tips on reading comprehension & summary writing

TIPS ON READING COMPREHENSION

& SUMMARY WRITING

DO’S

Read the summary question first (Question 31) Read the comprehension questions read the passage paragraph by paragraph identify the keywords n tense in each question“wh” words (what, when, where, why, who,

whose, how) and action verbs (identify, find, list).

pronouns such as I, me, mine, my, our, us and ours must be changed

Differentiate these terms: word, words, phrase and sentence.

CHANGE OF PRONOUNS “ I walked through the jungle

yesterday…” .. “the boy will be waiting for me

tomorrow”, …. “This bottle is mine” , … “ my heart thumped with fear…”, …. “our journey will stop here..”, … “ I remember our parents took us

there last year and it was awesome”… …. “This house is ours…”

WORD, WORDS OR PHRASE? Word- humble Words- humble and kind Phrase- humble and kind Sentence- She is a humble and kind

person

        a) In which continent are tigers found?

Asia

) Why is it surprising that the tiger is on the verge of extinction?

“It is also one of the most powerful mammals…”

Because it is one of the most powerful mammals

a) From paragraph 2: How do tigers protect themselves against their enemies?

The only defence tigers have against their enemies are their razor-sharp claws , their strong teeth and their sheer weight.

They use their razor-sharp claws, their strong teeth and their  sheer weight.

b) From paragraph 3: Why are the markings on a tiger important?

Experts can tell individual tigers apart by observing the markings and stripes closely

They enable experts to tell individual tigers apart

28.       a) From paragraph 4: Provide evidence to show that tigers are only dangerous when their well-being is at risk.

They instinctively avoid human beings and only attack people if they are provoked, injured or unable to hunt for their usual food.

They only attack people if they are provoked, injured or unable to hunt for their usual food.

b) From paragraph 5: Find a word which means “valuable”.

precious.

29. From paragraph 8: List two measures that have failed to protect the tiger from being hunted.

Although the tiger has been labelled an endangered species and the sale of tiger-related products has been banned in many countries,

.       a) The tiger has been labelled an endangered species.

       b) The sale of tiger-related products has been banned in many countries.

Do you think punishing poachers severely is a good measure to prevent the hunting of tigers? Give a reason.

Any logical answer is acceptable. Example:

Yes, I believe severe punishment will deter them as they will not want to take such a risk.

No, I don’t think severe punishment will deter them.  They would not mind taking risks as they stand to gain a lot from the sale of tiger body parts.

SUMMARY WRITING

DO’S mark the lines where the summary starts

and ends. Know the first 3 lines normally contain the

first point or at least a content point. underline the relevant lines or ideas as you

read the text- ask yourself: “Is this ...” (For the summary below, you would ask: “Is this a reason tigers have become extinct?” or “Is this a measure that should be implemented?”

Summarise the ideas- combine ideas by joining phrases or sentences, or paraphrase ideas/sentences.

If you cannot paraphrase, see if there are words in the text that you can replace without affecting the meaning.

If you are a weak student, copy the entire sentence.

Organise the ideas/points as found in the text. Do not rearrange ideas.

Adhere to the word limit. Anything short of the word limit means you lack content.

Pay attention to the tense (and sometimes, pronoun) used in the given 10 words.

The man dashed off quickly and fell on the slippery floor….

He ran fast and fell on the wet floor

DON’TS Do not include information not found in

the text. Do not include your own ideas or

opinions. Do not spend too much time

paraphrasing Do not repeat ideas. Do not include material from other lines

in the text.

>  These magnificent creatures have been hunted for hundreds of years for sport as proof of one’s strength and manliness (point 1)  and for their skin (point 2).

>  They have also been trapped and poisoned by farmers to protect their livestock (point 3).

> In many Asian countries, tigers are killed for their precious claws. It  is believed that wearing a talisman made of a tiger’s claw can protect its wearer (point 4).

>  Other than that, tigers have been hunted for their body organs which are believed to be a cure for many ailments (point 5).

> The hunting of these animals (tiger prey) by human beings has caused tigers to starve to death (point 6).

>  To ensure the survival of the tiger, conservation efforts need to be improved to reduce threats to tigers (point 7).

> Efforts must also be made to improve tiger habitats (point 8) and to increase tiger prey populations so that they will not starve to death in                      the wild (point 9).

>  There must be more stringent controls on the demand for tiger parts  (point 10).

>  To drive the message home, poachers should be punished severely  (point 11).

The tiger population has suffered a serious decline because tigers have been hunted for sport as proof of one’s strength and manliness and for their skin. Besides, tigers have been killed by farmers to protect their livestock. These beasts have also been killed for their claws which are believed to protect the wearer. Worse still, tigers are killed for their body organs, which are believed to cure many ailments. Moreover, hunting of tiger prey has caused tigers to starve to death. Stern measures must be taken to protect them. For instance, conservation efforts and tiger habitats must be improved. To prevent tigers from starving, tiger prey populations must be increased. Most importantly, there must be more stringent controls on the demand.