READING
COMPREHENSION
Reading comprehension skills are essential to understand everything you read. In high
school and in college you will be expected to derive information from passages of varying length
and difficulty. From the SAT or ACT to your senior thesis, strong reading skills will be vital for
success.
You will also apply reading comprehension skills in your writing. You will use these
skills to develop your thesis statements and to make your writing more thoughtful and
interesting!
Like the grammar section, this section cannot address every aspect of reading
comprehension. The skills listed here are the most crucial skills and must be mastered before
you are ready to tackle more complex skills.
Test-taking hints for Reading Comprehension:
 The secret to correctly answering reading comprehension questions is to choose
the BEST answer. Reading comprehension questions usually do not provide you
with perfect choices, so you must choose the choice that is most closely supported
by the passage.
 Do not rely on outside information to answer any questions about a passage. If
you do not think the passage has provided you with sufficient information to
answer the question, read the passage again. It is quite possible that you are
simply overlooking the answer. There is the possibility that the correct answer is
“not enough information provided,” but be sure to exhaust all other possibilities
before choosing this answer.
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DETAILS
Details are what you want after your best
friend gets back from a date.
Details are what your friends want to hear when
you have a juicy story to tell.
Details are the specific pieces of information included in a passage to support the main
idea or argument in the passage. Without details, your reader will get frustrated and lose interest.
REMEMBERING details when READING:
It is important to pay attention to and remember as
many details from a passage as you can. Then you can answer questions about the
passage and respond appropriately to the passage. The more details you can remember
without going back to the text, the better.
This will be especially helpful when taking the SAT or ACT, where you will be
expected to read passages quickly and then answer several questions about each passage.
ACTIVE READING may help you remember details more easily. Active reading
includes underlining and/or highlighting important points in a text as you read. The
important details will then be much easier to find when you are answering questions
later!
For visual people: Another helpful device to remember details is to “paint” a
picture in your head of what is going on as you read. Just like the saying, “a
picture is worth a thousand words,” you will remember dozens more details if you
can see them!
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USING details when WRITING:
When writing, be sure to follow the following guidelines:
 Think of details as evidence. The more evidence you have, the
stronger your argument will be.
 Have at least three details, or facts, to support your main idea or
thesis.1
 Keep your details interesting.
If your details are weak, your argument will be weak.
The Reading Lab provides hundreds of helpful questions to challenge your student’s
ability to read for details.
With your student, select a few passages from the Lab that are appropriate for their level.
Have he/she read a passage, and then try to answer as many of the questions as they can without
looking back at the text. It may be tough to remember many details at first! They may be
tempted to look back at the passage, but have them continue practicing. They will improve with
practice!!!
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See Chapter on Thesis Statements.
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MAIN IDEA
You have probably already encountered questions asking you to identify the main idea of
a passage.
You may have also been told that each of your essays should be focused on one main
idea.
This section will help you to identify the main idea in a passage and to focus each of your
essays on one main idea.
The main idea is just as it sounds. It is the main point in a passage, article, book, and so
forth.
IDENTIFYING MAIN IDEA IN READING
Sometimes the main idea of a passage will be explicitly stated. In other passages, it will
not be as obvious.
The following questions, either considered separately or together, may be helpful in
identifying the main idea of a passage:
1) What is the passage mostly about?
2) What is the author’s point?
3) What idea brings together most of the information?
Practice makes perfect. Read the passages on the next page, and try to identify the main
idea of the passages. Talk over the passages with your partner. Ask yourself the questions
above, and consider whether the main idea you have selected would be too broad, too narrow, or
right on target.
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PRACTICE PASSAGE #1
Tim walked up the path, afraid of what he might find around the corner. Looking back,
he realized he had no choice but to find out. He heard a twig crack, and his feet went numb. He
thought to himself, “If I get out of this alive, I’ll never, ever play a practical joke on Beth again.”
As he rounded the corner, his muscles tightened like a stretched rubber band.
“This is it,” he said.
MAIN IDEA: Tim is afraid of what is around the corner.
PRACTICE PASSAGE #2
Sarah, you are the nicest sister a guy could ever want. Knowing that I have a migraine,
you’ve so thoughtfully decided to practice your trumpet right next to me. All of my friends were
wrong when they said you were annoying and inconsiderate!
MAIN IDEA: Sarah is annoying and inconsiderate.
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PRACTICE PASSAGE #3
Scientists expect Generation X to embark mid-July of this year. The infestation should
last 6-8 weeks, during which many areas of Virginia, DC, and Maryland will be filled with the
humming music of the male mating call. Many residents of the metro-DC area dread the
invasion, but George Harrison of George Washington University eagerly awaits their debut.
MAIN IDEA: The anticipation of the Generation-X infestation in the metro-DC
area.
Section V of this Handbook contains supplemental questions to passages contained in the
Reading Lab. Included in Section V is one question per passage asking you to identify the main
idea of the passage.
You can also continue to practice identifying the main idea in other passages. What is
the main idea of the most recent newspaper article you’ve read? What is the main idea of your
favorite movie?
USING MAIN IDEA IN WRITING
In high school and college you will write essays. Sometimes you will need to develop a
main idea from a given topic. Sometimes you will be expected to create your own topic and
main idea. In both instances, ALWAYS be sure you STICK WITH YOUR MAIN IDEA!
The following is an excellent test to ensure your essay adheres to one main idea:
1)
2)
3)
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Write your main idea at the top of your first page.
Highlight each sentence and/or phrase that directly relates to your
main idea.
Remove any sentences and phrases that aren’t highlighted.
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MAKING INFERENCES
SCENARIO:
Joyce’s sister, Diana, comes home from school, goes straight to her room, and slams the
door. Joyce hears Diana crying, so Joyce knocks on the door. Diana responds, “That’s it! I’m
never going to college!” Knowing that Diana was supposed to receive her PSAT score at school
today, Joyce infers that:
A.
B.
C.
Diana won a million dollars.
Diana likes peanut butter.
Diana is not pleased with her PSAT results.
If you chose C, that is a good start. Diana may like peanut butter and may have
won a million dollars, but these possibilities are not mentioned in the passage.
The only conclusion you can logically reach is C.
(Reaching a conclusion is the same as making an inference.)
When reading, you will be asked to:
1)
Make inferences based on information given (just as you did above).
2)
Identify whether an author’s conclusion is valid or invalid. (Pretend the
passage above ends with the statement, “Joyce concludes that Diana won a
million dollars.” You may also be expected to state that Joyce’s
conclusion is invalid, because it is not supported by the evidence.)
3)
Identify why an author’s inference is valid or invalid.
Sometimes authors explicitly state their conclusions. Sometimes they do not!
When writing, any inferences you state or imply must be well-supported by evidence you
include.
PRACTICE: The Reading Lab provides excellent passages you can read with your student to
practice identifying and making inferences.
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CAUSE AND EFFECT
“For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”
--Sir Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion
CAUSE:
Why something happens.
EFFECT:
The result of the cause.
Sometimes one cause may lead to many effects.
Sometimes many causes may lead to one effect.
Examples:
CAUSE: You review algebra and geometry with your partner at College
Bound every week during the school year.
EFFECT: You raise your Math SAT Score by 200 points.
CAUSE: Rodney talked to Kim in the hallway after class.
EFFECT: Rodney and Kim were late to their next class.
 Certain SIGNAL WORDS help identify a CAUSE in a passage. Some examples
include:
because
for
due to
since
 Certain SIGNAL WORDS help identify an EFFECT in a passage. Some are:
accordingly
consequently
so
hence
as a result of
hence
therefore
thus
PRACTICE: Using a newspaper or your personal knowledge, list at least 5 cause and
effect relationships from today’s news:
CAUSE
EFFECT
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
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FACT AND OPINION
The difference between fact and opinion can often be difficult to decipher, but it’s
important to understand the difference when you are reading and writing.
FACTS can be CHECKED OR VERIFIED.
OPINIONS CANNOT be CHECKED OR VERIFIED. Opinions are how someone feels
about something.
To figure out whether a statement is a fact or an opinion, use the following test:

If you can use one or more of your five senses to prove the statement, the
statement is probably a fact. If not, it is probably an opinion.

If someone CANNOT disagree with the statement, the statement is
probably a fact. If they could, it is probably an opinion.
IDENTIFYING FACT AND OPINION WHILE READING:
MISCONCEPTION: Any statement in a textbook, newspaper, or any other printed
source is entirely factual.
THE TRUTH: Literature is FILLED with opinions—even textbooks and newspapers.
Authors can support these opinions with facts, which may make them valuable opinions, but they
are STILL OPINIONS!
Being able to identify fact and opinion in will help you better understand the information
in a passage.
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USING FACT AND OPINION IN WRITING:
Using fact and opinion in your writing will probably prove to be easier than identifying
it in passages. Always be AWARE of your use of facts versus opinions. Do not treat opinions
as facts, and do not treat facts like opinions.
Most essays you write in high school and college will contain facts and opinions. Your
thesis statement2 will provide the framework for your essay and will be your argument, or your
OPINION. You will support or prove your opinion by using evidence, or FACTS.
In creative writing, instead of a thesis statement, you will likely have a main idea. For
example, your main idea may be “Overcoming an Obstacle.” Your opinion might be that you
overcame an obstacle when you got a B+ in English last semester. You would support this
opinion with facts. These facts could range from mentioning that you had always received C’s in
English before, that you spent an extra hour a night on your English homework last semester, and
that you are experiencing continued success in your current English class.
Practice: The Reading Lab Supplement contains questions to passages in the Reading Lab.
Included in the Reading Lab Supplement are questions asking you to identify the facts and/or
opinions in the passages.
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See the discussion on thesis statements in Chapter Four, Section F.
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THESIS STATEMENTS
You have probably been in an argument. Maybe you were arguing with a friend over
what you were going to do that afternoon, or maybe you have been in an argument with your
parents about staying up too late or not helping out around the house. The more arguing you
have done, the more practice you have had at creating thesis statements.
A thesis statement succinctly states your argument, which is usually limited to one
sentence. Most papers you will write in high school, college, and beyond will be structured
around thesis statements.
READING THESIS STATEMENTS:
Identifying an author’s thesis statement, or ARGUMENT, is essential to understanding a
passage. If you cannot identify an author’s thesis, you have not clearly understood the passage.
Questions addressing Author’s Purpose and Author’s Argument in the Reading Lab will
be extremely helpful in practicing how to identify an author’s thesis.
WRITING THESIS STATEMENTS:
 You should develop your thesis statement based on available evidence.
 NEVER try to FORCE the evidence to support your thesis statement.
 If you need to revise your thesis statement based on information you obtain, that
is fine! There is no reason to cling to a dead thesis statement.
 When writing, your thesis statement is most effectively included either in the
beginning or at the end of your essay. Most instructors prefer thesis statements to
be the last sentence of your introduction.
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Strong thesis statements…
1) are supported by the evidence. As a general rule, you should have
at least 3 details to support any thesis statement. If you cannot
find at least three pieces of supporting evidence, REVISE your
thesis!
2) are specific and original. Stating that Romeo and Juliet is good means
that you then must define “good,” and you are still left with a
really boring thesis!)
3) incite debate. You could say that gravity is important, but could
someone debate that? Think of a thesis statement that gets people
fired up and disagreeing with you!)
Some examples of strong thesis statements:
--The death penalty should be outlawed in the United States.
--School uniforms would impede rather than facilitate learning in DC public
schools.
--The committee should approve an eight o’clock curfew for teenagers.
--Eminem’s “Stan” satirizes the misplaced adoration of popular performers.
--Seemingly insignificant differences between the Quarto and Folio versions
of King Lear vastly affect the characterization of Cordelia.
Discuss with your partner whether the thesis statements above are strong. Would you
agree or disagree with these statements? What evidence would you use to prove them wrong?
PRACTICE:
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
Current events, politics, and literature (even the newspaper) are good sources for
thesis statements. You develop opinions all the time—now it is time to practice
effectively writing your opinions and supporting them with facts!

The Reading Lab Supplement contains questions to passages contained in the
Reading Lab. Included in the Reading Lab Supplement are questions asking you
to formulate thesis statements from the given passages. Support your thesis
statements with evidence.
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