eng5-R2· Reading· ~15 min

Reading: Homes Around the World

Read short blog texts about different kinds of homes.

When you read a short text, first read the whole text to understand the main idea — what the text is mostly about. Then you can look for specific details, like numbers or names. If you do not know a word, look at the words around it — they often help you guess the meaning. Always find your answer in the text; do not guess from what you know outside the text.

Key terms

main idea — The most important point the text is about — what the whole text tells you.
detail — A small, specific piece of information in the text, like a number, a name, or a colour.
skim — To read quickly to get the general idea without stopping at every word.
scan — To look quickly through the text to find one specific piece of information.
context — The words and sentences around an unknown word that help you understand its meaning.
inference — A conclusion you make using clues from the text, even when the text does not say it directly.
Types of Reading Questions
Question TypeWhat It AsksHow to Find the Answer
Main IdeaWhat is the text mostly about?Read the title, the first sentence, and the last sentence.
DetailA specific fact from the textFind the key word from the question in the text and read around it.
ReferenceWhat a word like 'he', 'it', or 'they' points toLook at the sentence before. What person or thing was mentioned?
Vocabulary in ContextWhat a word means as used in the textRead the whole sentence. The words around it give clues.

Four common question types and how to approach each one.

✎How to Answer a Main Idea Question
  1. 1Step 1: Read the whole text first. Do not stop at difficult words — try to understand the general meaning.
  2. 2Step 2: Ask yourself: 'What is this text mostly about?' The answer is usually in the title, the first sentence, or the last sentence.
  3. 3Step 3: Look at the four answer choices. Cross out any choice that is about only one small detail — the main idea covers the whole text.
  4. 4Step 4: Cross out any choice that is not mentioned in the text at all. The correct answer must come from the text.
🚫Common mistake

Choosing an answer because you know it in real life, not from the text. The question always asks about what the text says — not what you learned at home or in another lesson.

💡Note

If you do not understand a word, do not panic. Read the sentence before and the sentence after it — the context usually gives you clues about the meaning.

⚠️Caution

Some wrong answers use words from the text but say something the text does not say. Always check: is this idea really in the text, or did someone change it a little?

Rules

  1. 1Read the whole text before you look at the questions. The first and last sentences often tell you the main idea.
  2. 2Find key words from the question in the text. The answer is usually near those words.
  3. 3If a question asks about a pronoun like 'it' or 'they', look at the sentence before to see what it points to.
  4. 4When a question asks what a word means, read the whole sentence. The words before and after give clues.
  5. 5Every correct answer can be found in the text. Do not choose an answer just because you know it in real life.
  6. 6If you are not sure, cross out answers that are clearly wrong. Then choose the best one from what is left.

Practice

4 easy · 4 medium · 4 hard

10 random questions per test

EasyMediumHardMixed