Reading Comprehension study Guide

Reading is one of the most important skills for any student in any program. Students are required
to read a variety of different texts and reading materials from novels to blue prints, labels to
poetry (depending on your program!)
It isnt just a matter of reading words. Students need to be able to make sense of what they read,
make inferences, communicate the information clearly to others, and more.
You can improve your reading skills by reading as much and as widely as possible; read
newspapers, magazines, adverts, stories, poetry, song lyricsChallenge yourself by learning
new vocabulary or by reading something then repeating back (without looking) what you have
just read.

1.

Tips to get started:

Look over the whole piece of writing. Notice its title.

Notice its length.

Read the first line of each paragraph to get an idea of how the writer has organized
the piece.

Read the first line of the last paragraph to get an idea of how it may finish.

2.

Read with concentration.

Concentrate on the words AND the meaning of groups of words. If there are vocabulary words that
are unknown to you, read the sentence and try to understand what is meant by the sentence, so that
you can guess at the meaning of the word.

When concentrating is challenging, try these strategies:

Read the questions before you read the piece. It may help to know what you are
looking for!

Read out loud. Your own voice can sometimes focus your mind AND eliminate
outside distractions.

Discuss the meaning as if you were telling someone else what you think it means.
Sometimes

3.

having

to

express

your

thoughts

can

clarify

them.

Practice specific reading skills:

Recalling details/facts/information
Understanding main ideas
Making inferences

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Reading Skill: Recalling Details, Facts, and Information

Start by quickly scanning the text. Look at titles, sub-titles, pictures etc. This prepares
your brain to receive the information
When doing multiple choice quizzes, read the questions first before reading the text
then youll know what information you are looking for
Try to get interested in the details (readers recall what they are interested in)
Decide what is most important and what is probably not worth remembering (you
cant remember everything)
Reread if you need to
Go back and reread after you have read the question

Reading Skill: Understanding Main Ideas

The main idea:

is the most important idea in the passage.

can be found at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of the passage.
may be stated clearly or it may be implied.
is supported by all the sentences in the passage.

Sample Question:
If you, like most people, have trouble recalling the names of those people you have just met,
try this. The next time you are introduced, plan to remember the names. Say to yourself,
Ill listen carefully; Ill repeat each persons name to be sure Ive got it, and I will
remember. Youll discover how effective the technique is and probably recall those names
for the rest of your life.
The main idea of this passage maintains that memory
A.
B.
C.
D.
Answers:

always operates at peak efficiency

breaks down early in the day
improves if new information is used immediately
becomes unreliable when a person is tired

1. C Supports are discover how effective; probably recall those names for the
rest

Reading Skill: Making Inferences

Sometimes when you are reading you must go beyond the printed word on the page, to what
is hinted at or likely to be true, given the set of facts. Inferences can only be made when
there are facts to back them.
Example: The old man staggered along the sidewalk, his torn, grey coat flapping in the wind.
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You might infer that the man is drunk, but really the facts dont substantiate that inference.
That would be a guess. It could be that the man has been mugged, that he is sick, or that he
has had a medical crisis such as a heart attack. All of these could be the case, or some other
explanation may be possible. Unless the facts support the inference, it could be incorrect.
You can make accurate inferences when you:

think about all the ideas that are presented.

think about the suggested or implied meaning of the words used.
ensure they are supported by facts.

The following words in a reading may suggest you need to make an inference:
implies that
indicates that
suggests

infers that
seems to be
probably

Reading Comprehension Study Guide and Practice Test 2015

might be described as
can assume that
can conclude that

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Reading Comprehension Practice Assessment

Directions: Circle the correct answer (answers are at the end of the assessment)
Part A: Reading Skill: Recalling Details, Facts, and Information
1. An adult drinks from one and one half to five, or more, quarts of water a day. Total
daily intake depends on climate, workload, body size, and many other factors.
One of the factors that determines the amount of water an adult drinks per day is
A.
B.
C.
D.

state of health
body size
age
gender

2. Most of us think that the water we drink is safe. It usually is, but some of us are using
poorly treated drinking water which has been spoiled by bacteria, toxic chemicals, metal,
and a possible wide range of other pollutants.
Most of the time our drinking water is
A.

contaminated by bacteria

B.

contaminated by metals

C.

undrinkable

D.

safe to drink

3. At least 4,000 cases of water-borne illnesses occur each year in the U.S.A. The actual
total may be ten times greater. Further, medical science has not yet determined the
effects on people of long-term exposure to contaminated drinking water.
Medical science does not know
A. how to protect people from contaminated drinking water
B. why some drinking water is improperly treated
C. the long-term effects of unsafe drinking water on people
D. how much water is required for the average person
Read the following and answer the questions:
There are several things that every defensive driver should learn. To begin with, the
defensive driver should learn to drive courteously. That is, he should always let the other
person have the right-of-way if there is any doubt. Also, the defensive driver should learn to
anticipate, or guess, what the other driver is going to do next. This gives him tim e to get his
car into a safer position, if necessary. Furthermore, every defensive driver should learn to
give the proper signal before changing directions, allowing enough time for other drivers to
react to it. Lastly, every defensive driver should learn to keep a safe distance between his car
and the car ahead.

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4. A defensive driver is
A. courteous
B. an aggressive driver
C. a slow driver
D. a night driver
5. The motto of the defensive driver should be:
a. If you drink, dont drive.
b. A safe driver is a relaxed driver.
c. Safe driving does not just happen; you have to work at it.
d. When in doubt, give the other person the right-of-way.
6. A defensive driver
a. should learn to anticipate the actions of others
b. should maintain a steady speed at all times
c. never stops to pick up hitchhikers
d. always checks the tires for air pressure
Part B: Reading Skill: Understanding Main Ideas
Read the following and answer the questions:
It seems that everyone you meet these days knows something about astrology. Go to a party
nowadays and chances are that the first stranger you meet will ask you, Whats your sign?
This question comes even before, What is your name? The stranger means, of course,
What sign of the zodiac are you born under? You would answer Virgo or Pisces or
whatever your sign is. But astrology is nothing new. It has been around for thousands of
years. In the Orient, it has long been a part of religion and daily life.
1. Which sentence expresses the main idea of the paragraph?
A. Go to a party nowadays and chances are that the first stranger you meet will
ask you, Whats your sign?
B. It has been around for thousands of years.
C. It seems that everyone you meet these days knows something about astrology.
D. In the Orient, it has long been a part of religion and daily life.
2. The author is most interested in
A. the newness of astrology
B. the widespread interest in astrology
C. the ancient forms of astrology
D. the magic of astrology
3. This paragraph could be titled
A. Whats in a Star?
B. Magic in its Many Forms
C. Parties
D. Religion of the Orient
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Part C: Reading Skill: Making Inferences

Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow it.
Of all the farm animals a person might own, the goat is the best personal pet. For one thing,
you can keep it for a longer time than other farm animals. Even after a doe is fully-grown
and you are milking her, she will remain your pet. She will not lose her love of adventure or
her sense of humor. Goats nose over everything they see and they eat so many different
things that people long ago thought that goats ate tin cans. A doe, often called a nanny goat,
usually has a single birth. Sometimes, however, twins or even triplets are born. By the time
a young kid is five months old; it may be taken from its mother and kept as a pet.
1. The writer implies that most farm animals
A. are hard to train
B. enjoy being with people
C. become independent as they grow older
D. like to live with other animals
2. The above paragraph suggests that goats are
A. stubborn
B. patient
C. curious
D. intelligent
3. According to the paragraph, the idea that goats can eat tin cans
A. is based on a fact
B. was argued many years ago
C. is untrue
D. is certainly possible
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow it.
A Daily Record
A diary is a daily personal record. In it the writer is free to record anything at all. This may
include events, comments, ideas, reading notes, or any subject on ones mind. Diaries may be
kept for various purposes to record the experiences of ones life so as not to forget them, to
record ideas that might prove useful, or simply to express oneself through the medium of the
printed word.
In past centuries people in public life often kept diaries. These have become valuable sources of
fact and interpretation for later historians. The private candid observations set down in these
personal journals often provide truer pictures of an age than do records or other books, which
may have been censored during that time. For the most part, these diaries were never intended to
be read by others. The entries were made simply as aids to memory or as a form of relaxation.

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In modern times, however, politicians and other people realize that their diaries will likely be
read by historians or, in published form, by the public. Thus they may make entries with these
readers in mind. As a result, their diaries may lose the confidential, intimate nature of the older
ones. On the other hand, their entries may tend to be more complete and self-explanatory.
The most famous diary ever written in English was that kept by Samuel Pepys. A civilian official
of the British army, Pepys made regular entries between 1660 and 1669. His diary starts at the
beginning of the Restoration period in English history and describes many of the court intrigues
and scandals of his day. The diary reveals Pepys as a man with many human weaknesses but one
who was honest with himself. He wrote his entries in a combined code and shorthand that was
not solved until more than 100 years after his death. The most famous diary of the 20th century
was published with the simple title Diary of a Young Girl. It was more commonly known as The
Diary of Anne Frank. Anne was a young Jewish girl whose diary records the two years her
family spent in hiding, mostly in the Netherlands, trying to escape the Nazi persecutors of the
Jews. She and her family were finally caught in August 1944. She was imprisoned and died at a
concentration camp in Germany in March 1945.
4. A diary is
A. a report on world events
B. a daily personal record
C. a documentary

5. The most famous diary ever written in English was kept by

A. Samuel Johnson
B. Samuel Pepys
C. Anne Frank

6 . Diary of a Young Girl was written

A. during the civil war
B. in the 1940s
C. during the 19th century

7. Anne Franks diary describes

A. the years her family spent hiding from the Nazis
B. a German concentration camp
C. the life of an average young girl

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8. Diaries of the past may give a truer picture of an age than published books because
A. diaries are uncensored
B. published books give only one point of view
C. amateur writers were more thorough than professional writers

9. Todays diarists may not be as confidential as those in the past because

A. they expect that their diaries will be read by others
B. they have more secrets to hide
C. people today are harsher critics

10 .You may conclude from the article that Samuel Pepys wrote his diary in code and
shorthand because
A. he was fond of mysteries
B. he did not want his diary to be read by the wrong people
C. he could not write in proper English

11. It is probable that most people keep diaries in order to

A. become famous
B. keep personal records
C. practice their writing skills

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Answers
Part A: Reading Skill: Recalling Details, Facts, and Information
1. B

2. D

3. C

4. A

5. D

6. A

Part B: Reading Skill: Understanding Main Ideas

1. C

2. B

3. A

Part C: Reading Skill: Making Inferences

1. C

2. C

8. A

9. A

3. C

4.B
10. B

5. B

6. B

7. A

11. B

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