Gateway to SBI Mains: English (Reading Comprehension)

SYSTEMATIC APPROACH FOR ENGLISH COMPREHENSION

Solving English Reading Comprehension has become an inevitable part of almost every competitive examination. The question that lingers in every aspirant’s mind is “How to improve Reading comprehension?”

Students are habituated to solve simple and direct passages in their school days, but when it comes to competitive exams, the task becomes difficult.  Unable to understand the vocabulary (meaning of words) and concept of the passage, students become dull and uninterested in this section.

Comprehension tests ascertain your ability to understand the passage and remember its main points. Questions on the passage are mostly fact-based. In some cases, the candidates are asked to draw inferences from what is stated or implied in the passage. Such passages are difficult and need a lot of practice.

So, here are some Reading Comprehension strategies to get more marks.

First we know what are the parameters which you need to have to solve reading comprehension quickly.

1. READING ABILITY 

2. UNDERSTANDING OF CONTENTS

3. SPEED

4. ABILITY TO DRAW INFERENCES AND CONCLUSIONS.

Don’t worry if you stuck with above words don’t worry because we have some proper methods to attempt Comprehension.

Let’s Start : METHOD OF ATTEMPTING

There are many methods to solve comprehension but We are giving two methods you can use both methods separately or together.

METHOD 1: SEPARATION METHOD

METHOD 2: KEYWORD METHOD

METHOD 1: SEPARATION METHOD

Each and every passage has only these contents inside itself which we need to find and know because if we are able to find these contents than we shall know about of plot from where most of answers and conclusion will be draw. So while reading the passage try to draw these contents from Passage.

1. Background 

2. Claim

3. Supporting Reasons

4. Conclusion or Extension

1. BACKGROUND /INTRODUCTION: - In this contents basically writer intent to give just brief of introduction and past history of concerned topic of Passage. Like its origin and history .It  may draw only question like title of passage and need to give more emphasize on background because questions does not come from background. Just read to have an idea of topic.

2. CLAIM : This is most important part in which writer will describe what he want to convey to readers and What is issue for which he is writing this passage? It is  a classification, a purpose or an elaboration of the topic; Writer will provide full details of this passages back bone body in this section. It is most important because half of the questions will come only from that section. So read & understand carefully on facts based given in Passage. Question regarding the intention behind the passage only comes from that passage.

3. SUPPORTING REASONS: Whatever writer is claiming in passage he will give supporting reasons in this that section means what is need of passage and what is need of that information which writer want to convey. It is very important to read it carefully.  

4. CONCLUSION: - After discussion about claim and its reasons writer will give or draw final inference and it can give you brief of your all passage and question also comes from conclusion. 

POINTS TO REMEMBER FOR PASSAGE: 

1. READ passage in above given manner as early as u can.

2. READ Question and give answer yourself without seeing Options than try to match your answer with given options.

3. Eliminate regression, i.e., going back to the lines you have just read. This is out of habit developed over years of wrong or half-hearted reading.

4. Once start reading don’t take break before completing it otherwise u can waste time.

METHOD 2: KEYWORD METHOD

In this you need to consider following points:

1. Before reading passage just read questions and every question will have one keyword just note down it on a Rough paper and read these keywords twice so that u can have idea while reading passage.

2. Start reading with keeping in mind your keywords by this way u will get a plot area for each and every keyword.

3. Once you finish your passage than you can have idea about your plot for keywords by which you can answer the questions.

4. In this method you can also use above method and can segregate passage in form which h one is important to read which one is not.

TIPS TO IMPROVE COMPREHENSION SOLVING ABILITY:-

1. Read newspapers and magazines at least 1 hour day and develop habit of reading if problem with newspaper that just take interesting Books of English version like champak and other comics.

2. Give yourself an environment of English; converse in English with your friends and peers.

4. Develop a sense of urgency while reading the passage.

5. Practice at least one typical passage under test conditions every day. Give yourself five minutes to read a Small passage and ten to fifteen minutes in case of a long passage.

7. Have a clear and logical thought process. Do not clutter your brain with unnecessary and irrelevant Thoughts and details.

Below is a passage for practice

Directions (Q.1-10): Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words/phrases in the passage are printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.

Indra foresaw that a supreme contest was inevitable between his son Arjuna and Karna; and he put on the garb of a Brahmana and came to Karna, who was reputed for his charity, and begged of him his earrings and armour. The Sun god had already warned Karna in a dream that Indra would try to deceive him in this manner. Still, Karna could not bring himself to refuse any gift that was asked of him. Hence he cut off the earrings and armour with which he was born and gave them to the Brahmana. Indra, the king of gods, was filled with surprise and joy. After accepting the gift, he praised Karna as having done what no one else would do, and shamed into generosity, bade Karna ask for any boon he wanted. Karna replied: “I desire to get your weapon, the Sakti which has the power to kill enemies.” Indra granted the boon, but with a fateful proviso. He said: “You can use this weapon against but one enemy, and it will kill him whosoever he may be. But this killing done, this weapon will no longer be available to you but will return to me.” With these words Indra isappeared. Karna went to Parasurama and became his disciple by representing to him that he was a Brahmana. He learnt of Parasurama the mantra for using the master weapon known as Brahmastra. One day Parasurama was reclining with the head on Karna’s lap when a stinging worm burrowed into Karna’s thigh. Blood began to flow and the pain was terrible, but Karna bore it without tremor lest he should disturb the master’s sleep. Parasurama awoke and saw the blood which had poured from the wound. He said: “Dear pupil, you are not a Brahmana. A Kshatriya alone can remain unmoved under all bodily torments. Tell me the truth.” Karna confessed that he had told a lie in presenting himself as a Brahmana and that he was in fact the son of a charioteer. Parasurama in his anger pronounced this curse on him: “Since you deceived your guru, the Brahmastra you have learnt shall fail you at the fated moment. You will be unable to recall the invocatory mantra when your hour comes.” It was because of this curse that at the crisis of his last fight with Arjuna, Karna was not able to recall the Brahmastra spell, though he had remembered it till then. Karna was the faithful friend of Duryodhana and remained loyal with the Kauravas until the end. After the fall of Bhishma and Drona, Karna became the leader of the Kaurava army and fought brilliantly for two days. In the end, the wheel of his chariot stuck in the ground and he was not able to lift it free and drive the chariot along. While he was in this predicament, Arjuna killed him. Kunti was sunk in sorrow, all the more poignant because she had, at that time, to conceal it.

1. How did Parasurama find that Karna was not a Brahmana?

1) Karna himself confessed his identity before Parasurama.

2) Karna bore the sting of a worm without any tremor.

3) Parasurama had acquired the ability to know everything through his third eye.

4) He asked Karna’s father about his identity.

5) None of these

2. Why did Karna decide to become Parasurama’s disciple on the pretext that he was a Brahmana?

1) Because Parasurama was a Brahmana.

2) Parasurama hated Kshatriyas and Sudras.

3) Parasurama was a man who believed in strict notions of castes.

4) Karna was a Kshatriya and he knew that Parasurama would not allow him to become his disciple unless he pretended to be a Brahmana.

5) Not given in the passage

3. Why could Karna not refuse the demands for his earrings and armour made by Indra?

1) Because Karna was the son of Indra.

2) Because Karna was known for his charity.

3) Karna, being the son of a charioteer, could not refuse Indra, the King of Gods.

4) Karna was deceived by Indra in the guise of a Brahmana.

5) None of these

4. Why did Parasurama curse Karna?

1) Because Karna decided to use the Brahmastra on Parasurama.

2) Because Karna failed to learn the techniques of a Kshatriya.

3) Because Karna concealed his identity and betrayed his master.

4) Because Karna had vowed to destroy the hermitage of Parasurama.

5) None of these

5. What would be the effect of the curse?

1) That Karna would not be able to recall the Brahmastra spell when his hour came.

2) That the invocatory mantra would cease to act on the person targeted

3) That he would not be able to pass the spell to his friends

4) That he would be killed by his own invocatory mantra of the Brahmastra

5) None of these

6. Which of the following is the synonym of the word "Tremor"?

1) fear 

2) trembling 

3) offering

4) sorrow 

5) anger

7. Which of the following is the synonym of the word "Poignant"?

1) defile 

2) straight 

3) foul

4) painful 

5) close

8. Which of the following is the synonym of the word "Predicament"?

1) difficulty 

2) fancy 

3) hurry

4) emergency 

5) vanity

9. Which of the following is the antonym of the word "Reclining"?

1) resting 

2) standing 

3) waiting

4) thinking 

5) rejoicing

10. Which of the following is the antonym of the word "Torments"?

1) suffering 

2) pain 

3) anxiety

4) trouble 

5) comfort

1.   2
2.   5
3.   2
4.   3
5.   1
6.   2
7.   4
8.   1
9.   2
10. 5