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Comprehension Skills

4 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

When a question says 'in your own words', what exactly do I change, and how do I avoid just copying?

Answer comprehension questions in your own words by rephrasing the relevant part of the text accurately, changing the wording without changing the meaning
How to answer comprehension questions in your own words: finding the right part of the text, rephrasing it accurately, and avoiding the trap of copying whole phrases straight from the passage.
8 min answer →

How do I answer questions where the answer is not stated directly but hinted at in the text?

Answer inference questions by reading between the lines, using evidence from the text to work out what is suggested rather than stated
How to answer inference questions in comprehension: reading between the lines to work out what the text suggests, and backing your answer with evidence from the passage.
8 min answer →

When a question asks why the writer chose a certain word or image, how do I explain the effect on the reader?

Explain how a writer uses language for effect, identifying a word or technique and describing the effect it has on the reader
How to answer 'language for effect' questions in comprehension: identifying a word or technique the writer uses and explaining the effect it has on the reader, not just naming it.
8 min answer →

How do I work out what a word means from the sentence around it, even if I have never seen the word before?

Work out the meaning of a word or phrase from its context, using the surrounding sentence and giving a meaning that fits the way it is used in the passage
How to work out the meaning of an unfamiliar word from the sentence around it in comprehension, using context clues and giving a meaning that fits how the word is used in the passage.
8 min answer →