English reading comprehension
Find the main idea, check the evidence, and draw conclusions from short passages.
English passages
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All 5 modules complete. You can stop here for today.
Next time, try the method again.
Try another round of Reading comprehension. Find the supporting words before checking each answer.
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Your path
Read the method, then put it to work.
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Find the main idea
Connect the important points into one sentence that captures the whole passage.
Lessons & practices
Find the main idea
English passages
Start with the topic: who or what is this about? Then ask what the writer tells you about that topic. A useful main idea needs both parts.
Check your idea against the whole text. A true detail may cover only one sentence. A broad claim may add something the writer never said.
Worked example
The repair café lends tools on Saturdays. Volunteers show visitors how to mend torn clothes and fix loose chair legs. People leave with repaired belongings and a method they can use again.
What is the main idea?
Answer
The repair café helps people repair belongings and learn how to do it themselves.The café offers repairs and teaches useful skills. Lending tools on Saturdays is only one detail.
Try it
Read the passage, then choose the best answer.
A school opened its kitchen for evening classes. Neighbors learned to cook inexpensive meals and shared recipes from home. By the end of the month, several strangers were planning meals together.
That’s right.Let’s check the evidence.
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The school kitchen opens in the evening.
Your choice · That detail is true, but it leaves out the cooking skills and the new connections between neighbors. -
Cooking classes helped neighbors learn skills and get to know each other.
Your choice · Correct · The neighbors learned to cook and began planning meals together.
Remember
Check your idea against the whole text.Follow the whole story
English passages
Note how the story starts, what changes, and how it ends. Connect these three parts in your summary. Leave out small details.
Do not stop at the first problem. Read the ending before choosing a summary: the response to a problem can matter more than the problem itself.
Worked example
At first, no one stopped at Jo's book stall. She began adding handwritten recommendations to the covers. Soon customers were asking her to choose books for their friends.
Which summary includes the whole change?
Answer
Jo turns an overlooked stall into a place where customers seek her recommendations.The summary shows the problem, Jo's solution, and the result. Customers begin to trust her advice.
Try it
Read the passage, then choose the best answer.
Eli's first walking tour ended with two confused visitors. He replaced his long speeches with short stories at each stop. A month later, those visitors returned with friends and asked him to lead another tour.
That’s right.Let’s check the evidence.
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Two visitors struggle to understand a walking tour.
Your choice · That is the starting problem. It omits Eli's change and the visitors' return. -
Eli improves a confusing tour, and the original visitors return with friends.
Your choice · Correct · This includes the confusing first tour, Eli's improvement, and the visitors' return.
Remember
Do not stop at the first problem.PracticeAfter your round: Choose one passage from your round. Write its main idea in one sentence, then check that it covers the whole passage and adds no new claim.
Try a short example
The method
Name the topic, then say what the writer tells you about it. Check that your sentence covers the important points across the whole passage.Watch for this
A statement can be true and still cover only one detail of the passage.Read the passage, then choose the best answer.
A neighborhood bakery used to discard bread left at closing. It now sets aside those loaves for a nearby community kitchen. The kitchen collects them each evening and serves them the next morning.
That’s right.Let’s check the evidence.
The passage follows a change from discarding leftover bread to using it for meals at a community kitchen. The answer captures both the old practice and the new use.
The supporting text is highlighted above.
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A community kitchen collects bread from a bakery each evening.
Your choice · This is true, but it describes collection and leaves out the change from throwing the bread away. -
A bakery now supplies a kitchen with bread it previously discarded.
Your choice · Correct · Correct. This connects what the bakery used to do with what happens to the bread now. -
A bakery earns extra money by selling its remaining bread to a kitchen.
Your choice · The passage does not say the kitchen pays for the bread or that the bakery earns money from it. -
A community kitchen now serves bakery bread on the evening it arrives.
Your choice · The kitchen serves the bread the next morning, not on the evening it arrives.
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Find the exact detail
Match people, actions, places, and times to the question being asked.
Lessons & practices
Locate the right detail
English passages
Check what the question asks for: who, where, when, what, or why. Find the relevant sentence and read it carefully.
An answer can repeat words from the text and still be wrong. Check that those words describe the person or action in the question, not a nearby detail.
Worked example
The workshop is in the upstairs studio. Register at the desk beside the entrance, then collect your materials from the back room.
Where should a visitor register?
Answer
At the desk beside the entrance.The question asks about registration, not the workshop location or the materials. Match the action 'register' to its location.
Try it
Read the passage, then choose the best answer.
Before the show, leave coats in the hall. Hand tickets to the volunteer at the theater door. Programs are available from the table inside.
That’s right.Let’s check the evidence.
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The volunteer at the theater door.
Your choice · Correct · The instruction directly says to hand tickets to this volunteer. -
Someone collecting coats in the hall.
Your choice · The hall is mentioned for coats. No person there is identified as collecting tickets.
Remember
An answer can repeat words from the text and still be wrong.Keep times and events straight
English passages
Match each time to an event: doors open at six; music starts at seven. You can jot down the pairs instead of holding them in memory.
Watch words such as before, after, first, and then. They tell you the order, even when the text mentions a later event before describing an earlier one.
Worked example
The film starts at eight. The café opens an hour earlier, and the ticket desk opens at half past seven.
What opens first?
Answer
The café, at seven.An hour before eight is seven. The café therefore opens before the ticket desk at half past seven. The order of sentences is not the order of events.
Try it
Read the passage, then choose the best answer.
Leon starts preparing the hall at nine. Guests arrive at ten, but the demonstration does not begin until half past ten.
That’s right.Let’s check the evidence.
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At nine.
Your choice · Nine is when Leon starts preparing the hall, not when the demonstration begins. -
At half past ten.
Your choice · Correct · The text says the demonstration does not begin until half past ten.
Remember
Watch words such as before, after, first, and then.PracticeAfter your round: Choose one detail question from your round. Quote the words that answer it and explain which nearby detail could have led you astray.
Try a short example
The method
Identify exactly what the question asks for, then find the sentence that answers it. Pair each time or place with its own action.Watch for this
An answer can borrow words from the passage while attaching them to the wrong event.Read the passage, then choose the best answer.
The office accepts borrowed equipment at reception until four. Items needing repair must instead go to the service desk, which closes at three. Collection from the service desk begins at ten the next morning.
That’s right.Let’s check the evidence.
The second sentence gives a separate rule for items needing repair: take them to the service desk, which closes at three. The morning time is for collection.
The supporting text is highlighted above.
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To reception, by four that afternoon.
Your choice · Reception and four apply to ordinary equipment returns. The next sentence gives a different rule for repairs. -
To the service desk, at ten the next morning.
Your choice · This has the correct desk but uses the collection time instead of the time for bringing an item in. -
To reception, by three that afternoon.
Your choice · This has the repair desk's closing time but sends the item to the wrong place. -
To the service desk, by three that afternoon.
Your choice · Correct · Correct. The second sentence connects repairs with the service desk and its three o'clock closing time.
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Make a supported inference
Use clues to reach a conclusion while keeping within what the passage supports.
Lessons & practices
Use clues, not guesses
English passages
An inference is an idea you work out from clues. The writer does not say it directly. Ask: which words or actions support this idea?
A character's actions can support an inference about their feelings or intentions. Use cautious wording such as 'suggests' when the text leaves room for uncertainty.
Worked example
When the visitor put down her empty cup, Amal filled it again and moved another chair beside the table. 'There's no rush,' she said.
What does Amal's response suggest?
Answer
She would like the visitor to stay a little longer.Amal offers another drink and says there is no rush. Both suggest she wants the visitor to stay.
Try it
Read the passage, then choose the best answer.
Rafi read the message saying his lost wallet had been found. He let out a long breath, lowered his shoulders, and stopped searching through his bag.
That’s right.Let’s check the evidence.
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Annoyed that someone has contacted him.
Your choice · Rafi relaxes and stops searching. These actions suggest relief, not annoyance. -
Relieved that the search may be over.
Your choice · Correct · His long breath, lowered shoulders, and decision to stop searching all support relief.
Remember
A character's actions can support an inference about their feelings or intentions.Do not infer too much
English passages
Several explanations may be possible in real life. In a reading question, choose the one the text supports most directly, not merely one you can imagine.
Check how much the answer claims. Watching one successful attempt does not prove that someone will always succeed. Keep your answer within what the text supports.
Worked example
Sana had checked the same schedule three times. When a staff member passed, she asked, 'Is the ten-fifteen service still running?'
What can you reasonably conclude?
Answer
Sana is uncertain about the service and wants confirmation.Her repeated checking and question support uncertainty. They do not prove that the service is canceled or explain why she needs to travel.
Try it
Read the passage, then choose the best answer.
After several weeks of practice, the coach handed Tessa the session plan. 'Take the warm-up today. I'll watch from the side,' he said.
That’s right.Let’s check the evidence.
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He thinks Tessa is ready to try leading the warm-up.
Your choice · Correct · He lets Tessa lead while he watches. This suggests he thinks she is ready to try. -
He has decided to stop coaching the team permanently.
Your choice · He says he will watch from the side today. Nothing says he will leave or stop coaching permanently.
Remember
Check how much the answer claims.PracticeAfter your round: Choose one inference from your round. Name two clues that support it, then write one stronger claim those clues would not justify.
Try a short example
The method
Find the words or actions that support your conclusion. Check whether the answer claims anything stronger than those clues allow.Watch for this
A possible explanation is not necessarily the explanation best supported by the text.Read the passage, then choose the best answer.
After rain leaked through the roof, the community center moved its afternoon class to the library. The notice said the roof would be repaired on Friday. It asked participants to use the library entrance until another notice was posted.
That’s right.Let’s check the evidence.
The class moves after a roof leak, and repairs are planned. Those details suggest the move lets the class continue away from the problem. The notice gives no reason to expect a larger class or a long-term move.
The supporting text is highlighted above.
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The organizers wanted the class to continue away from the leak.
Your choice · Correct · Correct. The leak and planned repairs support moving the class so it can continue elsewhere. -
The organizers thought the library would attract a larger class.
Your choice · The passage does not discuss attendance or attracting more participants. -
The organizers may have chosen a new long-term home for the class.
Your choice · The notice links the move to a leak and repairs. It does not support a long-term relocation. -
The organizers wanted to change the afternoon class to Friday.
Your choice · Friday is the repair date. The notice does not say the class has changed days.
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Read words in context
Use surrounding ideas to choose the meaning a word carries in this passage.
Lessons & practices
Use context clues
English passages
Before opening a dictionary, read the whole sentence and the one beside it. A nearby example, explanation, or contrast may make the unfamiliar word clear enough to continue.
Check your guess against the sentence. If the clues are not clear enough, use a dictionary. You do not need to guess every word.
Worked example
The suitcase was cumbersome: it was so large and awkward that Lina needed both hands to carry it through the narrow doorway.
What does 'cumbersome' mean here?
Answer
Difficult to carry or handle because of its size or shape.The words after the colon explain 'cumbersome': the suitcase is large and awkward to carry.
Try it
Read the passage, then choose the best answer.
Instead of the usual lengthy report, Mina sent a concise note: three sentences with the decision and the next step.
That’s right.Let’s check the evidence.
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Unclear because it leaves out the decision.
Your choice · The note includes the decision and next step. The text does not describe it as unclear. -
Brief while giving the needed information.
Your choice · Correct · The note replaces a long report but still gives the decision and next step.
Remember
Check your guess against the sentence.Choose the meaning that fits
English passages
A familiar word can have a different meaning in a new setting. Keep the sentence's topic in mind: a 'branch' might belong to a tree or to a company.
Try replacing the word with your proposed meaning. Read the sentence again. The meaning must fit both the grammar and the surrounding idea.
Worked example
The museum's new branch opens near the harbor next month. Its main building will remain in the city center.
What does 'branch' mean here?
Answer
An additional location of the same organization.The museum will have a new location as well as its main building. That is what 'branch' means here.
Try it
Read the passage, then choose the best answer.
The new footbridge removed a barrier between the two neighborhoods. Residents could now cross the canal in five minutes instead of walking to the distant road bridge.
That’s right.Let’s check the evidence.
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A disagreement between residents.
Your choice · The text describes a difficult crossing, not an argument or disagreement. -
An obstacle that made moving between the places difficult.
Your choice · Correct · The canal made crossing difficult. The new bridge gives residents a shorter route.
Remember
Try replacing the word with your proposed meaning.PracticeAfter your round: Choose one word from your round. Replace it with a short explanation, then quote the nearby clue that makes that meaning fit.
Try a short example
The method
Read the sentence and its neighbors for an explanation, example, or contrast. Substitute your chosen meaning and check that the surrounding idea still makes sense.Watch for this
The first meaning you recognize may belong to a different use of the same word.Read the passage, then choose the best answer.
The editor gave the proposal a qualified endorsement. She praised its clear purpose but said the budget needed revision before work could begin. The team kept the proposal and prepared a new estimate.
That’s right.Let’s check the evidence.
The editor supports the proposal's purpose but requires a revised budget before work starts. The proposal remains in use while the team addresses that condition.
The supporting text is highlighted above.
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Approval to begin work using the proposal's current budget.
Your choice · The editor requires a budget revision, so her approval is not unconditional. -
Approval based on the editor's formal credentials and experience.
Your choice · Qualified can describe someone with credentials, but no credentials are discussed here. The next sentence explains a condition on the approval. -
Approval, but only if the required budget changes are made.
Your choice · Correct · Correct. The editor approves the purpose while requiring a change to the budget. -
Rejection because the proposal lacks a clear and useful purpose.
Your choice · The editor praises the clear purpose, and the team keeps the proposal. Both details contradict rejection for an unclear purpose.
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Put the meaning together
Bring the main idea, supporting details, and important limits into a faithful summary.
Lessons & practices
Recognize the same idea in new words
English passages
A paraphrase says the same thing in different words. Match the person, action, and important details. 'The office closes at noon' and 'The office shuts at twelve midday' give the same information.
Check what has changed besides the wording. An answer must keep the original time, amount, and meaning. Repeating one familiar word is not enough to make it correct.
Worked example
The receptionist asked visitors to remain in the waiting area until their names were called.
Which instruction means the same thing?
Answer
Wait in the designated area until someone calls your name.'Wait' restates 'remain', and both instructions say to stay in that area until your name is called.
Try it
Read the passage, then choose the best answer.
During training, Omar listed the steps for checking an order. He left the list beside the register so staff could consult it during a shift.
That’s right.Let’s check the evidence.
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A record of which staff worked each shift.
Your choice · Staff and shifts appear in the text, but Omar lists steps for checking orders, not employees' working hours. -
Instructions for checking an order.
Your choice · Correct · A list of steps tells staff how to check an order. 'Instructions' expresses the same idea in a new word.
Remember
Check what has changed besides the wording.Keep benefits and limits in a summary
English passages
A writer may explain a benefit, then limit the claim. Watch for 'but', 'however', and 'depends on'. These words can change how much of the opening idea the writer supports.
Include any limit that affects the conclusion. You can leave out a small example, but dropping an important condition can turn a careful claim into one the text does not make.
Worked example
Recorded demonstrations let learners pause and replay a difficult step. However, a recording cannot answer a new question. It is useful for reviewing a process, but some learners will also need a chance to speak with an instructor.
Which idea should a summary preserve?
Answer
Recordings help learners review steps, though some will also need an instructor's help.The benefit is replaying steps. The limit is that new questions may still need an instructor. Both shape the writer's conclusion.
Try it
Read the passage, then choose the best answer.
Shared calendars help a team see when colleagues are free. They are less useful when people forget to update them. A calendar can make planning easier, but only if the team keeps its entries current.
That’s right.Let’s check the evidence.
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Shared calendars show when colleagues are free and make all planning easy.
Your choice · This keeps the benefit but removes the need for current entries and expands 'easier' into a claim about all planning. -
Shared calendars can help a team plan when people keep their entries up to date.
Your choice · Correct · This includes the planning benefit and the condition that makes the calendar useful to the team.
Remember
Include any limit that affects the conclusion.PracticeThis practice opens in English. The clock runs and the passage is hidden while you answer; speed does not affect program completion. After the round, open “Review the passage” and write a two-sentence summary from the text shown there. Keep the writer’s conditions and check every claim against the passage.
Try a short example
The method
State the main point in your own words. Keep any condition that changes the conclusion, then check your summary against the passage's details.Watch for this
Leaving out a condition can turn an accurate summary into a claim the writer never made.Read the passage, then choose the best answer.
A town's online booking system lets residents reserve an appointment without calling during office hours. Yet residents who lack internet access still need the telephone service, and staff must keep both schedules in sync to prevent double bookings. The review therefore recommends keeping both routes while improving the way they share appointment information.
That’s right.Let’s check the evidence.
The first sentence gives online booking's benefit. The second preserves phone access and explains the need to coordinate schedules. The final recommendation keeps both services and improves their shared information.
The supporting text is highlighted above.
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Keep online booking and end phone reservations once staff coordinate schedules, so residents can book appointments outside the office's opening hours.
Your choice · The need for phone access remains even if the schedules are coordinated. The review recommends keeping that service. -
Keep both routes: online booking adds flexibility, but some residents need the phone and the schedules must stay in sync.
Your choice · Correct · Correct. This includes the online benefit, the continuing need for phone access, and the condition for operating both routes together. -
Keep phone booking and delay online reservations until more residents have internet access, since the phone currently reaches a wider audience.
Your choice · The passage gives no comparison of how many residents each route reaches and does not recommend delaying the online service. -
Keep both booking routes to give residents flexible access, with each schedule managed separately because residents choose which service to use.
Your choice · Keeping both routes creates a need to coordinate their schedules. The passage explicitly says staff must do this to prevent double bookings.
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