Week 5-7 in syllabus

Implied Detail Question

        HOW TO IDENTIFY THE QUESTION

ü          It is implied in the passage that...

ü          It can be inferred from the passage that...

ü          It is most likely that...

ü          What probably happened...?

        WHERE TO FIND THE ANSWER

ü          The answers to these questions are generally found in order in the passage.

        HOW TO ANSWER THE QUESTION

ü          Choose a key word in the question

ü          Scan the passage for the key word (or a related idea)

ü          Carefully read the sentence that contains the key word

ü          Look for an answer that could be true, according to that sentence

    Vocabulary in Context Questions

Vocabulary in context questions are the questions on SAT Reading passages that question you directly about vocabulary in the context of a paragraph. While having vocab knowledge can help you with other types of questions, for the purposes of this article, I've focused on the types of questions where knowing vocabulary is essential to being able to get the right answer.

How to answer vocabulary in context question :

1. Read the passage from beginning to end.

2. When you get to the vocabulary question, put your finger over the highlighted word and read the sentence again. Try to substitute in a word that makes sense.

3. Think about the possible meaning of the word in question. Do you know any related words? Do you know other words that look like it? Any memory of the word or association will help. Be sure to do that before looking at the answer choices.

4. Look at your answer choices and see if any of them match the meaning you expect. If so, that’s probably the correct answer. Double-check it and mark it on the test.

WH Question Words

wh-question is a term in generative grammar for a question that is formed with an interrogative word (what, who, whom, whose, which, when, where, why, or how).We use question words to ask certain types of questions (question word questions).

1.       What for asking for information about something or asking for repetition or confirmation.

Example : What is your name?

     What? I can't hear you,You did what?

2.       When for asking about time.

Example : When did he leave?

3.       Where for asking in or at what place or position

Example : Where are you?

4.       Who for asking what or which person or people (subject).

Example : Who opened the door?

5.       Why for asking the reason

Example : Why do you say that?

6.       How for asking about manner and asking about condition or quality.

Example : How does this work?

     How was your exam?

Exercise :
The Passage no 1 (BOBOT 50)

The Hawaiian language is a melodious language in which all words are derived from an alphabet of only twelve letters, the five vowels a, e, i, o, u and the seven consonants h, k, l, m, n, p, w. Each syllable in the language ends in a vowel, and two consonants never appear together, so vowels have a much higher frequency in the Hawaiian language than they do in English.

This musical-sounding language can be heard regularly by visitors to the islands. Most Hawaiian speak English, but it is quite common to hear English that is liberally spiced with words and expressions from the traditional language of the culture. A visitor may be greeted with the expression aloha and may be referred to as a malihini because he is a newcomer to the island. The visitor may attend an outside luau where everyone eats too much and be invited afterwards to dancehula.

1). Which of the following is probably NOT a Hawaiian word:

(A)   mahalo

(B)   mahimahi

(C)   meklea

(D)   moana

The passage no 2 (BOBOT 50)

“The wording of vocabulary questions is almost “The word ‘.....’ in the passage is closest in meaning to” followed by four answer choices. The word or phrase in question might be a relatively common word you’re familiar with already, or it might be or more technical phrase. In either case, it’s important to pay attention to the context the word is used in, as this may impact your answer.”

2). The meaninng of word “technical” in the passage is closest meaning to

(A). Natural

(B). Specialized

(C). Old

(D). Foreign

References :

https://magoosh.com/toefl/2014/toefl-reading-question-type-vocabulary-in-context/

http://fanyblogenglish.blogspot.co.id/2010/03/implied-detail-questions.html

THE MATERIAL OF STATED AND UNSTATED QUESTION

 1.      STATED DETAIL QUESTIONS

A stated detail question asks about one piece of information in the passage rather than the passage as a whole. The answers to these questions are generally given in order in the passage, and the correct answer is often a restatement of what is given in the passage. This means that the correct answer often expresses the same idea as what is written in the passage, but the words are not exactly the same.

If there are stated detail questions, students should identify those questions. The questions of stated detail questions are as follow

ü      How to identify the question.

• According to the passage…..
• It is stated in the passage ……..
• The passage indicates that ………
• Which of the following is true ……..

ü      Where to find the answer.

• The answer to these questions are found in order in the passage.

ü      How to answer the question.

• Choose a key word in the question.
• Skim in the appropriate part of the passage for the key word or idea.
• Read the sentence that contains the key word or idea carefully.
• Eliminate the definitely wrong answers and choose the best answer from the remaining choices.

EXAMPLE  OF STATED QUESTION

Finally, for a fear to truly be a phobia, it must be recurring. That is, if the man on the plane had flown before without incident and continued to use planes after this one panic attack without experiencing further bouts of unreasonable fear, then he would not be said to be suffering from a phobia. A true aviophobic could never contemplate flying in any form without experiencing severe symptoms of acute nervousness. In this case, the man’s single onset of severe panic would most likely be viewed as symptomatic of some other mental disorder, perhaps brought on by unrelated stresses in his life. Obviously, the fact that phobias are recurring fears, or rather, that they involve constant fear of the object of the phobia, should not be taken to mean that the fear can never be overcome. A person who is suffering from a phobia may, either through great effort of will, or, more likely, through a course of psychiatric treatment, conquer his phobia and cease to be frightened of whatever it was he was formerly afraid of. 

Question:

1. According to the author, in paragraph 4, what might be one cause of a single instance of a phobic-like episode?
2. Seeing plane crashes on the news
3. Watching too much violent television
4. Possessing a desire for public attention
5. Having too much stress in one’s life

Analysis:

(D) is the correct answer. It is stated directly in the text. (A) is incorrect. Seeing plane crashes on the news is mentioned as something that might cause non-phobic nervousness in airline passengers. (B) and (C) are not mentioned in the passage.

2.      UNSTATED DETAIL QUESTIONS

Unstated detail question is while sometimes you will be asked in the Reading Comprehension section of the TOEFL test to find an answer that is not stated or not mentioned or not true in the passage. This type of questions really means that three of the answers are stated, mentioned, or true in the passage, while one answer is not. Your actual job is to find the three correct answers and then choose the letter of the one remaining answer. You should note that there are two kinds of answers to this type of question:

(1) there are three true answers and one answer that is not discussed in the passage, or

 (2) there are three true answers and one that is false according to the passage.

To answer the unstated detail question, you may follow the same steps as to find the stated detail question. But then you have to come up with the untrue answer.

ü      How to identify the question

·         Which of the following is not stated…?

·         Which of the following is not mentioned…?

·         Which of the following is not discussed…?

·         All of the following are true except.

ü      Where to find the answer

·         The answer to these questions are found in order in the passage

ü      How to answer the question

·         Choose a key word in the question.

·         Scan the appropriate place in the passage for key word (or related idea).

·         Read the sentence that contains the key word or idea carefully.

·         Look for answers that are definitely true according to the passage. Eliminate those answer.

·         Choose the answer that is not true or not discussed in the passage.

EXAMPLE OF UNSTATED QUESTION

In English, there are many different kinds of expressions that people use to give a name to anything whose name is unknown or momentarily forgotten. The word gadget is one such word. It was first used by British sailors in the 1850s and probably came from the French word gachette, which was a small hook. In everyday use, the word has a more general meaning. Other words are also used to give a name to something unnamed or unknown, and these words tend to be somewhat imaginative. Some of the more commonly used expressions are a what-d’ye-call-it, a whatsis, a thingamabob, a thingamajig, a doodad, or a doohickey.

Question:

1. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as an expression for something that is not known?

1. A what-is-it

2. A gadget

3. A thingamabob

4. A doohickey

Analysis :

This question asks for the one answer that is not mentioned, so three of the answers are listed in the passage and one is not. You should look for the three answers that are mentioned. Since gadget, thingamabob, and doohickey are listed in the passage, the second, third, and fourth answers are incorrect. A what-is-it is not listed in the passage, so the first answer is the best answer to this question.

Exercise :

The PASSAGE  no  1 (BOBOT 40)

Williamsburg is a historic city in Virginia that was settled by English colonists in 1633, twenty-six years after the first permanent English colony in America was settled at Jamestown.  In the beginning, the colony at Williamsburg was named Middle Plantation because of its location in the middle of a peninsula between two rivers, the York and the James. The site for Williamsburg had been selected by the colonists because the soil drainage was better there than at the Jamestown location, and there were fewer mosquitoes.

The question    :

1.The passage indicates that Jamestown

(A). was settled in 1663

(B). was settled twenty-six years after Williamsburg

(C). was the first permanent English coloni in America

(D). was originally named Middle Plantation
   PASSAGE TWO no 2-3

The Florida Keys are a beautiful chain of almost 1,000 coral and limestone islands These islands form an arc that heads first southwest and then west from the mainland. U.S. Highway 1, called the Overseas Highway connects the main islands in the chain. On this highway, it is necessary to cross 42 bridges over the ocean to cover the 159 miles from Miami on the mainland, to Key West the farthest island on the highway and the southernmost city in the United States.

The questions:

2. Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the Florida Keys? (BOBOT 30)

(A) The Florida Keys are a chain of islands.
(B) The Florida Keys contain coral and limestone
(C) The Florida Keys are in the shape of an arc.
(D) The Florida Keys are not all inhabited.

3. Which of the following is NOT true about U.S. Highway 1? (BOBOT 30)

(A) It is also known as the Overseas Highway
(B) It joins all of the islands in the Florida Keys.
(C) It has more than 40 bridges
(D) It connects Miami and Key West

check your answer here    :

No 1. (C). Because, the passage directly states that Jamestown was the first permanent English colony in America.

No 2.  (D). Because, the passage does not discuss whether or not the keys are all inhabited.

No 3.  (B). Because, the passage states that the Overseas Highway connects the main islands in the chain, so it does not connect all of the islands.

REFERENCES :

http://mastering-reading.blogspot.co.id/2010/09/skill-3-answer-stated-detail-questions.html https://bahasainggrisfirst.wordpress.com/2014/09/07/answer-stated-and-unstated-detail-question-correctly/

MAIN IDEAS QUESTION

MAIN IDEAS QUESTION

o      The main idea is the central, or most important, idea in a paragraph or passage. It states the purpose and sets the direction of the paragraph or passage.

o      The main idea may be stated or it may be implied.  When the main idea of a paragraph is stated, it is most often found in the first sentence of the paragraph. However, the main idea may be found in any sentence of the paragraph.

o      The main idea may be stated in the first sentence of a paragraph and then be repeated or restated at the end of the paragraph.

o       The main idea may be split. The first sentence of a paragraph may present a point of view, while the last sentence presents a contrasting or opposite view.

o     To find the main idea of any paragraph or passage, ask these questions:

1.Who or what is the paragraph about?

2.What aspect or idea about the ‘who’ or ‘what’ is the author

How to Identify Main Idea Questions

The Main Idea question-type will include a word or phrase letting you know you’re being asked about the main point of the passage as a whole. The key words are bolded below.

• “The author’s primary purpose in this passage is . . .”
• “The passage is mainly concerned with . . .”
• “The best title for this passage would be . . .”
• “The author’s discussion of … is primarily intended to explain . . .”
• “Which of the following most completely and accurately describes the passage . . .”

Strategy for Main Idea Questions

1. Attack the Passage

  Passive reading will not help you on the test. You need to devour passages like a ravenous bear waking from hibernation. Tear apart the passage to find the main idea, determine the main flow and structure of a passage, and understand the author’s tone and purpose. Stay out of the details and minutiae. Hungry bears want big meals—not tidbits of berries and moths. Take notes to activate your mind and track this information.

2. Rephrase Question

   After attacking the passage, time to attack the question. Read the question and put it into your own words. This will force you to synthesize the prompt and understand what it is asking. Look for hints and clues too. Line numbers, paragraph references, concepts from specific parts of the passage, and any words like “except” or “not”—these clues must be noted to answer the question correctly.

3. Anticipate an Answer

   After orienting yourself and understanding the prompt, make a prediction about the answer. If you do step one correctly and focus on identifying the main idea, you shouldn’t have to spend anytime anticipating an answer. You should already have a strong sense of what should be included in the answer choice.

4. Eliminate Wrong Answers

   Usually you will need to go through the answer choices more than once. On the first pass, always be on the look out for the common wrong answer types. This is an easy way to narrow down your possibilities. As you go through each answer, make a mental note of possible correct answers or answers that match what you anticipated. Then on your second pass, you should have two answer choices left. This is when you may have to return to the passage to do a little research to confirm that all the information in the answer choice is actually supported by the passage.

REFERENCES
https://magoosh.com/gre/2014/main-idea-questions-in-gre-reading-comprehension/
http://www.hitbullseye.com/acad/Reading-Comprehension-Main-Idea-Questions.php