Comprehension

Dahlia Bartley, Contributor

Comprehension is vital to the development of one's reading skills and,
therefore, to one's ability to obtain an education. Certainly, reading
comprehension is essential, not only to academic learning in all subject areas,
but to lifelong learning. You must, therefore, develop certain skills that will
help you to understand what you read.

How will comprehension skills enhance your performance, you may well ask?
Here are a few answers. These skills, which are achievable, will allow you to:

* Grasp the meaning of what you read and hear.
* Draw conclusions and make inferences.
* Evaluate information.
* Identify the tone used.
* Recognise facts stated explicitly.
* Extract specific information from what is read or heard.
* Recognise cause and effect relationships.
* Identify main and subordinate ideas and trace their development.

Incidentally, the last four are listed in the CSEC syllabus. Please read the
document to find others.

Now, let's look at a comprehension passage which was set some time ago.

Read the following passage carefully and then answer the questions set on it.

The street is wide and full of dust. In the white sunlight, it lies down passively.
From the wide world come motor cars, lorries and vans, making a lot of noise,
shaking up the white dust and leaving the air full of the smell of fume. Wooden
donkey carts, creaking and shaking, rattle over the pieces of white marl lying
about. Dogs fight in the grass, snarling and snapping angry white teeth. And
little naked children, with rags for shirts, run about with discarded bicycle
tyres, jumping over the furious dogs, the grass and the 8 stones. Sometimes,
but sometimes only, the whole street goes suddenly quiet as though
everything has stopped for a moment to listen to itself. But then it begins all
over again.

And when the sun goes down the whole yard becomes a slab of darkness, 12
like a block of black ice. In the night-wrapped city, where the streets intersect,
the light from lantern posts falls into yellow pools on dust and pebbles. And
even the dogs bark with a different meaning. The night is like a door that
closes in the afternoon, locking everything into a black room. Below in the
streets, the boys and girls on bicycles ride past men and women walking. And
a donkey cart would appear around the corner moving slowly. The cartman
droops over the donkey's rump, half asleep. And as the 19 donkey walks, the
cartman rolls forwards and backwards in rhythm with the hooves. And in the
yard, the women sit on their doorsteps, looking out at the street, spitting,
gossiping with their neighbours and laughing at themselves.

(a) In one word, how would you describe the scene in paragraph one (lines 1-
10)? (1 mark)

(b) State two activities going on in the street, which are mentioned in
paragraph one (lines 1-10). (2 marks)

(c) By using vivid descriptions, the writer appeals to the sense of sight
because he wants you to see the scenes which he is describing. In paragraph
one (lines 1-10) to which other senses does the writer appeal? (2 marks)

(d) What is suggested by the phrase 'sometimes, but sometimes only' (line
8)?
(2 marks)

(e) 'And when the sun goes down the whole yard becomes a slab of
darkness, like a block of black ice' (line 11). What is the writer describing in
this sentence?
(2 marks)

(f) From paragraph two (lines 11-21), quote two examples of figurative
language that the writer uses. (2 marks)

(g) Why is the cartman described as rolling 'forwards and backwards in
rhythm with the hooves' (line 19)? (2 marks)

What a highly descriptive passage! As you read it, I am sure that you had no
difficulty in visualising the scene. Take time out and assess the writer's use of
language. You will truly benefit from such an exercise.

Next week, we will look at the answers. Until then, be good.


Answers:
a) Your choice could come from the following: noisy, crowded, congested,
busy

b) Traffic is moving; donkey carts are rattling along; children are playing; dogs
are fighting

c) The writer appeals to the sense of smell. Also used, is the sense of
hearing.

d) The phrase suggests that this was not a frequent occurrence.

e) The writer is describing nightfall in the yard.

f) Again, there are several examples from which to choose - slab of darkness,
like a block of black ice, night-wrapped city, the light from lantern posts falls
into yellow pools on dust and pebbles, the night is like a door, locking
everything into a black room.

g) He is tired, sleepy, unaware of his state.