READING COMPREHENSION

How to improve READING SPEED

• Average- 200-250 word/min
• Avoid reading loud
• Avoid subvocalization-It is the process of speaking the words in your
head as you read.
• Word chunking- the act of reading multiple words at once.
• Avoid underlining
• Skimming and scanning
READING STYLES
• Skimming - Reading rapidly for the main points, Skimming means to read a page or
handout - skip read - by reading the headings and first sentences of each paragraph or
section. It usually takes three forms: Preview, Overview and Review.
Scanning - Reading rapidly through a text to find specific information required, Scanning
differs from skimming in that you do not deal with all of the content, but search through
the material for a specific purpose or a specific word (or its synonym):
• finding the answer to a question
• seeking an appropriate quotation reference or statement
• locating names in a directory, words in a dictionary, prices in a catalogue, etc.
• When you scan, you cover only as much of the content as is necessary to accomplish
your purpose.
Extensive - Reading longer texts, often for pleasure and for an overall understanding
Intensive - Reading shorter texts for detailed information with emphasis on precise
understanding, The purpose of this style is to understand the concepts and arguments
that the text contains.
READING COMPREHENSION
• Reading comprehension is the ability to read text, process it and
understand its meaning
• Main topic- Reading comprehension
• Key ideas- read
Process
understand
EVERY PASSAGE HAS..

MAIN IDEA
CUE- WILL BE REPEATED MULTIPLE TIMES
Answer to question- What/ Who

SUPPORTING DETAILS
Cue- DATES, NAMES, PLACES
Answers questions like when, where, how
KINDS OF QUESTION ASKED

APPLIED
(READ BEYOND THE LINES)

INTERPRETIVE/INFERENTIAL
(READ BETWEEN THE LINES)

LITERAL/FACTUAL
(READ THE LINES)
Types of questions
Tip- read questions first, not the key words like
• Literal/factual
specific dates, names, place
direct, minimal
• Interpretive/ inferential
what does the author/passage imply, suggest, mean
indirect, more asked, if the candidate can identify intended meaning
• Applied
what will you do if..
what are your suggestions
use previous knowledge
ATTITUDE OF THE AUTHOR
➢Author expresses his main ideas in these tones
• INTROSPECTIVE
makes you think
Does not make direct judgement
motivates the reader to evaluate the situation, asks questions
• CRITICAL
Judgemental
comparisons
• SUGGESTIVE
suggestions of the author
➢Author uses assumptions and arguments to support his idea
Tone /attitude example
Iguacu Falls, which sit on the border between Argentina and Brazil, are
said to make Niagara look like a leaky faucet. The great cataracts stretch
for two and a half miles across lushly foliaged rocky outcroppings
before plunging a staggering two hundred and thirty feet into the river
below.

The falls region is densely forested, and is home to a wide variety of

plants and animals, including a number of endangered ones. It is a
paradise where parrots dive and swoop through the spray,
butterflies cavort among the tropical plants and coatis, and giant otters
and anteaters amble through the trees. The foliage itself varies
between tropical and deciduous with orchids blushing in the shade of
pines and ferns nodding gracefully in the shadow of fruit trees.
• The author’s attitude toward Iguacu Falls can best be described as
which of the following?
A. Overweening pride.
B. Positive appreciation.
C. Mild acceptance.
D. Apathetic objectivity.
E. Cautious optimism.
Answer
• Even though I’ve only included two paragraphs from the passage, we can
still answer the question about the author’s tone. First, try to identify
words with positive or negative connotations, or identify phrases that
reveal the author’s attitude toward the falls. The first sentence reveals the
author’s reverence for the falls; if the Iguacu Falls make Niagara look like a
‘leaky faucet,’ they must be pretty impressive. Further, notice the
adjectives “great,” “lush,” and “graceful,” the positive noun “paradise,” and
the verbs “swoop,” “amble,” and “cavort,” which evoke an Edenic portrait
of the natural landscape.
The author’s attitude, in short, is purely positive. Thus, we can quickly
eliminate C, D, and E. We can also eliminate A for a different reason. It
would be wrong to say that the author is “proud” of Iguacu Falls; after all,
he doesn’t take credit for its beauty. B is the best answer.
FOCUS WORDS
• MUST NOTE WORDS-
ONLY, EACH,IN PARTICULAR, SPECIFICALLY
• UNDERSTAND MEANING OF WORDS
Find meaning of new words, phrases, expressions by associating
with the context in which it is used
• TRICK WORDS
Whole is given- part is asked &vice versa(eg: Student is given in
the passage but in question girl is asked)
underlining helps
Actual conclusion- seeming conclusion
COMPREHENDING
• Each paragraph has a theme/ key idea
• Find the topic sentence- key idea in a paragraph
• It can be found in the beginning , middle or end
• Note the transition words like-even though , before, although(helps
to connect idea, and understand the tone)
• Note the summary words- therefore, thus, as a result, in
conclusion(helps to understand main point and assumptions, find the
actual conclusion from seeming conclusion)
TIPS TO SAVE TIME
• 10-30 SECONDS TIME/QUESTION
• UNDERLINING HELPS
• READING QUESTIONS FIRST HELPS
• DO THE SEMANTIC QUESTIONS FIRST- SYNONYM, ANTONYM
• SPEED READING- REGULAR PRACTISE HELPS
• SKIMMING AND THEN SCANNING
• DEVELOP VOCABULARY
• NOTING TRANSITION WORDS, ITALICIZED BOLD WORDS
• ELIMINATING THE UNECESSARY DETAILS( FROM ANS OPTIONS)
• READ QUESTION WELL- NOT/ NO/ OPPOSITE/SAME
EXAMPLE
• Dolphins are regarded as the friendliest creatures in the sea and
stories of them helping drowning sailors have been common since
Roman times. The more we learn about dolphins, the more we
realize that their society is more complex than people previously
imagined. They look after other dolphins when they are ill, care for
pregnant mothers and protect the weakest in the community, as we
do. Some scientists have suggested that dolphins have a language
but it is much more probable that they communicate with each
other without needing words. Could any of these mammals be more
intelligent than man? Certainly the most common argument in favor
of man's superiority over them that we can kill them more easily
than they can kill us is the least satisfactory. On the contrary, the
more we discover about these remarkable creatures, the less we
appear superior when we destroy them.
ANALYSING THE PASSAGE ESSENTIAL
MAIN IDEA IDEA 1
• Dolphins are regarded as the friendliest creatures in the sea and
stories of them helping drowning sailors have been common since
Roman times. The more we learn about dolphins, the more we SUPPORTING
realize that their society is more complex than people previouslyDETAIL 1
imagined. They look after other dolphins when they are ill, care for
pregnant mothers and protect the weakest in the community, as we
do. Some scientists have suggested that dolphins have a language
but it is much more probable that they communicate with each
other without needing words. Could any of these mammals be more SUP
intelligent than man? Certainly the most common argument in favor POR TIN
of man's superiority over them that we can kill them more easily G
than they can kill us is the least satisfactory. On the contrary, the DET
more we discover about these remarkable creatures, the less we AIL
appear superior when we destroy them. 2

KEY FALSE
KEY WORD
WORDS CONCLUSION
QUESTIONS KEY WORD
• It is clear from the passage that dolphins ----
A) don't want to be with us as much as we want to be with them
B) are proven to be less intelligent than once thought
C) have a reputation for being friendly to humans
D) are the most powerful creatures that live in the oceans
E) are capable of learning a language and communicating with humans
• The fact that the writer of the passage thinks that we can kill dolphins more easily than they can
kill us ----
KEY WORD
A) means that they are better adapted to their environment than we are
B) shows that dolphins have a very sophisticated form of communication
C) proves that dolphins are not the most intelligent species at sea
D) does not mean that we are superior to them
E) proves that Dolphins have linguistic skills far beyond what we previously thought
• One can infer from the reading that ----
A) dolphins are quite abundant in some areas of the world
B) communication is the most fascinating aspect of the dolphins
C) dolphins have skills that no other living creatures have such as the
ability to think
D) it is not usual for dolphins to communicate with each other
E) dolphins have some social traits that are similar to those of humans
ANSWERS
• It is clear from the passage that dolphins ----
A) don't want to be with us as much as we want to be with them
B) are proven to be less intelligent than once thought
C) have a reputation for being friendly to humans
D) are the most powerful creatures that live in the oceans
E) are capable of learning a language and communicating with humans
• The fact that the writer of the passage thinks that we can kill dolphins more easily than they can
kill us ----
A) means that they are better adapted to their environment than we are
B) shows that dolphins have a very sophisticated form of communication
C) proves that dolphins are not the most intelligent species at sea
D) does not mean that we are superior to them
E) proves that Dolphins have linguistic skills far beyond what we previously thought
• One can infer from the reading that ----
A) dolphins are quite abundant in some areas of the world
B) communication is the most fascinating aspect of the dolphins
C) dolphins have skills that no other living creatures have such as the ability to think
D) it is not usual for dolphins to communicate with each other
E) dolphins have some social traits that are similar to those of humans
 DIY
Erosion of America's farmland by wind and water has been
a problem since settlers first put the prairies and
grasslands under the plow in the nineteenth century. By
the 1930s, more than 282 million acres of farmland were
damaged by erosion. After 40 years of conservation
efforts, soil erosion has accelerated due to new demands
placed on the land by heavy crop production. In the years
ahead, soil erosion and the pollution problems it causes
are likely to replace petroleum scarcity as the nation's
most critical natural resource problem.
As we understand from the reading, today, soil erosion
in America ----.
A) causes humans to place new demands on the land
B) is worse than it was in the nineteenth century
C) happens so slowly that it is hardly noticed
D) is the most critical problem that the nation faces
E) is worse in areas which have a lot of petroleum
production
The author points out in the passage that erosion in
America ----.
A) has damaged 282 million acres ever since settlers first
put the prairies and grasslands under the plow
B) has been so severe that it has forced people to
abandon their settlements
C) occurs only in areas with no vegetation
D) can become a more serious problem in the future
E) was on the decline before 1930s
It is pointed out in the reading that in America ----.
A) petroleum is causing heavy soil erosion and pollution
problems
B) heavy crop production is necessary to meet the
demands and to prevent a disaster
C) soil erosion has been hastened due to the overuse of
farming lands
D) water is undoubtedly the largest cause of erosion
E) there are many ways to reduce erosion
ANSWER
•B
•D
•C
TEST
• PASTE THIS LINK-http://www.freeonlinetest.in/question-and-
answer/english/reading-comprehension
• Take test 2
• This is a timed test
• Answer and upload the screenshot of result to-
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1s-
FkCgaG633qGLfS1u6lK0fgMylmcHcm?usp=sharing

• Each test will be graded and final marks submitted to your respective
departments. This will help to evaluate your skills.
READING METHODS
Intensive reading
SQ3R method
PQRST Method
• “P”— PREVIEW to identify the main ideas
Chapter title and objectives • Visual aids (graphs, images, text boxes) •Headings and
subheadings • Chapter study questions and summary
• “Q”— QUESTION ask questions
What do I need to know from this assignment?”•What’s the purpose of this reading?•How will
this information be used?
• “R”— READ and REACT
Mark in the book or on sticky notes to draw your attention to specific ideas. Highlight only main
ideas or key words.
• “S”— STATE or SUMMARIZE
Summarize aloud and write it down.
• “T” — TEST
Answer the test questions you developed from memory
OK4R METHOD
• O- OVERVIEW- read headings, introductions, table of contents etc
• K – KEY IDEA- find the key idea and essential idea
• 4R
R- READ
R-RECALL
R-REFLECT- relate what you have read to what you know
R-REVIEW
PQ 4 R
P- PREVIEW
Q- QUESTION
R- READ
R-REFLECT- relate what you have read to what you know
R-RECITE
R-REVIEW
SPEED READING
• Speed reading is the process of rapidly recognizing and absorbing
phrases or sentences on a page all at once, rather than identifying
individual words.
• Methods to improve speed reading :
The Pointer Method
The Tracker-and-Pacer Method
The Scanning (or Previewing) Method
Note taking
• Note-taking is a critical reading skill.
• It can increase academic performance, decrease study time
• There are various method of note taking:
outlining, Cornwall method, Web etc
Methods of note taking
• Outline
The outline is possibly the most common and familiar form of note-
taking for students. The outline format is highly organized; the main
topics act as headers, with accompanying details listed under them.
With the outline format, pupils often use Roman numerals, an
alphanumerical combination, or bullets. This type of note-taking is
especially helpful in the scientific disciplines, where information is
often intrinsically organized into categories and groups. In addition, this
mode of note taking can function quite well in classes where
instructors lecture in a concise manner.
Reading
• 1. method
• 1.1 sq3r
• 1.2 pqrst
• 1.3 ok4r
• 1.4 pq4r
• 2. Speed reading
2.1 techniques
2.2 barriers
• 3. Note taking
3.1 outline
3.2 web
3.3 cornell
Methods of note taking
• WEB
• Another system of note-taking that many students find useful is the
web. This is sometimes referred to as concept mapping, as well. On a
web or concept map, ideas and facts are represented visually. While
an outline is linear, a web is graphic. Main points are printed in
bubbles, and associated ideas branch off the sides. Lines are
customarily drawn between ideas in order to express the relationship
between them.
Methods of note taking
Cornell method
• The Cornell method for note-taking is a system that functions remarkably for both
taking notes and studying after lecture. To use this technique, you must divide
your paper into three sections. When you unfold your paper, you should be able
to see three sections. Make use of the spacious right-hand portion to take notes
in whichever style works best for you, or use a combination of styles. Record all
the detailed information on the right-hand side. On the left hand side, list the
main topics or essential points. Once you have finished taking notes, utilize the
bottom section of your paper to create a brief summary of what you have learned
from the lecture or reading.
• The advantage of the Cornell method is that you can juxtapose multiple note-
taking formats in one. Additionally, by summarizing at the end of your notes, you
force yourself to reflect on the text or lecture in its entirety. Once it is time to
study, review for a test, or complete an assignment, both the summary and the
left-hand column can assist you.
PARAPHRASING
• Interpreting the text in your own words without changing the original
meaning of the text
• Almost equal or slightly shorter than original material
6 Steps to Effective Paraphrasing
• 1.Read the material that you plan to paraphrase. Read it several times so that you
understand it well.
• 2.Set the original aside, and write your paraphrase on a notecard.
• 3.Jot down a few words below your paraphrase to remind you later how you
envision using this material. At the top of the note card, write a key word or
phrase to indicate the subject of your paraphrase.
• 4.Compare the length of what you’ve written to the original text. They should be
the same length. Remember, a paraphrase does not condense material.
• 5.Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or phraseology you have
borrowed exactly from the source.
• 6.Record the source (including the page) on your notecard so that you can credit
it easily if you decide to incorporate the material into your paper.
Example
• Original
• Despite the undoubted fact that everyone's vision of what constitutes success is
different, one should spend one's time establishing and finalizing one's personal vision of
it. Otherwise, how can you possibly understand what your final destination might be, or
whether or not your decisions are assisting you in moving in the direction of the goals
which you've set yourself?
• The two kinds of statement – mission and vision – can be invaluable to your approach,
aiding you, as they do, in focusing on your primary goal, and quickly identifying
possibilities that you might wish to exploit and explore.
• Paraphrase
• We all have different ideas about success. What's important is that you spend time
defining your version of success. That way, you'll understand what you should be working
toward. You'll also know if your decisions are helping you to move toward your goals.
• Used as part of your personal approach to goal-setting, mission and vision statements
are useful for bringing sharp focus to your most important goal, and for helping you to
quickly identify which opportunities you should pursue.
SUMMARIZING
• Includes only the main ideas from the original document
• Use your own words
• Shorter than the original text
7 Steps to Effective Summarizing
• 1.Read the article.
• 2. Underline important ideas. Circle key terms. Find the main point of the article. Divide
the article into sections or essential ideas, and label each section or stage of thought in
the margins. Note the main idea of each paragraph if the article is short.
• 3.Write brief summaries of each stage of thought or if appropriate each paragraph. Use a
separate piece of paper for this step. This should be a brief outline of the article.
• 4.Write the main point of the article. Use your own words. Be careful not to use the
author's words or to follow the sentence structure of the original passage.
• 5.Write your rough draft of the summary. Combine the information from the first four
steps into paragraphs..
• 6.Edit your version. Be concise. Eliminate needless words and repetitions.(Avoid using
"the author says...," "the author argues...," etc.)
• 7.Compare your version to the original.
Example
• Original
• So how do you go about identifying your strengths and weaknesses, and analyzing the
opportunities and threats that flow from them? SWOT Analysis is a useful technique that
helps you to do this.
• What makes SWOT especially powerful is that, with a little thought, it can help you to
uncover opportunities that you would not otherwise have spotted. And by understanding
your weaknesses, you can manage and eliminate threats that might otherwise hurt your
ability to move forward in your role.
• If you look at yourself using the SWOT framework, you can start to separate yourself
from your peers, and further develop the specialized talents and abilities that you need
in order to advance your career and to help you achieve your personal goals.
• Summary
• SWOT Analysis is a technique that helps you identify strengths, weakness, opportunities,
and threats. Understanding and managing these factors helps you to develop the abilities
you need to achieve your goals and progress in your career.
Ex
• Illiteracy is a problem in many of the world’s poorest countries. Even
in wealthier nations like the United States, many children struggle
with reading and writing. But in 19 cities across the country [United
States], the volunteers of Experience Corps are helping youngsters
learn to read. The volunteers, all over 50, work with students in low-
income areas.” (Older Volunteers Help Children Learn to Read, Voice
of America, voanews.com)
summary
• Older Experience Corps volunteers help poor children from 19 US
cities improve their literacy skills- Summary
• not only the world's poorest countries but also the wealthier nations
like US experience illiteracy. Senior Experience Corps volunteers help
poor children from 19 US cities improve their literacy skills.-
paraphrasing
Ex
• Women entrepreneurs in the developing world often face challenges
that limit their chances for success and growth. They often have less
access to education than men and have difficulty getting financing on
their own. But with an understanding of the essential aspects of
doing business – such as planning, financing, networking and
marketing – they can overcome those obstacles. That's where the
10,000 Women Initiative comes in. As Faiza Elmasry tells us, it's an
investment in education with divid
• 10,000 women initiative helps to educate the women entrepreneurs
to overcome the challenges they face