Discursive Passage: The Art of Reading Right | Class 11 English Grammar PDF Download

Read the following passage carefully:

1. Reading Comprehension (RC, as it is normally called) is the most peculiar section in almost all scholastic, entrance and employment tests. The skills in RC make a lot of difference to one’s chances of good grades/selection.
2. Most students find it difficult to tackle topics that are diverse from the field they are in or they are comfortable with. So one needs to develop a taste for even the most obscure and boring topic on this planet. For success in RC one should be able to understand. And even with an average speed one can succeed if one implements the strategies.
3. Broadly speaking, RC passages can be classified in a few categories. Fact based RC is the simplest form of RC. These types of passages have lot of information in the form of names, numbers etc. In this type of passages one should read very fast.
4. Don’t try to memorize any facts, numbers or names etc. In fact there is no need to even remember them. Just make yourself familiar with the structure of the passage. Just see in which paragraph author is talking about what. Mark it. Then when you go to the questions, identify in which paragraph information regarding that question is mentioned. Go to that paragraph, read the numbers, names etc. and mark the answer.
5. Inference based RC is the toughest form of RC. Here the passage is fairly tough to understand. This includes passages on topics like Religion, Spirituality, Philosophy, etc. Most of the students will be comfortable attempting these passages at least in RC. The reading speed is fairly slow in this type of passages. The way to master this type of passages is to read them again and again while practising.
6. Topic based RC includes passages on any particular topic like economics, astrology, medical science, etc. Generally what makes -these passages tough is usage of technical terms. If a topic is new to us then presence of technical term scares us even if they are defined in the passage. For success in this type of passages we need to have a fan-understanding of the definition of the term if it is defined in the passage. Read that definition twice if you need to. But don’t worry about technical terms if they are not defined in the passage. Assume them to be non-existent and proceed. Key principle in these passages is that don’t go to the next line unless the previous line is clear.
7. Reading passage first and then questions is the most popular strategy for RC. While answering the question you may come back to the passage to find answer as you have just read the passage initially and not crammed it. But you should not come back for each and every question. If you come back for majority of questions then you haven’t read the passage properly. The key to success for this strategy is that you should understand the passage very well. We will suggest students to follow this technique from the beginning and work upon this.
8. Reading questions first and then passage is the strategy followed by a few students. They just look at the questions and not options. The objective is that after seeing the questions when you read the passage then you read only that part carefully where the answer is given. The flaw with this is that you will not be able to remember all the questions. Besides this, this strategy fails when there are questions that require understanding of the passage.

A. Answer the following questions by choosing the most appropriate option:
Q.1. Fact based RC is the easiest because______
(a) it is written in simple language
(b) there are no allusions
(c) it contains information
(d) it can be memorised easily

Correct Answer is option (c)
it contains information

Q.2. Topic based RC is tough as______
(a) it contains technical terms
(b) it is based on different topics
(c) it demands instant understanding
(d) one can’t read them fast enough

Correct Answer is option (a)
it contains technical terms

Q.3. The word ‘diverse’ in para 2 means______
(a) similar
(b) same
(c) variety
(d) different

Correct Answer is option (d)
different

Q.4. Most students find Reading Comprehension difficult because______
(a) the language is tough
(b) the vocabulary is difficult
(c) the style is too involved
(d) the topics are unrelated to their interest

Correct Answer is option (d)
the topics are unrelated to their interest

Q.5. For answering a question on RC, one should______
(a) memorise the facts, figures, etc.
(b) mark what the author is talking about in the para
(c) mark the essential details of the passage
(d) remember the names, numbers, etc.

Correct Answer is option (b)
mark what the author is talking about in the para

Q.6. Careful reading of the passage is essential for______
(a) answering difficult questions
(b) saving time and effort
(c) proper understanding and answering correctly
(d) selective identification of relevant parts

Correct Answer is option (c)
proper understanding and answering correctly

Q.7. Why is topic based R C tough?

Topic based R C is tough as it contains technical terms.

Q.8. What is the most popular strategy for solving Reading Comprehension(RC)?

Reading passage first and then question is the most popular strategy for solving R C.

Q.9. What should one do for finding the right answers?

One should mark what the author is talking about in para.

Q.10. Which step is considered more essential for finding right answers? Why?

Careful reading of the passage is essential for proper understanding and answering correctly.

Q.11. Find the words similar in the meaning from passage.
(a) Different (para 2)
(b) Accept as true (para 6)

(a) Diverse
(b) Assume