REVIEW OF PROBLEMS & QUESTIONS

FOR THE READING

Widjijati, MN
TYPES OF PROBLEMS
1. Previewing
2. Reading for the main ideas
3. Using context for vocabulary
4. Scanning for details
5. Making inferences
6. Identifying exceptions
7. Locating references
8. Referring to the passage
9. Reading faster
1. PREVIEWING

 It is easier to understand what you are reading if

begin with a general idea of what the passage is
about.
 Previewing helps you form a general idea of the
topic in your mind.
 To preview, read the first sentence of each
paragraph and the last sentence of the
paragraph. You should do this as quickly as
possible. Remember, you are not reading for
specific information but for an impression of the
topic.
2. READING FOR THE MAIN IDEAS
 By reading for main ideas, you identify the point
of view of the author-that is,what the writer’s
thesis is. Specifically, what does the author
purpose to write about the topic? If you could
reduce the reading to one sentence , what would
it to be?
 Questions about the main idea can be worded in
many ways. For example, the following questions
are all asking for the same information:
(1). What is the main idea?
(2). What is the subject?
(3).What is the topic?
(4). What would be a good title?
3. USING CONTEXT FOR VOCABULARY
 Before you can use a context, you must
understand what a context is.
 In English, context is the combination of
vocabulary and grammar that surrounds a word.
 Context can be a sentence or a paragraph or a
passage. Context helps you makes a general
prediction about meaning.
 If you know the general meaning of the sentence,
you also know the general meaning of the words
in the sentence.
 Meaning predictios from contexts is very
important when you reading foreign language.
4. SCANNING FOR DETAILS
 After reading a passage, you will expected to
answer some questions. Most of them are multiple-
choice.
 First, read a question and find the important
content word. Content words are usually nouns,
verbs, or adjectives. They called content words
because they contain the content or meaning of a
sentence.
 Next, let your eyes travel quickly over the passage
for the same content words or synonyms of the
words. This is called scanning. By scanning, you
can find a place in the reading passage where the
answer to question is found.
 Finally, read those specific sentence carefully and
choose the answer that correspondens to the
meaning of the sentences you have read.
5. MAKING INFERENCES
 Sometimes, in a reading passage, you will find a
direct statement of fact. That is called evidence.
 But other times, you will not find a direct
statement. Then you will need to use the
evidence you have to make an inference.
 An inference is a logical conclusion based on
evidence. It can be about the passage itself or
about the author viewpoint
6. IDENTIFYING EXCEPTIONS
 After reading the passage, you will be asked to
select from some possible answers the one that is
NOT mentioned in the reading.
 Use your scanning skills to locate related words
and phrases in the passage and answer choices.
7. LOCATING REFERENCES
 After reading a passage, you will be asked to find
the antecendent of a pronoun. An antecendent is
a word or phrase to which a pronoun refers.
 Usually, you will be given a pronoun such as “it”,
“its”, “them” or “their” and you will be asked to
locate the reference word or phrase in the
passage.
 First, find the prounoun in the passage.

 Then, read the sentence using all answer choices

in place of the pronoun. The meaning of the
sentence in the context of passage will not change
when you subtitute the correct antecendent.
8. REFERRING TO THE PASSAGE
 After you read the passage, you will be asked to
find certain information in the passage and
identify it by line number or paragraph.
 First, read the question.

 Then, refer to the line numbers and paragraph

numbers in the answer choices to scan for the
information in the question.
9. READING FASTER

 To read faster, read phrases instead of words.Try

to see entire line of text when you focus your eyes
on the passage.
 Scan for details and evidence.

 Makes inference.