Skills for Reading Comprehension Questions

1. Skill 1 : Answer main idea questions correctly

The main idea questions are all really asking what primary point the author is trying to get
accross in the passage. Since, TOEFL passages are generally written in a traditionally organized
manner, it is not difficult to find the main idea by studying the topic sentence, which is most
probably found at the begginning of a paragraph.

The following chart outlines they key information that you should remember about main idea
questions :

Main Idea Questions

How to identify the What is the topic of the passage?
questions What is the subject of the passage?
What is the main idea of the passage?
What is the author’s main point in the passage?
What is the author primarily concerned?
Which of the following would be the best title?
Where to find the answer The answer to this type of questions can be generally be
determined by looking at the first sentences of each paragraph
How to answer the question 1. Read the first line of each paragraph
2. Look for a common theme or idea in the first lines
3. Pass your eyes quickly over the rest of the passage to check
that you really have found the topic sentence (s)
4. Eliminate any definitely wrong answers and choose the best
answer from the remaining choices

2. Skill 2 : Recognize the organization of ideas

In this type of question, you will be asked to determine how the ideas in one paragraph (or
paragraphs) relate to the ideas in another paragraph (or paragraphs).
To answer this question it is necessary to look at the main ideas of each of paragraphs. The main
idea is found in the first sentence of the paragraph.

The following chart outlines the key information that you should remember about questions on
the organization of ideas:

Organization of Ideas
How to identify the How is the information in the passage organized?
questions How is the information in the second paragraph related to the
information in the first paragraph?
Where to find the asnwer The answer to this question can be generally be determined by
looking at the first sentence of the appropriate paragraphs
How to answer the question 1.Read the first line of each paragraph
2.Look for words that show the relationship between the
paragraphs
3.Choose the answer that best expresses the relationship

3. Skill 3 : Answer stated detail questions correctly

A stated detail question asks about one piece of information in the passage rather than the
passage as a whole. The asnwers 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 passage, but the
words are not exactly the same.

The following chart outlines the key information that you should remember about stated detail
questions:

Stated detail questions

How to identify the question According to the passage .....
It is stated in the passage ......
The passage indicates that ......
The author mentions that ......
Which of the following is true .......?
Where to find the asnwer The asnwer to these questions are found 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. Look for the asnwer that restates an idea in the passage
5. Eliminate the definitely wrong answers and choose the best
answer from the remaining choices

4. Skill 4 : Find “unstated” details (not stated or not true)

This type of question really means that three of the answers are stated, mentioned, or true in the
passage, while one answer is not. Your actual job is to find the three correct answers and then
choose the letter of the one remaining answer.
You should note that there are two kinds of answer to this type of question:
(1) There are three true answers and one answer that is not discussed in the passage, or
(2) There are true answers and one that is false according to the passage.

The following chart outlines the key information that you should remember about “unstated”
detail questions:

“Unstated” detail questions

How to identify the question Which of the following is not stated ......?
Which of the following is not mentioned ......?
Which of the following is not discussed ....?
All of the following are true except .....
Where to find the asnwer The answer to these questions are found in order in the passage
How to answer the question 1. Choose a key word in the questions
2. Scan in 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.

5. Skill 5 : Find Pronoun Referents

In the Reading Comprehension section of the TOEFL test, you will sometimes be asked to
determine which noun a pronoun refers to. In this type of question it is important to understand
 that a noun is generally used in the first passage, and the pronoun that refers to it comes after.
Wherever you are asked which noun a prounoun refers to, you should look before the pronoun
to find the noun.
The following chart outlines the key information that you should remember about pronoun
referents:

Pronoun Referents
How to identify the question The pronoun “....” in line X refers to which of the following?

Where to find the asnwer The line where the pronoun is located is generally given in the
question. The noun that pronoun refers to is generally found
before the pronoun.
How to answer the question 1. Find the pronoun in the passage . (The line where the pronoun
can be found is generally stated in the question)
2. Look for nouns that come before the pronoun.
3. Read the part of the passage before the pronoun carefully.
4. Eliminate any definitely wrong answers and choose the best
answer from the remaining choices.

6. Skill 6 : Answer implied detail questions correctly

You will sometimes be asked to answer a question 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 “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.

The following chart outlines the key information that you should remember about implied detail
questions:

Implied detail questions

How to identify the question It is implied in the passage that ....
It can be inferred from the passage that ....
It is most likely that ....
What probably happened ....?

Where to find the asnwer The answer to these questions are found in order in the passage
How to answer the question 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 word
4. Look for an answer that could be true, according to that
sentence

7. Skill 7 : Answer transition questions correctly

You will sometimes be asked to determine what probably came before the reading passage (in
the preceding paragraph) or what probably comes after the reading passage (in the following
paragraph). Of course, the topic of the preceding or following paragraph is not directly stated,
and you must draw a conclusion to determine what is probably in these paragraphs.
This type of question is a transition question. It asks you to demonstrate that you understand that
good writing contains transitions from one paragraph to the next. A paragraph may start out with
the idea of the previous paragraph as a way of linking the ideas in the two paragraphs. A
paragraph may also end with an idea that will be further developed in the following paragraph.
 The following chart outlines the key information that you should remember about transition
questions:

Transition Questions
How to identify the question The paragraph preceding the passage probably ....
What is most likely in the paragraph following the passage?
Where to find the asnwer The answer can generally be found in the first line of the passage
for a preceding questions. The answer can generally be found in
the last line for a following question
How to answer the question 1. Read the first line for a preceding question.
2. Read the last line for a following question.
3. Draw a conclusion about what comes before or after
4. Choose the answer that is reflected in the first or last line of
the passage

8. Skill 8 : Find definitions from structural clues

When you are asked to determine the meaning of a word in the Reading Comprehension setion
of the TOEFL test, it is possible:
(1) That the passage provides information about the meaning of the word
(2) That there are structural clues to tell you that the definition of a word is included in the
passage.

The following chart outlines the key information that you should remember about structural
clues to help you understand unknown vocabulary words

Structural Clues
How to identify the question What is ...?
What is the meaning of ...?
What is true about ....?
Types of clues Punctuation: Comma, paretheses, dashes
Restatement : or, that is, in other word, i.e,
Examples : such as, for example, e.g
Where to find the asnwer Information to help you determine what something means will
generally be found after the punctuation clue, the restatement
clue, or the example clue.
How to answer the question 1.Find the word in the passage
2.Locate any structural clues
3.Read the part of the passage after the structural clue carefully
4.Eliminate any definitely wrong answers and choose the best
answer from the remaining choices .

9. Skill 9 : Determine Meanings from word parts

When you are asked to determine the meaning of a long word that you do not know in the
Reading Comprehension section of the TOEFL test, it is sometimes possible to determine the
meaning of the word by studying the word parts.

A short list of word parts

Part Meaning Example
Contra Against Contrast
Mal Bad Malcontent
Mis Error Mistake
 Sub Under Subway
Dec Ten Decade
Multi Many Multiple
Sol One Solo
Tri Three Triple
Dic Say Dictate
Domin Master Dominant
Jud Judge Judgment
Mor Death Mortal
Spec See Spectator
Terr Earth Territory
Ver Turn Divert
Viv Live revive

10. Skill 10 : Use context to determine meanings of difficult words

On the TOEFL test you will sometimes be asked to determine the meaning of a difficult word, a
word that you are not expected to know.

The following chart outlines th e key information that you should remember about vocabulary
questions containing difficult words :
Vocabulary questions containing difficult words
How to identify the question “What is the meaning ....? “
“Which of the following is closest meaning to ...?”
The word is a difficult word, one that you probably do not know.
Where to find the asnwer The question usually tells you in which line of the passage the
word can be found
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 context indicates.

11. Skill 11 : Use context to determine meanings of simple words

You will sometimes be asked to determine the meaning of a simple word, a word that you see
often in everyday English. In this type of question, you should not give the normal, everyday
meaning of the word; instead, the TOEFL test wants to know the meaning of the words in this
situation.

The following chart outlines the key information that you should remember about vocabulary
questions containing simple words:
Vocabulary questions containing simple words
How to identify the question “What is the meaning ....?”
“Which of the following is closest in meaning to ...?”
The word is a simple words, one that you see often in everyday
English

Where to find the asnwer The question usually tells you in which line of the passage the
word can be found
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

12. Skill 12 : Determine where specific information is found

Sometimes the final question in a reading passage will ask you to determine where in the passage
a piece of information is found. The answer choices will list possible locations for that
 information. The best way to approach this type of question is to study the question to
determine the information that you are looking for and then go to the lines listed in the answers
and skim for that information.

The following chart outline the key information that you should remember when you are trying
to determine where in the passage something is found :
Questions about where in the passage
How to identify the question Where in the passage ...?
Where to find the asnwer The answer can be in any of the lines listed in the answers to the
question
How to answer the question 1. Choose a key word or idea in the question
2.Skim the lines in the passage that are listed in the answers the
question. You should skim for the word or idea.
3.Choose the answer that contains the line numbers of a
restatement of the question

13. Skill 13 : Determine the tone, purpose, or course

Other types of overall review questions occur occasionally in the Reading Comprehension section
of the TOEFL test. Possible questions of this type are those that ask about:
(1) The tone of the passage
(2) The author’s purpose in the writing passage
(3) The course in which the passage might be used

The following chart outlines the key information that you should remember about tone, purpose,
or course questions:
Tone, Purpose, or Course
How to identify the question Tone : What is the tone of the passage?
Purpose : What is the author’s purpose in this passage?
Course: in which course would this reading be assigned?
Where to find the asnwer Tone : There will be clues throughout the passage that the author
is showing some emotion rather than just presenting facts.
Purpose : Draw a conclusion about the purpose from the main
idea and supporting details.
Course: Draw a conclusion about the course from the topic of the
passage and the supporting details.
How to answer the question Tone:
(1) Skim the passage looking for clues that the author is showing
some emotions.
(2) Choose the answer that identifies the emotion

Purpose:
(1) Study the main idea in the topic sentence and the details used
to support the main idea.
(2) Draw a conclusion about the purpose.

Course:
(1) Study the main idea in the topic sentence and the details used
to support the main idea.
(2) Draw a conclusion about the course.
 Summary of Skills for Reading Comprehension
No The question-type Skill Found answer
1 Main idea questions Skill 1 At the first line of each paragraph
Skill 2
2 Directly answered Skill 3 Choose a key word in the question, and skim
detail questions Skill 4 for that key word (or related idea) in order in
Skill 5 the passage
Indirectly answered Skill 6
detail questions Skill 7
3 Vocabulary Skill 8 The question will tell you where the word is
questions Skill 9 located in the passage
Skill 10
Skill 11
4 Overal review Skill 12 The answers are found anywhere in the
questions Skill 13 passage