Key Idea: Each reading question type has a routine. One rule covers all of them: copy the exact words from the text. A paraphrase scores zero.
Multiple choice
- One correct option, all or nothing.
- Read → Find → Read closely → Eliminate → Choose.
True/False + justify
- The decision AND the justifying words. The tick alone scores nothing.
- Read → Find → Decide → Quote → Write both. Quote only the relevant words.
Vocabulary in context
- Two formats: find the word that means X, or choose what a marked word means here.
- Locate → Read around → Infer → Match → Check fit.
Gap-fill
- The missing word comes from the text or from a word bank (write its letter).
- Read → Predict type → Find → Copy → Check fit.
Matching
- Link two sets, such as people and opinions. Each option is used once, and one is usually spare.
- Read both → Sure ones first → Eliminate → Match rest → Check. Match on meaning, not one shared word.
Sentence completion
- Finish the sentence so it is true according to the text.
- Read stem → Find in text → Copy/Choose → Check true → Move on.
Reference words
- it, this, there, his point back to a noun or idea said earlier.
- Find → Read before → Identify → Substitute → Check. Answer with the noun, never the reference word.
Short answer
- The right information in a few words.
- Read Q → Locate → Lift exact words → Trim extras → Check. Never leave it blank.
Beware the word-match trap: a word that appears in the text and in an option is not proof.
Where do you look for what "it" refers to? In the lines just before it.
In matching, which pairs do you do first? The ones you are sure of. They remove options.
How do you check a vocabulary answer? Put it into the sentence and see if it fits.
A True/False answer quotes a whole paragraph. Is that good? No. Quote only the words that prove it.
In a word-bank gap-fill, what do you write? The letter of the word.