Reading Comprehension TOEIC Preparation: Part 7 Reading Comprehension

Jiun-Shiung Wu, Ph.D.

Two Parts:
Q153-180: advertisements, forms, letters, email, faxes, memos, tables, indexes, charts, instructions or notices (two to five questions for each type). Q181-200: a set of two of these passage types: an email and a memo, a form and a fax, a table and a letter, a letter and a letter (each set is followed by five questions)

Reading Comprehension
Your approach is the same in both the single-passage and the double-passage parts. Good readers use strategies to help them understand what they read, including skimming, scanning, using the context and reading fast.

Skimming
When a reader skims, his eyes move quickly over the whole passage, looking for a general idea. As you skim, ask yourself: Who did it? What did they do? Where did they do it? When did they do it? Why did they do it?

Skimming

Scanning
When you scan, you move your eyes quickly to find specific information. Look at the questions, and scan for the answer.

In addition to the wh questions above, for a double-passage sets, also ask:

What do these two passages have in common? How are they related? What is different in the two passages? Does the first passage present a problem and the second a solution? Does the first passage state info that is revised in the second?

Context
New TOEIC has a new type of item: a vocabulary item. You need to identify a synonym for a word. Use the context to guess the meaning of the words if you do not know them.

Reading Fast

Read fast to get the whole idea of the passage.

Advertisement
Skimming and scanning are good strategies for reading advertisements. Pay attention to two questions:

Advertisement
First, skim for a general idea of the ad. Then, move on to the questions. Try to answer the questions based on the general information you gather. If general information does not help, scan for the answer to the question.

What is being advertised? Who is it for?

Reading every word in an ad is a waste of time. Skim and scan!

Forms
Practice all of the four strategies. First, skim the form for general information. When you skim, pay attention to:

Forms
If general information does not help, scan for the answer. Use the context to find the meanings fo new words.

Who wrote it? What is it for? Who is it for? Why do I need to read it? What kind of form is it?

Letters, Email, Faxes and Memos

Skim first. Pay attention to, when skimming: who is the information for? When was it sent? Who sent it? Scan if general info can answer the questions. Look at the questions and scan for the answers. Draw your attention to: why did they send the information? What do they want?

Tables, Indexes and Charts

Skim first. When you skim, keep your eye on: what kind of a table, index, or chart is it? What is the title of this table or chart? How is the information arranged?

Tables, Indexes and Charts

Instructions and Notices

Scan if necessary. Pay special attention to: where is the number/word I need? What is the page I need? What is the relationship of the table headings?

Skim for:
What are the instructions or notice for? How many steps are there in the instructions? Do they seem easy or complicated? Could I follow them myself? What kind of information do the notices give me?

Instructions and Notices

Keep your attention on, when scanning:

Will I need any tools to follow the instructions? Are all the parts accounted for? Is anything missing? What kinds of items or places do the notices mention? What locations should I look for?