Secondary 1
Term 1 Lesson 5
Introduction to Comprehension 1
This is just the first of a
series of worksheets to
expose students to the
techniques used in
tackling comprehension.
INTRODUCTION TO COMPREHENSION 1
(A) INTRODUCTION
Over the next few weeks, we will learn how to understand comprehension passages and
answer comprehension questions.
Thus far, you have learnt how to write better narrative essays (i.e. stories) that can meet the
standard in secondary schools. One thing we have emphasised repeatedly is the need to show,
not tell, the story and characters to your reader.
Now, we should also consider the reverse. How can we become better readers of any book
or comprehension passage? This is important because the comprehension passages you will
encounter from now on will also show, not tell – and so they will be harder to understand. In
other words, you will be studying writers who will use unusual descriptions to spice up their
writing.
To understand what they mean, you need to first know whether the writer is using words
literally or figuratively.
Step 1: Literal or Figurative Language?
When reading any comprehension passage, you should first
using literal or figurative language.
Literal: Words function exactly as defined.
The form of language
used in secondary
school passages is more
challenging.
beTherefore,
able to identify
if the writer
our worksheets
are is
specially designed to enable a
smooth transition.
E.g. It was raining heavily.
Figurative: You must figure out what the word means.
E.g. It was raining cats and dogs.
Explanation: This does not mean that cats and dogs were falling from the sky.
Rather, it means that it was raining very heavily.
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Take a quick moment to identify whether each example uses literal or figurative language.
Sentence
Mr. Moriarty approached Sherlock, grinning menacingly.
My love is like a red, red rose.
A scream cut through the silence, jolting me into wakefulness.
Susanna is a wonderful singer.
Literal / Figurative
As much as we would love
to show you everything,
we cannot be showing you
the best. 
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view the full set!
Let us attempt an example now:
“The Queen is just a figurehead.”
figurehead: a carving set at the prow of an old-fashioned sailing ship
•
Language device : Metaphor
•
Actual meaning : _________________________________________________________
•
Reasoning
: _________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
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(B) FIGURATIVE DEVICES
You can better understand and answer questions on figurative language if you are familiar with
(a) the different types of figurative devices and (b) how they are used.
Generally, passages will include several figurative devices, with the more common ones being
metaphors, similes, personifications, hyperboles and understatements.
Below are the definitions and examples of these language devices:
Terms
Metaphor
Definition
Example
It compares one object or idea to All the world is a stage.
another, without using “like” or
“as”, as if to equate the two objects He is a monkey.
of comparison.
Simile
It compares one object or idea to That alcoholic drinks like a fish.
another, using the words “like” or
“as” to suggest they are alike.
He is as strong as an ox.
A comparison must be made.
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centre to view the
full set of materials.
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A mind map is quickly
absorbed by students,
even for seemingly
confusing concepts.
How to identify the language device:
ACTIVITY 1
Identify whether the technique used in each example is a simile, metaphor, hyperbole,
understatement, or personification. Explain your answers. It is possible that more than one
technique is used for each answer.
Example:
I could hear Korea calling my name.
Technique used: Personification
Rationale: This is personification because the country is portrayed as having, and using, a voice.
Meaning: The author is drawn to Korea, possibly out of nostalgia.
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1. The swamp has mosquitoes so big we can pluck them up like fruits.
Technique used: ________________________
Rationale: ______________________________________________________________
Meaning: _______________________________________________________________
2. Jane is a pig when she eats; she gobbles up all the food that comes her way.
Technique used: ________________________
Rationale: ______________________________________________________________
Meaning: _______________________________________________________________
3. The breeze gently whispered in my ear and brushed my hair.
Technique used: ________________________
Rationale: ______________________________________________________________
Meaning: _______________________________________________________________
4. The lights, as enchanting as a spell, brought her closer to the edge of the platform.
Technique used: ________________________
Rationale: ______________________________________________________________
Meaning: _______________________________________________________________
5. Mount Everest is just a hill; anyone can handle it.
Technique used: ________________________
Rationale: ______________________________________________________________
Meaning: _______________________________________________________________
6. The river was as smooth as a skin, reflecting the morning sunlight with a million
mirrors.
Technique used: ________________________
Rationale: ______________________________________________________________
Meaning: _______________________________________________________________
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Do drop by our
centre to view the
full set of materials.
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ACTIVITY 2
Read the following excerpts. Identify the required literary devices and answer the questions.
Excerpt 1
The woman who owned the sweet shop was a horror. We hated her and had just cause
for doing so.
Her name was Mrs Pratchett. She was a small skinny old hag with a moustache on her
upper lip and a mouth as sour as a green gooseberry. She never smiled. She never
welcomed us when we went in, and the only times she spoke were when she said things
like, “I’m watching your so keep your thieving fingers off them chocolates!” Or “I don’t
want you I’m here just to look around!”
Adapted from Boy, Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl
Identify the literary device used above. What does it mean?
Simile:
_________________________________________________________________
Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
What does the phrase tell us about Mrs Pratchett's personality?
__________________________________________________________________________
Excerpt 2
There were precious few health laws in those days, and nobody, least of all Mrs Pratchett,
ever thought of using a little shovel for getting out the sweets as they do today. The mere
sight of her grimy right hand with its black fingernails digging an ounce of Chocolate Fudge
out of a jar would have caused a starving tramp to go running from the shop, but not us.
Sweets were our life-blood. We would have put up with far worse than that to get them.
Adapted from Boy, Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl
Identify the literary device used above. What does it mean?
Hyperbole:
______________________________________________________________
Meaning:
______________________________________________________________
What does the phrase tell you about the boys?
__________________________________________________________________________
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Excerpt 3
My mother was convinced that I would be a child prodigy, one of the rare, startling
creatures who sits down at the piano for the first time and discovers, in a few swift
adjustments of fingers, how to make the piano sing. She had made some phone calls and
found the ideal teacher to nurture such a prodigy: Madame Oblenka, a stern Russian
woman of indeterminate age, whose tight bun and pursed lips were enough to intimidate a
wild horse into submission. Madame Oblenka, who expected a little Mozart, was not overly
delighted to find herself saddled with a little girl banging her fists on the keys.
Adapted from My Musical Career by Helen Michaelson
Identify the literary device used above. What does it mean?
Hyperbole:
______________________________________________________________
Meaning:
______________________________________________________________
What does the phrase tell you of how the author views her piano teacher?
__________________________________________________________________________
Excerpt 4
In the Appalachian Mountains, where I grew up, stories come as easy as breathing. Maybe
it’s something in the water, or something that seeps out from those storied heights
themselves, rough, jagged mountains that held our little town like a jewel in the palm of a
giant hand. Yet I am more inclined to think it has to do with who your people are, and how
you first hear language. In my own fortunate case, it was that slow, sweet Southern cadence
I will always associate with stories; and all those first stories were told by people who loved
me.
Adapted from Everything Else Falls Away by Lee Smith
Identify the literary devices used above. What does it mean?
Simile:
_________________________________________________________________
Meaning: _________________________________________________________________
Personification: _____________________________________________________________
Meaning:
_____________________________________________________________
What does the above paragraph tell you of Smith and her people?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
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(C) EDITING
Do drop by our
centre to view the
full set of materials.
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Additional reading is
provided so that our
students are exposed to
current affairs.
(D) SUPPLEMENTARY READING
Fruit Juice often Laden with Sugar, Warns HPB (13/11/2014)
If your shot at good health is a daily glass of fresh fruit juice, it might be time to change that
habit. The Health Promotion Board (HPB) says that a glass of juice is not as healthy as you
think, because it contains as much sugar as a sweetened drink.
HPB chief executive officer Zee Yoong Kang said, “Many people think juices are good for
health and, yes, there are nutrients, but they should limit their intake to one glass a day.”
Dr Annie Ling, director of HPB's Obesity Prevention Division, said, “In fact, fruit juices
generally contain much higher sugar levels than sweetened drinks.” She added that sugar
levels in fruit juices vary, with higher sugar levels in more acidic fruit like apples and berries.
Freshly squeezed juice contains 10 to 20 per cent less sugar than packaged drinks, which are
reconstituted from concentrates. Said Dr Ling, “We apply the same allowance for sugar
sweetened drinks to fruit juices: no more than one glass a day.”
Singaporeans take an average of 11 teaspoons of sugar a day, with the top fifth hitting 18
teaspoons a day, HPB figures show.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends no more than 10 teaspoons of free
sugar daily, or sugar added to foods by the manufacturer and those naturally present in
honey, syrups and fruit juices. One in three people here takes more than that. Professor Jim
Mann, of the WHO Nutrition Guidance Expert Advisory Group, said this does not include
sugars in whole fruit and vegetables which digest more slowly and take longer to enter the
blood stream. So eating the fruit is far better than drinking it as it gives you the nutrients
without the sugar rush.
Mr Zee said that two-thirds of sugar consumed here come from drinks, including fruit juices.
This much sugar is detrimental to health and one reason for the ballooning obesity rate, he
said, with the bulk of sugar coming as empty calories in drinks. This is because highly refined
carbohydrates wear out the insulin-producing part of the pancreas. Also, Dr Ling explained,
“Insulin causes fat cells to go into storage overdrive leading to weight gain.”
Even the supposedly healthy yoghurt drinks have about five teaspoons of sugar in a 200g
portion or just two spoons less than a 330g carbonated drink.
Mr Zee hopes to reduce consumption of sugar here over time by persuading people to learn
to enjoy less sweet drinks. He dismissed calls for a health tax on white sugar, which he says
will not work as people will simply switch from one unhealthy food to another. Furthermore,
such a tax will hit the poor hard. Instead, he wants to change their palate.
People in Japan and Hong Kong take their drinks with less sugar than Singaporeans. Even
jasmine tea, which is drunk with no sugar in Japan and 2½ teaspoons of sugar in Hong Kong,
has four teaspoons of sugar when sold here.
Source: The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited.
Reproduced with permission.
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