The Unseen Passage: Fast Reading and Answering
The Unseen Passage: Fast Reading and Answering
The unseen passage supplies as many as three questions and is the safest part of the qualifying paper, because the answer sits within the passage. Nothing has to be memorised — all that is needed is an orderly way of reading, and that is set out here.
The Order for Solving
- Read the passage once quickly, only to grasp the subject.
- Then read all the questions, so that you know what to look for.
- Now read it a second time slowly and mark the lines carrying answers.
- Give the answers in the words of the passage, not from your own knowledge.
- Check every answer against the passage.
The second step is the one most often skipped and the one that saves the most time. Reading the questions first turns the second reading into a search rather than a study.
✗ General knowledge should be added to answers on an unseen passage | ✓ The answer must rest on the passage alone; an option built on outside information is wrong
A Worked Example
Passage — परिश्रम का कोई विकल्प नहीं है। बुद्धि तेज़ हो या साधन अच्छे, बिना परिश्रम के कोई काम पूरा नहीं होता। जो व्यक्ति प्रतिदिन थोड़ा-थोड़ा काम करता रहता है, वह अंत में उससे आगे निकल जाता है जो केवल योजना बनाता रहता है।
- What is the alternative to hard work? — there is none.
- Who gets ahead in the end? — the one who works a little every day.
- A suitable title — the importance of hard work.
- A wrong option — that intelligence is of no use; the passage does not say so.
That last line shows the trap set in every unseen passage — the option that goes beyond the passage. It sounds reasonable, but the passage does not say that much, so it is wrong.
Kinds of Question
| Kind | How to solve |
|---|---|
| Plain fact | find the line |
| Meaning of a word | settle it from the surrounding sentences |
| Title | compress the central sense into two or three words |
| Inference | draw it from the whole passage, not from one line |
Keep this order — the plain fact questions first, then meaning and title, and inference last. By then the passage has been read two or three times and the hardest question becomes easy on its own.
अपठित को सबसे पहले हल कीजिए — उत्तर सामने है और अर्हता पत्र में केवल 30 प्रतिशत चाहिए, इसलिए यहीं से सुरक्षित अंक बन जाते हैं।
TRE pointer: Attempt the passage first — the answers are in front of you and only thirty percent is needed, so safe marks are made here. Remember the two traps: the option built on outside information and the option that goes beyond the passage. Spotting them removes two choices at once.
60-Second Recap
- Read quickly first, then read the questions, then read slowly again.
- The answer must rest on the passage, not on outside knowledge.
- Settle the meaning of a word from the surrounding sentences.
- The title is only the central sense in short.
- An option that goes beyond the passage is wrong.
- Answer facts first, then meaning and title, and inference last.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fastest way to solve an unseen passage?
Read the passage once quickly for its subject, then read all the questions, and only then read it again slowly, marking the lines that carry answers. Reading the questions in between turns the second reading into a search, and the whole exercise takes half the time.
Which options are deliberately made wrong?
Two kinds. The first says something true in ordinary life that the passage does not state. The second goes beyond the passage and claims more than it says. Both sound reasonable, which is exactly why they have to be recognised and struck out.
Why should the unseen passage be attempted first?
Because the answers are present in the passage and nothing has to be remembered, which makes it the most dependable part of the paper. Only thirty percent is needed to qualify, so securing marks here early takes the pressure off everything that follows.
What should be done when the meaning of a word is asked?
Read the sentence containing the word along with the ones before and after it, then place each option in the word's position and read the sentence again. The option that makes the sentence complete and natural is the answer; the ordinary dictionary meaning may not fit.