Comprehension

English Language · WAEC and JAMB · SS2 and SS3

Comprehension rewards accurate reading far more than fine writing, and almost every lost mark comes from answering a question the passage did not ask. The mark allocation beside each question tells you exactly how much to write.

What you need to know

Read the passage once quickly for the general subject, then read the questions, then read the passage a second time with the questions in mind. The second reading is where you underline.
Give each question the time its marks deserve. A two-mark question needs two distinct points, and a one-mark question needs one clear sentence, not a paragraph.
When the question says 'in your own words', rewording is the task being marked. Copying the sentence from the passage scores zero even when the information is perfectly correct.
When the question says 'according to the passage', the answer is in the text and you must not bring in your own knowledge or opinion, however true it may be.
Answer in complete sentences that would make sense to someone who has not read the question. 'Because of poor enforcement' is weaker than 'The writer blames poor enforcement of existing traffic laws.'
Locate the answer by finding the key word of the question in the passage, then read the sentence before and the sentence after it, because the explanation often sits beside the statement rather than in it.
For vocabulary-in-context items, substitute your chosen word into the sentence and read the whole sentence again. The replacement must fit the meaning AND be the same part of speech as the original.
For grammatical name and function questions, give the name on one line and the function on another, naming the exact word the expression relates to. These two parts are marked separately.
Pronoun reference questions such as 'what does it refer to' are answered with a noun or noun phrase from the passage, not with a whole sentence and not with the pronoun repeated.
Inference questions ask what the writer suggests but does not state. Base your answer on evidence in the text and avoid wild guessing; point to the words that led you to the inference.
Never give two alternative answers hoping one is right. Examiners mark the first answer, and a wrong second answer can cancel a correct first one.
Watch for signal words that carry the writer's meaning: but, however, instead, on the contrary signal a change of direction, while therefore, thus and as a result signal a conclusion.
Write legibly and number your answers exactly as the questions are numbered. An answer in the wrong place may not be marked at all.
Keep an eye on the clock. Comprehension and summary together should not swallow the time budgeted for the essay, which carries the heaviest single mark on the paper.

Key terms

Inference: A conclusion drawn from evidence in a passage rather than from a statement made directly.
Context clue: Information surrounding an unfamiliar word that helps the reader work out its meaning.
Topic sentence: The sentence, usually the first in a paragraph, that states the paragraph's main idea.
Tone: The writer's attitude towards the subject, revealed by word choice, such as angry, sympathetic or mocking.
Lifting: Copying a sentence or long phrase straight from the passage where the question required your own words.
Referent: The word or phrase that a pronoun stands for in a passage.

Worked examples

Read this extract: 'Our roads are not short of laws. What they lack is the will to enforce them. Every new sign is obeyed for a week, then ignored until the next accident forces another round of noise.' In one sentence and in your own words, state what the writer considers the real problem with road safety.

Find the contrast signal. 'Not short of laws' followed by 'What they lack' tells you the problem is in the second clause.
Identify the stated problem: the will to enforce the laws is missing.
Note the supporting detail: obedience lasts only a week, which shows enforcement is not sustained.
Reword it in your own vocabulary rather than copying 'the will to enforce them'.
Compress it into one complete sentence, as the question demands.

Answer: The writer believes the real problem is not a shortage of traffic laws but the failure of the authorities to enforce them consistently.

From the same extract, give the grammatical name and function of 'until the next accident forces another round of noise'.

Check for a finite verb. 'forces' is finite, so this is a clause and not a phrase.
Look at the introductory word. Until introduces time, which points to an adverbial clause.
Decide what the clause modifies. It tells us how long the sign is ignored, so it modifies the verb 'ignored'.
Write the name and the function as two separate statements.

Answer: Grammatical name: adverbial clause of time. Function: it modifies the verb 'ignored', stating how long the sign continues to be ignored.

The mistake to avoid

Lifting is the biggest mark-killer in this section: asked for the answer in their own words, candidates copy the sentence straight from the passage and score nothing although the content is right. The second habit is answering in fragments such as 'poor enforcement', which the examiner cannot credit as a full response.

In the exam

Underline the instruction words in each question, especially 'in your own words', 'in one sentence' and 'according to the passage', and obey them exactly. Match the number of points to the number of marks. Leave a blank line between answers so your numbering is unmistakable, and never offer the examiner a choice between two answers.