Comprehensive Guide to Finding Keywords for Reading Comprehension

General Procedure for Reading Comprehension Tasks

  • Step 1: Read the Title - Understand the general subject of the passage.
  • Step 2: Read the Questions First
    • Underline keywords in the questions.
    • Grasp the basic meaning of what is being asked.
  • Step 3: Locate Keywords in the Text - Find the keywords within the passage and circle the paragraph that contains them.
  • Step 4: Find the Answer - Pinpoint the specific answer and write the question number next to the location in the text.
  • Step 5: Vocabulary Mastery - Take notes on new vocabulary and learn these words.
  • Note on Answer Location: Typically, the answer to a question is found within only 1 or 2 specific sentences inside a paragraph.

Understanding Keywords

  • Keyword Function: Keywords are used to locate the answer in the text. They appear specifically in the section or paragraph containing the relevant information.
  • Types of Keywords:
    • Unchangeable Keywords: These words remain identical in the text as they are in the questions. They are easy to scan for visually.
    • Changeable Keywords: These words have been modified or paraphrased. They cannot be scanned for exactly and require looking for synonyms or structural changes.

Categories of Unchangeable Keywords

  • People's Names: Proper nouns referring to individuals.
  • Geographic Locations: Names of places, cities, or countries.
  • Academic Terminology: Specialized or technical terms and phrases.
  • Specially Formatted Text: Words or phrases placed in quotation marks, italics, or bold font.
  • Numbers: Specific dates, percentages, or quantities.

Mechanisms of Keyword Transformation (Changeable Keywords)

  • Synonyms and Paraphrasing:
    • enough→sufficient,adequateenough \rightarrow sufficient, adequate (Meaning: full/enough)
    • 10 years→a decade10\,years \rightarrow a\,decade
    • 30%→about a third,thirty per cent30\% \rightarrow about\,a\,third, thirty\,per\,cent
    • 50%→half50\% \rightarrow half
    • money→national budgetmoney \rightarrow national\,budget
    • should invest money in→should be spent onshould\,invest\,money\,in \rightarrow should\,be\,spent\,on
    • education→schoolingeducation \rightarrow schooling
  • Active and Passive Voice Conversions:
    • Structure: S+V+O→S+be+V3/ed+(by O)S + V + O \rightarrow S + be + V_3/ed + (by\,O)
    • Example: "The government should invest money in education" transforms into "Money should be invested in education."
  • Word Class Changes (Part of Speech):
    • Transformation between Noun, Verb, Adjective, and Adverb forms.
    • Example: "He decided (verb) to visit…" $\rightarrow$ "He made a decision (noun) to visit…"
  • Word Order Realignment:
    • Example: "English is one of the compulsory subjects in school" $\rightarrow$ "One of the compulsory subjects in school is English."

Guided Practice: Finding Keywords

  • Process Steps for Keyword Identification:

    1. Read the question.
    2. Underline keywords that are unchangeable (Rule: mark in Red).
    3. Underline keywords that are likely to be changed (Rule: mark in Blue).
    4. Predict potential synonyms for the changeable keywords.

  • Sample Sentences for Analysis:

    • "Tea and beer both helped to prevent dysentery in Britain."
    • "Roy Porter disagrees with Professor Macfarlane's findings."
    • "After 1740, there was a reduction in population in Britain."

Comprehensive Vocabulary and Synonym Map

  • Basic Terms:

    • many=a lot ofmany = a\,lot\,of
    • seed=hạt gio^ˊngseed = hạt\,giống
    • bank=conservation=protectionbank = conservation = protection (Meaning: protection/preservation)
    • to be under threat=to be threatened=to be in dangerto\,be\,under\,threat = to\,be\,threatened = to\,be\,in\,danger (Meaning: threatened or in danger)
    • due to=because of=owing todue\,to = because\,of = owing\,to (Meaning: because of)
    • not enough=insufficient=a lack ofnot\,enough = insufficient = a\,lack\,of (Meaning: insufficient/lack)
    • the charity=charitable organizationsthe\,charity = charitable\,organizations (Meaning: charity organization)
    • funds=quy~funds = quỹ
    • pay for=spend on=invest inpay\,for = spend\,on = invest\,in (Meaning: pay for/spend on/invest in)
    • education=schoolingeducation = schooling
    • need (n)=demand=requirementneed\,(n) = demand = requirement (Meaning: demand/need)
    • poor people=the poor=people living in povertypoor\,people = the\,poor = people\,living\,in\,poverty

  • Advanced Concepts:

    • persuade=convince (v)+sb+to Vpersuade = convince\,(v) + sb + to\,V (Meaning: convince someone to do something)
    • public transport=trains and busespublic\,transport = trains\,and\,buses
    • an uphill struggle=a major difficultyan\,uphill\,struggle = a\,major\,difficulty (Meaning: a significant difficulty)
    • unpopulated (adj)=uninhabitedunpopulated\,(adj) = uninhabited (Antonym: populatedpopulated)
    • unpopulated land=open spaceunpopulated\,land = open\,space
    • land (n)=khu đa^ˊtland\,(n) = khu\,đất
    • reduce=diminish (v)reduce = diminish\,(v) (Meaning: decrease)
    • ten years=a decadeten\,years = a\,decade
    • agricultural worker=farmeragricultural\,worker = farmer
    • grow=cultivate (v)grow = cultivate\,(v) (Meaning: to farm/grow)
    • a wide range of=a wide variety of=different kinds ofa\,wide\,range\,of = a\,wide\,variety\,of = different\,kinds\,of (Meaning: many different types)
    • plant (n)=crop (n)=treeplant\,(n) = crop\,(n) = tree
    • coin (v)=first used/mentionedcoin\,(v) = first\,used/mentioned (To coin a term)
    • represent s.threpresent\,s.th (Meaning: to symbolize something)
    • a symbol of=biểu tượng củaa\,symbol\,of = biểu\,tượng\,của
    • on the whole=in generalon\,the\,whole = in\,general (Meaning: looking at the big picture)
    • foreign=non−Italianforeign = non-Italian (In specific architectural context)
    • architect (n)=kie^ˊn truˊc sưarchitect\,(n) = kiến\,trúc\,sư
    • influence (v)=ảnh hưởnginfluence\,(v) = ảnh\,hưởng
    • arrange=organize (v)arrange = organize\,(v) (Meaning: arrange/organize)
    • study=educationstudy = education
    • architectural (adj)=related to architecturearchitectural\,(adj) = related\,to\,architecture
    • children=offspringchildren = offspring
    • give=provide=offergive = provide = offer
    • financial support=financial incentivesfinancial\,support = financial\,incentives (Meaning: financial support or aid)

Grammar and Classification Notes

  • Suffixes: Words ending in "-ize" or "-ise."
  • Verb Types:
    • Modal Verbs: will,can,may,should,would,could,might,mustwill, can, may, should, would, could, might, must
    • Action Verbs (Động từ thường): go,run,breathe,...go, run, breathe, ...

Questions and Discussion Contexts

  • Scenario 1: Conservation
    • Question Context: Many seed banks are threatened due to lack of funds.
    • Synonym usage: "Many seed banks are themselves under threat due to a lack of funds."
  • Scenario 2: Social Work
    • Question Context: The charity raises money to pay for education and daily needs of poor people.
    • Keyword focus: "Charity" (charitable organizations), "needs" (demands), "poor people" (the poor).
  • Scenario 3: Urban Planning
    • Question Context: Persuading people to use public transport will be difficult.
    • Keywords: "An uphill struggle," "public transport" (trains and buses).
  • Scenario 4: Agriculture
    • Question Context: Farmers grow widely varied crops.
    • Keywords: "Agricultural worker," "cultivate," "wide variety."
  • Scenario 5: History and Language
    • Question: "Who is the person that first coined the word 'serendipity'?"
    • Question: "What did eggs represent on the whole?"
  • Scenario 6: Architecture
    • Question: "Who was the first foreign architect influenced by Palladio?" (Scanning note: look for "non-Italian architecture").
    • Question: "Who arranged Michael Eisenberg's architectural studies?"
  • Scenario 7: Financial Incentives
    • Statement: "Michael Eisenberg believes in giving children financial incentives to do certain tasks."
    • Keyword Analysis: "children" $\rightarrow$ offspring; "financial incentives" $\rightarrow$ financial support/money.