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!l\,ue Chong Juniex CoLI"ege
 The Comprehension Paper - An lntroduction
lhe entire CP examinalion;35 mdrks
The, ompr.hension p.rPer is worlh 50 m"ri ' of
for Conlenl and l5 marks for Use o[ l-nglish

content [35 markr]

of one or two Passages' The
This is used to assess a candidate's understanding
js P nted at the end of the question'
.i-"tt" allocated for each question
"rlli",
;.;;;"a;;k-" ""n be deducted in this sectton if you do not
answer in your own
words and merely coPy the mdterial

I Use of English [15 marks]

between the questions but given at the
This is an 'invisible' mark that is not divided
iy-iil" "l<"-^er based on a candidate's ovemll comPetence in English
The
""1
follou/ing are taken into account:
I Lurtgiug" and instances o{ weak expression
. ftelegree"rror"
to which the candidate has used his own words
To sain hiqh marks, students must $'rite clear and
fluent sentences in their own
;:t%.'*o"ilJ" ;;pii,tg, r"q'"'tt language errors and clLrmsy exPression are all
."lil f,uv t" a"ao'tJa iia candidate's handrciting is illegible'
H;;sj. ;;;;
Some TiPs
.VnltmJVfinditusefultoskimlhroughthePassagestoknowtheirgenera]
- j':;"",'"'"r1;*,i"tl-a whaL inlormation
throughlhe questions to know
"ri-
i.Y;;;;;, ;;;;;;"uJi"g il'" put"'g""' more carehrllv when skim-rnine pick out
o'rt"n ti.ut"J ur the start of tie paragraphs' and
skip the
ii"';;;;;;-*"
examples and details'
have
. lt is even more imPortant to read the questions calefully- .Erarniners
of questions'
;";;tk"i ,ita -any^students lose marks through a careless reading
resulting in irrelevar1ce'
to- focus !n (e g "From
. Most questions will specify which part of the PassageparagraPhs only'
from these
;;;;ryh b "o..r urswer should be taken
. Time management is essential Use the mark allocationleavefol each question as a
enough timc (about
nride to lhe lenrth of answer requiJed MaLe sure you
i5-;";; ;;;i;?; ;" summary and application questions at the end'
reading irnproves your
. Being widely read is delinitelv a boon EYtensive will olten ard you jn
vocabuldry and mdslery ol the ldnguage
dnd it
undelstanding the content the pus'sag-es This is especially useful when
of
answering the aPPlication question

Hwa Chong Joniot Colege 2Oo2

1
 Using Your Own Words Precision of Meaninc

mus t rcarn and sha rpen is rha r

:J ;'x;::':lT:;'il1 ;:l i,t":' or paraphra ns s i

comprer ski, rhan s,mprv .,;;"ff ^::ili:i'j:XT

',,,1'

Ihdr has a similar meaning. While rhai

musr ever be alert to subtle
llf"T'i::rlT:,;:
,*,-',"iq,i" _"i _".i''"iffT, Lhe trmc.
yoJ
l;i
but signifrLdnt aj,"."", L
your answer. Also, word_for_worJ subsnudon ;;";;il
;i
to repfuase the entire sentence, especially is ctu*"y u'a ort",i iittX.;il^i:#
proverbial expression. For erampJ(l'
when the,;;-;," figu?ative or
do not ParaPhrase "jump the gun"
the weapon"! as "leap over

Wlen a quesiion asks you Lo explain a word ot a phrase, your answer

pre.rsp dnd dccur.rrF with regard
,.". ,""' "," has to be
to conre\t,
".a
i"J".
) -
context
Crve the meaning of the word ar
aer,n*ion- nisl""c;:
il;;:;:
medtung (e.9. cornmon). Keep in nind
;l"ij:. jT,i:Hi.:.il,, ji.J *;".J;::H:
*;;:i i.:,: :,,'l
.,^,r"
:l1l* .,-::. le a"p!"a i"f .,
rhar manv
r..i,';#",.:':l:o :l
t;;li
''outrdgeous', in tlre lollowing senten, es:
;"""1:t;. :i,fl :
(a) She made a dramatic enkance
tc) the party' wearing the most
have ever seen. outrae:eous dress I
(b) The soidiers attacked several
villages arrd cornrdtted outtaqgeus
defenceless iniabitants. acts on the
In (a), "outrageous" is used to me
dress has b"il ;*;;*ry ;#A",:"il,i.-fl:i;:.J?ATT:*?:f:f
cn ei inde."". il;
::ffir,i:J";;T;Ss.ossry ""a ".,r",,iir. J,i,iLll'",nu uoo",n""
).j
Tone
E.g. He had frugal habits.
Iruccurale p\planation: "stiogy",',miserly,
l'relerred expianation:',thriftv,,
imprvins approvar. rhererore,
i*ff:;i:i#"J:",ti: ;:#'J:.:*'otatio&
_ your explanatiory by using wor<is
r vou
tone with a similar

Degree
E.g. An earthquake struck the city' and this terrible
catastrophe ieft thousands of
people dead or homeless-
lndccurate e\planation: "unluckv har
r,.,",,"a..pi"",,ii.;,' ;;::' "appenins' mishap

H''.r Chong Jun/or Co//ege 2Oo2

2
 "(lisaster"
The first two answers ale not strong enough in their meaning while
conveys the same degree of seriousness and thus would be more accePtable
Always
take note of whether i wor<i is extreme or modelate in its meaning'

Explaining Words
1. Always try to exPlain the \'/ord using the same form or Parts of speech For
instance, do not define an adverb in terms of an adjective or a verb in terms ot a
noun- When in doubt, look carefully at the Passage to see how the !!ord is used-
Also, for verbs, use the same tense as in the original'
E.g. The wealth of the oceans remains unexplqllgd'
Inaccurate explanatiotl: "not Iully using and developing resources"
Prefered exPlanation: not fully used and developed"

2. Remember to explain the meaning of the word as used in the passage- Beware:
l
many words have *ore than one neaning, so be sure that you have looked at
the context of the sentence and chosen the right meaning'
E.g. The two counkies signed a treaty based on their common
interests.
Which is the correct definition of "comrnon" here?
(a) ordinary ft) shared (c) widespread

Give only ONE answer. This is imPortant because when you- add a wrong
an.swer to a right one, the whole answer will be marked wlong So give the one
answer You are most conJident of.
E.g. malicious: "having evil intentions and being angry"
Tie above aruwer will not be awarded any marks as "malicious" does
not mean "being angrY".

4. Do not include extra details within your answer that aPPly to neighbouling
words but not necessarily to the word in question'
E.g. Curiosity is a fu1Q41q9gq! human trait'
Inaccurate explanation: "basic to people"
Preferred exPlanation: "basic"
does
"Basic to people" is incorect because the adjective "fundamental"
not dPPIY only to human beings'

5. For figurative/ metaphorical use of words, do not simPly use a synonym

E.g. The p;!qg! of racial hatred seeped into all levels of society'
lnaccurate exPlanation:' venom'
Preferred explanation: "corrupting influence"

6. Do not givc word using the same root form to exPlain the meaning
a
E.g. practicality: "the trait of being Practical"
iffational: "noi rational"

Hwa ahong ljnia/ Colege 2002

 Explaininq phrases
Sometimes, you will be called upon to answer a vocabulary question involving
phrases. Here you are usually asked to explain what the author means by these
phrases. Keep in mind these two tips:
. Use full sentences rather than a word or a phrase to explain the plrrases-
. Explain the full contextual meaning of what the author is trying to say do not
just give a word-for-word paraphrase or definition.
-
E.g. Explain what the author means by ,,they advertised the fact,,?
Incomplete / inaccutate explanation: ,,they publicised the inJormation,,
Preferred explanation: ,'they made known information in a consDicuous
way"

Notice the answet avoids using the key words in the given phrase and, most
im?ortantly, links the phrase to the context. It spells out exa.tly wnut the author
referring to by the words ,'advertised,, and "the fact',.
i, I -

lmportant Tips
. All significant in the giwen pluase must be your own. For example,
-words
"integral part of a new world order,' - if you write "essential part of a new world
order", you will not have used your own words sufficiently.

. Metaphodcal figurative or proverbial expressions should be explained in plain

language. Do not simply substitute another metaphol or image.

. Danger! Very ofter; students attempt a literal word-fot,word hanslation

of a
sentence-,ot phrase. This usually cannot fuIly explain what the author
mears and,
worse still, can lead to a serious misinter?retation or confusion.
E.g. author's sentence: ,,The promises made by the advertisement
were mote Iiction than fact.,,
tl
Qn: Explain what the author means by the phrase ,,rllore fiction
than fact',.
Incorrect explanation: ,'the vows of the comrnercial wete more literatllre
than actuai reality"
The meaning of ,,promises" here is quite different from ,,vows. and ,.fiction,, does
not mean "literature'r here. The student has not explained tlle metaphorical and
contextual meaning of both words.
Preferred explanation: "the real quality of the product did not live up to
the exaggerated claims of the comrnercial"

Hwa Cho.g Junial aoteg.' 20OZ

+
 5ummary Writing
The main skill in summarising is in Picking out the main idea. For example "He
was cowe ng in a corner of the room, shaking with extreme fear" may be
surtuna sed as "He was terrified" (Notice the deletion of extra details).

Try both these techniques in your assignrnents to see which works best for you'
Method A may seem more laborious but you should Practise it to learn the skiils oi
sumrrrarising.

Suggested Method A: The List

1. Read the question catefully to know exactly what is required- Kcep in mincl
that the surrmary is selectivc you do not need to inciude everything in the
text, only what is needed to answer the question.
2. Mark where you should begin and end in the passage.
3. Go through the relevant Portion slowly- On anothel sheet of PaPer, mal<e
brief notes of the relevant Points, in your own words. Arrange your Points irl
a logical order (e.g. for/against) according to the question requirements (see
next page fot advice).
4. Re-read to check that nothing has been omitted in you! list.
5. Use your list to wlite a rough draft. Refer to the passage only to cla {y points
Make sure you link Points with link words (e.g. but, since, afld, thus).
6. Count the wotds. If the number is far below the word lirnit you have
probably missed something out.

Suggested Method B: Sketch ExPress

1. Follow steps 1 and 2 of Method A.
2- Go tfuough carefully the relevant Portion. Underline the rnain Points and
delete anything trelevant to the question ol unnecessaty (details, examPles'
repetitioru). Write a number in tie margin for each separate Point'
3. The number of points you make should be aPProximately equal, or slightly
more than. The number of marks given for the question lf you have too much
or too few points, check to see if you have missed anything.
4. Write your draft in youl own words using the underlined passage as a guide'
5. Follow stepsN ol MPthod A
+-6
Post-marking: When your scriPt is returned and the tutor goes tfuough the answers'
compuro yo.,i list (method A) ol your numbering system (method B) with the tlrtor's-
In this way you wiil learn what counts as a seParate and relevant Point

Hwa ahong Junior Co/tege 2Oo2

 Summary Exercise
The first stages of summary work have been done for you and you are only given the
relevant sentences. You have to paraphrase, that is, find an;ther way to write the
points down. You will also have to write your notes in grammatical sentences.

Question: Describe the benefits of the kangany system in about 100 words.
Use your own lyords as far as possible.

N_ote: Karganl is Tamil, meaning supervisor or overceer. ln Malaya or Ceylon (as

Malaysia and Sri Lanka were then called respectively), it became a specilic term for
the foreman of a group of labourers working together on a plantation or constructton

The points that were identified as relevant are as follows:

1. "A superior labour force was thus Drovided,'
/\
2- "The kangany could be expected to exercise
exercise qreater care in the choice of
labourerq"
3. "As the recfliting was done by a person known to the communitv,
lhere would be
greater willinqness to volunteer as emjqrants
4. "Thus, indiscriminate recruitjnq, the danger of coercion, and other abuses
inherent in the indenture system were <rone awav with-
5. "There was now scope for lhe miqration of families rather than individuals,,
6- 'When the kangany returned to Malaya... lhere was a continuinq connection
between the kangany and the rabourers. This considerabrv reduced ihe hirdihG
resulting from the migration as far as the labourer waiioncerned
-
Task 'l; Put the above points, especially those that are underlined. in vour
own words. Use note form- DO NOT WRITE pULL SEtteruCpir
1. )',

2.

4.

6.

Task 2 : Using only your own notes, write the summary in simple, correct
English.

Hwa ahoag /unral ao//egc 2aO2

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