Reading Comprehension
What is the main idea of a passage?
The central point or message the author is trying to convey.
What is the correct way to fix this sentence?
"Him and me went to the store."
"He and I went to the store."
What is a topic sentence, and why is it important?
A sentence that states the main idea of a paragraph. It helps guide the reader and keeps writing focused.
What type of figurative language is this?
"The wind howled through the trees."
Personification (giving human qualities to non-human things).
What is the first thing you should do when reading a multiple-choice question?
Read the question carefully before looking at the answer choices.
What is the author's purpose if they are trying to persuade the reader?
To convince the reader to agree with their opinion or take action.
Which sentence is correctly punctuated?
a) The dog barked, and wagged its tail.
b) The dog barked, and it wagged its tail.
c) The dog barked and, it wagged its tail.
d) The dog barked and it wagged its tail.
b) The dog barked, and it wagged its tail.
What is the purpose of a conclusion in a research paper?
The conclusion restates the main idea in a fresh way and wraps up the paragraph effectively.
What is the meaning of hyperbole? Give an example.
Hyperbole is an extreme exaggeration. Example: "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!"
What is a distractor in a multiple-choice test, and how do you avoid falling for it?
A distractor is a wrong answer designed to be tricky. Avoid it by looking for details that match the passage exactly.
What does the word “resilient” most likely mean in this sentence?
"Despite facing many challenges, the athlete remained resilient and kept training hard."
Strong and able to recover quickly.
What is a run-on sentence, and how do you fix it?
A run-on sentence has two or more independent clauses that are not properly connected. Fix it by adding a period, a semicolon, or a conjunction.
Example:
❌ I love reading I read every day.
✔ I love reading. I read every day.
How do transitional words improve an essay? Give an example.
They help connect ideas smoothly. Example: "First," "However," "On the other hand," "As a result."
What is the difference between a simile and a metaphor?
Simile: Compares two things using like or as ("Her smile was as bright as the sun.").
Metaphor: A direct comparison ("Her smile was the sun.").
If two answers seem correct, how do you choose the best one?
Look for the answer that is the most complete, specific, and directly supported by the text.
If a story is written in third-person limited, what does that mean?
The narrator only knows the thoughts and feelings of one character.
What is the difference between their, they’re, and there?
Their = Possession (Their books are on the table).
They’re = They are (They’re going to the store).
There = Place or existence (The book is over there).
Rewrite this vague sentence to make it more descriptive and precise:
"The dog ran fast."
"The greyhound sprinted across the field at lightning speed." OR "The chihuahua sped toward the front door as fast as his little legs could take him."
Find context clues in this sentence to determine the meaning of “melancholy.”
"After her best friend moved away, Sarah felt a deep melancholy that lingered for weeks."
he context clues "best friend moved away" and "lingered for weeks" suggest that melancholy means sadness or sorrow.
Why is process of elimination a useful test-taking strategy?
It helps by removing wrong answers, making it easier to pick the best one.
What is the difference between an inference and a prediction in reading?
An inference is a logical conclusion based on evidence from the text, while a prediction is a guess about what will happen next.
Identify the subject and predicate in this complex sentence: "Even though it was raining, the soccer team decided to practice outside."
Subject: "the soccer team"
Predicate: "decided to practice outside"
What is passive voice, and how would you change this sentence?
"The ball was kicked by the player."
"The player kicked the ball."
Identify the symbolism in this passage: "Now he saw the sled before him again. But it was different. Instead of the comfortable memory of the ride through the snow, the memory was terrifying: The sled hit a bump in the hill and Jonas was jarred loose. He kept going, sliding, falling. But the hill was steeper, and the snow was not as soft. He crashed, his leg twisted, and he could hear the crack of bone."
The sled symbolizes Jonas’s journey—at first, learning about memories was exciting and fun (like his first pleasant sled ride), but as he gains more knowledge, the truth becomes painful and difficult (like crashing on the sled).
The hill represents his struggle—the more he learns, the harder things become.
The broken leg symbolizes the real pain of life, something the community had hidden from him.
What should you do if you don’t know the answer to a question and are running out of time?
Make an educated guess based on what you do know. Never leave an answer blank!