Reading practice questions.

In a Paper 2 reading text you meet a word you have never seen before. What is the best first step?

• Work out its meaning from the sentence around it
• Skip the whole paragraph and move on to the next question
• Translate the text word by word into your first language
• Choose an answer at random and come back to it later

Answer: Work out its meaning from the sentence around it

Paper 2 texts always contain unknown words; the paper is designed that way. The surrounding sentence, the topic and the word's grammatical role usually give you enough to answer.

A Paper 2 question asks: 'In line 12, what does the word "they" refer to?' What kind of question is this?

• A reference question, answered from earlier in the text
• A vocabulary question about the dictionary meaning of a word
• A question about the writer's opinion of the subject
• A question testing your knowledge of English grammar

Answer: A reference question, answered from earlier in the text

Pronouns such as 'they', 'this' and 'it' usually point back to something already mentioned, so the answer is normally a noun phrase in the lines just before. Reading forwards for it is the usual mistake.

You meet the unknown word 'unaffordable' in a text about housing. Which approach helps you most?

• Translate the whole sentence word for word.
• Split it into 'un-', 'afford' and '-able'.
• Look only at the last letter of the word.
• Skip the paragraph the word stands in.

Answer: Split it into 'un-', 'afford' and '-able'.

Prefix, root and suffix carry the meaning: 'not able to be paid for'. Word-for-word translation destroys the structure, and skipping the paragraph usually removes an answer with it.

A question asks: 'Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the text?' What is the best way to answer it?

• Choose the option that sounds least likely to you.
• Choose the longest option, because it says most.
• Find the three options that do appear and take the rest.
• Answer from what you already know about the topic.

Answer: Find the three options that do appear and take the rest.

A negative question is answered by elimination against the text. Your own knowledge is irrelevant here: every answer has to be provable from the passage in front of you.

A question asks about the writer's attitude to a new law. Where do you look in the text?

• At the adjectives and adverbs that judge it.
• At the dates and figures in the text.
• At the title of the article only.
• At the length of the paragraphs.

Answer: At the adjectives and adverbs that judge it.

Attitude is carried by evaluative words such as 'worrying', 'sensible' or 'sadly'. A text can report a law completely neutrally and still reveal the writer's view in two adjectives.

The text says: 'The bike-sharing scheme took off almost immediately.' What does 'took off' mean here?

• rose into the air
• was removed from the streets
• was cancelled by the council
• became successful very quickly

Answer: became successful very quickly

The context decides: 'almost immediately' plus a scheme rather than an aircraft rules out the literal reading. Phrasal verbs in a reading text are nearly always settled by what surrounds them.