IMPROVING READING SKILLS

Match the reference word with the correct answer The goal of these questions is simple: you need to decide what the pronoun or phrase refers to.. Reference questions are one of relative

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THEME : IMPROVING READING SKILLS READING QUESTIONS IN THE FINAL TEST OF THE GCSE EXTRACTED FROM THE SAMPLE TEST - 2018 ( MOET) READING 1: ( 7 questions)

Question 1 Main idea question

Question 2 “Unstated’” question

Question 3 Vocabulary in context question

Question 4 Reference question

Question 6 (implied) detailed question

READING 2 (8 questions)

Question 1 Main idea question

Question 3 Reference question

Question 4 “Unstated’ question

Question 8: Inferring question

PART 1: IMPROVING SCANNING SKILL (READING FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION)

TASK 1: Read the excerpts from sports articles and write the competitor’s name, sport and

accomplishment.

Excerpt 1:

With only seconds left in the game, striker Rene

Lucci came up from behind to score the winning

goal This will surely make him a name to watch in

football

Competitor’s name:

Sport:

Achievement:

Excerpt 2:

The event, held this year in Sydney, Australia,

includes participants from over twenty countries,

including the US sailing team led by record holder

Alan Lock

Sport:

Achievement:

Excerpt 3:

The first round for bowling tournament takes place

this Saturday Don Clark’s team, which he helped

win last year’s top prize, will lead the round

Sport:

Achievement:

Excerpt 4:

Born in 1895, legendary athlete Babe Ruth is one of

the most famous players in American baseball

history In the span of his career, he scored 714 home

runs

Sport:

Achievement:

Excerpt 5:

Other breakthrough in women’s sport include Ann Competitor’s name:

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Meyers, who in 1974 became the first high school

student to play for the US national team in baseball

Sport:

Achievement:

Excerpt 6:

We met with Antonio Diez, an Argentine water polo

player, to discuss how his team won the gold medal

at men’s Water Polo World Championship

Sport:

Achievement

TASK 2: Write the numbers of sentences in exercise 1 that contain the following information More than one answer may be possible.

1 Important year

2 Day of the week

3 Reference to a country/ nationality

4 Location

5 Name of a competition

6 Education level

TASK 3: Scan the blog posts quickly and complete the chart.

Andy, 21

Practice is going to be tough this

year, but I know our team is going

to do really well in the

competition this spring It’s

difficult waking up at 6 a.m every

weekday to be at the court by

7a.m; especially for practice that

lasts an hour and a half , but I

really enjoy having a lot of energy

throughout the day My team are

terrific as well, and we’ve become

great friends I’m sure we’re going

to have the best basketball team in

the area

Beth,22

I meet my cycling team once a week, but we do our practicing on our own It’s definitely a team sport with great emphasis on individual performance That works really well for me, particularly because I can practice whenever I like These days, I do

it for a couple of hours on Monday and Wednesday after my class which ends at 4.p.m It’s perfect because I can use the bike trails in the park between school and home The only drawback is that some team-mates don’t meet every week That’s not good for

teamwork

Paul,22

I’m really excited about his year’s polo competition We’ve been working really hard every weekend to practice for it I’d like

to practice more often but, with everyone’s busy schedule, it’s difficult to meet during the week But we spend about three hours every Saturday and Sunday on the polo field and that’s enough to get good at it I have a great time with

my horse, too That’s the best thing about it If only the field were maintained a little better, I’d have no complaints at all

Sport

Practice days

Practice length

Likes

dislikes

TASK 4: Match the phrases with the headlines.

1/ the beginning of a practice a) Football fired over disappointed loss

2/ a professional gain b) Draw forces hockey game into thrilling overtime

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3/ location of a major event c) Wembley Stadium to host national championship game 4/ a type of injury d) Relay runner suffers broken ankle during race

5/ details of an exciting game e) Lyle Taylor wins bib in move from Liverpool to Chelsea 6/ a below standard performance f) Training for Olympic rowing team to start Saturday

PART 2: DEALING WITH REFERENCE QUESTIONS

These questions ask you to identify referential relationships between the words in the passage Often, the relationship is between a pronoun and its antecedent (the word to which the pronoun refers) Sometimes other kinds of grammatical reference are tested (like which or this)

How to Recognize Reference Questions:

Reference questions look similar to vocabulary questions In the passage, one word or phrase is highlighted Usually the word is a pronoun Then you are asked :

The word “x”in the passage refers to:

The four answer choices will be words or phrases from the passage Only one choice is the word to which the highlighted word refers

Tips for Reference Questions:

1 If the reference question is about a pronoun, make sure your answer is the same number (singular or plural) and case (first person, second person, third person) as the highlighted pronoun

2 Substitute your choice for the highlighted word or words in the sentence Does it violate any grammar rules? Does it make sense?

3.Reference questions ask about the meanings of pronouns and demonstratives such as

-They/ them/ their / theirs

- It / its

- he, him /his

- she/ her/ hers

- which, who, that, and this

- Other / others

4 Read the question(s) and the options

5 Find the reference word in the passage

6 Identify the reference word of the preceding sentence

7 Match the reference word with the correct answer

The goal of these questions is simple: you need to decide what the pronoun or phrase refers to You probably already do this automatically when you read; if you don’t, then you probably have trouble understanding the reading passages Reference questions are one of relatively few question types that very basically test a skill that is necessary to read well

Pre- reference

- The options that stand after the reference items should be eliminated first

- It is advisable that the item that is close to the reference item should be chosen

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Post -reference – choose the reference that is closest

EXAMPLES OF REFERENCE QUESTIONS Example 1:

People who want to become university teachers need master's degrees Getting a master's degree is a necessity, but if it is gained too early, there may be concerns that the candidate lacks the real-world experience to go with it In fact, very few schools want to hire novices with little or no classroom experience

and even if they are accepted, they are usually ill-paid One wise solution to the issue is for future

postgraduates to start working as teachers before going on to gain their master's degree

(extracted from the first term exam 2016-2107)

Question 41 The word “they” in paragraph 3 refers to .

A postgraduates B novices C schools D teachers

Example 2:

You can usually tell when your friends are happy or angry by the looks on their faces or by their actions This is useful because reading their emotional expressions helps you to know how to respond to them

Emotions have evolved to help us respond to important situations and to convey our intentions to others But does raising the eyebrows and rounding the mouth say the same thing in Minneapolis as they does in

Madagascar? Much research on emotional expressions has centered on such questions

Question 40: The word “ they” in paragraph 1 refers to

A appropriate responses in particular situations B raising eyebrows and rounding the mouth

C our intentions to others D research on emotional expressions

Example 3:

In many Asian cultures, for example, children are taught to control emotional responses - especially negative ones- while many American children are encouraged to express their feelings more openly Another difference can be found when an American person understands a grin as a signal of joy while on a Japanese

face, it may mean embarrassment.

Question 44: the word “it” in paragraph 2 refers to

Example 4:

When they were asked what they thought was a fair division of labor, women with jobs felt that housework

should be shared equally between male and female partners Women who did not work outside the home

were satisfied to perform 80% - the majority of the household work – if their husbands did remainder.

Research has shown that, if levels increase beyond these percentages, women become unhappy and anxious, and feel they are unimportant

(extracted from the second term exam2016 -2017)

Question 2: The word “they” in paragraph 2 refers to

Example 5:

The civil war broke out 6 years later Immediately, Barton started war service by helping the soldiers with

their needs At the battle of Bull run, Clara Barton received permission from the government to take care of

the sick and hurt Barton did this with great empathy and kindness She acknowledged each soldier as a

person her endurance and courage on the battlefield were admired by many When the war ended in 1865 , she used 4 years of her life to assist the government in searching for soldiers who were missing during the war

(extracted from the second term exam 2016-2017)

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Question 33: The word ”this” in paragraph 2 refers to

A cooking for soldiers B receiving permission

C acknowledging each soldier as a person D taking care of the sick and hurt

Example 6:

Although speech is the most advanced form of communication, there are many ways of communicating without using speech Signals, signs, symbols, and gestures may be found in every known

culture The basic function of signal is to impinge upon the environment in such a way that it attracts attention, as, for example, the dots and dashes of a telegraph circuit Coded to refer to speech, the potential

for communication is very great

Question 40 The word "it" in paragraph refers to .

A way B environment C function D signal

Example 7:

Schooling, on the other hand, is a specific, formalized process, whose general pattern varies little from one setting to the next Throughout a country, children arrive at school at approximately the same time, take assigned seats, are taught by an adult, use similar textbooks, do homework, take exams, and so on The slices

of reality that are to be learned, whether they are the alphabet or an understanding of the workings of government, have usually been limited by the boundaries of the subject being taught For example, high

school students know that they are not likely to find out in their classes the truth about political problems in their communities or what the newest filmmakers are experimenting with There are definite conditions surrounding the formalized process of schooling

Question 46 The word “they” in line 16 refers to .

A slices of reality B similar textbooks

C boundaries D seats

Example 8:

Parents may get another kind of help from the companies they work for Many companies now let people with children work part-time That way, parents can spend more time with their children Some husbands

may even stop working for a while to stay with the children For these men there is a new word: They are

called "househusband" In the United States more and more men are becoming househusband every year (extracted from the second term exam 2017-2018)

Question 20: The word " they" in paragraph 5 refers to _

A parents who work part-time B children who spend more time with fathers than mothers

C fathers who spend more time with their children D husbands who stop working to stay with the children

Example 9:

For animals other than mammals, then, feeding is not intrinsic to parental care Animals add it to their

reproductive strategies to give them an edge in their lifelong quest for descendants The most vulnerable

moment in any animal's life is when it first finds itself completely on its own, when it must forage and fend

for itself Feeding postpones that moment until a young animal has grown to such a size that it is better able

to cope

(extracted from the second term exam 2017-2018)

Question 47: The word “it” in the last paragraph refers to

Example 10 :

Different cultures follow their own special customs when a child's baby teeth fall out In Korea, for example, they have the custom of throwing lost teeth up on the roof of a house According to tradition, a magpie will come and take the tooth Later, the magpie will return with a new tooth for the child In other

Asian countries, such as Japan and Vietnam, children follow a similar tradition of throwing their lost teeth

onto the roofs of houses

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( extracted from the actual test 2017 -2018)

Question 29 The word "their" in paragraph 1 refers to .

Example 11:

The combination of these human-related effects and natural obstacles such as disease or low birthrates has

proven to be too much for some species to overcome They have no chance of survival without human help

( extracted from the actual test 2017-2018 )

Example 12 :

The pleasure derived from this activity is common to all kinds of reading But different types of books give

us different types of pleasure First in order of popularity is novel-reading Novels contain pictures of imaginary people in imaginary situations, and give us an opportunity of escaping into a new world very much

like our world and yet different from it Here we seem to live a new life, and the experience of this new life

gives us a thrill of pleasure

(extracted from the sample test 2018 )

Question 31 The word “it” in paragraph 2 refers to .

A a new life B our world C an opportunity D a thrill of pleasure

Example 13:

Another difference is the existence in France of prestigious higher educational institutions known as grandes écoles, which provide advanced professional and technical training Most of these schools are not affiliated

with the universities, although they too recruit their students by giving competitive examinations to

candidates The grandes écoles provide rigorous training in all branches of applied science and technology, and their diplomas have a somewhat higher standing than the ordinary licence

(extracted from the sample test 2018 )

Question 37: The word ”their” in paragraph 3 refers to _

A schools B universities C examinations D branches

Example 14:

North Americans are familiar with the many "person on the street" interviews on local television news shows While such interviews can be highly entertaining, they are not necessarily an accurate indication of public

opinion First, they reflect the opinions of only those people who appear at a certain location Thus, such

samples can be biased in favor of commuters, middle-class shoppers, or factory workers, depending on which area the new people select

(extracted from the actual IELTS test )

Question 6 The word "they" refers to

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A interviews B opinions C news shows D North Americans

Example 15:

Although people commonly associate the word clone with modern scientific advancements, its usage in botany (the study of plants) is far removed from those developments; a clone is, in the world of plants, a completely natural thing, even a common one Generally speaking, a clone is an individual which is genetically identical to its progenitor, the parent from which the clone was produced In this type of procreation, only one progenitor is necessary There are, of course, relatively few animals which reproduce in this way While certain types of fish, reptiles, and insects (among others) do reproduce asexually, most creatures from the animal kingdom are born from two parent individuals with two discrete sets of genes In comparison, plants frequently reproduce asexually, creating genetically identical offspring, or clones The

term for this type of procreation is vegetative reproduction, which includes a number of different processes

by which various plants multiply

(extracted from the actual TOEFL test)

Question 1: The phrase “this type of procreation” refers to

(A) becoming genetically identical (B) reproduction by cloning

(C) birth to a pair of parents (D) producing individual sets of genes

Example 16:

All workers, like the queen, are female, but the workers are smaller than the queen The male honeybees are

called drones; they do no work and cannot sting They are developed from unfertilized eggs, and their only job is to impregnate a queen The queen must be fertilized in order to lay worker eggs During the season,

when less honey is available and the drones is of no further use, the workers block the drones from eating the honey so that they will starve to death

Question : The word “They” in the last paragraph refers to _.

A queens B workers C honeybees D drones

Example 17:

People used to know more or less how their children would live Now things are changing so quickly that they don’t even know what their own lives will be like in a few years’ time What follows is not science fiction It is how experts see the future You are daydreaming behind the steering wheel; is it too dangerous?

No! That’s no problem because you have it on automatic pilot, and with its hi-tech computers and cameras,

your car “knows” how to get home safe and sound

Question : What does “its” in line 5 refer to?

A Your car B Your home C The future D The steering wheel

PART 3: DEDUCING THE MEANING IN CONTEXT

TYPES OF QUESTIONS

The word “… ” in line 19 is closest in meaning to…

The word “… ” in line 20 could be best replaced by…

In line, the phrase “ … ” could be best replaced by which of the following?

The phrase "the wee hours" in paragraph 3 probably refers to the period of time

TIPS: Steps of guessing unknown vocabulary

- Step 1: Guessing meaning from word formation

- Step 2: Guessing meaning from context

Example 1:

Bees live in a structured environment and social structure within a hive, which is a nest with storage space

for the honey The different types of bees each perform a unique function

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Question: It is stated in paragraph 2 that a hive is _.

A a storage space B a nest C a type of bee D a type of honey

Example 2:

Bees, classified into over 10,000 species, are insects found in almost every part of the world except the

northernmost and southernmost regions

The word “species” in the first sentence probably means _.

Example 3

But that is not all Almost every school in the USA understands that real classroom teaching experience is a

vital part of a teacher's training Before taking over a class, a person typically needs to complete a training

program, including working as a supervised student teacher

(Extracted from the first term test 2016-2017)

The word “vital” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to

A very useless B very easy C very important D very interesting

Example 4:

A recent study shows that an unequal share of household chores is still the norm in many

households, despite the fact that many more women now have jobs In a survey of 1,256 people ages between

18 and 65, men said they contributed an average of 37% of the total housework, while the women estimated

their share to be nearly double that, at 70% This ratio was not affected by whether the woman was working

or not

When they were asked what they thought was a fair division of labor, women with jobs felt that housework should be shared equally between male and female partners Women who did not work outside the home were satisfied to perform 80% - the majority of the household work – if their

husbands did remainder Research has shown that, if levels increase beyond these percentages, women

become unhappy and anxious, and feel they are unimportant

(Extracted from the second term test 2016-2017)

Question 1:The word remainder in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to

A what is done B what is fulfilled C what is left D what is share

Question 2: The word norm in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to

A changing thing B strange thing C usual thing D unequal thing

Question 3: The word estimated in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to

A wanted B divided C hoped D guessed

Example 5:

The civil war broke out 6 years later Immediately, Barton started was service by helping the soldiers with

their needs At the battle of Bull Run, Clara Barton received permission from the government to take care of

the sick and hurt Barton did this with great empathy and kindness She acknowledged each soldier as a

person Her endurance and courage on the battlefield were admired by many When the war ended in 1865, she used 4 years of her life to assist the government in searching for soldiers who were missing during the war

Question 1: The phrase broke out in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to

Question 2: The word acknowledged in paragraph 2 could best be replaced by

Example 6:

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Although speech is the most advanced form of communication, there are many ways of communicating without using speech Signals, signs, symbols, and gestures may be found in every known

culture The basic function of signal is to impinge upon the environment in such a way that it attracts attention, as, for example, the dots and dashes of a telegraph circuit Coded to refer to speech, the potential

for communication is very great Less adaptable to the codification of words, signs also contain meaning

in and of themselves A stop sign or a barber pole conveys meaning quickly and conveniently

Symbols are more difficult to describe than either signals or signs because of their intricate relationship with

the receiver's cultural perceptions In some cultures, applauding in a theater provides performers with an auditory symbol of approval Gestures such as waving and handshaking also communicate certain cultural messages

Question 1 :The phrase "impinge upon" in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _.

A prohibit B affect C vary D improve

Question 2: The word "potential" in paragraph 1 could be replaced by _.

A advantage B possibility C organization D range

Question 3: The word "intricate" in paragraph 2 could best be replaced by _.

A inefficient B complicated C historical D uncertain

Example 7:

It is commonly believed in the United States that school is where people go to get an education

Nevertheless, it has been said that today children interrupt their education to go to school The distinction

between schooling and education implied by this remark is important

Education is much more open-ended and all-inclusive than schooling Education knows no bounds It can

take place anywhere, whether in the shower or on the job, whether in a kitchen or on a tractor It includes both the formal learning that takes place in schools and the whole universe of informal learning The agents

of education can range from a revered grandparent to the people debating politics on the radio, from a child

to a distinguished scientist Whereas schooling has a certain predictability, education quite often produces

surprises A chance conversation with a stranger may lead a person to discover how little is known of other

religions People are engaged in education from infancy on Education, then, is a very broad, inclusive term

It is a lifelong process, a process that starts long before the start of school, and one that should be an integral

part of one's entire life

Question 1: What does the author probably mean by using the expression “children interrupt their

education to go to school” (lines 2) ?

A Going to several different schools is educationally beneficial

B School vacations interrupt the continuity of the school year

C Summer school makes the school year too long

D All of life is an education

Question 2: The word “bounds “in line 4 is closest in meaning to _.

A rules B experience C limits D exceptions

Question 3: The word “chance” in line 9 is closest in meaning to _.

A unexpected B unusual C lengthy D lively

Question 4: The word “an integral” in line 12 is closest in meaning to .

A an equitable B a profitable C a pleasant D an essential

Example 8:

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These days, however, more and more women work outside the home They do not stay with the children all day They, too, come home tired in the evening They do not want to spend the evening cooking dinner and

cleaning up They do not have time to clean the house and do the laundry So who is going to do the

housework now? Who is going to take care of the children?

Question: The word "laundry" in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _

A place where clothes are washed B washing and ironing

Example 9:

But not all animal parents, even those that tend their offspring to the point of hatching or birth, feed

their young Most egg-guarding fish do not, for the simple reason that their young are so much smaller than the parents and eat food that is also much smaller than the food eaten by adults In reptiles, the crocodile mother protects her young after they have hatched and takes them down to the water, where they will find food, but she does not actually feed them Few insects feed their young after hatching, but some make other

arrangement, provisioning their cells and nests with caterpillars and spiders that they have paralyzed with

their venom and stored in a state of suspended animation so that their larvae might have a supply of fresh food when they hatch

For animals other than mammals, then, feeding is not intrinsic to parental care Animals add it to

their reproductive strategies to give them an edge in their lifelong quest for descendants The most vulnerable

moment in any animal's life is when it first finds itself completely on its own, when it must forage and fend

for itself Feeding postpones that moment until a young animal has grown to such a size that it is better able

to cope Young that are fed by their parents become nutritionally independent at a much greater fraction of

their full adult size And in the meantime those young are shielded against the vagaries of fluctuating of

difficult-to-find supplies Once a species does take the step of feeding its young, the young become totally dependent on the extra effort If both parents are removed, the young generally do not survive

Question 1: The word "tend" in line 7 is closest in meaning to

A sit on B move C notice D care for

Question 2: The word "provisioning" in line 13 is closest in meaning to

A supplying B preparing C building D expanding

Question 3: The word "edge" in line 17 is closest in meaning to

A opportunity B advantage C purpose D rest

Question 4: The word "shielded" in line 22 is closest in meaning to

A raised B protected C hatched D valued

Example 10:

The idea of giving lost teeth to an angel or fairy is also a tradition in the West Many children in Western

countries count on the Tooth Fairy to leave money or presents in exchange for a tooth The exact origins of

the Tooth Fairy are a mystery, although the story probably began in England or Ireland centuries ago

According to tradition, a child puts a lost tooth under his or her pillow before going to bed In the wee hours,

while the child is sleeping, the Tooth Fairy takes the tooth and leaves something else under the pillow

( extracted from the actual test 2017-2018 )

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