eng8-R3· Reading· ~15 min

Reading: Manners & Rules

Read magazine articles about etiquette and good behaviour.

When you read a short text, first skim it quickly to understand the main idea — the most important point the writer wants to make. Then read the questions and go back to the text to find specific details. If you see a word you do not know, use the words around it as context clues to guess its meaning. For inference questions, look for clues in the text that help you reach a logical conclusion even when the answer is not stated directly.

Key terms

main idea — The most important point or message the writer wants to communicate in the text.
detail — A specific piece of information that is stated directly in the passage.
inference — A logical conclusion you reach by using clues from the text, even though the answer is not written directly.
context clue — Words or sentences around an unknown word that help you figure out what that word means.
skim — To read a text quickly to get the general idea without focusing on every word.
scan — To look through a text quickly to find a specific word, number, or piece of information.
Four Common Question Types in Reading Tasks
Question TypeWhat It TestsHelpful Strategy
Main IdeaThe overall message of the textRead the first and last sentences carefully — they often contain the main point.
DetailA specific fact from the textFind the exact sentence in the passage and compare it word by word to the choices.
InferenceA conclusion not stated directlyLook for clues and ask yourself: what does this information suggest or imply?
Vocabulary in ContextThe meaning of a word as used in the passageRead the sentence before and after the word; replace it with each choice to see which fits.

Understanding what each question type asks for helps you choose the right strategy.

✎How to Answer a Detail Question
  1. 1Step 1: Read the question: Read the question carefully: "According to the text, why is looking at your phone during a conversation rude?"
  2. 2Step 2: Scan the passage: Quickly scan the passage for the word 'phone' to find the relevant part.
  3. 3Step 3: Locate the answer: Find the exact sentence: "Looking at your phone during a conversation makes people feel unimportant."
  4. 4Step 4: Match to a choice: Compare each choice to the sentence. The matching choice is: "It makes the other person feel unimportant." This is the correct answer.
🚫Common mistake

A common mistake is choosing an answer just because it sounds true in real life. Always check if the answer is actually stated or supported by the passage itself.

💡Note

Inference questions often use words like 'suggest', 'infer', 'imply', or 'conclude'. The answer is not written directly in the text — you must read between the lines.

⚠️Caution

Vocabulary questions test the meaning of a word as it is used in that specific passage, not its most common dictionary definition. Always check the surrounding sentences for context.

Rules

  1. 1Skim the passage first to understand what it is about before reading the questions.
  2. 2Underline key words in the question to know what to look for in the text.
  3. 3For detail questions, find the exact sentence in the passage that contains the answer.
  4. 4Use context clues — the words before and after an unknown word — to guess its meaning.
  5. 5For inference questions, the answer is not stated directly; you must use text clues to reach a conclusion.
  6. 6Always check all four answer choices before picking one.

Practice

4 easy · 4 medium · 4 hard

10 random questions per test

EasyMediumHardMixed