Comprehension

In this lesson, we will be learning about comprehension in detail. The comprehension component requires you to read a given passage and make connections and inferences based on contextual clues. You will then need to deconstruct and answer questions based on the text. You should scan the comprehension passage for contextual clues, which can lead you to the correct answer. Generally, there are 7 types of comprehension questions:

1. Factual/Direct
2. Sequencing
3. True/False
4. Vocabulary in Context
5. Attribute-based
6. Inferential
7. Referencing

Let’s discuss the first 4 types of comprehension questions in detail below.

1. Factual/Direct Questions

These questions are simple, and the answer is found directly in the passage. You do not need to do a lot of thinking or use much effort. To solve these questions:

• It is better to start by reading the question. (Gives your mind something to focus on.)
• Read the passage; keywords and phrases from the question will jump out at you
• You don’t have to follow the Method, but it can be useful.

Passage 1:

Kazuo loved going to school because of his close friends. Every day, during recess, they played football or basketball, and after school, they would hang out together most of the time. They had a special bond which was what made school enjoyable for him.

Besides just having fun, Kazuo and his friends also went through tough moments together, supporting each other every step of the way. They studied hard together and helped one another by explaining anything they did not understand.

Question 1:

What sports did Kazuo and his friends play during recess?

1. They played football and basketball.
2. They played football and rugby.
3. They played basketball and catching.
4. They did not play sports during recess.

Answer:

(1) - They played football and basketball

Explanation:

Options (2) and (3) are incorrect as there is no mention of rugby and catching in the passage. Option (4) is also incorrect as it is mentioned in the passage that every day, they used to play sports during recess. The correct answer to this question is option (1) - They played football and basketball.

Question 2:

What did Kazuo and his friends do when they went through tough moments?

1. They had a special bond.
2. They would sit down to discuss the situation.
3. They supported one another.
4. They hung out after school.

Answer:

(3) - They supported one another.

Explanation:

The passage mentions that they went through tough moments together, supporting each other every step of the way. Option (1) is incorrect as the question is what Kazuo and his friends did when they went through tough moments. So, you can't form a special bond. The correct answer to this question is option (3) - They supported one another.

2. Sequencing

In sequencing questions, you need to identify the sequence of events in the story. Write the correct number to show which event happened first. To solve these questions:

• Read the options given.
• Go to the passage and highlight the keywords/events.
• Check the passage to make sure you have gotten the correct sequence of events.

Note: Students sometimes do not read the full sentence and miss words such as “before” or “after”, which leads to them confusing the sequence of events.

Passage 1:

A king once decided to be generous to his people. He gathered everyone and announced that by the end of the week, each house would receive a sack of rice, free of charge. The people cheered and celebrated, pleased with the announcement. Sephora did not join in as her family was the largest in the village. One sack of rice was surely not enough. Still, she did not complain.

To her surprise, she woke up on Sunday to find three sacks of rice at her door! Tears of joy filled her eyes.

Question 3:

Write down 1, 2 and 3 in the blanks below to indicate the order in which the events occurred in the story.
__________ The people cheered and celebrated.
__________ Sephora found three sacks of rice at her door.
__________ The king made an announcement.

1. 1, 2, 3
2. 2, 1, 3
3. 3, 1, 2
4. 2, 3, 1

Answer:

(4) - 2, 3, 1

Explanation:

The correct answer to this question is option (4) - 2, 3, 1.
2 - The people cheered and celebrated.
3 - Sephora found three sacks of rice at her door.
1 - The king made an announcement.

3. True/False

In true/false questions, you will be given some statements and, based on the passage, determine whether each statement is true or false.

• Read one statement at a time.
• Go back to the passage to check/double-check if that statement is true.

Passage 3:

Kazuo loved going to school because of his close friends. Every day, during recess, they played football or basketball and after school, they would hang out together most of the time. They had a special bond which was what made school enjoyable for him.

Besides just having fun, Kazuo and his friends also went through tough moments together, supporting each other every step of the way. They studied hard together and helped one another by explaining anything they did not understand.

Question 4:

Identify which statement(s) is/are true or false.

1. True, True, True
2. False, False, False
3. True, False, False
4. False, True, True

Answer:

Explanation:

After reading the passage, we know that there is nothing mentioned regarding Kazuo moving to another school. So, the (c) statement is False. Also, Kazuo played basketball or football every day during recess. So, the (b) statement is also False. The first line in the passage tells us that Kazuo loved going to school because of his close friends, which means the (a) statement is True. So, the correct answer to this question is option (3).

4. Vocabulary in Context

In this type of question, you will be given the word and asked to identify the word/phrase in the passage with the same meaning.

• Oftentimes, having a wide vocabulary helps. Read more and read widely.
• Regardless: Study the specified paragraph closely and use some common sense to help identify the answer.
• Never leave any blanks! You should always put down a guess at the very least.

Passage 4:

Once upon a time, a little girl found a butterfly. It was starting to hatch from its cocoon. After observing it for a while, she noticed that the butterfly was struggling to force itself through a tiny hole. Then it suddenly stopped, and it seemed stuck.
The kind-hearted girl decided to help the butterfly out. She ran back home and found a pair of scissors. She went back to the butterfly and cut off the remaining bits of the cocoon. The butterfly emerged easily, but it had a swollen body and small shrivelled wings.
The little girl thought nothing of it, and she sat there waiting for its wings to enlarge so that the butterfly could fly away. However, that never happened. The butterfly spent the rest of its life unable to fly, crawling around with a swollen body and small wings.
What the little girl in her kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required by the butterfly to get through the opening was a way of forcing the fluid from the body into the wings so that they would grow larger. Only then, would it be able to fly.
Our struggles in life develop our strengths. Without struggle, we would never grow and never get stronger, so it’s important for us to tackle challenges on our own.

Paragraph 4:

What the little girl in her kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required by the butterfly to get through the opening was a way of forcing the fluid from the body into the wings so that they would grow larger. Only then, would it be able to fly.

Question 5:

Which word in Paragraph 4 has a similar meaning to “rush”?

1. Haste
2. Required
3. Restricting
4. Fluid

Answer:

(1) - "Haste"

Explanation:

The correct answer to this question is option (1) - "Haste", which means excessive speed or rush.

Test Your Concepts

Answer the following questions based on the concepts we’ve covered in this article. If you get stuck, revisit the relevant section to revise the concepts.

Passage 1:

Charlie Braun decided to go to the bookstore to pick up that week’s edition of the “Magic Mice” comic. But before that, he dropped by the bakery to say hello to his Aunt Mei, who worked there. As usual, she was happy to see him, and they chatted for a bit.
At the bookstore, Charlie paid for his comic before heading home, happy.

Question 1:

Write down 1, 2 and 3 in the blanks below to indicate the order in which the events occurred in the story.
__________ Charlie Braun went to the bookstore.
__________ Charlie Braun went to the bakery.
__________ Charlie Braun went home.

1. 1, 2, 3
2. 2, 1, 3
3. 3, 1, 2
4. 2, 3, 1

Passage 2:

Charlie Braun decided to go to the bookstore to pick up that week’s edition of the “Magic Mice” comic. But before that, he dropped by the bakery to say hello to his Aunt Mei, who worked there. As usual, she was happy to see him, and they chatted for a bit.
At the bookstore, Charlie paid for his comic before heading home, happy.

Question 2:

Identify which statement(s) is/are true or false.

1. True, True, True
2. False, False, False
3. True, False, False
4. True, False, True

Passage 3:

A group of frogs were travelling together through the forest when two of them accidentally fell into a deep pit. When other frogs saw how deep the hole was, they told the two of them that there was no hope left.
The two frogs ignored their comments and they attempted to jump out of the pit. However, their friends kept yelling that they should just give it up because they would never be able to make it out.
Eventually, one of the frogs took heed of what the others were saying and he gave up. He would leave everything to fate. The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the group of frogs yelled at him to stop and to just admit defeat.
He smiled at them and jumped even harder. After numerous attempts, he finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, “Did you not hear us?” The frog merely blinked at them; he was actually deaf! He had thought that they were encouraging him this entire time and felt extremely motivated. Excited, the other frogs then turned to the remaining frog in the pit and began cheering him on.

Paragraph 3:

Eventually, one of the frogs took heed of what the others were saying and he gave up. He would leave everything to fate. The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the group of frogs yelled at him to stop and to just admit defeat.

Question 3:

Which two-word phrase in Paragraph 3 has a similar meaning to “pay attention”?

1. hear us
2. Ignored
3. Heed
4. Took heed