Long-reading questions follow certain patterns. Once you identify the type, you know how to solve it. This lesson covers the five types that frequently appear on the Common Test and university entrance examinations.
Basic Rules
① True/False Questions: “Which of the following is true / NOT true?”
- Find evidence in the passage for each choice (scanning)
- The wording is often changed through paraphrasing: the passage says → the choice mentions
- Caution: Even if the words in a choice appear in the passage, the choice is incorrect if the meaning is different
② Best-Title Questions: “Which of the following is the best title?”
- The best title is found by combining the topic sentences of each paragraph
- Pay attention to the level of abstraction: a topic from only one paragraph is not suitable; choose a title that covers the whole passage
- A title in negative or question form may express the question addressed by the entire passage
③ Reference Questions: “What does it in line 12 refer to?”
- Look for the noun or noun phrase immediately before it (usually within the previous 1–3 sentences)
- Check singular/plural agreement (it ≠ they)
- Check whether the meaning makes sense in context
④ Vocabulary Questions: “The word X is closest in meaning to:”
- Guess the meaning from context → compare it with the choices
- Be careful because a familiar word may have a different meaning in context
⑤ Inference Questions: “What can be inferred from the passage?”
- Choose something that is not “written directly” but can be “logically concluded”
- An interpretation that goes too far is incorrect (stay close to the evidence in the passage)
- Eliminate choices that “cannot clearly be said to be true”
True/False: “The author claims that ...” ← Look for I think / I believe in the passage
Title: “The Best Title” ← Identify the common theme of all paragraphs
Reference: “This phenomenon” ← Refers to the phenomenon in the preceding sentence
Inference: “What can be inferred about teenagers?” ← A conclusion that can be logically drawn from the passage
Points to Remember
① Learn the patterns of incorrect choices: ① only part of the passage is correct (partial agreement) ② the choice says the opposite ③ information not in the passage (overgeneralization) ④ information from another paragraph is mixed in
② Be careful with strong words such as “always,” “never,” “all,” and “only”: The passage rarely makes such strong claims. If these words appear in a choice, it is likely to be incorrect.
③ Strategy of reading the questions first: To save time, read the questions before reading the passage, identify keywords, and then scan for the relevant sections.
④ Effectiveness of elimination: In a four-choice question, if you can eliminate two obviously wrong choices, you can focus on the remaining two. A contest that begins at 50% becomes one with a success rate of more than 75%.
⑤ Questions unique to the Common Test: Integrated questions involving charts and multiple sources. You need to move back and forth between the chart and the passage.
- True/False: Watch for paraphrases of the passage
- Best title: Choose an abstract level that covers the entire passage
- Reference: Look within the previous 1–3 sentences and check singular/plural agreement
- Vocabulary: Determine the meaning from context before comparing choices
- Inference: Stay within what can be logically concluded; do not make leaps
- Strong words (always/never/all) are signs that a choice may be incorrect
Practice
- Explain in Japanese, in no more than 30 characters, the strategy for answering “What does this in the passage refer to?”
- Why should you not choose a topic from only one paragraph in a “The best title” question?
- Give two features of choices that are likely to be incorrect in inference questions.