Blk 1: Answering questions in Paper 1

1. Read the rubric (brief explanation for the passage) carefully to get an idea of the genre and what the passage is generally about.

2. Read questions (a) and (b), underlining key words if necessary to help/remind you to answer the question relevantly.

3. Read the passage quickly the first time to get an overall impression of the meaning, based on the rubric. You may find certain words, phrases or language features in the passage striking and you should quickly underline the words and jot down brief notes.

4. As you read the passage a few times, you should be getting a clearer idea of what the passage is generally about ( What is basically going on in the passage? Overall, what is the passage about? what is the general idea in the passage? ) Continue to jot down your responses .

5. Try to see how language features (figures of speech, length of sentences, repetition, grammar, irony, contrast etc) help to convey this general idea effectively.