TKT Teaching Reading Skills 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the main purpose of skimming a text?
- To find a specific name or date
- To get a general overview of the content (Correct answer)
- To understand every word in detail
- To identify all the grammar structures used
Correct answer: To get a general overview of the content
Skimming involves reading quickly to get a general idea or overview of a text without focusing on specific details.
Question 2: Which type of reading is used when a student looks for a specific phone number in a directory?
- Skimming
- Extensive reading
- Scanning (Correct answer)
- Intensive reading
Correct answer: Scanning
Scanning involves moving quickly through a text to locate specific information such as names, numbers, or dates.
Question 3: What does 'extensive reading' primarily aim to develop in learners?
- Detailed grammar accuracy
- Reading fluency and enjoyment (Correct answer)
- Pronunciation and stress patterns
- Spelling and punctuation
Correct answer: Reading fluency and enjoyment
Extensive reading involves reading large amounts of accessible text for general understanding, aiming to build fluency and a positive attitude toward reading.
Question 4: Which term describes the background knowledge and expectations a reader brings to a text?
- Discourse
- Schema (Correct answer)
- Register
- Genre
Correct answer: Schema
Schema refers to the pre-existing mental frameworks and background knowledge readers draw on to predict and understand new text.
Question 5: What is a pre-reading activity primarily designed to do?
- Test comprehension after reading
- Practice grammar rules in context
- Activate learners' background knowledge and interest (Correct answer)
- Check spelling of new vocabulary
Correct answer: Activate learners' background knowledge and interest
Pre-reading activities are designed to activate learners' schema and generate interest so they are better prepared to understand the text.
Question 6: What does 'bottom-up processing' in reading involve?
- Using background knowledge to predict text meaning
- Reading for general understanding of a passage
- Decoding text by recognizing letters, words, and sentences (Correct answer)
- Reading texts written at an advanced level
Correct answer: Decoding text by recognizing letters, words, and sentences
Bottom-up processing starts from the smallest units—letters and words—building upward toward comprehension of larger stretches of text.
Question 7: What does 'top-down processing' in reading involve?
- Reading from the first line to the last line of a page
- Using prior knowledge and context to predict and interpret meaning (Correct answer)
- Focusing on individual words and their grammatical forms
- Reading only the topic sentences of each paragraph
Correct answer: Using prior knowledge and context to predict and interpret meaning
Top-down processing uses the reader's existing knowledge, context, and expectations to predict and construct meaning rather than decoding word by word.
TKT Teaching Reading Skills 1
What is the main purpose of skimming a text?