Finding details and scanning
Locate the relevant part of a text, then read it closely enough to answer the exact question.
What you will learn
- Use scanning to locate information.
- Distinguish an original purpose from a later outcome.
Scan first, verify second
Scanning means looking quickly for a particular name, date, object or idea. It helps locate a passage but does not replace close reading. Once you find a likely sentence, read the surrounding sentences to check who did what and when.
Questions often paraphrase the text. Search for meaning as well as repeated words: 'initial aim' may correspond to 'the first goal', while 'supplied water' may correspond to 'stored rainwater'.
Match every part of the question
A why-question asks for a reason, not merely an event. A when-question asks for timing. Pay particular attention to words such as initially, mainly and later because a project can have several purposes and outcomes.
Choose evidence that directly answers the question. A true statement elsewhere in the passage can still be the wrong answer.
Worked example
Read: 'The club first opened to give teenagers a quiet workspace. It later began lending laptops.' Why was it originally opened?
Show the worked solution
- The word 'originally' points to the first purpose.
- 'First opened' identifies the matching sentence.
- Laptop lending is a later activity, so it does not answer this question.
Answer To give teenagers a quiet workspace
Common mistakes
- Do not select a statement just because its vocabulary appears in the text.
- A later benefit is not necessarily the original purpose.
What can you explain now?
Read: 'Rainwater is kept in two barrels for dry weeks.' Where is the water stored?
Compare with the explanation
In two barrels
The question asks for the storage location, not the source or the time of use.
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Original StudyForA teaching content · AI-assisted checks · Human teacher review pending.
These lessons teach the topics represented in our current practice sets. They are not a complete course for every paper or option in the qualification.
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