Paired Passages Reading Comprehension Sutdy Guide

Paired Passages Comprehension Study Guide

Academic Vocabulary

Author’s Purpose:  The main reason the author wrote the passage

Evidence / Facts:  Information that cannot be disputed

Opinions:  Information that may have more than one way to look at it

Point of View:  The perspective the passage is told from or representing:  who is experiencing it

Perspective Bias:  A position where the facts are interpreted one way to promote an opinion or belief

Main Idea:  The most important or central concept in the passage to which all ideas connect

Infer:  To read between the lines in order fill in the gaps of information – what is unsaid

Cause and Effect: “This” triggers “that.”  Newtonian physics.  One idea or concept causes another.

Compare: Showing similarity / sameness

Contrast:  Showing difference

Paired Passage / Informational Question Types:

Question 1:  Focuses on the nonfiction passage.

Question 2:  Focuses on the fiction passage.

Question 3:  Asks what both passages have in common.

Question 4 & 5:  Require students to differentiate between the passages and understand what topic is covered in each one.  A few will require students to combine the information from both passages to infer or extrapolate the answer.

• Quick Fetch Relatively easy questions where you simply go back to the text and the answer is right there.

• Number Calculation Some questions require the reader to do simple math by pulling relevant dates, quantities, dollars, or other units to be calculated.  The challenge with these questions is to make sure you understand what is being asked, and that you get the right numbers.

• Vocabulary / Background Knowledge  Focuses on a key word or fact that requires the reader to go back into the sentence for context clues if the they don’t  already know the definition.

• Cross-Text Synthesis  Synthesis means combining of two or more things.  In these questions you are expected to gather information from both texts and apply the knowledge by blending the two sources together for a deeper understanding.  In other words, your grab some information from Text A and apply that information to Text B

• Inference.  Inference is “reading between the lines,” or filling the gaps that weren’t stated obviously and directly.  These questions expect you to understand what is not obvious, but requires the ability to infer -- or to make a logical guess based upon the evidence is provided. 

• Occam’s Razor These questions have multiple answers that could be correct, sort of like varying shades of gray.  Always choose the most direct, straightforward answer. The more you have to explain why the answer fits, the less likely it is the best choice. 

• Least Wrong.  These answers are all wrong, again with varying shades of gray.  In this case choose the answer that is the “least” wrong or most true, even if it is partially wrong. 

• Most Right.  Several answers are all correct, again with varying shades of gray.  In this case choose the answer that is the “most” correct 100% of the time wrong or most true.

Reading Strategies

1)      VISIT THE QUESTIONS FIRST.  Identify the important information from the questions BEFORE your read.  In other words, check out the questions first.

2)      GET A BIRD’S EYE VIEW.  Get familiar with the format, titles, length, and structure of the reading. 

3)      FULLY UNDERSTAND THE QUESTIONS.  When you are ready to answer the questions, make sure you completely understand what the question is asking you to think about.  Look for key words within the question and read it several times.  Watch out for words that are subtle or can tip you up.

4)      DON’T SKIP POSSIBLE ANSWERS.  Make sure you read ALL of the possible answers.  Often students will rush their responses when they find a good answer as “B” and skip looking at “C” and “D.”  But if they took their time and read all of the possibilities, they might find that “D” was a superior choice.

5)      GO BACK TO DIFFICULT QUESTIONS.  If you get stuck on one particular question, take a break from it and work on another section.  Then go back to it with “fresh eyes.”  Sometimes the answer will become more clear.  Also, sometimes you might find clues to the answer within other questions later in the test.

6)      PICK THE “BEST” ANSWER.  Recognize that often there will be more than one correct answer.  Usually, one is more direct and straight-forward.  Always choose the one that requires the least “explaining” in order to justify the answer.  Also, choose the one that is correct 100% of the time instead of the one that is correct only in certain cases.

7)      USE THE CONTEXT CLUES.  Use context clues to identify new words or phrases that you are unfamiliar with.  Look at the surrounding words.  Look at the sentence that comes before and after the sentence that you are struggling with. 

8)      ADJUST YOUR READING SPEED.  Adjust your reading speed depending upon your goal.  If you are reading the text the first time, take your time to fully understand it and don’t rush.  If you are struggling with a particularly difficult section, take your time and think about the meaning of each sentence and how they are connected.  If you are skimming to go back to locate certain words or phrases, you can move faster.  Pace yourself if there is a time limit.

9)      TAP INTO YOUR BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE.  Tap into your background knowledge.  The more you know about a subject, the easier it will be to follow.  This is why students who read regularly will have an easier time. 

10)   USE YOUR NOTE SPACE.  Write on the answer sheet and reading selections as much as you want.  Make little notes and observations for yourself.  This is YOUR test.  Throw some helpful graffiti on there to make it your own!

11)   VISUALIZE IT.  Try to visual what is happening.  Picture the story or information in your imagination.  Draw mental pictures to organize information and ideas. 

12)   ELIMINATE IT.  Use the process of elimination to cut out the answers that make no sense.  This will limit your choices and help you to focus on your best options.

13)   INFER IT.  Make inferences.  This is reading “between the lines.”  You may have to fill in some gaps or look at what is implied but not specifically stated.

14)   LOGIC IT.  Use logic.  Very often there will be questions that require the idea to be true in BOTH stories.  Use the following simple logic chart to check your answers.  Also, use common sense.

True	True	= True
True	False	= False
False	True	= False
False	False	= False