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Paper 2 Reading Comprehension

Question-oriented answering techniques

Read the question to identify the content words, that is, the focus and type of the question.

Locate and read the relevant portion of the text to get the clue.

Distinguish the wrong options noting the 'decoy', that is, words that can be found in the relevant text.

Apply skills corresponding with the type of the question and choose the correct option.

Move on to the next question and repeat the above process.

Examples and Exercises

Example 1: (1996 Reading)

According to the following paragraph, some homes in Hong Kong have lots of house dust mites because of ...

a. children's soft toys.

b. the high humidity.

c. the way the bedding is washed.

d. the soft furnishings.

Many homes in Hong Kong are infested with house dust mites thanks to the humid climate, which provides the perfect breeding ground for them. People who do have an allergic reaction to dust are advised to remove soft toys, carpets and soft furnishings from the bedroom and to wash their bedding in hot water. This will certainly help to reduce the number of house dust mites in

their homes.

Example 2: (1998 Reading)

According to the following paragraph, the baby gibbon's fingers are cut off so that ...

a. the baby cannot escape.

b. the baby cannot swing in the trees.

c. the poachers can shoot the mother.

d. the poachers can capture the baby.

'They cut off the other fingers to separate him from his mother.' Marianne goes on to tell how, in order to catch a baby gibbon, the mother has to be shot, and falls to the ground with the baby clinging to her, sometimes so tightly that the only way the poachers can get it off is to sever its fingers. 'Many of our rescued gibbons have fingers missing,' says Marianne. 'The animals will never be able to swing

in the trees.'

Example 3: (1992 Reading)

In the following paragraph, 'This idea' refers to ...

a. the ivory trade had not been banned before.

b. the situation of the African elephant was extremely serious.

c. the measures taken to protect the African elephant were drastic.

d. the ban on the ivory trade was introduced in 1990.

When a worldwide ban on the ivory trade was introduced in 1990, in order to protect the African elephant, the situation was thought to be desperate enough to require drastic measures. This idea was partly

based on fact.

(Note: Some people thought that the situation was desperate enough to require drastic measures.

Idea = The situation was thought to be desperate enough to require drastic measures.)

Example 4: (1993 Reading)

The writer thinks that from now on local conflicts are likely to ...

a. bring about full-scale nuclear war.

b. occur principally in

eastern Europe.

c. arise with greater frequency.

d. last more than 10 years on average.

And although recently the danger

of nuclear war seems to have

receded somewhat, events in eastern Europe and elsewhere suggest that local conflicts may become even more prevalent in the coming decades.

Remark: The italicised phrases in the extracts are the parts that are required by the questions. Please note that the correct options always paraphrase them.

Answers: 1. B; 2. D; 3. B; 4. C



Clues to pick right options