TOP TEN READING TIPS
One: When answering
questions about a reading passage, read the questions first. That way, you’ll know what to look for as you read
the passage. Once you’ve read the passage, go on to answer the questions.
Two: In reading
questions, look for key words, such as who, what, when, where, why, and how, that tell you what to look for when you read
the passage.
Three: Practice scanning a reading passage to quickly find key words that will help you
answer questions about details.
Four: When answering questions about a reading passage, look back at
the passage to locate the answer. Don’t just rely on your memory.
Five: In a reading passage,
when you come to a word you don’t know, look for context clues: other words in the sentence or paragraph that
help to define or explain the unknown word.
Six: For fill-in sentences, always read the entire sentence
before you choose an answer. Use context clues to help you find the answer.
Seven: When asked
to choose a word to complete a sentence, try out all the answer choices in the sentence. Don’t rush to fill in
the blank; you might get tricked by words that are similar but have different meanings.
Eight: When
looking for word meanings, read all the answer choices carefully. Don’t be fooled by words that only look or sound
like the correct answer.
Nine: When asked to identify order of events, look for key words that signal
time sequence, for example; first, next, then, after, finally, and at last.
Ten: Watch out for negative
words in directions, such as NOT or OPPOSITE. These words tell you exactly what answer to look for. Such words
often appear in bold or italic type or in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.
