Students often debate whether they should read the questions before reading the passage, but the answer is to choose according to the question type and the length of the passage. Here, we organize situations in which reading ahead is effective and situations in which it is instead harmful.
Basic Rules
Question types for which reading ahead is effective:
① Questions referring to a specific word, phrase, or paragraph (underlined translation, the content referred to by a demonstrative, or word meaning). Because they can be answered once the relevant location in the passage is known, you can save time searching by first noting the question number and estimating the corresponding location.
② Questions asking you to find specific information (search-type questions such as “According to the passage, when did 〜 occur?”).
Question types for which reading ahead is disadvantageous:
① Questions asking you to choose the main idea or title of the entire passage. Because you cannot judge accurately until you have read the entire passage and grasped its logical development, reading ahead often fails to produce an answer and becomes a waste of time.
② When there are many questions asking whether statements match the content of each paragraph. Reading all the choices first creates too much information and places a heavy burden on memory.
A practical compromise: quickly look only at the question sentences, classify them as “search-type” or “main-idea-type,” and keep in mind only the words targeted by search-type questions before beginning to read the passage. Do not read and memorize the contents of the choices in advance.
Question 1: “What does it in underlined section (1) refer to?” → Search-type. Confirm only the location of it and focus on that point while reading the passage.
Question 2: “Choose the most appropriate statement of the writer's claim.” → Main-idea-type. Reading the choices first has little effect because you cannot judge them without reading the passage. Rather, it risks causing misreading because you may be influenced by the confusing wording of the choices.
Question 3: “Choose the statement that agrees with the content of Paragraph 3.” → Paragraph-specific type. Keep in mind only the paragraph number and check the choices when reading that paragraph. There is no need to memorize everything in advance.
Points to Note
① If you read the choices for a main-idea question in advance, information not stated in the passage or information that differs subtly from the passage may remain in your mind as a preconception, causing you to interpret the passage conveniently. For main-idea questions, it is safer to read the passage accurately first and then examine the choices.
② Even for search-type questions, limit reading ahead to estimating “where to look,” and do not try to memorize the wording of the choices. The time-to-benefit ratio is poor.
③ When the exam time is tight, a “paragraph-by-paragraph approach,” in which you alternate between the questions and the passage for each paragraph, may be effective. However, this also makes it harder to follow the overall logical development (the movement between abstract and concrete and the response to counterarguments), so decide according to the type of passage.
④ Ultimately, it is not whether you read ahead but your ability to accurately grasp the logical structure of the passage itself that determines the speed at which you process questions. Reading ahead is a supplementary time-saving technique, not a substitute for reading ability.
- Reading ahead is effective for search-type questions (demonstratives and underlined translations)
- Reading ahead is often disadvantageous for main-idea questions (main idea and title selection)
- Reading the choices ahead of time carries the risk of confirmation bias
- The paragraph-by-paragraph approach saves time but makes it harder to follow the logical development
- Reading ahead is a supplementary technique, not a substitute for reading ability itself
Practice
- Explain why reading ahead is disadvantageous for a question asking you to choose the main idea of the passage.
- What is confirmation bias? Explain it in the context of reading a long passage.
- Give one example each of a search-type question and a main-idea-type question.