This document discusses different types of comprehension questions and how to interpret them. There are four main types of questions: 1) Direct questions that require a direct answer stated in the passage. 2) Inferential questions that require reading between the lines to deduce the answer. 3) Rephrasing questions that ask to explain a phrase or sentence in your own words while keeping the same meaning. 4) Vocabulary questions that ask you to explain the meaning of a word or phrase used in the passage. When answering questions, it is important to make logical inferences based on definitions or empirical inferences based on observations and read between the lines to deduce answers that are not directly stated.

1. ENGLISH
Comprehension Questions: Types
and How to interprete them
Short revision series

2. A. Types of Comprehension
Questions
1. Direct Questions
 Give direct answers
 Answers will be stated plainly in the
passage.
 Task: Try to locate these answers after
reading carefully what the question is
looking for.

3. Types of Comprehension
questions
1. Direct questions
 E.g Questions like:
 What was the main reason...?
 Give two examples...
 Quote a sentence...
 Explain how...
 Write down one word/an expression which
shows...

4. Types of comprehension
questions
1. Inferential Questions
 Read between the lines
 Answers cannot be found directly from the
passage
 Make your deduction
 Infer the meaning or answer through given
words or phrases from the passage
 Even from your own general knowledge

5. Types of comprehension
questions
 2) Inferential Questions
 E.g Questions like:
 Explain clearly / explain the contrast...
 Suggest how...
 What do you think...
 Why does the author suggest...
 What imprression...

6. Types of comprehension
questions
 3) Rephrasing Questions
Rewrite in your own words but keep the
meaning
 Read the phrase or sentence in its context in
the passage so that your explanation is
appropriate to the situation

7. Types of comprehension
questions
 3) Rephrasing Questions
 E.g Questions like:
 Explain the term/phrase/sentence...
 Explain in your own words...

8. Types of Comprehension
Questions
 4) Vocabulary Questions
Explain word or phrase meaning
 A certain word or phrase is chosen from the
the passage.
 You are required to give another word or
phrase bearing the same meaning as the
word

9. Types of Comprehension
Questions
 4) Vocabulary Questions
 E.g Questions like:
 What does the word suggest about...?
 What picture do these words suggest...?
 In the passage, what does ‘preserve the
market’ mean?

10. Now lets work on our thinking skills
and how to interprete questions

11. B. Interpreting text (Thinking
Skills)
 Making an intelligent guess
 Sometimes, the answer to the question is not given
directly in the passage
 Instead, clues are given from which you have to
guess the answer
 You are required to ‘read between the lines’ and
make inferences – intelligent guesses.
 E.g At last, the angry passengers were called to
board the bus
 Question: Suggest why the passengers were angry.
 (what would be the most likely reason for the
passengers to be angry?)
 Answer: The passengers were angry because the bus
was delayed.

12. Interpreting text (Thinking Skills)
 Two kinds of inference
1. Logical Inference: based on definition
 E.g She cried as she stood beside the grave.
 Question: Where was she when she stood
beside the grave?
 Answer: A cemetery (because a cemetery is
where you find graves)

13. Interpreting text (Thinking Skills)
 Two kinds of inference
 2) Empirical Inference: based on
observation
 E.g She cried as she stood beside the grave.
 Question: Why was she crying?
 Answer: Because someone she cared for had
died. (If you see someone crying near a
grave, you would guess that this was the
case.)
 Also, remember that inference will always
require an ‘own words’ answer.

14. THANK YOU