How to read fast, classify question types, separate inference from fact, and answer in your own words
Comprehension in Part B is not a memory test. The passage is in front of you. The examiner is checking whether you can find the right information, understand what it means, and express it in correct English of your own. Speed and accuracy both matter, because the passage shares time with the precis and the other language tasks.
Do not read the passage word by word from the top with no plan. Use a two-pass method.
This is faster than reading slowly once, because you spend your slow time only on the lines that matter.
Most passages follow one of a few shapes. Spotting the shape tells you where answers hide.
| Shape | Signal words | Where the main point sits |
|---|---|---|
| Claim then support | because, since, for example | First or last sentence |
| Problem then solution | however, therefore, the answer lies | Near the end |
| Two views compared | on the one hand, by contrast, whereas | The author's verdict is usually last |
| Cause and effect chain | leads to, results in, consequently | The final effect is the point |
The first and last sentences of each paragraph usually carry the load. Read them with extra care.
Classify every question before you answer. The type tells you how to answer.
| Type | What it asks | How to answer |
|---|---|---|
| Factual or detail | A piece of information stated directly | Find the line, restate it in your own words |
| Vocabulary in context | Meaning of a word as used here | Use the surrounding sentence, not the dictionary default |
| Inference | What follows logically though not stated | Reason from the text, never from outside knowledge |
| Author's purpose or tone | Why the author wrote it, the attitude | Look at adjectives, examples and the conclusion |
| Main idea or title | The central point | One sentence that covers the whole, not one paragraph |
| Application | What the idea implies in a new case | Apply the stated principle, stay inside the logic |
This distinction wins or loses marks.
Test for a valid inference: can you point to the lines that force this conclusion? If you cannot, it is not an inference, it is a guess. A common trap is the answer that is true in the real world but not supported by this passage. The examiner wants conclusions drawn from the passage only.
You will be told to answer in your own words or to the contrary. When asked for your own words, do not lift whole sentences from the passage. Lifting shows you can copy, not that you understood. Reword while keeping the meaning exact.
Worked rewording:
Notice that the strong answer keeps every idea: cities growing, floodplains, floods, more harm to people. It changes the words, not the meaning.
Answer to the marks. A one-mark or short question wants one or two sentences. A longer question wants a short paragraph. Do not pad. An examiner reading a hundred scripts rewards a precise answer and tires of filler.
| Trap | What it looks like | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Bringing outside knowledge | Answering from current affairs, not the passage | Answer only from the text unless told otherwise |
| Over-copying | Lifting full sentences when asked for own words | Reword every answer of this kind |
| Extreme words | Reading "always", "never", "all" into a careful claim | Match the author's exact degree of certainty |
| Half-answer | Answering one part of a two-part question | Re-read the question; tick each part you covered |
| Wrong scope | Giving the paragraph idea when asked the main idea | Main idea must cover the whole passage |
| Tone misread | Treating a cautious author as a critic, or the reverse | Judge tone from adjectives and the conclusion |
| Vocabulary by default | Giving a word's common meaning, not its meaning here | Substitute your meaning back into the sentence and check it reads the same |
Apply the routine on comprehension practice set 1 and comprehension practice set 2. Time yourself: aim for about fifteen minutes per passage including the answers.