Reading Comprehension

Topic - 1

READING COMPREHENSION

INTRODUCTION

Reading basically, is a physical process of comprehending a text using our eyes. However, reading becomes studying when it is done with the involvement of all the mental faculties of concentration, comprehension and analysis. Studying involves the practices of answering questions, note taking, note making, summarizing, reading the text more than once and analyzing the written words thoroughly. The purpose of reading is to understand the material as effectively as possible to retain the information for a long time. When we study, we spend some time learning about a particular subject or subjects, for example: He went to the university, where he studied History and Economics. However, we have to understand that we may only read and not study as we do while reading newspaper, a magazine or a novel, which we read to pass time, for enjoyment or as a hobby. Nevertheless, we cannot study something without reading or observing it. You read your course books as well as study them. The weather department observes the weather and studies it, but it cannot read the weather. In short, we can say to study is to read, to observe or to know the information in - depth.

Reading is an interactive process between the reader and the text, resulting in comprehension of the text read. Reading comprehension is the ability to understand fully the sense and the meaning of a written or a printer matter. Linguists have shown that the four language skillslistening, speaking, reading and writing-are interrelated. Good listening generates good speaking and good reading generates good writing. Reading is an activity that involves greater level of mental as well as physical concentration. As eye muscles are actively involved in the process, reading stimulates them. The habit of reading also helps readers interpret new words and phrases that they come across in day-to-day conversation. Reading affects our mind; so, whatever we read should be a quality material. A systematic audible reading can improve oral communication too. Above all, reading enhances knowledge and information, entertains us and helps us pass our leisure time. Reading is, undoubtedly, a paramount skill of language. 

The following are some practical hints to help you inculcate reading comprehension skills:

✓ Skim the passage cautiously for overall understanding and to grasp the main ideas

✓ Read it for the second time for intensive reading to get the contextual meaning of words, phrases, sentences and writer's thought process. Read silently and do not mutter or hum words aloud.

✓ Use the study reading speed of about 200-300 WPM. However, you may increase it with practice, which is surely a good sign, but it should not be at the cost of understanding. 

✓ Go through the questions carefully. 

✓ Read the passage for the third time looking for the answers of the given questions. 

✓ Answer the questions in the given order. Come back to the unanswered questions later on. 

✓ Answer to the point even if the answer is in a few or just one word. Follow the given word limit. 

✓ Check your answers for correctness, grammar, spelling and relevance.

Apart from using the above hints, you need to have a good vocabulary for an effective comprehension. As it is not possible to know each and every word, the use of contextual clues can be one of the best ways to improve reading skills. Do not insist on understanding each word while reading. A text can be understood in a general sense by using contextual clues. At the same time, the use of contextual clues can provide a means by which you may increase your existing vocabulary base. You can get such clues by asking these questions to yourself: What does the sentence refers to? What is the part of speech of the unknown word? Is it a verb, a noun a preposition, an adjective or something else? What do the words around the unknown word mean? How is the unknown word related to those words? 

Types of Reading Skills

A study of the major types of reading skills may assist you in improving your reading comprehension as well as in employing the required skill for different reading situations. It has been found that these skills are used naturally when we read something in our native language but are often forgotten while reading a foreign language. Such types can be categorized into the following headings. 

Scanning

Scanning is reading something rapidly for some specific piece of information. You can use this skill when you are in search of key words, for example, scanning a telephone book or a dictionary to look for a name or a word. You ‘see' every item on the page but you do not necessarily read all the pages-you skip anything you are not looking for. You just have to concentrate on the key word and need not recall the exact content of the page. Scanning saves time but it has to be done with accuracy. This skill develops with practice. 

Skimming

Skimming is reading a text quickly to gain a general impression whether the text is of any use to you or not. You can see people skimming through books in a bookstore before they decide to buy them. You need not necessarily search for a specific item or a key word and many parts of the material may be left unread. The purpose of skimming is to get an 'overview of the text that is to check its relevance, grasp its central theme and the main points. It prepares you for the more concentrated effort of detailed reading, which is to follow, if the text is useful. 

Intensive Reading

Reading intensively is to read for detailed information when the aim is to understand the material in-depth. The techniques of scanning and skimming are good launching pads for an indepth reading 

Extensive Reading

Extensive reading is another device often used when we read for pleasure with emphasis on understanding the overall meaning. It is a lighter type of reading, and it may be used at the time of leisure. This form does not generally require detailed concentration, but it should be done with proper understanding. Extensive reading may involve a lot of skimming like skipping boring and irrelevant passages. An average light reading speed is 100-200 words per minute (WPM); however, you can read at a pace in which you feel comfortable.

Word for Word Reading

This type of reading is generally not recommended but sometimes its use becomes indispensable, when some textual material is not readily understood and it requires a slow, careful and analytical reading. People use this type of reading to understand unfamiliar words, concepts, scientific formulae, etc. For example, going through a legal document, analyzing a written contract or reading a passage for writing a précis, may require such kind of reading. This sort of reading is time consuming and it demands a high level of concentration. 

Speed Reading

Speed reading is a skill that is acquired after much reading practice. In skimming and extensive reading you skip some points and items to gain speed, whereas in this type of reading, speed has to be attained without skipping. You read everything, taking into each detail, but develop speed simultaneously through practice. The more you read, the more your mind adapts itself to this sort. Students appearing for entrance tests for various professional courses have to speed read passages for comprehension. It is a test of their effective grasping of information with time constraints. A good way to increase your reading speed is to adjust the focus of your eyes at one particular word and then zoom at it in a way that you are able to see the whole text. Using this process, you may increase your reading speed by increasing the number of words you take in at each eye stop.

Solved Example

CREATIVE JOB HUNTING

A Career is a course of successive situations that make up some activity. One can have a sporting career or a musical career, but most frequently “career" in the 21st century refers to the workplace: the series of jobs or positions by which one earns one's bread.

In the relatively static societies before modernism, many workers would often inherit or take up a single lifelong position (a place or role) in the workforce, and the concept of an unfolding career had little or no meaning. With new ideas of progress and the concept of individual selfbetterment, careers became possible, if not expected.

Career counseling is one - on - one or group professional assistance in exploration and decision making tasks related to choosing a major occupation. The field is vast and includes Career Placement, Career Planning, Learning Strategies, and Student Development.

By the late 20th century a plethora of choices (especially in the range of potential professions) and more widespread education had allowed it to become fashionable to plan (or design) a career.

Once you have decided on your career and completed the course of study, you will need to look for a job. In order to decide the sort of job you would like to undertake, it is sometimes advisable to contact consultants who could help you to understand the challenges involved in starting a new Job. Consultants that take up too may diverse areas may loose focus and may not be able to deliver the goods. However many consultancies have had real success stories and going to one can help you plan your ventures.

It has been estimated that most jobs are not advertised in a competitive job market. Most employers actually expect applicants to take the initiative. It has been estimated that one-third of vacancies for graduates are not advertised publicly, particularly in a competitive job market. It can be cost effective for the employer to draw on a limited but well-qualified and motivated “selfreferred” pool of candidates.

If you decide to take this creative approach to job search, remember that thorough research is vital to success. A small number of well-targeted applications is more likely to produce results than wasting paper and postage on mass mailing.

You will need to look beyond the recruitment sections of the local and national press to the general news/business sections. Where have new contracts been awarded, which organizations are expanding, who is reporting record profits and which companies are moving into your area or developing a particular product?

Research thoroughly. What is the focus of individual companies? What do they look for in graduates?

Build up a network of contacts. Usually people are happy to talk about their areas of work and can provide you with further, perhaps even more relevant contacts. Academic staff may have excellent links with the local industry and commerce, which could help you develop your network.

Remember to keep a record of your network of contacts and follow them up from time to time to let them know you are actively seeking work, to update them on your progress or to say thank-you. Never underestimate the effectiveness of personal contacts—hopefully your motivation and perseverance will be recognized when a vacancy does turn up.

Telephone before you send a letter, so that your application does not arrive “cold” or on the wrong person's desk. Aim to track down the most relevant person and their job title (and make sure you spell their name correctly!). Clearly state what job area you are interested in. Say why you have chosen to apply to that particular organization. Demonstrate that you know something about them, their products and / or services.

You will need to convince the employer that you can do the job for which you are applying. The style and tone of your letter should be persuasive.

State when you are available for an interview or discussion. You may want to follow your letter with a telephone call a few days later to demonstrate your commitment and enthusiasm.

If you want to discuss creative job-hunting or receive feedback about your CV and covering letter, feel free to speak to a Career Adviser or use an E-Guidance service.

- From The Indian Express

I. Answer the following questions:

1. What does a career imply in the 21st Century?

2. Before the so called ‘modernism period what sort of jobs existed?

3. What is the role of the career counselors or advisors?

4. List some other areas in which career counselor's work?

5. Besides counselors who are the other people who can help you with a job?

6. A creative approach to a job implies:

7. How do you prevent your application from reaching 'cold?

II. Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate words.

1. I have been in this job so long that I feel my career is more or less ______ (progressive, static)

2. It is interesting _____ the possibilities of different career options. (explore, to accept)

3. It is advisable to take help from ______ to find a job. (consultants, elders)

4. Sometimes in the _____ world today jobs are not advertised. (creative, competitive)

5. Jobs are advertised in the _____ sections of the newspapers. (matrimonial, recruitment)

III. Look at the adjectives below. Match each of the definitions with one of the adjectives.

Definitions

1. A person who wants to get to the top.

2. A person who can relate to other people's feelings.

3. A person who enjoys meeting people and new situations.

4. A person who is always on time.

5. A person who can be counted upon.

6. A person who can change people's opinions.

7. A person who is good at finding solutions to problems.

8. A person who is original in his thinking.

9. A person with the capacity for vigorous activity.

10. A person who is easily affected by emotions.

11. A person who is forceful and vigorous.

12. A person who does not easily get ruffled.

Answers

I. Answer the following questions:

1. It means a working existence, or a job by which one earns one's living.

2. Before the state of ‘modernism, people would inherit or take up a single lifelong job.

3. They assess your interests, personality, values and skills and help you explore appropriate career options.

4. Career placement, career planning, learning strategies and student development.

5. Consultants provide advice on the challenges of new jobs.

6. a. small number of well targeted applications.

b. studying the business section of a newspaper.

c. study new contacts.

d. building up a network of contacts.

7. Telephone the right person before you send the application. Clearly state your job interest, explain why you have chosen to apply and show that you know about the job.

II. Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate words.

1. static,

2. explore,

3. consultants,

4. competitive, 

5. recruitment

III. Look at the adjectives below. Match each of the definitions with one of the adjectives.

1. ambitious,

2. empathetic,

3. extrovert,

4. punctual,

5. reliable,

6. persuasive,

7. practical, 

8. creative, 

9. energetic,

10. sensitive,

11. dynamic,

12. cool-headed.

Practice Exercises

Read the following passages and answer the questions given below: