Key Idea: Paper 2 reading uses eight question types. Each has its own routine, but one rule covers all of them: find the exact line before you answer.
Multiple choice
- One correct option, all or nothing.
- Read all the options, find the line, then cross out the wrong ones.
- Never decide on half a sentence: read the whole line.
True/False + justify
- Write the decision and the words from the text that prove it.
- Quote only the key words, not a whole paragraph.
- A tick on its own, or a quote that doesn't prove it, loses the mark.
Vocabulary in context
- Two formats: explain a word, or find the word that means Y.
- Read the whole sentence. The context decides the meaning.
- False friends: {{actualmente|currently}}, not «actually».
Gap-fill
- The word comes from the text, or from a word bank where you write the letter.
- Copy it carefully: singular or plural and tense must fit the gap.
Matching
- Two sets: people and opinions, headings and paragraphs, or sentence halves.
- Each option is used once, and there is usually one spare.
- Do the sure ones first. Match the meaning, not one shared word.
Sentence completion
- Finish the sentence so it is true according to the text.
- An ending that sounds sensible is wrong unless the text says it.
- Watch time shifts: match the exact part the sentence asks about.
Reference words
- {{lo, la, esto, allí, su|it, this, there, his/her}} point back to something said earlier.
- Read the lines just before the word.
- The answer must agree in gender and number. Give the noun or idea, not the word itself.
Short answer
- The right detail in a few words.
- If you see {{con tus propias palabras|in your own words}}, don't copy: paraphrase.
- Never leave it blank.
The text and the question often say the same thing in different words, so look for the meaning, not the word.
In «Compró un coche y lo vendió», what does «lo» refer to? «Un coche».
V/F: you write «V» with no quote. What do you score? Nothing. The decision needs its proof.
Matching: five headings, four paragraphs. Why? One heading is spare.
An ending is true in real life but not in the text. Do you choose it? No. Only what the text says counts.
What does «actualmente» mean? Currently.