Reading Comprehension

About this unit

Reading Comprehension is one of the two units in the NCET Hindi syllabus. You read unseen passages and answer questions on them. The syllabus names three kinds of passage: factual, narrative and literary. Each kind rewards a slightly different way of reading, so practise all three.

What the questions test

• Finding information that is stated directly in the passage.
• Understanding the main idea and the best title.
• Working out the meaning of a word or phrase from its context.
• Drawing an inference: what the passage suggests but does not say.
• Recognising the writer’s tone, attitude or purpose.

How to prepare

• Read something in Hindi every day: a newspaper report, a short story, a poem. Mix the three passage types.
• After each passage, say the main idea in one sentence before you look at any questions.
• Build a list of new Hindi words you meet, with the sentence you found them in.
• Time yourself. In the exam you attempt 20 of 23 questions, so passage sets must not eat all your time.

Exam-day method

• Read the questions (not the options) first, so you know what to look for.
• Read the passage once, steadily. Mark names, numbers, dates and words like “but”, “however” and “therefore”.
• Answer from the passage, not from what you already know about the topic.
• Eliminate options that are too extreme (“always”, “never”) or not supported by the text.