Comprehension skills | How to improve the understanding of reading | Study Tips for Exams
In today's digital age, millions of students and professionals are looking for information on topics like Reading Comprehension Skills, English Study Tips, and Competitive Exam Preparation. If you are also preparing for school, college or competitive exams (eg UPSC, SSC, Banking, CTET), then it is very important to know how to develop comprehension skills.
In this article, we will tell you what is the understanding, its types, importance, weaknesses, and easy and effective ways to improve them. This post is especially for those who want to give their Academic Performance and Career Growth a new direction by adopting online learning, study hacks, and exam-oriented strategies.
1. What is Comprehension Skills?
Reading Comprehension is a mental process by which we consider any written or oral information carefully, consider it, and conclude.
2. Types of Comprehension Skills
|
Type |
Explanation |
|
literal comprehension |
Understanding the information given in a direct lesson. Like - who was the character? What happened? |
|
Inferential comprehension |
The information that was not clearly written in the text, but which is to think or guess. |
|
evaluative comprehension
|
Create and evaluate the quality, purpose, and ideas of the text.
|
|
applied comprehension
|
Applying the read information in your life or a new situation.
|
3. Importance of understanding Comprehension Skills
Success in education: It is necessary to understand the subject and answer questions correctly.
Useful in competitive examinations: Reading Comprehension is an important part in UPSC, SSC, Banking, etc.
Helps in decision making in life: the ability to understand any news, information or instruction correctly
Promoting communication skills: When you understand the words of others, you can give better feedback.
4. Common causes of weakness in understanding Comprehension Skills
Lack of proper Vocabulary knowledge
Lack of interest in reading
Lack of focus
Cramming without Understanding
Lack of practice
5. Useful measures to improve comprehension skills
A. Story Re-telling Method
Read a story and repeat it in your own words.
B. 5W + 1h Strategy
Ask these questions from every paragraph:
What (what happened?)
Why (Why happened?)
When (when happened?)
Where (Where did it happen?)
Who (with whom?)
How (How happened?)
C. cloze test or fill in the blanks
These exercises strengthen both your words and grammar.
D. Skimming and Scanning Techniques
Skimming: The main idea quickly read.
Scanning: Finding special information (eg - date, name, figures).
E. Re-reading strategy
If you are not understood at once, then read again. This is a very effective method.
6. Practice suggestions for students
|
Practice |
Objective |
|
Read Daily News |
Helpful to identify factual information |
|
Children’s stories |
Start from simple level |
|
Chapters of NCERT Books |
Suitable for school students |
|
Previous years question paper |
Preparation for competitive exams |
7. Main Components-What are the things necessary to understand
Decoding (To read and identify words) - Reading letters and words correctly.
Vocabulary Knowledge - To know the meaning of difficult or new words
SENTENCE Structure - To make the true meaning of big or complex sentences
Infection - To understand what is not written clearly (to remove the meaning between lines).
Retention - Remember the things read.
Critical Thinking -Thinking of the facts given in the article and create your opinion.
Combination of information (synthesis) -Complete meaning by adding different information.
8. Useful apps and websites (Self Practice Tools)
Newsela - Reading news in easy language
readtheory.org - Practice by level
BBC Learning English - Vocabulary and Practice
Quizlet - Remembering words from Flashcards
If you learn to read with understanding, then it brings not only good marks in the exam, but also to make decisions in life, understand information, and also to accept the talk of others properly.
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