IMPROVING READING SKILLS

THEME IMPROVING READING SKILLSREADING QUESTIONS IN THE FINAL TEST OF THE GCSEEXTRACTED FROM THE SAMPLE TEST 2018 MOET)READING 1: questions) Question 1. Main idea question Question 2. “Unstated’” questionQuestion 3. Vocabulary in context questionQuestion 4. Reference question Question 5. Vocabulary in context questionQuestion 6. (implied) detailed questionQuestion 7. (implied) detailed questionREADING (8 questions)Question 1. Main idea question Question 2. Vocabulary in context questionQuestion 3. Reference question Question 4. “Unstated’ questionQuestion 5. Vocabulary in context questionQuestion 6. (implied) detailed questionQuestion 7. Vocabulary in context questionQuestion 8: Inferring question PART 1: IMPROVING SCANNING SKILL (READING FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION)TASK 1: Read the excerpts from sports articles and write the competitor’s name, sport and accomplishment.Excerpt 1:With only seconds left in the game, striker Rene Lucci came up from behind to score the winning goal. This will surely make him name to watch in football Competitor’s name:Sport:Achievement:Excerpt 2:The event, held this year in Sydney, Australia, includes participants from over twenty countries, including the US sailing team led by record holder Alan Lock. Competitor’s name:Sport:Achievement:Excerpt 3:The first round for bowling tournament takes place this Saturday. Don Clark’s team, which he helped win last year’s top prize, will lead the round. Competitor’s name:Sport:Achievement:Excerpt 4:Born in 1895, legendary athlete Babe Ruth is one of the most famous players in American baseball history. In the span of his career, he scored 714 homeruns. Competitor’s name:Sport:Achievement:Excerpt 5:Other breakthrough in women’s sport include Ann Competitor’s name:1Meyers, who in 1974 became the first high school student to play for the US national team in baseball. Sport:Achievement:Excerpt 6:We met with Antonio Diez, an Argentine water polo player, to discuss how his team won the gold medal at men’s Water Polo World Championship Competitor’s name:Sport:AchievementTASK 2: Write the numbers of sentences in exercise that contain the following information. More than one answer may be possible.1. Important year2. Day of the week3. Reference to country/ nationality4. Location5. Name of competition6. Education levelTASK 3: Scan the blog posts quickly and complete the chart.Andy, 21Practice is going to be tough this year, but know our team is going to do really well in the competition this spring. It’s difficult waking up at a.m. everyweekday to be at the court by 7a.m; especially for practice that lasts an hour and half but really enjoy having lot of energy throughout the day. My team are terrific as well, and we’ve becomegreat friends. I’m sure we’re goingto have the best basketball team inthe area. Beth,22I meet my cycling team once week, but we do our practicing on our own. It’s definitely team sport with great emphasis on individual performance. That works really well for me, particularly because can practice whenever like. These days, do it for couple of hours on Mondayand Wednesday after my class which ends at 4.p.m. It’s perfect because can use the bike trails in the park between school and home. The only drawback is that some team-mates don’t meet everyweek. That’s not good for teamwork. Paul,22I’m really excited about his year’s polo competition. We’ve been working really hard every weekend to practice for it. I’d like to practice more often but, with everyone’s busy schedule, it’s difficult to meet during the week. But we spend about three hours every Saturday and Sunday on the polo field and that’s enough to get good at it. have great time with my horse, too. That’s the best thing about it. If only the field were maintained little better, I’d have no complaints at allPLAYER ANDY BETH PAULSportPractice daysPractice lengthLikesdislikesTASK 4: Match the phrases with the headlines.1/ the beginning of practice a) Football fired over disappointed loss2/ professional gain b) Draw forces hockey game into thrilling overtime23/ location of major event c) Wembley Stadium to host national championship game4/ type of injury d) Relay runner suffers broken ankle during race5/ details of an exciting game e) Lyle Taylor wins bib in move from Liverpool to Chelsea6/ below standard performance f) Training for Olympic rowing team to start Saturday.PART 2: DEALING WITH REFERENCE QUESTIONSThese questions ask you to identify referential relationships between the words in the passage. Often, therelationship is between pronoun and its antecedent (the word to which the pronoun refers). Sometimes otherkinds of grammatical reference are tested (like which or this).How to Recognize Reference Questions:Reference questions look similar to vocabulary questions. In the passage, one word or phrase is highlighted. Usually the word is pronoun. Then you are asked :The word “x” in the passage refers to:The four answer choices will be words or phrases from the passage. Only one choice is the word to which thehighlighted word refers.Tips for Reference Questions:1. If the reference question is about pronoun, make sure your answer is the same number (singular or plural) and case (first person, second person, third person) as the highlighted pronoun.2. Substitute your choice for the highlighted word or words in the sentence. Does it violate any grammar rules? Does it make sense?3.Reference questions ask about the meanings of pronouns and demonstratives such as -They/ them/ their theirs- It its- he, him /his- she/ her/ hers- which, who, that, and this. Other others .4. Read the question(s) and the options5. Find the reference word in the passage6. Identify the reference word of the preceding sentence7. Match the reference word with the correct answer The goal of these questions is simple: you need to decide what the pronoun or phrase refers to. You probablyalready do this automatically when you read; if you don’t, then you probably have trouble understanding the reading passages. Reference questions are one of relatively few question types that very basically test skill that is necessary to read well.Pre- reference- The options that stand after the reference items should be eliminated first- It is advisable that the item that is close to the reference item should be chosen.3Post -reference choose the reference that is closest EXAMPLES OF REFERENCE QUESTIONSExample People who want to become university teachers need master's degrees. Getting master's degree is anecessity, but if it is gained too early, there may be concerns that the candidate lacks the real-worldexperience to go with it. In fact, very few schools want to hire novices with little or no classroom experienceand even if they are accepted, they are usually ill-paid. One wise solution to the issue is for futurepostgraduates to start working as teachers before going on to gain their master's degree.(extracted from the first term exam 2016-2107)Question 41 The word they in paragraph refers to ____________.A. postgraduates B. novices C. schools D. teachersExample 2: You can usually tell when your friends are happy or angry by the looks on their faces or by their actions.This is useful because reading their emotional expressions helps you to know how to respond to them.Emotions have evolved to help us respond to important situations and to convey our intentions to others. Butdoes raising the eyebrows and rounding the mouth say the same thing in Minneapolis as they does inMadagascar? Much research on emotional expressions has centered on such questions.(extracted from the first term exam 2016-2017)Question 40 The word they in paragraph refers to ______A. appropriate responses in particular situations B. raising eyebrows and rounding the mouthC. our intentions to others D. research on emotional expressionsExample In many Asian cultures, for example, children are taught to control emotional responses especially negativeones- while many American children are encouraged to express their feelings more openly. Anotherdifference can be found when an American person understands grin as signal of joy while on Japaneseface, it may mean embarrassment.(extracted from the first term exam 2016-2017)Question 44: the word it in paragraph refers to __________A. feeling B. difference C. grin D. faceExample When they were asked what they thought was fair division of labor, women with jobs felt that houseworkshould be shared equally between male and female partners. Women who did not work outside the homewere satisfied to perform 80% the majority of the household work if their husbands did remainder .Research has shown that, if levels increase beyond these percentages, women become unhappy and anxious,and feel they are unimportant. (extracted from the second term exam2016 -2017)Question 2: The word they in paragraph refers to__________A. men B. women C. jobs D. labourExample 5: The civil war broke out years later. Immediately, Barton started war service by helping the soldiers withtheir needs. At the battle of Bull run, Clara Barton received permission from the government to take care ofthe sick and hurt. Barton did this with great empathy and kindness. She acknowledged each soldier as aperson her endurance and courage on the battlefield were admired by many. When the war ended in 1865 ,she used years of her life to assist the government in searching for soldiers who were missing during thewar. (extracted from the second term exam 2016-2017)4Question 33 The word this in paragraph refers to________A. cooking for soldiers B. receiving permissionC acknowledging each soldier as person D. taking care of the sick and hurtExample 6: Although speech is the most advanced form of communication, there are many ways ofcommunicating without using speech. Signals, signs, symbols, and gestures may be found in every knownculture. The basic function of signal is to impinge upon the environment in such way that it attractsattention, as, for example, the dots and dashes of telegraph circuit. Coded to refer to speech, the potentialfor communication is very great. (extracted from the first term exam 2017-2018)Question 40. The word " it " in paragraph refers to ________.A. way B. environment C. function D. signalExample 7: Schooling, on the other hand, is specific, formalized process, whose general pattern varies little from onesetting to the next. Throughout country, children arrive at school at approximately the same time, takeassigned seats, are taught by an adult, use similar textbooks, do homework, take exams, and so on. The slicesof reality that are to be learned, whether they are the alphabet or an understanding of the workings ofgovernment, have usually been limited by the boundaries of the subject being taught. For example highschool students know that they are not likely to find out in their classes the truth about political problems intheir communities or what the newest filmmakers are experimenting with. There are definite conditionssurrounding the formalized process of schooling.(extracted from the first term exam 2017-2018)Question 46 The word they in line 16 refers to ____________. A. slices of reality B. similar textbooks C. boundaries D. seatsExample Parents may get another kind of help from the companies they work for. Many companies now let peoplewith children work part-time. That way, parents can spend more time with their children. Some husbandsmay even stop working for while to stay with the children. For these men there is new word: They arecalled "househusband". In the United States more and more men are becoming househusband every year. (extracted from the second term exam 2017-2018)Question 20 The word " they " in paragraph refers to _______________A. parents who work part-time B. children who spend more time with fathers than mothersC. fathers who spend more time with their children D. husbands who stop working to stay with the childrenExample For animals other than mammals, then, feeding is not intrinsic to parental care. Animals add it to theirreproductive strategies to give them an edge in their lifelong quest for descendants. The most vulnerablemoment in any animal's life is when it first finds itself completely on its own, when it must forage and fendfor itself. Feeding postpones that moment until young animal has grown to such size that it is better ableto cope. (extracted from the second term exam 2017-2018)Question 47: The word it in the last paragraph refers to ______A. feeding B. moment C. young animal D. sizeExample 10 Different cultures follow their own special customs when child's baby teeth fall out. In Korea, forexample, they have the custom of throwing lost teeth up on the roof of house. According to tradition, amagpie will come and take the tooth. Later, the magpie will return with new tooth for the child. In otherAsian countries, such as Japan and Vietnam, children follow similar tradition of throwing their lost teethonto the roofs of houses. 5( extracted from the actual test 2017 -2018)Question 29. The word " their " in paragraph refers to ______.A. houses' B. roofs' C. children's D. countries' Example 11:The combination of these human-related effects and natural obstacles such as disease or low birthrates hasproven to be too much for some species to overcome. They have no chance of survival without human help. extracted from the actual test 2017-2018 )A. natural obstacles B. low birthratesB. some species D. human-related effectsExample 12 The pleasure derived from this activity is common to all kinds of reading. But different types of books giveus different types of pleasure. First in order of popularity is novel-reading. Novels contain pictures ofimaginary people in imaginary situations, and give us an opportunity of escaping into new world very muchlike our world and yet different from it Here we seem to live new life, and the experience of this new lifegives us thrill of pleasure. (extracted from the sample test 2018 )Question 31. The word it in paragraph refers to ______.A. new life B. our world C. an opportunity D. thrill of pleasure Example 13: Another difference is the existence in France of prestigious higher educational institutions known as grandesécoles which provide advanced professional and technical training. Most of these schools are not affiliatedwith the universities, although they too recruit their students by giving competitive examinations tocandidates. The grandes écoles provide rigorous training in all branches of applied science and technology,and their diplomas have somewhat higher standing than the ordinary licence (extracted from the sample test 2018 )Question 37: The word ”their” in paragraph refers to _____________A. schools B. universities C. examinations D. branches Example 14 :North Americans are familiar with the many "person on the street" interviews on local television news shows.While such interviews can be highly entertaining, they are not necessarily an accurate indication of publicopinion. First, they reflect the opinions of only those people who appear at certain location. Thus, suchsamples can be biased in favor of commuters, middle-class shoppers, or factory workers, depending on whicharea the new people select.(extracted from the actual IELTS test )Question 6. The word " they " refers to ______. 6A. interviews B. opinions C. news shows D. North AmericansExample 15 Although people commonly associate the word clone with modern scientific advancements, its usage inbotany (the study of plants) is far removed from those developments; clone is, in the world of plants, acompletely natural thing, even common one. Generally speaking, clone is an individual which isgenetically identical to its progenitor, the parent from which the clone was produced. In this type ofprocreation, only one progenitor is necessary. There are, of course, relatively few animals which reproduce inthis way. While certain types of fish, reptiles, and insects (among others) do reproduce asexually, mostcreatures from the animal kingdom are born from two parent individuals with two discrete sets of genes. Incomparison, plants frequently reproduce asexually, creating genetically identical offspring, or clones. Theterm for this type of procreation is vegetative reproduction, which includes number of different processesby which various plants multiply. (extracted from the actual TOEFL test)Question The phrase this type of procreation” refers to(A) becoming genetically identical (B) reproduction by cloning(C) birth to pair of parents (D) producing individual sets of genesExample 16: All workers, like the queen, are female, but the workers are smaller than the queen. The male honeybees arecalled drones they do no work and cannot sting. They are developed from unfertilized eggs, and their onlyjob is to impregnate queen. The queen must be fertilized in order to lay worker eggs. During the season,when less honey is available and the drones is of no further use, the workers block the drones from eating thehoney so that they will starve to death.Question The word They in the last paragraph refers to _________.A. queens B. workers C. honeybees D. dronesExample 17 People used to know more or less how their children would live. Now things are changing so quickly thatthey don’t even know what their own lives will be like in few years’ time. What follows is not sciencefiction. It is how experts see the future. You are daydreaming behind the steering wheel; is it too dangerous?No! That’s no problem because you have it on automatic pilot, and with its hi-tech computers and cameras,your car “knows” how to get home safe and sound.Question What does its in line refer to ?A. Your car. B. Your home. C. The future. D. The steering wheel.PART 3: DEDUCING THE MEANING IN CONTEXTTYPES OF QUESTIONSThe word “…..” in line 19 is closest in meaning to… The word “…..” in line 20 could be best replaced by…In line, the phrase …...” could be best replaced by which of the following?The phrase "the wee hours" in paragraph probably refers to the period of time ______.TIPS: Steps of guessing unknown vocabulary- Step 1: Guessing meaning from word formation- Step 2: Guessing meaning from contextExample 1: Bees live in structured environment and social structure within hive which is nest with storage spacefor the honey. The different types of bees each perform unique function.7Question It is stated in paragraph that hive is_________.A. storage space B. nest C. type of bee D. type of honeyExample 2: Bees, classified into over 10,000 species are insects found in almost every part of the world except thenorthernmost and southernmost regions.The word species in the first sentence probably means _________.A. enemies B. mates C. killers D. varietiesExample But that is not all. Almost every school in the USA understands that real classroom teaching experience is avital part of teacher's training. Before taking over class, person typically needs to complete trainingprogram, including working as supervised student teacher.(Extracted from the first term test 2016-2017)The word vital in paragraph is closest in meaning to______ .A. very useless B. very easy C. very important D. very interestingExample 4: recent study shows that an unequal share of household chores is still the norm in manyhouseholds, despite the fact that many more women now have jobs. In survey of 1,256 people ages between18 and 65, men said they contributed an average of 37% of the total housework, while the women estimatedtheir share to be nearly double that, at 70%. This ratio was not affected by whether the woman was workingor not.When they were asked what they thought was fair division of labor, women with jobs feltthat housework should be shared equally between male and female partners. Women who did notwork outside the home were satisfied to perform 80% the majority of the household work if theirhusbands did remainder Research has shown that, if levels increase beyond these percentages, womenbecome unhappy and anxious, and feel they are unimportant.(Extracted from the second term test 2016-2017)Question :The word remainder in paragraph is closest in meaning to ______ .A. what is done B. what is fulfilled C. what is left D. what is shareQuestion The word norm in paragraph is closest in meaning to ______ .A. changing thing B. strange thing C. usual thing D. unequal thingQuestion 3: The word stimate in paragraph is closest in meaning to ______ .A. wanted B. divided C. hoped D. guessedExample 5:The civil war broke out years later. Immediately, Barton started was service by helping the soldiers withtheir needs. At the battle of Bull Run, Clara Barton received permission from the government to take care ofthe sick and hurt. Barton did this with great empathy and kindness. She acknowledged each soldier as aperson. Her endurance and courage on the battlefield were admired by many When the war ended in 1865,she used years of her life to assist the government in searching for soldiers who were missing during thewar.(Extracted from the second term test 2016-2017)Question The phrase broke out in paragraph is closest in meaning toA. extended B. broke down C. closed D. beganQuestion The word acknowledged in paragraph could best be replaced byA. nursed B. recognized C. pleaded D. believedExample 6:8Although speech is the most advanced form of communication, there are many ways ofcommunicating without using speech. Signals, signs, symbols, and gestures may be found in every knownculture. The basic function of signal is to impinge upon the environment in such way that it attractsattention, as, for example, the dots and dashes of telegraph circuit. Coded to refer to speech, the potentialfor communication is very great. Less adaptable to the codification of words, signs also contain meaningin and of themselves. stop sign or barber pole conveys meaning quickly and conveniently.Symbols are more difficult to describe than either signals or signs because of their intricate relationship withthe receiver's cultural perceptions. In some cultures, applauding in theater provides performers with anauditory symbol of approval. Gestures such as waving and handshaking also communicate certain culturalmessages.(Extracted from the first term test 2017-2018)Question :The phrase " impinge upon " in paragraph is closest in meaning to _______.A. prohibit B. affect C. vary D. improveQuestion The word " potentia l" in paragraph could be replaced by _______.A. advantage B. possibility C. organization D. rangeQuestion The word " intricate " in paragraph could best be replaced by _______.A. inefficient B. complicated C. historical D. uncertainExample 7:It is commonly believed in the United States that school is where people go to get an education.Nevertheless, it has been said that today children interrupt their education to go to school. The distinctionbetween schooling and education implied by this remark is important. Education is much more open-ended and all-inclusive than schooling. Education knows no bounds It cantake place anywhere, whether in the shower or on the job, whether in kitchen or on tractor. It includesboth the formal learning that takes place in schools and the whole universe of informal learning. The agentsof education can range from revered grandparent to the people debating politics on the radio, from childto distinguished scientist. Whereas schooling has certain predictability, education quite often producessurprises. chance conversation with stranger may lead person to discover how little is known of otherreligions. People are engaged in education from infancy on. Education, then, is very broad, inclusive term.It is lifelong process, process that starts long before the start of school, and one that should be an integralpart of one's entire life.(Extracted from the first term test 2017-2018)Question What does the author probably mean by using the expression children interrupt their education to go to school” (lines 2) ?A. Going to several different schools is educationally beneficial.B. School vacations interrupt the continuity of the school year.C. Summer school makes the school year too long.D. All of life is an education.Question The word bounds “in line is closest in meaning to ___________.A. rules B. experience C. limits D. exceptionsQuestion The word “chance” in line is closest in meaning to_________________.A. unexpected B. unusual C. lengthy D. livelyQuestion The word an integral” in line 12 is closest in meaning to ____________.A. an equitable B. profitable C. pleasant D. an essentialExample 8:9These days, however, more and more women work outside the home. They do not stay with the children allday. They, too, come home tired in the evening. They do not want to spend the evening cooking dinner andcleaning up. They do not have time to clean the house and do the laundry So who is going to do thehousework now? Who is going to take care of the children?(Extracted from the second term test 2017-2018)Question: The word " laundry " in paragraph is closest in meaning to _____________A. place where clothes are washed B. washing and ironingC. shopping D. cooking and washing upExample 9:But not all animal parents, even those that tend their offspring to the point of hatching or birth, feedtheir young. Most egg-guarding fish do not, for the simple reason that their young are so much smaller thanthe parents and eat food that is also much smaller than the food eaten by adults. In reptiles, the crocodilemother protects her young after they have hatched and takes them down to the water, where they will findfood, but she does not actually feed them. Few insects feed their young after hatching, but some make otherarrangement, provisioning their cells and nests with caterpillars and spiders that they have paralyzed withtheir venom and stored in state of suspended animation so that their larvae might have supply of freshfood when they hatch. For animals other than mammals, then, feeding is not intrinsic to parental care. Animals add it totheir reproductive strategies to give them an edge in their lifelong quest for descendants. The most vulnerablemoment in any animal's life is when it first finds itself completely on its own, when it must forage and fendfor itself. Feeding postpones that moment until young animal has grown to such size that it is better ableto cope. Young that are fed by their parents become nutritionally independent at much greater fraction oftheir full adult size. And in the meantime those young are shielded against the vagaries of fluctuating ofdifficult-to-find supplies. Once species does take the step of feeding its young, the young become totallydependent on the extra effort. If both parents are removed, the young generally do not survive. (Extracted from the second term test 2017-2018)Question The word " tend " in line is closest in meaning toA. sit on B. move C. notice D. care forQuestion 2: The word " provisioning " in line 13 is closest in meaning to A. supplying B. preparing C. building D. expandingQuestion The word " edge " in line 17 is closest in meaning toA. opportunity B. advantage C. purpose D. restQuestion The word " shielded " in line 22 is closest in meaning toA. raised B. protected C. hatched D. valuedExample 10:The idea of giving lost teeth to an angel or fairy is also tradition in the West. Many children in Westerncountries count on the Tooth Fairy to leave money or presents in exchange for tooth. The exact origins ofthe Tooth Fairy are mystery, although the story probably began in England or Ireland centuries ago.According to tradition, child puts lost tooth under his or her pillow before going to bed. In the wee hours ,while the child is sleeping, the Tooth Fairy takes the tooth and leaves something else under the pillow.( extracted from the actual test 2017-2018 )10