Exercises 1 to 4 of Unit 5 are Short-Answer questions which
help you practice answering skim reading questions, guessing word
meanings from context, and looking for the main idea. Exercise 5
requires you to answer True and False questions.
Since this is the first time that you have to deal with short-answer
questions, please study the tips below to help you perform a perfect job.
Read the questions first.
Previewing the questions prior to reading the articles enables you to
acquire a focus on what to read for. Also, answers to short-answer
questions are usually key words or phrases that take you more time in writing
or typing up. If you spend much time on reading without a direction,
you might fail to complete doing all of the exercises in time.
Use headings to help you find answers.
The headings and subheadings highlight the key points of the essay and
therefore can help you find answers to the questions which usually focus
on the comprehension of major points.
Pay attention to numbers, dates, names, and
words in special font style.
Short-answer questions are sometimes scanning questions in nature.
That is, you are required to scan for special elements such as numbers,
dates, names, and lists of items. Also, pay attention to words that
are italicized, bold-faced, and colored because they usually point to answers
of scanning questions.
Locate in the text the word that requires a
definition and then study the group of words near the new word.
This tip is useful when you are answering a question that requires you
to look for the context meaning of a word. Do not intimidated by
this type of questions because you do not have to generate a definition
on your own. Simply study the group of words before or after the
new word and then you can find the answer. Moreover, make good use
of the synonym clues, especially the set of commas, to find the answer.
Look for answers by following the development
of the article.
Since short-answer questions in this unit aim at testing your skimming
and scanning skills, the sequence of questions is arranged on the basis
of the development of the essay. That is, the first questions usually
test your comprehension of the beginning paragraphs, while the final questions
check your understanding of the concluding paragraphs. You, therefore,
do not have to skip among paragraphs to look for the answers.
Take-home
Exercises:
Please click on the link for the descriptions of the two take-home exercises.