Read the sentence that contains the word carefully

3 Look for context clues to help you understand the meaning

4 Choose the answer that the context indicates

Skill 6: "WHERE" QUESTIONS

There will be a multiple-choice question that asks where certain information is found

The answer choices will list possible locations for that information

Example

The passage:

The words "capital" and "capitol" are confused in spelling and in meaning by a lot of

people who try to use them Both their spellings and their meanings are quite closely

related A "capital" is the location of the center of government, while a "capitol" is the

actual building where the government officials meet Thus, in the United States, for

example, the Capitol building is located in Washington, D.C., which is the capital city of

the United States

The question:

Where in the passage does the author define the word "capital"?

A Lines 1-2

B Lines 3-4

C Line 5

D Line 6

To answer this question, you should skim for the word capital and then look for its

meaning A capital is the location of the center of government, and this definition is given

in the third line Answer B is therefore the best answer to this question

The following chart outlines the key information that you should remember when

you are trying to determine where in the passage something is found:

QUESTION ABOUT WHERE IN THE PASSAGE

HOW TO IDENTIFY THE

QUESTION

Where in the passage…….?

WHERE TO FIND THE

ANSWER

The answer can be in any of the lines listed in the answer to the question.

HOW TO ANSWER THE

QUESTION

1 Choose a key word or idea in the question

2 Skim the appropriate past(s) of the passage looking for the key word or idea

3 Choose the answer that contains the key word or idea

READING TEST

1/ Read the article below and then choose the best answer to completes each sentence.

THE EARTH

As viewed from space, Earth's distinguishing characteristics are its blue waters and white clouds Enveloped by an ocean of air consisting of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen, the planet is the only one in our solar system known to harbor life Circling the Sun at an average distance of 149 million km (93 million miles) Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the fifth largest planet in the solar system Its rapid spin and molten nickel-iron core give rise to an extensive magnetic field which, coupled with the atmosphere, shields us from nearly all of the harmful radiation coming from the Sun and other stars Most meteors burn up in the Earth's

atmosphere before they can strike the surface The planet's active geological

processes have left no evidence of the ancient pelting it almost certainly received soon after it was formed The Earth has a single natural satellite—the Moon

2 Which of the following helps to create Earth's magnetic fields?

Its blue waters

Its nitrogen atmosphere

Its molten metal core

The Moon

3 What two factors help protect the Earth from radiation?

Magnetic field and atmosphere

Rapid spin and molten iron-nickel core

The Sun and the Moon

Blue waters and white clouds

4 In the second sentence, "consisting" most nearly means

hardening

containing

withholding

shortening

5 Why does the Earth show almost no signs of having been hit by numerous meteors in the past?

Humans have built over most of the craters

Most meteors fell into the ocean and not on land

Earth's magnetic field repeled most meteors

Earth's natural geologic activity has eliminated most traces

6 The main idea of this passage is that

there are life-supporting characteristics on Earth

Earth is predominantly water

Earth has no common characteristics with other planets

Earth is the only planet with a moon

7 The word "distinguishing" as it is used in this selection means

elevating in nature

devastating in nature

characteristics like all other planets

characteristics that set it apart from other planets

8 It's probable that the next paragraph would discuss

people on planets

the solar system as a whole

the Earth's natural satellite—the Moon

rings around Saturn

9 As used in this selection, the word "harbor" is synonymous with

0 This selection leads one to believe that

Earth never gets hit by meteors

Earth always gets hit by meteors

Earth was hit by meteors in some past time period

Earth may be bombarded by meteors in the near future.

2/Read the article below and then choose the best answer to completes each

sentence.

TITANIC

If you were to stop people in the street and ask them to name a ship that had been sunk, it is nearly that all of them would say the Titanic For the sinking of the Titanic was, if not the most tragic, certainly the most famous sea disaster in the history of ocean travel The Titanic was built

as a luxury liner, intended to be the fastest in the world, and great deal of publicity had

surrounded it The last point probably explains why so many important people from all walks of life were on the boat when it went down The Titanic was on its maiden voyage to America in

1912 when it struck an ice berg and sank Of its 2,300 passengers, more than two-thirds were drowned Because the Titanic was thought to be virtually unsinkable, no one was prepared for the tragedy There was total as few of the passengers had bothered to learn the necessary drill

in the event of trouble There was severe shortage of lifeboats and those that were launched were still half-empty The one point of calm was to be very end What makes the sinking of the Titanic even more tragic is the fact that warnings of icebergs had been sent; yet the liner was still continuing at full speed In addition one ship was only ten miles away but did not receive the distress signal One good thing did, however, result from the disaster The whole question of safety at sea was looked into, resulting in much better safety measures, including stricter lifeboat regulations and the establishment of an iceberg patrol

1 The sinking of the Titanic was

the most tragic sea disaster

the most historic sea disaster

the most famous sea disaster

the first great sea disaster

2 Why were so many important people on board?

The Titanic had received a lot of publicity

The Titanic was a luxury liner

It was the fastest liner in the world

They wanted to go to America

3 The lifeboats were

too short

launched too soon

half finished

poorly equipped

4 The chances of disaster were increased because

no warnings had been sent

the dance band was playing too loud

the Titanic was traveling too fast

there were no distress calls

5 The positive result of the disaster was that

a full inquiry was made

a program of iceberg destruction was started

life boats were made larger

sea travel was made safer

3/Read the article below and then choose the best answer to completes each

sentence.

When we were in England last year, I went fishing with my friend, Peter Early in the morning we were sitting quietly by the side of a lake when we had an unpleasant surprise We saw a duck come along with three ducklings paddling cheerfully behind her As we watch them, there was a sudden swirl in the water We caught a glimpse of the vicious jaws of a pike – a fish which is rather like a fresh water shark – and one of the ducklings was dragged below the surface This incident made Peter furious He vowed to catch the pike On three successive mornings we returned to the vicinity and used several different kinds of bait On the third day Peter was lucky Using an artificial frog as bait, he managed to hook the monster There was a desperate fight but Peter was determined to capture the pike and he succeeded When he had got it ashore and killed it, he weighed the fish and found that it scaled nearly thirty pounds – a record for that district

1 To what does surprise in line 2 probably refer?

to the duck

to the ducklings

to the action of the pike

to the time of the day

2 Which word in the third sentence of the passage suggest that the ducklings were unaware of the danger below them?

three

along

cheerfully

3 What were Peter’s feelings about the incident two days later?

He caught and killed the pike

He remained determined to catch the pike

He vowed that he would catch the remaining ducklings

He caught a frog and used it as bait for the pike

4 How much was the pike worth?

About thirty pounds

About two hundred and forty dollars

The passage contains no information on this point

The passage says that the fish scaled nearly thirty pounds

5 Which of the following title best sum up the whole passage?

Mysterious disappearance of ducklings

Revenge on a duck

Record pike caught by an angry fisherman

Huge pike caught by fisherman after desperate struggle at sea

4/Read the article below and then choose the best answer to completes each

1 In the third sentence, "unique" most nearly means

Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration

the same for all people

8 A source of stress NOT specifically mentioned in this passage is

heart disease

high blood pressure

10 One method mentioned to help handle stress is

Read the article below and then choose the best answer to completes each sentence.

As Andrea turned off the motorway onto the road to Brockbourne, the small village in which she lived, it was four o'clock in the afternoon, but already the sun was falling behind the hills At this time in December, it would be completely dark by five o'clock Andrea shivered The interior of the car was not cold, but the trees bending in the harsh wind and the patches of yesterday's snow still heaped in the fields made her feel chilly inside It was another ten miles to the cottage where she lived with her husband Michael, and the dim light and wintry weather made her feel a little lonely She would have liked to listen to the radio, but it had been stolen from her car when

it was parked outside her office in London about two weeks ago, and she had not got around to replacing it yet She was just coming out of the little village of Mickley when she saw the old lady, standing by the road, with a crude hand-written sign saying "Brockbourne" in her hand Andrea was surprised She had never seen an old lady hitchhiking before However, the weather and the coming darkness made her feel sorry for the lady, waiting hopefully on a country road like this with little traffic Normally, Andrea would never pick up a hitchhiker when she was alone, thinking it was too dangerous, but what was the harm in doing a favor for a little old lady like this? Andrea pulled up a little way down the road, and the lady, holding a big shopping bag, hurried over to climb in the door which Andrea had opened for her When she did get in, Andrea could see that she was not, in fact, so little Broad and fat, the old lady had some difficulty climbing in through the car door, with her big bag, and when she had got in, she more than filled the seat next to Andrea She wore a long, shabby old dress, and she had a yellow hat pulled down low over her eyes Panting noisily from her effort, she pushed her big brown canvas shopping bag down onto the floor under her feet, and said in a voice which was almost a

whisper, "Thank you dearie I'm just going to Brockbourne." "Do you live there?" asked

Andrea, thinking that she had never seen the old lady in the village in the four years she had lived there herself "No, dearie," answered the passenger, in her soft voice, "I'm just going to visit a friend He was supposed to meet me back there at Mickley, but his car won't start, so I decided to hitchhike there isn't a bus until seven, and I didn't want to wait I knew some kind soul would give me a lift." Something in the way the lady spoke, and the way she never turned her head, but stared continuously into the darkness ahead from under her old yellow hat, made Andrea uneasy about this strange hitchhiker She didn't know why, but she felt instinctively that there was something wrong, something odd, something dangerous But how could an old lady

be dangerous? it was absurd Careful not to turn her head, Andrea looked sideways at her passenger She studied the hat, the dirty collar of the dress, the shapeless body, the arms with their thick black hairs Thick black hairs? Hairy arms? Andrea's blood froze This wasn't a woman It was a man At first, she didn't know what to do Then suddenly, an idea came into her racing, terrified brain Swinging the wheel suddenly, she threw the car into a skid, and brought it to a halt "My God!" she shouted, "A child! Did you see the child? I think I hit her!" The "old lady" was clearly shaken by the sudden skid "I didn't see anything dearie," she said "I don't think you hit anything." "I'm sure it was a child!" insisted Andrea "Could you just get out