Reading comprehension tips
While you read, you employ different styles of reading consciously/subconsciously. The way you read a novel and the way you read an official document is different.
While attempting a competitive exam like GMAT, GRE, TOEFL or IELTS, an extra element of pressure is added i.e. Time. So test aspirants need to adjust their reading styles as per the test requirement.
I gave this passage to a few students and observed their reading styles.
Passage:
There are times when the night sky glows with bands of color. The bands may begin as cloud shapes and then spread into a great arc across the entire sky. They may fall in folds like a curtain drawn across the heavens. The lights usually grow brighter, then suddenly dim. During this time the sky glows with pale yellow, pink, green, violet, blue, and red. These lights are called the Aurora Borealis. Some people call them the Northern Lights. Scientists have been watching them for hundreds of years. They are not quite sure what causes them. In ancient times people were afraid of the Lights. They imagined that they saw fiery dragons in the sky. Some even concluded that the heavens were on fire
Student 1
Style - Elementary reading-
This is the most basic level of reading, where the reader simply reads the words on the page without much thought or analysis. It's the kind of reading you do when you're reading a novel for entertainment, or when you’re reading a text message from a friend.
What did student I observe, while reading?
The student noticed words like bands - cloud shapes. Lights dim and and grow bright. Different colors - yellow, pink, green and red. Aurora Borealis. Northern lights. Fiery dragons. Heavens on fire.
My Observations:
When I gave the above passage, the student spotted words. The student did not focus on the meaning of the lines.
This style is not suited for competitive exams as you will not be able to answer the questions correctly. You will be able to read fast, but you won’t grasp the essence of the passage.
Student 2
Style - Inspectional Reading
At this level, the reader is skimming the text to get a general idea of what it's about. This might involve reading the table of contents, the introduction, or the first and last paragraphs of a chapter.
The goal is to get a sense of the main points and the structure of the text
What did student 2 observe, while reading?
The student noticed that the passage was about Aurora Borealis - Northern lights( from line 4). There were different colors mentioned. (The student did not notice the exact colors) The student said that scientists were unsure about the lights and ancient people were afraid of the lights. The student also observed that the ancient people thought the lights were dragons.
My observations:
When I gave the above passage, the student spotted some words. The student focused on the meaning of some lines. They could get the main idea of the passage.
This style is suited for competitive exams. You will be able to answer the easier questions. But there will be many questions where you might not get the correct answer.
If it’s MCQ type, you may be able to eliminate some options, but some options will be very close. You may take more time to read the passage, but you may not grasp the essence of the passage.
Student 3
Reading style - Analytical Reading
This level of reading involves a deeper analysis of the text. The reader is looking for the author's main argument, the evidence they use to support it, and the logical structure of their argument. This might involve taking notes, underlining key passages, or writing summaries of each section
What did student 3 observe, while reading?
Student 3 took notes. While taking notes, the student observed that the first 3 lines of the passage were the descriptive lines. These lines describe the phenomenon presented in line 4. Line 4 spoke about the main idea.
The student also noticed that there are two opinion/judgment statements- scientists are not sure what caused the northern lights. Ancient people were afraid of these lights. The student didn’t focus on the words. The student focused on the essence of the passage
While reading the passage, the student took notes.
Note-making is a crucial skill that can hone this style. As you develop this skill, you will gain the ability to visualize the structure of the passage During exams, you won’t have time to take notes, visualization will help you save time.
This style is suited for competitive exams. You will be able to answer all types of questions. You will be able to answer the questions faster as you are focused on the essence of the passage rather than on the keywords.
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