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.