Question Interpretation Strategies

Reading 101

Question Interpretation
Strategies

Learning Objectives


To identify question type in terms of information
recovery or rephrasing demands.

Interpret the exact requirement of each question


Comprehension section is one of the toughest
challenges in English Language paper as it
involves many skills in reading, interpretation
and a wide knowledge in vocabulary

Traditionally, it will 'make' or 'break' your
results as it contains the highest number of
marks allocated for a single section.

As a first step, it is VERY important for you
first, to understand the different ways
Comprehension questions can be asked so you
can meet their requirements.


All questions fall under these 3 main groups:
Contents - What is it saying?
Structure - How is it saying it?
Response - What do you think?How do you feel?

Vocabulary Type

This question requires you to interpret the
meaning of a word or phrase or sentence.

It requires you to rephrase these parts of the
text into your own words.

Parts of text to be rephrased can be given or
you can be asked to locate them yourself.

Key Words in Vocabulary Type

These questions are identified by key words as
follows.
What does 'x' mean? / Give the meaning of 'x'.
Explain what 'x' means. / What is the meaning of
the phrase 'x' ?
Explain, in your own words / why, where, when,
how or what did 'X' . . .

An example of Vocabulary Question
“I had given all our passports to Stagnate, who
stashed them in his turban. Stagnate was a lot
taller than the rest of us, and therefore had a
better chance of keeping them dry. Should we
succeed in crossing this river, wet passports
would not get us across the border, leaving our
home for the last time for a new land.”
Q: Explain in your own words why the author
had given all their passports to Stagnate.
A: Stagnate towered over the rest of them and had
the best odds of maintaining the passports dry.

Strategy about Vocabulary Type

Identify key words for paraphrasing

Brainstorm for possible words to paraphrase
before deciding on the best word choice.

Your answer must follow the contextual
meaning of the writer. That is, when
substituted with your own words, the text's
meaning remains unchanged.
A: Stagnate towered over the rest of them (tallest)
and had the best odds (chance) of maintaining
(keeping) the passports dry.

More about Vocabulary Type
Some good news:

The text will not be highly technical in nature
so as to stumble students such as 'genetic
engineering' or 'rocket science'.

There will be plenty of contextual clues so you
have enough to paraphrase for exact words.

Knowledge Questions

These questions are identified through the use
of words which ask for your thinking skills and
real-world knowledge.
What is the author suggesting ...
Why would the author...
What possible reasons were there...
What is the author implying...
What do you think/feel...

The cue words most commonly used are
'suggest', 'think' and 'feel'.

An example of Knowledge Question
“At long last, we arrived at the manager's house. I
was exhausted, ravenous, and thoroughly dazed
after my 'ordeal' of a journey, but the manager
merely surveyed me and bellowed, "Why on earth
do you have to come at such an ungodly hour?"
Q: How do you think the author expected the
manager to treat him upon his arrival? List 3
ways.
A: He expected to be given a resting place, food
and drinks, and overnight accommodation as he
had travelled a long way.

Strategy of Knowledge Type
Identify the contextual clues to help make the
inference. Follow the context of the paragraph
and passage. From the earlier example:
Contextual clues: 'exhausted', 'ravenous' and
'thoroughly dazed'.
Context : traveller who has journeyed a long way.
Ans: He expected to be given a resting place, food
and drinks, and overnight accommodation as he
had travelled a long way.
This requires inferential skill.

Language Type

Language questions test you on your
vocabulary and general knowledge.

It shows you a figurative speech or an irony.

To answer this question successfully, you must
understand the imagery used and decode its
link.

An example of Language Question
“The surgeon spread the old sari over the dying
woman. Then he took off his blouse soaked in blood
and carefully folded it up. He arranged his
instruments in their box and put everything into his
canvas attaché case. And he too left the 'clinic'.”
Q: Why do you think the word 'clinic' is given in
quotation marks?
Ans: Clinic is a place where patients visit doctors for
healing. In this case, the clinic was not a real one as
the doctor abandoned his patient while she was
fighting for her life.

Strategy

Your answer must show the literal trait of the
metaphorical object AND how it is applied in
the text.

Use expression 'in this case' to show your
understanding of the application.

This requires association – to identify the key
idea of the metaphor – and paraphrasing skill.
Clinic is a place where patients visit doctors for
healing (A). In this case, the clinic was not a
real one as the doctor abandoned his patient
while she was fighting for her life.(P)

Learning Activity
Say what type these questions most probably
belong to:
Why do you think the author find it strange?
What are the ways in which we know a person is
dreaming?
Explain, in your own words, the definition of a
dream.

Discussion

How many types of questions are there?

Why do we need to know the type of questions
before we answer the questions?

In Summary

There are 4 major question types in
Comprehension.

Identifying Question Types BEFORE
answering your questions help you establish the
way in which you answer.

It prevents you from making careless mistakes
that will cause penalties.

They help you to acheive precision and
accuracy in your answer.

Question Interpretation Strategies

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