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Reading and comprehension: Class 12 English
Reading techniques such as skimming, scanning and close reading, understanding structure and argument, inference, tone and style, reading poetry and prose, summarising, and answering comprehension questions with a practice passage.
Key points
Reading well means choosing a method that suits your aim. In the exam you must understand a passage quickly and answer accurately. At Class 12 you are also expected to see how the writer builds an argument and why certain words are chosen.
Main reading techniques:
- Skimming: reading fast to get the general idea, by looking at the title, headings and the first and last sentences.
- Scanning: moving your eyes quickly to find a name, date or fact.
- Close reading: reading slowly and carefully to grasp details, meanings and the writer's attitude.
- Reading between the lines: finding ideas that are suggested but not stated.
Passages are organised in patterns. A description gives details of a person or place. A narrative tells events in order. An argument states a claim, gives reasons and evidence, and ends with a conclusion. A comparison shows how two things are alike and different. Spotting the pattern helps you predict where answers are found.
Finding the writer's argument means asking: What is the claim? What reasons support it? Is the evidence fact or opinion? Does the writer ignore the other side? Words like because, therefore, thus and as a result show reasons and conclusions. Words like although, however and on the other hand show contrast.
Inference and implication. Writers often leave things unsaid. If a character 'gripped the letter and did not speak for a long time', we infer deep feeling or shock. Support each inference with words from the text. Do not use outside information or your own opinion as proof.
Tone and style. Tone is the writer's attitude (serious, ironic, nostalgic, sympathetic). Style is how the writer uses words and sentences, such as short sentences for urgency or long sentences for calm description. Imagery, similes and metaphors add effect. When asked about effect, name the device, quote it and say what it makes the reader feel or see.
Reading poetry. Read the poem aloud more than once. Find the theme (the central message), the speaker and the mood. Notice the rhyme, rhythm and stanza form, and the figures of speech such as simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration and imagery. Paraphrase each stanza in plain prose and then state the central idea in one line.
Vocabulary and reference questions. A word-meaning question must be answered by what the word means in the passage. Reference questions ask what a word such as it, they or this refers to. Go back to the previous sentence to find the noun or idea it replaces.
Practice passage and model answers:
- Passage: Many villages still lack a clean water supply. Women often walk for hours to fetch it, and children miss school to help. Because of this, a single tap in the village can change daily life: time is saved, illness falls and girls return to class.
- Q1 Main idea? Access to clean water improves health, saves time and supports education.
- Q2 What does 'this' refer to? The lack of a clean water supply and the long walks to fetch water.
- Q3 Inference? Fetching water takes time that could otherwise go to school or work.
- Q4 Tone? Serious and hopeful.
To summarise, give the main idea in one sentence, add two or three key supporting points, and leave out examples. Use your own words and keep the same meaning. A summary must not include your opinion or any fact that is not in the passage.
Time plan for the paper: spend about three minutes on first reading, two minutes per short question and longer on questions with more marks. If a question seems hard, leave it and return. Always write answers in full sentences and check that each answer matches what the question asks.
Study tip: Read the questions before the passage, and then read the passage twice, once for the general idea and once for details. Mark the lines which answer each question and write the number of the question in the margin. Practise with a newspaper editorial every day for ten minutes and write a two-line summary. In poetry questions, always state the theme and give at least one quotation.
Definitions and flashcards
Say the meaning first, then open the card to check.
Skimming
Fast reading to get the overall idea of a text
Scanning
Searching a text quickly for a specific fact
Inference
A conclusion reached from clues in the text
Theme
The central idea or message of a text or poem
Imagery
Words that create pictures or sensations in the reader's mind
Tone
The writer's attitude as shown by the choice of words
Reference
A word, such as it or they, that points back to something already mentioned
Claim
The main point an author argues in a text
Paraphrase
Restating a text in different words with the same meaning
Short questions with model answers
These are the kind of questions asked for 2, 3 and 5 marks. Try each one before opening the answer.
Differentiate between skimming and scanning. (2 marks)
Skimming is reading quickly to understand the general idea of a text. Scanning is looking quickly through the text to find one particular fact, like a name or a date.
How do you answer an inference question? (3 marks)
First find the lines that give clues. Then explain what the clues suggest although the writer does not say it directly. Support the answer with words from the text. Do not add outside facts.
What is meant by the tone of a passage? How can a reader identify it? (5 marks)
Tone is the writer's attitude to the subject, such as serious, humorous or sad. A reader can identify it from the choice of words, the type of examples and the way sentences are built. For example, strong words like 'disgraceful' show anger and criticism, while soft words like 'gentle' and 'peaceful' show a calm, loving tone. Naming the tone and quoting a word from the text gives a complete answer.
What steps do you follow to understand a poem? (3 marks)
Read it aloud several times, find the speaker and the mood, explain each stanza in simple prose, notice the figures of speech and sound devices, and then state the theme in one sentence.
What is a reference question? How do you answer it? (2 marks)
It asks what a pronoun or phrase such as it, they or this stands for in the passage. Look back at the sentence before it and find the noun or idea it replaces, then write that in full.
State two features of a good summary. (2 marks)
It is short and keeps only the main points in the writer's order. It is in the reader's own words and has no personal opinion or new fact.
Common mistakes
- Reading the passage only once and then searching for answers in a hurry.
- Copying a whole sentence from the passage when the question asks for the meaning in your own words.
- Answering with personal opinion in an inference question instead of evidence from the text.
- Explaining a poem line by line without stating the central theme.
- Giving the wrong reference, such as picking a nearby noun that does not fit the meaning.