eng9-R4· Reading· ~15 min

Reading: Culture & Society

Read texts about culture, traditions and society.

In this topic you will read three short texts about traditions, health and teenage life. For each text, answer questions about the main idea, specific details, what words refer to, and vocabulary in context. Use skimming to get the general meaning first, then scan for answers to detail questions. When you find an unknown word, look at the words around it — they often give clues about its meaning.

Key terms

main idea — The most important point the writer wants to communicate — what the whole text is about.
detail — A specific piece of information stated directly in the text, such as a name, number or fact.
skim — To read a text quickly to get the general meaning without reading every single word.
scan — To look quickly through a text to find a specific word, number or piece of information.
inference — A conclusion you reach by thinking about what the text says and what you already know — the text does not say it directly.
context — The words and sentences around an unknown word that help you guess what it means.
Reading Strategies for Short Texts
StrategyWhat It MeansWhen to Use It
SkimmingRead quickly for the general ideaBefore you read the questions, to understand the topic
ScanningLook for specific words or numbersWhen a question asks for a detail like a date, name or percentage
Context cluesUse the words around an unknown word to guess its meaningWhen you see a word you do not know in the passage
Reference trackingFind the noun that a pronoun (it, they, this) points toWhen a question asks what a pronoun refers to

Four strategies that help you answer reading-comprehension questions quickly and correctly.

✎How to Answer a Main-Idea Question
  1. 1Step 1 – Read the question first: Question: 'What is the main idea of the text?' This tells you that you need the overall message, not a small detail.
  2. 2Step 2 – Skim the text: Read the title and the first and last sentences of each paragraph quickly. In a short passage, the main idea is often in the first or last sentence.
  3. 3Step 3 – Check each choice against the whole text: If a choice is only about one sentence or one example in the text, it is probably too narrow — cross it out. The correct choice covers the whole passage.
🚫Common mistake

Don't choose an answer just because it sounds true in real life. The answer must come from the passage — even if you know more about the topic, only use what the text tells you.

💡Note

When you are stuck between two choices, go back to the passage and find the exact sentence that supports one of them. If you cannot find a sentence for a choice, that choice is probably wrong.

⚠️Caution

Be careful with vocabulary questions: a word may have several meanings. Always check which meaning fits the way the word is used in the passage — not the meaning you learned first.

Rules

  1. 1Read the questions before you read the passage — this helps you know what to look for.
  2. 2Skim the passage first to understand the general topic and main idea.
  3. 3Scan the text for keywords from the question to find specific details.
  4. 4For vocabulary questions, look at the sentence and the sentences around the word — context gives clues.
  5. 5For reference questions (what does 'it' or 'they' refer to), look at the previous sentence.
  6. 6Always base your answer on what the passage says, not on your own opinion or outside knowledge.

Practice

4 easy · 4 medium · 4 hard

10 random questions per test

EasyMediumHardMixed