← 📝 English as a Second Language
Reading for gist and detail
How to find the general idea of a text quickly and then locate the exact details that short-answer reading questions ask for.
📌 Key points
- Skimming means reading quickly to get the general idea (the gist) of a text; scanning means searching quickly for one piece of information, such as a name, date or number.
- Read the questions before you read the text, so you know what information you are looking for.
- Short-answer questions usually follow the order of the text, so the answer to one question is normally found after the answer to the one before.
- Questions often paraphrase the text: they use different words with the same meaning, so look for synonyms, not only the exact words in the question.
- Check the question word: 'when' needs a time, 'where' a place, 'why' a reason, 'how many' a number and 'who' a person.
- Answers should be short and precise; you can usually lift the key words from the text, but copy the spelling correctly.
- Do not add extra details that are wrong or that answer a different question, because wrong extra information can cost you the mark.
- If a question asks for two things, give two separate details; one detail written twice in different words earns only one mark.
- Titles, headings, pictures and the first sentence of each paragraph (the topic sentence) help you predict content and find the right part of the text.
📖 Key terms
- Skimming
- Reading quickly to understand the main idea or gist of a text.
- Scanning
- Searching a text quickly for a specific piece of information.
- Gist
- The general meaning or main idea of a text.
- Paraphrase
- Expressing the same meaning using different words.
- Synonym
- A word with the same or nearly the same meaning as another word.
- Topic sentence
- A sentence, usually the first in a paragraph, that states the main idea of that paragraph.
- Key word
- An important word in a question that tells you what information to look for.
✏️ Worked example
Read: 'The Green Valley cycle race started in 2015 with just 40 riders. Last year more than 600 people took part, and the organisers now plan to add a shorter route for children.'
Question: How many riders took part in the first race?
- Underline the key words in the question: how many (so the answer is a number) and first race.
- Scan the text for numbers: you find 40 and 600.
- Match 'first race' to the paraphrase in the text: 'started in 2015' tells you this is the first race.
- 600 is a distractor: it refers to last year, not the first race.
- Answer: 40 (riders).
Never write two different answers and hope one is right: if one of them is wrong the mark is usually lost. Give one precise answer that matches the question word.
Test yourself8 questions from a bank of 15. A new mix every time.
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