Reading Comprehension

What is the primary purpose of a non-fiction text?

• ATo entertain readers with invented characters and plots
• BTo inform, explain, or persuade the reader about real events✓
• CTo create mood and emotion through rhythm, rhyme and imagery
• DTo display advanced vocabulary rather than share information

Answer: Non-fiction texts are designed to inform, explain, or persuade readers about real events, facts, or ideas.

When reading a travel article, what contextual clue helps you understand the writer's tone is positive?

• AWords like 'disappointing', 'overrated' and 'grim'
• BWords like 'stunning', 'wonderful', and 'breathtaking'✓
• CThe use of past-tense verbs, third-person pronouns and short paragraphs
• DThe length of the article and its paragraph count

Answer: Positive descriptive words create an enthusiastic, appreciative tone.

What does inference mean in reading?

• AReading the whole passage slowly and carefully twice
• BDrawing conclusions based on clues in the text✓
• CSummarising the writer's main points in your own words
• DQuoting the writer's exact words as evidence

Answer: Inference is when you read between the lines and use textual evidence to draw conclusions.

In a persuasive text, what does the writer try to do?

• AEntertain you with a sequence of imagined events
• BSet out balanced information without taking any side
• CConvince you to agree with their viewpoint✓
• DDescribe a place in vivid sensory detail

Answer: Persuasive texts aim to convince readers to adopt a particular viewpoint or take action.

What type of text would use statistics and data to support its argument?

• AA love poem written in stanzas, rhyme and metre
• BA formal report or academic paper✓
• CA fantasy novel with invented maps, names and languages
• DA nursery rhyme learned by young children

Answer: Formal reports and academic papers use statistics and evidence to support claims.

How can you identify the main idea of a paragraph?

• AFind the longest sentence, since it carries the most detail
• BRead only the final sentence, where writers place their point
• CIdentify the topic sentence, usually at the beginning✓
• DCount how often a keyword is repeated and ignore the details

Answer: The main idea is typically found in the topic sentence, often at the paragraph's beginning.

What is a summary?

• ARepeating the entire text word-for-word
• BA brief statement of the main points✓
• CChanging all the words to make it sound different
• DAdding your own opinions to the text

Answer: A summary condenses the main ideas concisely without including every detail.

Which of these would be reliable evidence for a factual claim?

• AA celebrity's opinion, posted and shared online
• BScientific research published in a reputable journal✓
• CAn unnamed source quoted in a rumour online
• DA strong personal hunch about what is true

Answer: Peer-reviewed scientific research is reliable evidence; opinions and rumours are not.

In a biographical text about a historical figure, what perspective is typically used?

• AFirst person from the subject's point of view
• BThird person, narrating the subject's life✓
• CSecond person, addressing the reader directly
• DMultiple conflicting perspectives

Answer: Biographies typically use third-person narration to describe the subject's life.

What is the difference between fact and opinion?

• AFacts are always true, while opinions can never be judged wrong
• BFacts can be proven; opinions are beliefs that vary✓
• CFacts appear in writing, while opinions are spoken aloud
• DFacts come from experts, while opinions come from ordinary people

Answer: Facts are verifiable truths; opinions are personal beliefs that cannot be proven true or false.

Which text type would you use to understand how to assemble furniture?

• AA novel with a detailed workshop setting
• BA narrative poem describing a craftsman at work
• CAn instructional or procedural text✓
• DAn advertisement promoting the furniture range

Answer: Procedural texts provide step-by-step instructions for completing tasks.

What does bias mean in a text?

• AA literary device that compares two unlike things
• BWhen a writer favours one side unfairly✓
• CWhen a text is written entirely in the past tense
• DThe narrator's viewpoint in a story

Answer: Bias occurs when a writer shows unfair preference for one viewpoint over another.

In a newspaper article, what section typically summarises the main story?

• AThe byline, which names the journalist, editor and section
• BThe headline and opening paragraph✓
• CThe caption printed beneath the main photograph
• DThe closing paragraph, where journalists place the summary

Answer: Headlines and opening paragraphs (the lede) summarise the key story details.

How does context affect the meaning of a word?

• AContext changes how a word is pronounced rather than what it actually means
• BContext matters for verbs but not for nouns or adjectives
• CThe same word can have different meanings based on surrounding text✓
• DA dictionary definition settles what a word means in any passage

Answer: Context determines which definition of a word applies in a specific passage.

What technique does a writer use to create suspense in narrative text?

• ARevealing the ending in the opening paragraph
• BWithholding information and building tension gradually✓
• CWriting in a formal register with technical terms, data and citations
• DAvoiding conflict so the reader stays comfortable

Answer: Suspense builds through delayed information, pacing, and rising tension.

Which of these is an example of a primary source?

• AA school textbook chapter on the causes, events and outcome
• BA diary entry written during World War II✓
• CA modern historian's book analysing World War II
• DA Wikipedia article on World War II

Answer: Primary sources are original documents created during or shortly after an event.

What is the purpose of subheadings in non-fiction texts?

• ATo make the article appear longer on the page
• BTo organise information and guide readers through topics✓
• CTo signal that the narrator has changed part-way through the text
• DTo provide a decorative break between paragraphs

Answer: Subheadings organise content into sections and help readers navigate the text.

How can you tell if a source is credible?

• AIt looks professional, with modern design, images and adverts
• BAn authority or expert wrote it, it's fact-checked, and sources are cited✓
• CIt agrees with the view you already hold on the subject
• DIt has been shared and liked thousands of times online

Answer: Credible sources have identifiable authors, evidence, citations, and editorial standards.

What does a review typically contain?

• ACriticism of the product's faults and failings
• BPraise written to encourage people to buy it
• CAn evaluation of strengths and weaknesses with reasoning✓
• DA plot summary that retells the whole story from start to finish

Answer: Reviews assess merits and drawbacks with supporting evidence and judgement.

In descriptive writing, what helps readers visualise a scene?

• AShort, simple sentences that state the facts plainly
• BRemoving all adjectives and adverbs so the writing stays clean and direct
• CSensory details appealing to sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch✓
• DPrecise measurements, weights and figures for each object

Answer: Sensory language creates vivid mental images for readers.

What is a rhetorical question?

• AA question a writer poses and then answers in full
• BA question asked for effect where the answer is obvious✓
• CA question a writer includes so the reader can write an answer
• DA question that genuinely has no possible answer

Answer: Rhetorical questions are posed for persuasive or emphatic effect, not for answers.

How does a writer show rather than tell emotion?

• ABy stating the character's feelings directly, such as 'she felt sad'
• BThrough actions, dialogue, and physical descriptions✓
• CBy naming the same emotion several times for extra emphasis
• DBy reporting events, places and times flatly

Answer: Show, don't tell uses concrete details to evoke emotion rather than stating it.

What is the purpose of bullet points in informative texts?

• ATo signal that the information listed is the writer's opinion
• BTo break information into manageable, scannable chunks✓
• CTo make the piece look longer by spreading text down the page
• DTo rank the points by importance, urgency and relevance

Answer: Bullet points organise information for easy reading and quick comprehension.

In a debate or argument text, what are counterarguments?

• AExtra arguments that reinforce the writer's own position
• BArguments opposing the main point that the writer addresses✓
• CPoints the writer deliberately hides so the reader never considers them
• DClaims made without any supporting evidence at all

Answer: Counterarguments are opposing viewpoints that a writer acknowledges and refutes.

What does it mean to analyse a text?

• ATo retell the content of the text in your own words
• BTo examine how and why the writer uses techniques to create meaning✓
• CTo judge whether you personally enjoyed reading it
• DTo identify and name the techniques the writer uses

Answer: Analysis examines techniques, structure, and effects to understand how a text works.

Which text format is best for presenting statistical information clearly?

• AA free-verse poem built around numerical imagery
• BA novel with a detailed factual subplot
• CA table, chart, or infographic✓
• DSong lyrics with verses, a chorus and a bridge

Answer: Visual formats like tables and charts present numerical data clearly and efficiently.

What is the significance of word choice in persuasive writing?

• AWord choice has no real effect on how readers respond
• BSynonyms are interchangeable, so any similar word has the same impact
• CPowerful words can persuade emotions and influence opinion✓
• DAdjectives, not verbs or nouns, carry the persuasion

Answer: Word choice (diction) shapes tone, emotion, and persuasive impact.

How do you distinguish between a writer's voice and their message?

• AVoice and message are two names for the same thing
• BVoice is the writer's style and personality; message is their main idea✓
• CVoice is the topic chosen; message is the writer's opinion of it
• DVoice is what the writer states; message is how they state it

Answer: Voice is style and personality; message is the content being communicated.

What is the purpose of an introduction in a formal text?

• ATo restate the conclusion before the argument begins
• BTo present the topic, engage the reader, and outline what follows✓
• CTo present the writer's strongest evidence in full detail
• DTo list the books, articles and websites consulted

Answer: Introductions establish context, hook readers, and preview the content.

In comparing two texts, what should you examine?

• AOnly the points where the two texts agree with each other
• BThe points where the two texts disagree
• CSimilarities, differences, and how they treat the same theme or topic✓
• DThe authors' names, dates and publishers

Answer: Comparison involves analysing both similarities and differences in content and approach.

What is irony in a text?

• AWhen a writer states a point plainly and directly
• BWhen there is a contradiction between expectation and reality✓
• CWhen a text is written in verse rather than prose
• DWhen an unlucky coincidence happens to a character

Answer: Irony occurs when reality contradicts expectations or stated meaning.

How does understanding the target audience help you read effectively?

• AIt has no bearing on how a text should be read
• BIt helps you understand tone, complexity, and purpose✓
• CIt matters for comics, picture books and little else
• DAudience is relevant to fiction but not non-fiction

Answer: Audience shapes tone, vocabulary, content depth, and a text's overall approach.

What is the function of a conclusion in a text?

• ATo introduce fresh evidence, quotations and statistics not seen before
• BTo summarise key points and reinforce the main message✓
• CTo contradict the opening so the reader rethinks it
• DTo restate the title and thank the reader for reading

Answer: Conclusions reinforce main ideas and provide closure for the reader.

Which technique makes a narrative more engaging?

• AListing events by date, time and place in strict order
• BDialogue, action, and varied pacing✓
• CLeaving out descriptive language to keep it brief
• DRepetition, padding and a slow build-up

Answer: Dialogue, action, and pacing variations create narrative interest and engagement.

What does it mean when a text is accessible to its audience?

• AIt can be bought easily in shops and libraries
• BThe language, tone, and ideas are understandable for the intended readers✓
• CIt is long, densely worded and full of complex clauses
• DIt contains specialist terms that only experts recognise

Answer: Accessible texts match their audience's knowledge level and use appropriate language.