Comprehension Unit 1

Part 1 ~ Types of Comprehension Questions 1)Direct Questions  Give direct answers  Answers will be stated plainly in the passage  Task: locate these answers after reading carefully what the question is looking for Adapted from O level Comprehension and Summary Writing Guide

Types of Comprehension Questions 1)Direct Questions Examples: -What was the main reason… - Give two examples… - Quote a sentence… - Explain how… - Write down one word/ an expression which shows… Adapted from O level Comprehension and Summary Writing Guide

2) Inferential Questions  Read between the lines  Answers cannot be found directly from the passage  Make your deduction  Infer the meaning or answer through given words or phrases from the passage  Even from your own general knowledge Adapted from O level Comprehension and Summary Writing Guide Types of Comprehension Questions

2)Inferential Questions Examples: -explain clearly / explain the contrast… - suggest how… - what do you think… - why does the author suggest… - what impression… Adapted from O level Comprehension and Summary Writing Guide

3)Rephrasing Questions  Rewrite in your own words but keep the meaning  read the phrase or sentence in its context in the passage so that your explanation is appropriate to the situation Adapted from O level Comprehension and Summary Writing Guide Types of Comprehension Questions

3)Rephrasing Questions Examples: -Explain the term /phrase /sentence… - Explain in your own words… Adapted from O level Comprehension and Summary Writing Guide

4)Vocabulary Questions  Explain word or phrase meaning  a certain word or phrase is chosen from the passage  You are required to give another word or phrase bearing the same meaning as the word Adapted from O level Comprehension and Summary Writing Guide Types of Comprehension Questions

4)Vocabulary Questions Examples: -What does the word suggest about… - What picture do these words suggest? - What does the word ‘even’ suggest about… - What does ‘preserve the market’ mean? Adapted from O level Comprehension and Summary Writing Guide

End of Part 1

Part 2 ~ Interpreting Text (Thinking Skills) Making an Intelligent Guess ssometimes, the answer to the question is not given directly in the passage iinstead, clues are given from which you have to guess the answer yyou are required to ‘read between the lines’ and make inferences – intelligent guesses EE.g. At last, the angry passengers were called to board the bus. QQuestion: Suggest why the passengers were angry. ((What would be the most likely reason for the passengers’ anger?) AAnswer: The passengers were angry because the bus was delayed. Adapted from Score in Comprehension O Level by Graeme Spencer

Interpreting Text (Thinking Skills) Two Kinds of InferenceTwo Kinds of Inference  Logical Inference: based on definition  E.g. She cried as she stood beside the grave.  Question: Where was she when she stood beside the grave?  Answer: A cemetery (because a cemetery is where you find graves) Adapted from Score in Comprehension O Level by Graeme Spencer

Interpreting Text (Thinking Skills) Two Kinds of InferenceTwo Kinds of Inference  Empirical Inference: based on observation  E.g. She cried as she stood beside the grave.  Question: Why was she crying?  Answer: Because someone she cared for had died. (If you see someone crying near a grave, you would guess that this was the case.)  Also, remember that inference will always require an “own words” answer Adapted from Score in Comprehension O Level by Graeme Spencer

End of Part 2