Comprehension Skills (Non-narrative Text) - Dialogue Questions

In this article, we will be learning about dialogue questions in comprehension. These comprehension passages are different from the ones you would have learned in P6 classes. The comprehension passages that we will be looking at will be factual or objective passages and will not be telling a fictional story. Earlier you would have learned about narrative passages, which recount a story in the past. On the other hand, non-narrative or expository passages are non-fictional and involve realistic events.

What are Dialogue Questions?

Dialogue questions will involve two or more people having a discussion or speech. You are required to source information from the text to either support or rebut various points of view. You will be able to find answers/information in the text. Also, you should take note of mark allocation.

The dialogue itself may contain certain clues. Think about each individual's stand with regards to the topic of discussion and ensure that you answer with the dialogue in mind.

You can lift from the passage but be careful to lift only relevant points that are necessary to answer the question. Excess information will be marked as Excess Denied, and you will be penalised accordingly.

Practice Questions

Excerpt 1:

The text below describes a short history of the rabies virus.

The friendship between humans and dogs began approximately 33,000 to 40,000 years ago. Before the recording of history began, dogs came into contact with the terrifying rabies virus. Our earliest known records found in Mesopotamia tell us that dogs driven mad by this disease were a significant threat. Early civilisations took this threat seriously enough to inscribe a law and a punishment to protect people.

For canine and human victims alike, the symptoms were gruesome and death was a certainty. Before the late 19th century if you were the victim of a dog bite the days and weeks afterward had to be nerve-wracking while waiting to see if symptoms of the disease developed. Theories and attempts for a cure abounded, telling the story of medicine's evolution.

The origin of the disease’s name is either from the Sanskrit word rabhas (to do violence) or the Latin word rabere (to rage). In ancient Greece, it was known as lyssa (violence) and today the virus that causes rabies is classified in the genus Lyssa Virus. It has also been known as hydrophobia, which refers to another symptom of rabies, the fear of water.

Mary: Ancient peoples did not know enough about rabies to take it seriously.

John: I disagree. I think they had adequate information about the disease.

Question 1:

With reference to Paragraph 1, how would you support John's view?

Answer:

John is correct as there were records that rabid dogs were a significant threat, and a law was passed or inscribed as a punishment to protect people.

Question 2:

What type of question is -

“With reference to Paragraph 1, how would you support John's view?”

1. Inferential
2. Direct
3. Referencing
4. Dialogue

Answer:

(4) Dialogue

Explanation:

The correct answer to this question is option (4) - “dialogue”.

Excerpt 2:

The text below depicts a scene where the writer is attempting to seek help from a lady dressed in a dark veil.

I caught a glimpse of a group of men in uniform. If they were to catch sight of me, they would incarcerate me for running away from home. My heart was palpitating as I quickly held on to the first passing veil, praying to get the attention of the lady beneath it. “Please, take me to a safe spot with you,” I pleaded earnestly with her. With a silence that lasted for an eternity, two penetrating eyes framed in dark cloth stared back at me.

Question 3:

What type of passage is this?

1. Expository
2. Narrative
3. Interesting
4. Synopsis

Answer:

(2) Narrative

Explanation:

The correct answer to this question is option (2) Narrative as it is a story, not a factual recount. It tells a story about a writer attempting to seek help from a lady dressed in a dark veil. So, this entire story is fictional, which therefore means it is narrative.

Excerpt 3:

The article below is about “The aftermath of Olympics”.

The 2016 Summer Olympic Games was supposed to bring Rio de Janeiro to greater economic and athletic heights. Instead, what remains is a city rampant with corruption, a mountain of debt and unfulfilled promises.

Merely six months after the 2016 Games, many of Rio’s major Olympic venues had fallen into a grim state of disrepair. The Maracana Stadium had been looted and the main Games district had closed down. While hosting the Olympics may bring about significant boosts to the local economies through tourism and creates a sense of patriotism amongst citizens, more often than not, it forces host cities to erect expensive infrastructure and sporting arenas which eventually get neglected due to the sky-high maintenance fees.

Apart from the economic impacts, there are also social repercussions. The Olympics displaces residents of the host country. Tens of thousands of neighbourhoods were destroyed to make way for the Beijing 2008 Olympic infrastructure, with an estimated 1.5 million people being forcefully evicted from their homes.

Rachel: Singapore should host the Olympics!

Cassie: No! Hosting the Olympics has a number of drawbacks!

Question 4:

With reference to the passage, provide two pieces of evidence which support Cassie's view.

Answer:

Following are the two pieces of evidence which support Cassie’s view:

1. Hosting Olympics forces host cities to erect expensive infrastructure and sporting arenas, which eventually get neglected due to the sky-high maintenance fees.
2. The Olympics displaces residents of the host country. Tens of thousands of neighbourhoods were destroyed to make way for the Beijing 2008 Olympic infrastructure, with an estimated 1.5 million people being forcefully evicted from their homes.

Question 5:

Where was the Olympic Games held in 1988?

1. Germany
2. Argentina
3. Australia
4. South Korea

Answer:

(4) South Korea

Excerpt 4:

The article below is about the world’s dirtiest river.

The surface of the Citarum river is completely blanketed in an inconceivable amount of factory waste, household trash and dead animals. Since 2008, over 60% of the river’s fish population has been eradicated. Despite this, the Citarum is still the main water source for the Jatiluhur Reservoir, which supplies 80% of the water supply for the capital in West Java, Indonesia.

A study conducted by the Blacksmith Institute in 2013 revealed that the levels of lead in the Citarum River was 1000 times higher than the acceptable U.S. standards for drinking water. As residents have been relying on this severely polluted water as a water source for the past few decades, many now suffer from all kinds of skin diseases, ranging from scabies to infections.

In Indonesia, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo recently launched a 7-year cleanup and pumped \($3.5\) billion into the Citarum River project, with the main goal of making Citarum water drinkable by 2025. While this may look like an insurmountable task, the program has been supported by international organisations like the International Monetary Fund, which pledged to provide \($500\) million to fund Citarum's cleanup.

Penny: This Citarum river cleanup project seems to be really laborious and costly.

Leonard: Hopefully, the Citarum water will be drinkable by 2025.

Question 6:

List two pieces of evidence from Paragraph 3 to support Penny’s view.

Answer:

Following are the two pieces of evidence which support Penny’s view:

1. The cleanup project is laborious as it is a 7-year cleanup project.
2. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo pumped in $3.5 billion into the Citarum River project.

Question 7:

Identify a synonym for “unimaginable” from the excerpt.

1. Insurmountable
2. Inconceivable
3. Polluted

Answer:

The correct answer to this question is option (2) Inconceivable”

Excerpt 5:

For many Nigerians, skin lightening, or whitening, is seen as a "standard procedure", a gateway for one to attain society's coveted standard of beauty and success. Many see it as one of the main pathways to getting employment opportunities, particularly in the sales industry or even getting into a relationship.

Even though African authorities are slowly introducing full or partial bans against skin bleaching creams, lotions and pills, skin lightening is still prevalent in many parts of the world, including South Asia and the Middle East. Medical experts warn that the growing phenomenon is wrought with health hazards. Ingredients may include mercury, lead, steroids and hydroquinone – the same few ingredients that, when applied in high concentrations, poisoned Elizabethan courtiers who powdered their faces ivory white. Chemicals which seep into the human body may severely damage respiratory, reproductive and nervous systems. They may also cause cancer or even deform unborn babies if used over a long period of time.

Many experts have asserted that to fully eradicate the skin bleaching industry, it is imperative for the veneration of fair and white skin to be completely eliminated.

Question 8:

Identify a synonym for “adoration” from the given excerpt.

1. Phenomenon
2. Reverence
3. Veneration
4. Hazardous

Answer:

The correct answer to this question is option (3) Veneration.

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.

Excerpt 1:

The passage discusses the role food plays in overcoming emotional and psychological challenges amid COVID-19 necessitated isolation.

During a challenging pandemic, comfort food has helped many people sustain themselves, whether it's nutritional or emotional support they seek. For the children and grandchildren of immigrants, reconnecting with cultural practices has helped them survive and stay connected to a family when they couldn't be together physically.

“Engaging in traditions and practices of one’s cultural heritage can be a psychologically meaningful experience that can promote feelings of connection,” says Tomie Uzinaki, a professor of applied psychology at Greenwater State University.

Shino Mazuoka, a 35 year-old finance consultant, has lived in Singapore for the last 18 years and considers it home. However, he was not able to make his yearly trip back to his hometown of Fukuoka this year. During the Circuit Breaker period, he bought a jar of Japanese pickled plums—the first time he’d sought them out in a store in years. “The fact that you can’t go home makes you want to do things like this,” Shino says. “I think it’s great. It’s hard for new immigrants to hold on to both identities.”

Shino especially misses riding on public transit in Tokyo. “There’s a certain announcement you hear in stations,” he says. Last year, the family started listening to YouTube recordings of Tokyo's metro announcement because they couldn’t visit Japan.

Tammy: I believe that sense of taste is paramount in recalling past memories.

Chad: No, other senses are important and can trigger strong memory responses as well.

With reference to the passage, provide an example to support Chad's viewpoint.

Excerpt 2:

The article below discusses the Chinese concept of "Face".

Have you ever wondered what your parents mean when they say, "Stop misbehaving in public, don't throw my face away!"? The Chinese concept of "face" (aka Ãæ×Ó or miànzi) refers to a cultural understanding of respect, reputation and social position. Actions or words that are discourteous may cause somebody to "lose face", while gift-giving, award-giving and other actions that convey admiration and gratitude are ways of "giving face".

This is in comparison to the Western concept of face, which is more self-interested and individualistic. In nurturing children, the emphasis is on helping them develop a strong sense of personal identity and unique individuality. Often, one’s misbehaviour is associated with their lack of self-esteem, and rarely the fault of the parents’.

On the other hand, Chinese 'face' is more other-directed and social. In other words, it is not so much about your own personal pride or ego, but more about how one is regarded by others. For some 4,000 years, Chinese culture has downplayed the concept of the individual—instead emphasizing the importance of the family and group. What this means is that one person’s actions or words reflect the teachings of his or her family.

Benjamin: Both Chinese and Western parents agree that a child's behaviour is largely influenced by parents.

Lilian: No, Western parents do not take full responsibility for their children's poor behaviour.

Provide evidence that Lilian can use to support her viewpoint.