eng10-R1· Reading· ~15 min

Reading: Kindness & Happiness

Read articles about kindness, volunteering and what makes people happy.

This topic helps you practise key reading skills for B1-B2 level exams. You will read three short texts on the theme of kindness and happiness, then answer four types of questions: main idea, specific detail, reference or inference, and vocabulary-in-context. The goal is to find the answer inside the passage — never rely on outside knowledge. Read each passage carefully, then go back to the text to check your answer before choosing.

Key terms

main idea — The central message or most important point that a text communicates.
supporting detail — A specific fact, example or piece of information that explains or backs up the main idea.
inference — A logical conclusion or educated guess you make based on clues in the text, not stated directly.
context clue — Words and sentences around an unknown word that help you figure out what it means.
skim — To read a text quickly to get the general topic or main idea without focusing on every word.
scan — To look through a text quickly to find a specific word, number or piece of information.
Common Reading Question Types
Question TypeWhat It AsksStrategy
Main IdeaWhat is the text mainly about?Skim the whole text and ask yourself what the writer's central message is. Avoid choices that are too narrow or not mentioned.
DetailA specific fact from the textScan the passage for key words from the question. The answer is usually in one sentence.
ReferenceWhat does a word such as 'it' or 'they' refer to?Look at the sentence just before the pronoun. The noun it replaces is usually right there.
VocabularyWhat does a word mean in this text?Read the sentences before and after the word. Try replacing the word with each choice to see which one fits.

Four common question types in reading comprehension and how to approach each one.

✎How to Answer a Main-Idea Question
  1. 1Step 1: Read the whole passage once without stopping. Get the general topic.
  2. 2Step 2: Ask yourself: 'What is the one thing the writer wants me to know or remember?'
  3. 3Step 3: Read all four choices. Cross out any that are too narrow (covering only one sentence) or that are not mentioned at all.
  4. 4Step 4: Pick the choice that covers the whole passage, not just one part of it. Check it against the text one more time.
🚫Common mistake

Choosing an answer because it sounds right or is true in real life — the correct answer must be supported by the passage itself, not by your general knowledge.

⚠️Caution

If you cannot find the answer to a detail question, scan the passage for key words from the question. The answer is often in the exact same sentence or the one right after it.

💡Note

When guessing a word's meaning, try replacing it with each answer choice in the original sentence. The choice that keeps the sentence's meaning the same is usually correct.

Rules

  1. 1Read the passage once to get the general meaning before looking at the questions.
  2. 2For main-idea questions, ask yourself: 'What is the one thing the writer wants me to know?'
  3. 3For detail questions, scan the passage for key words from the question — the answer is stated directly.
  4. 4For reference questions, look at the sentence before the pronoun (it, they, this) to find what it points to.
  5. 5For vocabulary questions, read the whole sentence and the ones around it — context gives you clues.
  6. 6Always check your answer against the passage. If you cannot point to a sentence that supports it, it is probably wrong.

Practice

4 easy · 4 medium · 4 hard

10 random questions per test

EasyMediumHardMixed