Reading Part 3: Reading for Information (10 minutes)

Reading for Information will always have 4 paragraphs of text (Lettered A-D) and have the ‘E’ option of ‘Not given in any of the above Paragraphs’, so there are 5 possible answers (A, B, C, D, or E).

Test-takers are asked to ‘Decide which paragraph, A-D, has the information given in each statement below (There are always 9 statements with a drop-down menu of A, B, C, D, or E). Select E if the information is not given in any of the paragraphs.

Generally, the best way to approach this part of the Reading exam is to realize that the first sentence of each paragraph is the Topic Sentence or the sentence that contains the subject and the main idea of what the paragraph is about. This way you can quickly find the paragraph that relates to the statement prompt. For example, in Example 1 below, the first statement prompt ‘asks’ in which paragraph ‘will you find’ information about differences between male and female narwhals. Obviously, paragraph B is the correct answer since in the topic sentence (the first sentence) the word ‘male’ and the phrase ‘distinctive characteristics’ are used. The statement prompt also uses the word female, so the test-taker should ‘scan’ through the paragraph to find the word ‘female’ to confirm that this is the right choice.

Notice that ‘synonymous language’ will always be used in this part to test the test-takers vocabulary. In statement prompt 1 ‘physical differences’ is synonymous with ‘distinctive characteristics’. In statement prompt 2, ‘death-like’ is used synonymously with ‘corpse whale’ in paragraph A. In statement prompt 3, ‘unexplained’ is synonymous with ‘mystery’ in paragraph C.

In statement prompt 4, the sentence ‘Narwhals present puzzling social interactions’, test-takers will notice that ‘social interactions’ relates to ‘behaviour’ in the topic sentence of paragraph D.

Scanning (or looking for ‘particular information’) for particular words or their synonyms found in the statement prompt is a skill that test-takers will use constantly in this Reading part. For example, in statement prompt 5, the term ‘Canadian aboriginal folklore’ is used, the test-taker would then ‘scan’ the paragraph topic sentences first and then move on to an individual paragraph to confirm their choice. In paragraph C’s topic sentence, the phrase ‘aboriginal elders’ is used–this would be the proper paragraph to scan to see if the content discusses ‘folklore’.

However, in statement prompt 6, ‘sound understanding of narwhal mating behaviour’ is not confirmed in Paragraph D, as scientists ‘theorize about the possibility’. Although any test-taker will be led to paragraph D by the word ‘behaviour’ used in the topic sentence, they have to be aware of the difference in meaning because ‘sound understanding’ mentioned in the prompt statement refers to scientists having a complete understanding of narwhal behaviour, but this is contradicted by scientist’s ‘theorize (ing) about the possibility’, so the correct answer here is ‘E’, or information not given.

As mentioned in paragraph D, so this is a perfect choice to scan for information about ‘mating’. In statement prompt 7, the keywords are ‘behaviour’ and ‘patterns’ and ‘different countries’. The topic sentence mention ‘behaviour’, and when a test-taker scans the paragraph, they will notice the correspondence of Canada and Greenland as being the ‘different countries’ that are recording narwhal ‘patterns’.

In statement prompt 8, the phrase ‘population in jeopardy’ is synonymous with the meaning of the word ‘endangered’ used in the topic sentence of paragraph A. Since ‘endangered’ species have declining populations, paragraph A is the correct answer.

Finally, in statement prompt 9, the phrase ‘physical characteristics’ is directly stated in paragraph A, though you must scan to these words and realize the ‘other whale groups’ refers to Beluga whales.

Method:

1. Note keywords and their possible synonyms in the statement prompt.

 

2. Check for these words in the topic sentence of each paragraph first

 

 

3. Confirm the correct paragraph selection by scanning for information throughout the rest of the paragraph

 

Example 1:

Read the following passage

A.    The narwhal is an endangered type of whale found in the frigid waters of the Arctic, extending from Canada through the Norwegian water to Russia. Narwhal means “corpse whale”, and it has earned its name because of its mottled dark grey colour. Narwhals are regularly harvested for meat and ivory in northern Canada and Greenland. Narwhals share physical characteristics with Beluga whales, having similar shapes and sizes. Both species lack dorsal fins, and have short beaks, rounded heads, and a thick layer of blubber to adapt to glacial conditions.    B.     The narwhals’ distinctive characteristic lies in the presence of a long 2.5-meter spiralling tusk that protrudes from the males’ foreheads, resembling a unicorn. The horn-like formation, however, is a long-left tooth. The right tooth remains embedded in the skull and measures roughly 30 centimetres. Female tusks have a more regularly defined morphology. They are much shorter, straighter, and do not collect as much algae on the surface, thus appearing whiter.   C.     For hundreds of years the purpose of the tusk on the “unicorn whale” has puzzled scientists and local aboriginal elders alike. A northern aboriginal legend explains the narwhals’ tusk was created when a woman shooting with a harpoon rope was dragged into the ocean after the harpoon had struck a large narwhal. She then was transformed into a narwhal herself, and her hair, which was long and twisted, became the characteristic of the spiral tusk. In academic circles, the tusk remains an evolutionary mystery that defies many of the known principles of mammalian teeth. Preliminary studies suggest the tusk enables whales to determine the salinity levels and allows them to detect food in their environment.   D.    Narwhal behaviour also intrigues researchers. Males frequently engage in episodes of rubbing their tusks together, or “tusking,” for as-yet unknown reasons. The same behaviour is not observed in the female counterparts or between males and females. Some studies theorize about the possibility of these mating behaviours aimed at displaying genetic superiority. Support for such a theory, however, has proved scarce since unlike other mammalian species the behaviour is not aggressive. Narwhals are a migratory species. In an attempt to learn about their migration patterns and social behaviour, their populations are being observed and recorded through satellite tracking conducted by scientists in Canada and Greenland.   E.     Not given in any of the above paragraphs

 

‘Decide which paragraph, A-D, has the information given in each statement below Select E if the information is not given in any of the paragraphs.

4. There are physical differences between Narwhal males and females.

 

1. A
2. B
3. C
4. D
5. E

 

5. Narwhals are also referred to as death-like _____.

 

1. A
2. B
3. C
4. D
5. E

 

6. There are aspects of Narwhal’s anatomy that remain unexplained.

 

1. A
2. B
3. C
4. D
5. E

 

7. Narwhals present puzzling social interactions.

 

1. A
2. B
3. C
4. D
5. E

 

8. Narwhal whales are connected to Canadian aboriginal folklore.

 

1. A
2. B
3. C
4. D
5. E

 

9. There is a sound understanding of narwhals’ mating behaviour.

 

1. A
2. B
3. C
4. D
5. E

 

10. Different countries are documenting narwhal behaviour patterns.

 

1. A
2. B
3. C
4. D
5. E

 

11. The narwhal population is in jeopardy.

 

1. A
2. B
3. C
4. D
5. E

 

12. Narwhals’ physical characteristics are also observed in other whale groups.

 

1. A
2. B
3. C
4. D
5. E

 

… – Answers next week  –

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