How to answer comprehension questions

This page has been put together to help you practise and revisit some of the brilliant skills you’ve learned all through primary school.

It’s a great way to boost your confidence in English and get you ready for the exciting next step into Year 8!

Comprehension means understanding what you read and explaining it clearly.

Whether you are reading prose, poetry, fiction or non fiction, understanding what you are reading is important.

Complete this page and you’ll unlock the skills to:

• find and remember information from the text (recall)
• work out meanings using clues (inference)
• explain the writer’s word choices and the text as a whole (evaluation)

Comprehension questions usually fall into three main types.

1. Literal (recall) questions

Literal questions ask for information that is clearly stated in the text.

• The answer can be found directly in the passage.

• You should scan the relevant lines carefully.

2. Inferential questions

Inferential questions require you to read between the lines.

• The answer is not written exactly in the text.

• Look for clues and use your own knowledge.

Look for clues in the text. What can you work out from what the writer has told you?

3. Evaluative questions

Evaluative questions ask you to think about the text as a whole or about the writer’s choices.

• Why has the writer used a certain word or phrase?

• What effect does this have on the reader?

These questions often require explanation rather than a single fact.

As you read a piece of text, practise the following skills:

• Recall: remember what is written in the text

Read slowly and carefully and try to understand each word.

• Predict: make guesses about what might happen next

What is the character feeling? How might the situation be resolved?

• Summarise: select the most important information

Highlight key phrases or sentences that move the text forward.

• Question: ask questions about the text

Why did the writer say this? Why has this word been chosen?

Sometimes you might come across unfamiliar words in a text.

Instead of skipping over them or guessing wildly, try to use context clues to help you understand the meaning.

What Are Context Clues?

Context clues are the words, phrases, and sentences that appear around an unfamiliar word.

These “clues” help the reader work out what the new word probably means without needing a dictionary.

Example

‘The airport is a major transport hub, operating much like a small town in its own right.’

From the surrounding words (major, transport, operating, like a small town), we can work out that a hub is a busy central place where lots of activity happens.

Read the following text carefully and answer the questions about it in full sentences, on paper.

It was a gloriously sunny day outside and Jenny wanted to make the most of it. She opened the cupboard door in the hallway and got out a collar and leash.

Within seconds, Flash came running in as quick as lightning. He jumped up and down on the spot, barking with excitement. Jenny placed the collar around his neck and attached the lead. She put on her cap and sun glasses and said “Come on then, let’s go!” whilst opening the front door.

They stepped out into the beating sunshine, both smiling happily. They were about to go on an adventure.

1. What was the weather like?

2. What did Jenny get out of the cupboard?

3. Who came running to her?

4. What is Flash? How do you know?

5. How was Flash feeling about going for a walk? Explain your answer.

6. Why did Jenny put her sun glasses and cap on?

7. Was Jenny looking forward to the walk? How do you know?

Check how many answers you got right by looking at this answer sheet.

Always check what type of question you are answering.

Ask yourself: Is the answer in the text, do I need to read between the lines to find clues, or do I need to explain my thinking?

Think about these questions to stretch your thinking and sharpen your skills!

• Why is it important to read carefully when answering comprehension questions?
• How can predicting what happens next make reading more enjoyable?
• Can you think of a question you would ask the writer of a book you recently read? Why would you ask that?

Have a chat about your answers with a parent, teacher or your class.