Reading Comprehension TIPS

Reading Comprehension: Tricks
One question that constantly plagues every student's mind is - How to improve in reading
comprehensions? You have to admit, Reading Comprehension questions are a tricky ball game.
RC passages can be time consuming, energy sapping and information intensive. On the other
hand, the rewards they offer are fascinating: if you grasp a passage well, you should be able to
get most questions in a single passage correct, and this means you gain quite a few marks by
solving one set of questions. At the best of times, you are likely to find a passage that you have
never read previously. One of the most significant factors for solving reading comprehensions
and being accurate in this area actually revolves around the approach you adopt for this topic.
How do you cope with such a challenge actually becomes a central aspect of how you perform in
reading comprehensions.
While ensuring that you strike a fine balance for this area, it is important that you keep a number
of things in your mind and ensure you do not fall into the common pitfalls. With regards to the
approach you should adopt for reading comprehensions, keep the following points in mind:
1. Do not over-emphasize trivialities
Details are important but don't be obsessed with examples, illustrations and so on. You just need
to get a hang of the main point and not the examples. Comprehending the overall flow and
structure will help you analyze and answer the questions.
2. Do not memorize
You do not need to memorize every word present in the passage. Understanding the flow,
structure and the main points in the passage should be your priority. For factual or specific point
questions, you can always re-read the passage.
3. Do not read the passage first
Always go through the questions first and then the passage. This will prepare you to focus on the
things you need to look in the passage. Focus only on the questions, and not on a particular
answer option. A quick overview of the questions is sufficient.
4. Do not over-emphasize on vocabulary skills for RCs
Having a strong vocabulary is great however having Shakespearean vocabulary will not prevent
you from understanding the passage. So do not put yourself under stress in this area, and while
reading the passage, make sure that you understand the gist of the passage and do not get stuck
on particular words.
5. Do not spend time on RCs that you cannot comprehend at first

At times we come across a passage that we are not able to comprehend. If you are struggling
with one such passage in the exam, make sure you have the patience to avoid such a passage.
Focus on the ones that you can manage easily. Go back to the tricky passage in case of absolute
necessity.
6. Do not think the correct option would come from outside the passage
Any of the options that is out of scope is never the correct answer. The right answer is always
based on the information given within the passage. Do not focus on any of the options that
distract you from the passage.
7. Do not rely on 'trigger words'
You might get trapped in the web of 'trigger words' if you don’t read attentively through the
passage. A passage may focus on one point for quite a bit of sentences and then change it
towards the end with trigger words like 'but' or 'however'. This will usually confuse readers who
skim through the passage or rush through it in haste.
8. Make Notes
While reading obscure /abstract text, make sure you make some quick notes for ready reference.
You can write the general flow, structure, paragraph-wise flow and important points. Remember
that you do not have make really long notes, just make a quick note of the important
markers/points in the passage.
9. Try to preempt questions
This is a really difficult skill but if you can master this, you will surely by the 'King of Reading
Comprehensions'. While reading the passage, try to identify the possible questions that could be
asked, and which parts of the passage seem the most likely candidates for question-setting.
10. Opening and Closing paragraphs require extra focus
Questions such as the main idea question are based on the overall subject of the passage, and
majority of the times the answer for this question type lies in the first and last paragraph of the
passage. Ensure you derive the maximum possible information from these paragraphs.
11. Constantly question yourself while reading the passage
In order to maintain your concentration while reading, make sure that some basic questions keep
playing at the back of your mind: What is the author's main point? Why is the author writing
this? How has the author chosen to convey his main point? How has the author organized his
material?
Finally, don't expect to be stimulated. In fact expect the opposite! Majority of the times you
would be bored by RC topics and you should not allow this to drain your energy. Maintain an
impartial attitude towards the passage, and do not get mentally hassled by obscure content.
The above form some of the basic points that should be kept in mind while approaching reading
comprehensions. These would improve your focus, increase your grasp of the subject matter and
deliver greater understanding. If you achieve these, your task is more or less done.
How to Pass a Reading Comprehension Test
Work on understanding how to pass reading comprehension tests with this article. Explore different
strategies and find the ones that work best for you as you get ready for your exam.
Scan the Entire Test

Before you spend too much time on one passage, make sure you look over the entire test. Find out
how many passages you're going to need to read and look at the number of questions associated
with each passage. These exams are usually timed, so you need to make sure you're allowing
yourself enough time to complete everything.
Focus on the Questions

It may seem counterintuitive, but you should be reading the questions before the passages they
relate to during reading comprehension tests. Checking out the questions will allow you to develop
an understanding of what you should be looking for in the passage. This makes it easier for you to
find the information you need to pick out the correct answer.
You should also ensure that you're looking at all of your potential answers, especially if the question
asks for the best solution. This sometimes means that there are several answers that are almost
right. Make sure you pick the solution that is the most correct.
You shouldn't be afraid to skip a question on your first time through the test, either. Go ahead and
answer the questions that you're confident about. Come back later and work on digging out the
solution to more difficult questions.
Use the Passage

Some reading comprehension questions will ask you to find the definition of a word in a passage.
Many times these terms are italicized, so check for that before you spend time reading the entire
passage. You can use context clues around the word to figure out the meaning if you don't know it
off the top of your head. Similarly, it's usually easy to find the main idea of a passage. Check the
beginning and the end of the passage and see if any ideas seem to repeat. This is probably the main
point of the piece.
You should also take the time to double-check all of your answers with the passage. If you're pretty
sure that one character said something, go ahead and look back to make sure. Don't lose points on
something that's easy to confirm.
Additionally, you shouldn't try to limit yourself to only reading the passage one time. Sometimes
you're going to need to read it twice, three times, or more to get the information you need. Go ahead
and take the extra time to make sure you understand what you're reading. It'll end up giving you a
better score in the long run.
Work with the Answers

There are some kinds of answers that are usually wrong and can be dismissed. You're not likely to
find the right answer in something humorous. Answers that include the terms always or never are
also unlikely to be correct. You may also find questions with multiple answers that seem almost the
same, only restated in different terms. These are probably wrong.
Finally, don't leave questions unanswered. Very few, if any, reading comprehension exams punish
you for wrong answers, so even if you're guessing you stand a chance of improving your grade. Try
to remove any options that are obviously wrong and then pick from the remaining answers if you just
don't know what the correct choice is.
Learning and Practicing Reading Comprehension Strategies

When it comes to reading comprehension tests, you need to have a solid understanding of
strategies you can use with this skill. Studying this lesson on reading comprehension strategies can
help you strengthen this language arts skill. You'll learn how to make connections, synthesize,
visualize, make inferences and determine importance. You can also check out this chapter
on analyzing and interpreting literature to learn more about analyzing a literary passage, how to find
the main idea and getting the gist of a passage, improving reading comprehension and applying
reading strategies.

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Reading Comprehension: Tricks

1. Do not over-emphasize trivialities

3. Do not read the passage first

4. Do not over-emphasize on vocabulary skills for RCs

5. Do not spend time on RCs that you cannot comprehend at first

7. Do not rely on 'trigger words'

9. Try to preempt questions

10. Opening and Closing paragraphs require extra focus

11. Constantly question yourself while reading the passage

Scan the Entire Test

Focus on the Questions

Use the Passage

Work with the Answers

Learning and Practicing Reading Comprehension Strategies

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