Reading Comprehension
ICSE Class 6 · English · Chapter 1
What this chapter covers
- Unseen prose passages: the main idea and supporting details
- Inference and personal response questions
- Vocabulary from context
- Unseen poems
- Summarising a passage
Key points
- Reading comprehension is understanding what a piece of writing says and what it means.
- Read an unseen passage twice: once quickly for the general picture, and once slowly for the answers.
- The main idea is the most important point; supporting details explain or prove it.
- Keep facts and opinions apart when answering from a passage.
- An inference is a conclusion drawn from clues in the passage plus what you already know.
- A personal response gives your own view, always with a reason.
- Context clues and word parts (prefix, root, suffix) help you work out the meaning of new words.
- In a poem, look for the speaker, rhyme, rhythm, imagery, similes, metaphors and mood.
- A summary gives only the main points, in your own words, without opinions.
Questions answered
What is an unseen passage?
An unseen passage is a piece of writing you have not read before, given to you in a test or exercise to check your understanding.
What is the difference between the main idea and a supporting detail?
The main idea is the most important point of the passage. A supporting detail is a fact, example or reason that explains or proves it.
Is this a fact or an opinion: "The tank was finished before the next monsoon"?
It is a fact, because it can be checked.
Ravi comes to school with a bandage on his knee and walks slowly. What can you infer?
You can infer that Ravi has hurt his knee, perhaps in a fall.
In the sentence "The room was so dim that we could barely see the clock," what does "dim" mean? Which clue helps you?
"Dim" means not bright, or having little light. The clue is that they could barely see the clock.
Break the word "rewritable" into its parts and give its meaning.
It has the prefix "re-" (again), the root "write" and the suffix "-able" (can be done). It means something that can be written again.
Is "The neem tree is a green umbrella" a simile or a metaphor? Why?
It is a metaphor, because it says the tree is an umbrella without using "like" or "as".
Name two things you should leave out of a summary.
Small details and examples, and your own opinions.