Tips for Reading for Meaning

• Read the passage once only to get the general idea of the main topic/theme.
• Read every question twice to identify its type and then locate the answer in the relevant paragraph.
• Your answers should be two the point. They can be given in one word for particular questions and in 1 or maximum 2 sentences for all other questions.
• ‘Answer in your own words’ questions are to be very carefully dealt with. Find two key words in the text which are the exact answer of the question. Replace the key words with the correct synonyms and write your answer in a complete sentence.
• Inferential questions would be more challenging than others which would require you to read between the lines and extract implicitly given information. The answer is not explicitly available. They usually start ‘What do you think/What can you tell/How do you know/What evidence is there’ etc.
• If the question requires you to give one reason or find one word from the passage, writing more than one reason/word will get you zero marks, even if the answer is otherwise correct.
• Vocabulary question requires you to provide meanings in context and using a single word or a phrase of maximum 7 words.
• Do not attempt extra words or give extra meaning, as only the first one will be checked.