Reading Comprehension Success in 20 Minutes a Day, 3rd Edition

d.
The narrator attempted suicide through
carbon monoxide poisoning.
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P R E T E S T
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1 5

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A n s w e r K e y
If you miss any of the answers, you can find help for that kind of question in the lesson(s) shown to the right of
the answer.
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P R E T E S T
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1 6
1.
c.
Lesson 1
2.
a.
Lesson 1
3.
d.
Lesson 9
4.
a.
Lesson 16
5.
b.
Lesson 3
6.
c.
Lesson 12
7.
c.
Lesson 2
8.
b.
Lessons 6 and 7
9.
a.
Lesson 3
10.
b.
Lesson 8
11.
d.
Lesson 4
12.
c.
Lesson 17
13.
d.
Lesson 2
14.
b.
Lesson 8
15.
c.
Lesson 4
16.
b.
Lesson 13
17.
a.
Lesson 19
18.
d.
Lesson 3
19.
c.
Lesson 8
20.
c.
Lesson 19
21.
b.
Lesson 19
22.
a.
Lesson 16
23.
c.
Lesson 13
24.
a.
Lesson 14
25.
b.
Lesson 11
26.
d.
Lesson 9
27.
c.
Lesson 1
28.
a.
Lessons 6 and 10
29.
d.
Lesson 3
30.
d.
Lesson 6
31.
b.
Lesson 18
32.
c.
Lesson 2
33.
c.
Lesson 12
34.
a.
Lesson 12
35.
b.
Lesson 13
36.
a.
Lesson 11
37.
c.
Lesson 2
38.
c.
Lesson 4
39.
d.
Lesson 3
40.
c.
Lessons 6, 7, and 10
41.
d.
Lesson 8
42.
a.
Lesson 9
43.
b.
Lesson 11
44.
b.
Lesson 12
45.
c.
Lesson 3
46.
a.
Lesson 14
47.
d.
Lesson 18
48.
b.
Lesson 16
49.
d.
Lesson 17
50.
a.
Lesson 17

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1 7
Building a
Strong
Foundation
Y
ou may not have thought of it this way before, but critical readers are a lot like
crime scene investigators. In their search for the truth, they do not let opin-
ions sway them; they want to know what actually happened. They collect tan-
gible evidence and facts and use this information to draw an informed conclusion.
Separating fact from opinion is essential during a crime scene investigation. It is also a cru-
cial skill for effective reading.
When you read, look for clues to understand the author’s meaning. What is this pas-
sage about? What is this writer saying? What is his or her message? At times, it may seem
like authors are trying to hide their meaning from you. But no matter how complex a piece
of writing may be, the author always leaves plenty of clues for the careful reader to find. It
is your job to find those clues. Be a good detective when you read. Open your eyes and ask
the right questions. In other words, read carefully and actively.
The five lessons that follow cover the basics of reading comprehension. By the end
of this section, you should be able to:
■
Find the basic facts in a passage
■
Determine the main idea of a passage
■
Determine the meaning of unfamiliar words from context
■
Distinguish between fact and opinion

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I
magine, for a moment, that you are a detective. You have just been called to the scene of a crime; a house
has been robbed. What’s the first thing you should do when you arrive?
a.
See what’s on the TV.
b.
Check what’s in the fridge.
c.
Get the basic facts of the case.
The answer, of course, is 
c
, get the basic facts of the case: the who, what, when, where, how, and why. What
happened? To whom? When? Where? How did it happen? And why?
As a reader faced with a text, you go through a similar process. The first thing you should do is establish the
facts. What does this piece of writing tell you? What happens? To whom? When, where, how, and why? If you can
answer these basic questions, you’re on your way to really comprehending what you read. (You’ll work on
answering the more difficult question—“
Why
did it happen?”—in Lesson 2.)
L E S S O N
Getting the
Essential
Information
L E S S O N S U M M A R Y
The first step in increasing your reading comprehension is to learn how
to get the basic information. Like a good detective, start with the basic
facts. To get the facts, be an active reader and look for clues as you
read.