Before going into specific strategies and tips by text, we’re going to look at critical test strategies that should be used when dealing with any reading comprehension question.

In a reading comprehension test, the goal is to:

• Read efficiently as possible (efficiently means quickly and getting to the point without wasting time).
• Find the main point.
• Use on-balance keywords
• Focus on selecting the right answer through a process of comparison of options.

Given this, getting the correct answer given a passage/s means that the goal is not to:

• Learn what the passages are saying (acquiring knowledge).
• Think deeply about it or try to understand it in detail (especially parts that are not tested).
• Focus on the text by reading through the text thoroughly.

When students do this, it leads to:

• Loss of time
• Diversion of goal in getting the right answer quickly.

There's a particular approach I apply when answering reading comprehension questions. The approach is:

1. Read the question/s first. Why?
2. Look at the passage – what type is it (<1 sec)
3. Read the passage quickly, identifying the areas that relate to your question.
4. Do keyword/sentence checks and check them against your question.
5. Use an on-balance approach (if required)
6. Look at the answer options, evaluate against each other and then choose your answer – elimination is often involved.

Types of questions

It’s important to understand the types of questions you’ll likely see in your exam – see below table.

What you’ll note as you go through the checkpoints is that certain questions are more likely with certain types of texts. So, knowing this makes you more prepared as to what to expect when you get a certain text.

Referring to the poem:

The Eagle
by Alfred Lord Tennyson

He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ring'd with the azure world, he stands.
The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.

Type of Question	What it Tests	Sample Reading Question	Reading Comprehension Strategies
Main-idea, purpose or overall tone questions	Your ability to find the main point in a passage or the overall 'feeling' in the piece.	The eagle is seen as: a) ruthless b) thunderous c) a loner d) mighty	Scan through the passage to find a specific phrase or keywords/phrases combined that would lean towards one of the options. In the sample reading question, the answer would be d – mighty. Phrases like "close to the sun", "he stands", "crawls" and "watches from his mountain walls" show that the eagle is mighty. None of the other options have a number of phrases or keywords combined that would merit them being selected.
Fact or event-based questions	You need to find when/how/why something happened as it was stated in the passage.	What is the setting of this poem? a) The wild b) The beach c) Captivity d) The mountain ranges	Identify key elements in the piece and then answer the question. We know from the poem that there are mountains and there is water. So option C is out. Option B has water, but there is no mention of sand, so we can exclude that and option D mentions mountains but we don't know if there is water. So the only valid option here is 'the wild'.
Inference questions	Your ability to infer / deduce or conclude information from facts as they appear in the passage. This requires not just locating information but reasoning (thinking) to come up with the answer.	What is the eagle mostly doing in this poem? a) Diving towards the sea in order to catch food b) Observing c) Flying d) Swooping	Identify key facts in the piece and then reason to see what is most likely to be correct. The only reference to flying is "like a thunderbolt he falls" but that could be swooping too and also option A. They however only appear at the end. Throughout the poem though, the eagle is on a crag, watching from the mountain wall so we can safely infer that it is observing.
Words and phrases in context questions	Your ability to understand words, not just as stand-alone words, but in the backdrop of a wider piece of writing. Words can take on different meanings when part of a larger written piece.	The words "crooked hands" in this poem mean that: a) The eagle has crooked claws b) The eagle is a person c) The eagles' claw resembles a crooked hand d) The eagle has hands	To answer these types of questions, you don't only read the word but also read the sentence or paragraph that relates to the word in question. If you do that, you'll find that the answer is C. Option A mentions crooked claws but that's nowhere to be seen. Option B and C is incorrect because the eagle is not a person and don't really have hands. Instead they resemble hands with 'resemble' being a key word in the solution options.

Focusing your reading and knowing structure

Some texts in reading comprehension are very long e.g. can span over 1 page. The key to dealing with this is about reading the question first and also, in preparation, understanding the structure of your text so that you can locate what you’re trying to find (work backwards and deconstruct).

Similar to when you know something backwards (e.g. a movie), you’re able to rewind, fast forward to skip to a particular section to find what you’re looking for.

Let’s see this in action now on the example question (see video).

Keywords

When you peel back everything and get to the base, texts are formed by words. When looking for the ‘right’ answer, sometimes, it’s to do with a collection of key words.

We recommending highlighting and considering how certain key words lend themselves to a meaning, connotation (common idea or feeling) or tone.

This will often reveal the answer or exclude an incorrect option.

Let’s see this in action now on the example question (see video).

Ranking and exclusion to distinguish between options

When working on reading comprehension texts and while you are ‘reading with focus’ you should also be eliminating your options concurrently so that you’re making use of your time well (instead of going back and thinking about things later).

When you get to the final few options (usually these are subtler differences), you’re not only evaluating between the option and the text, but importantly, you should be evaluating between options. What is the differentiating factor or word that would lean to this option versus the other?

This technique is rarely used (but is so powerful) as people often assume that they need to look at the text only. But the options provide a lot of information as well and can help in your evaluation process.

Let’s see this in action now on the example question (see video).

Example Question/s

Watch video for explanation of the following question/s:

The Tyger

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies.
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand, dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain,
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp,
Dare its deadly terrors clasp!

When the stars threw down their spears
And water'd heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger Tyger burning bright,
In the forests of the night:
What immortal hand or eye,
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

~ by William Blake

The last line of the poem mainly leaves treaders with a sense of:

A Ambiguity and disgust.
B Disquietude and awe.
C Disgust and fear.
D Power and fear.

Key rules to remember

• Don't worry about complicated language – usually passages are about simple ideas – translate it in your own words to help with understanding.
• Don't waste time re-reading parts you don't understand – move to answer the question which is what counts.
• Don't read to slowly and your reading should be focused.
• Only spend the time allocated.

Practice time!

Now, it's your turn to practice.

Click on the button below and start your practice questions. We recommend doing untimed mode first, and then, when you're ready, do timed mode.

Every question has two solutions videos after you complete the question. The first is a quick 60 second video that shows you how our expert answers the question quickly. The second video is a more in-depth 5-steps or less explainer video that shows you the steps to take to answer the question. It's really important that you review the second video because that's where you'll learn additional tips and tricks.

Once you're done with the practice questions, move on to the next checkpoint.

Now, let’s get started on your practice questions.

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