Content Based Questions: Rephrase Content from the Passage

Identifiers:

Use your own words as far as possible to

...

According to paragraph X / the author

...

What are the reasons / Why

...

[Look at the mark allocation: higher mark allocation might reveal

number of points

required]

Paraphrasing:

Explanation:

Cats are

nocturnal

cats are

active at night

OR cats are

non

-
diural

animals (be

careful when using antonyms with negation markers, eg.

tall

=/= not short)

Concretizing

The frontal lobes of teenagers

are

not fully developed

...

they have a likelihood of

being

impressionable

teenagers brains are

still growing

, thus they tend to be

easily influenced

Some are more

right brained

while others more more

left brained

certain

people are more

creative

, other
s

logical

Superordination

: Grouping words under a superset (eg. scarlet, vermillion, etc. red)

There were

homo habilis, homo erectus, Neanderthals, homo sapiens

... there

were

men and their predecessors

Changing voice

(active to passive or passive to act

ive):

People have

overthrown

tyrannical

rulers <

--

>

despotic

rulers have been

forced

from power/forced to abdicate

Combining/breaking sentences

: self
-

explanatory

Examples of paraphrasing:

The majority believe in Science

A large proportion of the populatio

n trusts/embraces Science

The masses are supporters /advocates of Science

Keywords (need paraphrasing) VS generic words (can be lifted):

Words that carry the main point/new information are keywords, while generic words

arent the focus of the sentence

People have overthrown tyrannical regimes People have toppled authoritarian

regimes (focus is on overthrowing and tyrannical)

Keywords can be lifted if it is the topic of the passage (eg. if the topic is censorship,

you dont have to keep rephrasing

it)

Inference Questions: Intention/Purpose

Common intentions:

To frame something as a problem/issue:

When society may not recognize something as a problem, and the author

explains it as such

-
To re

direct or re

frame a problem/issue

When the author count

ers a commonly understood problem/issue by pointing out

that these are not the main causes/problems, and states the main problems

The highlight the severity of an issue

To call for action

To rebut opposing arguments / discredit ones opponents

To evoke cer

tain feelings in the reader (state what emotion exactly)

To lament something

To disclaim

Usually done to balance the writing and accept the validity of other sides of the

arguments

To express shock/disbelief/disgust

To mock/criticize/censure/warn/instruct/
inform/advise

To show a certain point (only use it as a last resort, when we cant identify any other

intention)

The author states

...

to prove that

...

Inference: Attitude and Tone

Tone: How the writer sounds

Attitude: How the writer feels

Attitude words:

supportive/approving, conciliatory, sympathetic, optimistic, disapproving, critical,

condemning, doubtful, skeptical, cynical, condescending, demeaning, derogatory, patronising,

mocking, scornful, derisive, contemptuous, pessimistic, ambivalent, indifferen

t/apathetic,

disgusted, fearless, fearful, anxious

Tone words: accusatory, angry/aggressive/contemptuous/antagonistic, cycnical, skeptical,

condescending/demeaning/derogatory/patronising, sarcastic, pessimistic/disappointed,

frustrated, defiant, defensive

, concerned, serious, respectful, reverent, appreciative, sincere,

sympathetic, enthusiastic, encouraging, optimistic, humorous, indifferent/apathetic, moralistic,

formal/informal, blunt/frank/straightforward, matter

of

fact

Inference: Irony & Paradox

Iro

ny:

Situational: When

what is happening

is contrary to

what is expected

Verbal: When

what is said

is contrary to

what is meant

Socratic: When one feigns ignorance, despite knowing

Dramatic: When the audience knows more than the actual participants

How To

Answer:

1.

There is a contradiction between what the author said and what the author meant; he

meant the opposite of (what he said) because of (the situation)

yet

he said that (what he

said)

hence, the irony.

2.

There is a contradiction between what is expect

ed and what is actually happening;

although one would expect (what is expected)...

yet

(what is happening)

this

contradiction proves the irony

Paradox: A statement that is self

contradictory but expresses truth and makes sense.

How To Answer: Explain t

he contradiction + Explain how it still makes sense

1.

The statement is paradoxical as (explain contradiction). Yet, it could hold true as (explain

how it makes sense)

Inference: Vocabulary

Question types:

Identify the words or phrases that have the same

meaning as ___.

Just pick out the words/phrases

What does this word imply about ___?

Explain the meaning of the word + make the inference

Why does the author use the words ___ in lines __? What is the intention/purpose of the

author in using the word ___

in lines __?
-

Explain the meaning of the word + explain intention/purpose

Inference: Punctuation

Question types:

Why does the author use (insert punctuation) in line __?

Quotation Marks:

To indicate the opposite meanings of words (includes an element of

arcasm/disagreement)

Eg. The hardworking man didnt do shit that day.

Indicates that the man was

not actually hardworking

To indicate metaphorical use

Eg. The company is bleeding thousands of dollars per month Indicates that

the word is being used

metaphorically; the company is not literally losing blood,

rather is making significant losses that justify winding the business up

To make comparisons

Eg. XYZ is the Harvard of Asia The author is drawing a parallel between the

prestigious Harvard Uni

versity and XYZ school; he does not literally mean XYZ is

Harvard University, but rather that XYZ is of a standard comparable to Harvard,

except that it is situated in Asia

To quote

Eg. Philosophy... is food for our souls and is the highest music (Plato) o

ne can

ever listen to The author references Platos opinion on philosophy and his

comparison to music

To denote a name

Eg. Earth Hour

Ellipses:

To indicate a repetitive cycle

-To indicate a continuing list of items

-To create suspense

Parentheses: To contain supplementary/additional information that is optional (ie omission of that

information would still convey the same meaning)

Semicolon: connect related information

Colon: Explain preceding part of the sentence

Repetition: To emphasize something or to create a compounding effect (usually to evoke a certain

emotion)

Direct Paraphrasing

Just paraphrase whatever the question asks you to.

Metaphorical/Figurative Expressions

Explain the literal meaning of the metaphor + explain the similarity between the literal meaning and the
actual situation.

Eg. Explain we have won the war against SARS.

The author means that society has been cleared of the SARS virus which is no longer a threat, similar to
how winning a war against ones enemies clears them from society and have them no longer posing a
threat.