Reading Comprehension

1.Previewing

  Research shows that it is easier to understand what you are reading if you begin with a general idea what the passage is about. Previewing helps you form a general idea of the topic in your mind.

  To preview, read the title, if there is one; the first sentence of each paragraph; and the last sentence of the passage. You should do this as quickly as possible. Remember, you are not reading for specific information, but for an impression of the topic.

1.Reading for Main Ideas

  By previewing, you can form a general idea of what a reading passage is about; that is, you identify the topic. By reading for main ideas, you identify the point of view of the author—that is, what the writer’s thesis is. Specifically, what does the author propose to write about the topic? If you could reduce the reading to one sentence, what would it be?

  Questions about the main idea can be worded in many ways. For example, the following questions are all asking for the same information: (1) What is the main idea? (2) What is the subject? (3) What is the topic? (4) What would be a good title?

1.Using Contexts for Vocabulary

  Before you can use a context, you must understand what context is. In English, a context is the combination of vocabulary and grammar that surround a word. Context can be a sentence or a paragraph or a passage. Context helps you make a general prediction about meaning. If you know the general meaning of a sentence, you also know the general meaning of the words in the sentence.

  Making predictions from the contexts is very important when you are reading a foreign language. In this way, you can read and understand the meaning of a passage without stopping to look up every new word in a dictionary. On an examination like the TOEFL, dictionaries are not permitted in the room. 

1.Scanning for details

  After reading a passage, you will be expected to answer multiple-choice questions. First, read a question and find important content words. Content words are usually nouns, verbs, or adjectives. They are called content words because they contain the content or meaning of a sentence.

  Next, let you eyes travel quickly over the passage for the same content words or synonyms of the words. This is called scanning. By scanning, you can find a place in the reading passage where the answer to a question is  found. Finally, read those specific sentences carefully and choose the answer that corresponds to the meaning of the sentences you have read. 

1.Making Inferences

  Sometimes, in a reading passage, you will find a direct statement of fact. That is called evidence. But other times, you will not find a direct statement. Then you will need to use the evidence you have to make an inference. An inference is a logical conclusion based on evidence. It can be about the passage itself or about the author’s viewpoint.

1.Identifying Exceptions

  After reading a passage you will be asked to select from four possible answers the one that is NOT mentioned in the reading.

  Use your scanning skills to locate related words and phrases in the passage and the answer choices.

1.Locating References

  After reading a passage, you will be asked to find the antecedent of a pronoun. An antecedent is a word or phrase to which a pronoun refers. Usually, you will be given a pronoun such as “it”, “its”, “them”, or “their”, and you will be asked to locate the reference word or phrase in the passage.

  First, find the pronoun in the passage. Then read the sentence using the four answer choices in place of the pronoun. The meaning of the sentence in the context of the passage will not change when you substitute the correct antecedent.

1.Referring to the Passage

  After reading the passage you will be asked to find certain information in the passage, and identify it by line number.

  First, read the question. Then refer to the line numbers in the answer choices to scan for the information in the question.