Reading Comprehension: The Five Skill Categories

Key vocabulary and concepts defining the five major categories of reading comprehension questions found in Diploma Exam style tests.

Identify and Interpret Ideas and Details

This means figuring out what the story is about by looking at important parts like the plot, mood, conflict, characters, setting, and key events.

Interpret Text Organization

This focuses on how an author organizes the writing. You’ll learn to spot features of the text and techniques the author uses.

Associate Meaning

These questions ask you to use clues from the surrounding words to find out what some words or phrases mean.

Make Connections

This category involves linking details or quotes in the text to the author's main idea or purpose.

Evaluate

These are questions where you choose the best answer from options that might all seem correct.

III Question Stem Phrases

These are phrases used in questions about identifying ideas and details, like 'suggest,' 'imply,' or 'refers to.'

ITO Focus Elements

Things to look at in text organization, like the type of text, how it’s laid out, and the literary devices used.

AM Contextual Decoding

A strategy to understand words by using other words in the same sentence as hints.

MC Synthesis

This means taking a step back to find the main ideas and themes in the entire text.

EV Bolded Keywords

These are important words in evaluate questions, such as ‘best’ and ‘most likely’, that help you find the right answer.

ITO Analysis Requirements

Tasks that require you to notice the tone, point of view, structure, and reasons the author had for writing the text.

Logic Table

A method for evaluate questions where you compare answer choices against specific criteria to see which is best.

III Information Retrieval

This means finding and understanding important details from the text and restating ideas in your own words.

Wait-and-Verify Method (III)

This strategy involves re-reading a few lines before and after a specific part to gather the information needed to answer.