Reading Comprehension

Question Types and Strategies (continued…)

6. Tone and Attitude Questions:

These questions ask you about the author’s feeling when he or she wrote the passage.

Examples:

 The tone of the passage could best described as….

 What tone does the authors take in writing this passage?

In the passage the author may take a strong position for or against something, but passages in

Section usually have a neutral tone. The following are examples of strong positive and negative tones.

Examples:

 The work, a true masterpiece, was written in a day. (positive)

 In her brilliant career as an architect, she was renowned not only for the quality of her work
but also for the amount of work she produced, ( positive )
 This system is extravert of land use and not suitable for many areas of the world, (negative)
 These experiments are not only shocking but also a waste of time and money, ( negative)
 Attitude questions are similar to question on tone. You must determine the author’s opinion
or position toward the subject.

Here are some examples of tone or attitude answers:

positive negative neutral humorous

disbelieving scientific supportive depressing

objective favorable unfavorable impersonal

In other attitude questions, you may be asked what you think the author’s opinion of four statements
would be.

Examples:

 The author of the passage would most likely agree with which of the following?
 Which of the following recommendations would the author most likely support?

Strategies for Tone and Attitude Question:

 When answering tone or attitude questions, remember that tone and attitude implied in a
passage and not stated explicitly.
  When answering tone questions, look for words that are neutral, positive, or negative.
 Some questions on attitude refer to passages in which the author takes a position for or
against a point. In such cases, beware of answer choices that overstate or exaggerate the
author’s attitude.

7. Main Purpose on Question:

Questions on main purpose ask why the author wrote the passage. These question appear in place
of main idea question and are the first questions after the passage.

Example:

 What is the author’s main purpose in the passage?

 The author’s purpose in writing is to……
 Why did the authors write the passage?
 The answer to these questions begin with infinitives such as

to discuss to tell how to mention to distinguish

to persuade to illustrate to summarize to advise

to compare to criticize to describe to explain

Strategies for Main Purpose on Question:

 Purpose questions are a combination of inference questions and main idea questions that ask
you why the author wrote the passage.
 To answer these questions, draw a conclusion form the whole passage to find the author’s
purpose in writing it.

COMBINATION MISTAKES
Combination means two different words or clauses that exist together or are used or put together.
Following is the description of some combinations of words and clauses:

o Combination of words (general)

o Combination of clauses (FAN BOYS)
o Combination of words (collocation)
o Combination of sentences (conditional and compound)

Rule 1:

Neither should be used in combination with nor, whereas Either / Whether should be used with or. Not
only is used with but also / but as well / but too / but.

Following are some other useful combinations of words: too-to; between/both - and; from - to/till; all -
among; such - noun; as-so; so- adjective; very - 1st degree; much - 2nd degree; as + adjective + as;
the same - that; those - who; lest – should
Example:

Incorrect: Political control not only stops the exodus, even manages to reduce the population of the cities.
Correct: Political control not only stops the exodus but even manages to reduce the population of the cities.
Incorrect: "Pay for the salt," said the king, "lest it become a custom and the village be ruined."
Correct: "Pay for the salt," said the king, "lest it should become a custom and the village be ruined."

Rule 2:

Than should be used in the following combinations:

No sooner - than; rather - than; 2nd degree - than; than any other;
Although / though should be used with punctuation mark comma or yet.

Example:

Incorrect: The queen knew her hair was more beautiful than any queen's jewels.
Correct: The queen knew her hair was more beautiful than any other queen's jewels.
Incorrect: No sooner had he reached the station when the train left.
Correct: No sooner had he reached the station than the train left.

Rule 3:

Were /had + 3rd form should be used in combination with as if, as though, would that, oh that, I wish, etc.

Example:

Incorrect: All of them drew back as if bees has suddenly sprung from a bed of flowers.
Correct: All of them drew back as if bees had suddenly sprung from a bed of flowers,
Incorrect: The tissues of his body drew tight as if he was standing at the center of a vacuum.
Correct: The tissues of his body drew tight as if he were standing at the center of a vacuum.

Rule 4:

Such - as is used for exemplification, whereas such that is used for cause and effect relationship.

Example:

Incorrect: They wear such military khaki overcoats that are found at the secondhand clothes' shops.
Correct: They wear such military khaki overcoats as are found at the secondhand clothes' shops.
Incorrect: Her health declined to such an extent as a blood transfusion was recommended.
Correct: Her health declined to such an extent that a blood transfusion was recommended.

Rule 5:

Hardly / scarcely / barley are used in combination with when.

No sooner is used with than.
As soon as. Although, Though, Because, As, etc. are used with punctuation mark comma only.

Example:

Incorrect: Hardly had he reached halfway across the road than a truck came from Mall Road.
Correct: Hardly had he reached halfway across the road when a truck came from Mall Road.
Incorrect: As soon as the doctor did it when the child let out a scream.
Correct: As soon as the doctor did it, the child let out a scream.
Incorrect: Although his lips moved but he couldn't even say that.
Correct: Although his lips moved, he couldn't even say that.

Rule 6:

In conditional type-I, the conditional clause (the if - clause) should be in present simple tense; whereas,
the resultant clause should be in future simple tense. These sentences are based on real conditions and
their possible results.

Example:

Incorrect: If the king eats one apple from the garden of a subject, his slaves pull down the whole tree.
Correct: If the king eats one apple from the garden of a subject, his slaves will pull down the whole tree.

Rule 7:

Both the clauses of zero conditional sentences should be in present simple tense. Zero conditional
sentences express general truths - situations in which one thing always causes the other.

Example:

Incorrect: If you heat water above 100 °C, it will boil.

Correct: If you heat water above 100 °C, it boils.
Incorrect: When people smoke, their teeth will suffer.
Correct: When people smoke, their teeth suffer.

Rule 8:

In conditional type-II, past simple tense is used in the if- clause, whereas would + present form is used
in the resultant clause. These sentences are not based fact, they rather present a hypothetical condition and
its probable result.

Example:

Incorrect: If I tried to make a living here, I would have ended up with my family.
Correct: If I tried to make a living here, I would end up with my family.

Rule 9:

In conditional type-III, past perfect tense is used in the if-clause, whereas would + have + 3rd form is
used in the resultant clause. These sentences refer to an unreal past condition and its probable result. In
other words, type-III suggests that if a thing had happened in the past, the present results would have been
different.

Example:

Incorrect: If a king lived in the same house, Jim would have looked at his watch every time they met.
Correct: If a king had lived in the same house, Jim would have looked at his watch every time they met.
Rule 10:

When time clause (when/before / by the time - clause) is in the past simple tense, the main clause
should be used in the past perfect tense.