Using The Features of A Reading Passage

Different features and first paragraph of a passage can help you make useful predictions about the context of the passage, which in turn enables you to quickly find correct answer. Features of a reading passage include:

Heading – Heading is a word, phrase, or sentence at the beginning of a written passage that explains what it’s about. A heading is very similar to a title. Headings show up at the top of paragraphs, chapters, or pages, and they give you an idea of what the subject is.

Subheading – a title or heading of a subdivision, as in a chapter, essay, passage, or newspaper article. These are titles that divide part of a piece of writing into shorter sections. These are more frequently seen in reading passages of IELTS General Training as compared to the Academic module.

Column – The definition of a column is a vertical arrangement of something, a regular article in a paper, magazine or website, or a structure that holds something up.

Caption – A caption is the words printed underneath a picture or cartoon which explain what it is about.

Figure/illustration – An illustration/figure is a decoration, interpretation or visual explanation of a text, concept or process, designed for integration in published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, video games and films.

Footnote – A footnote is a note at the bottom of a page in a book which provides more detailed information about something that is mentioned on that page. If you describe an event as a footnote, you mean that it is fairly unimportant although it will probably be remembered.

Paragraph – a distinct portion of written or printed matter dealing with a particular idea, usually beginning with an indentation on a new line. A paragraph could be part of a text that informs people, describes something, critiques something, compares things, persuades people, lists a process, makes an argument, offers a solution or narrates a story. And, the level of detail will vary from text to text.

Now let’s practice what we have just learnt. Complete the Quiz given in the ‘Lesson Content’ box below.