Reading skills

Multiple choice.

Exactly one.

Objectively, all-or-nothing — right answer earns the mark, a wrong one earns nothing.

A wrong option written to look tempting — often by reusing a word from the text.

Choose (select the one correct option).

No — you only choose the letter of the correct option.

It must be supported by the text, not by outside knowledge.

The sales.

To close (a street) to traffic.

Read the question and all options → Find the relevant part → Read that sentence closely → Eliminate the distractors → Choose.

A wrong option that repeats a word from the text but misreads its meaning, so it feels familiar.

It is often easier to rule options out than to spot the right one; what's left is your answer.

The meaning of the full line decides the answer — deciding on half a sentence loses marks.

No — be more suspicious; the writers plant that word, so check the whole sentence's meaning.

True.

False.

Give the reason by quoting the relevant words from the text.

1 mark for the decision (V/F) and 1 mark for a correct justification.

From the text — you quote or copy the relevant words.

The statement you must judge true or false.

No — quote only the specific words that prove your answer.

The animal shelter.

To adopt.

Read the statement → Find the relevant line → Decide true or false → Quote the justifying words → Write BOTH.

The marks depend on justifying it with the relevant words from the text.

Writing V or F with no justification.

A buried justification may not be credited; short and exact beats long and vague.

The decision (verdadero/falso) AND the justifying words from the text.

What a word or phrase means in this particular text, using the context.

To mean.

The meaning.

A synonym — a word with the same meaning.

A word that looks like an English word but means something different.

(1) «¿Qué significa “X” en el texto?» and (2) «Busca en el texto la palabra que significa Y».

Currently / nowadays — NOT 'actually' (a false friend).

To miss (someone or something).

To sign up for / join.

Locate the word → Read around it → Infer from context → Match to the option / find the synonym → Check it fits.

A word can have several meanings; the context decides which one fits here.

Re-read the sentence with your meaning slotted in — it should make sense.

Slot the English-looking meaning into the sentence; if it makes no sense, it's a false friend.

Yes — the surrounding context usually gives the meaning away.

To fill in the gaps (a gap-fill task).

From the text itself, or from a given list.

One word or just a few words.

The gap / blank space to be filled.

To complete (e.g. complete the sentence).

The missing word.

Yes — it is marked objectively, so spelling and accents must be exact.

According to the text — the word must come from the text.

Come from the text/list, fit grammatically, and be spelled correctly.

Read the gapped sentence → Predict the word type → Find it in the text → Write it correctly → Check it fits.

So you scan for the right kind of word (noun, verb, number) instead of any word.

If the word is the wrong form or is misspelt, objective marking won't award it.

No — the word comes from the text or the given list; never invent it.

Exactly — letter for letter, with the correct accents and form.

To match / pair up (a matching task).

Link each item in one set to its partner in another set.

Personas↔opiniones, titulares↔párrafos, and the two halves of a sentence.

Exactly once.

The extra (spare) option that matches nothing and is left over.

The headline / heading.

The paragraph.

The opinion / view.

It's a distractor — a spare that matches nothing, to catch you out.

Read both lists → Do the sure ones first → Eliminate → Match the rest → Check none is reused and the spare is left over.

No — do the matches you're sure of first; each one removes an option.

No — match on the meaning of the whole statement, not a single shared word.

One of those matches is wrong — each option is used only once.

No — match every item, using elimination for the ones you're unsure of.

To complete sentences (a sentence-completion task).

Finish a sentence so it matches what the text says.

Choose the right ending (a/b/c), or complete the sentence with words from the text.

The sentence stem — the beginning you must complete.

The correct ending.

True according to the text.

According to the text — the ending must match the text.

Yes — the completed sentence must fit the grammar of the stem.

When it is true according to the text, not just sensible in general.

Read the stem → Find what the text says → Choose or write the ending → Check the sentence is true per the text → Move on.

Yes — if the text doesn't state it, a sensible-sounding ending is still wrong.

An ending true for a later part of the text but not for the part the stem asks about.

No — complete it from the text, which stays in front of you.

Match the stem to the exact line in the text and pick the ending that agrees with it.

A word like «lo» or «esto» that points back to a noun or idea said earlier in the text.

The referent — the actual noun or idea a reference word points to.

To refer to / to point back to (something said before).

To replace / to substitute one word for another.

A noun already mentioned (the direct object).

A whole idea or phrase said before, not just one noun.

The nearest noun.

A place that was mentioned.

The owner mentioned (whose something is).

Backwards — they point to something said earlier, so read the lines before the word.

Find → Read before → Identify → Substitute → Check.

The referent must agree in gender and number with the word, so «lo» needs a masculine singular noun, «las» a feminine plural one.

Substitute the noun back in place of the reference word and check the sentence still makes sense.

The actual noun or idea it points to (e.g. «el perro»), never the word «lo» itself.

An answer of a few words or a short phrase to a question about the text.

In your own words — you must paraphrase, not copy the line.

According to the text — the answer is in the passage, so locate it.

To paraphrase — say the same idea in different words.

To copy word-for-word — avoid this when own words are required.

To answer / to respond (to the question).

Content correctness — the right information, briefly; style is not the point.

Usually not — the content (the correct, text-supported idea) is what earns the mark.

Yes — then you may lift the words straight from the text.

Read the question → Locate → Note the key info → Write a short answer → Check it answers the question.

Read the question first, so you know exactly what to look for in the text.

Extra padding earns no extra marks and risks contradicting yourself; a few words are enough.

A blank scores zero, but a brief, text-supported attempt can score the mark.

You may lose the mark for not paraphrasing — you must reword the idea.