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Englishguide · core

Comprehension skills guide

How to tackle retrieval, inference and vocabulary questions.

READ the passage once for gist, then read the questions. Retrieval: find the exact line — underline it. Inference: "What does this suggest?" — use clues and explain with evidence. Vocabulary in context: replace the word with your answer and check the sentence still makes sense. Author's purpose: think — inform, persuade, entertain, describe? Always answer in full sentences and use evidence from the text.