BASICS COURSE
G9 & 10
Session #3
Mr. Abdulshafi
+966 55 656 6955
Table of
Contents
01 Revision on sessions 1 & 2
02 Introduction to session 3
03 Words-in-Context
04 Central Ideas & Details
05 Practice
Command of
Evidence (Textual)
Command of
Evidence (Quan.)
Information & Ideas
Central Ideas &
Details
Inferences
Text Structure & Purpose
Craft & Structure Words-in-Context
Cross-Text Connections
Transitions
Expression of
Ideas Rhetorical Synthesis
Form, Structure, Sense
Standard English
Conventions
Boundaries
WORDS-IN-CONTEXT
MR. ABDULSHAFI - +966 54 387 0234
CONNOTATIONS
01 Identify words or phrases that indicate a
positive or negative tone to understand the
meaning of a word.
CONTEXT CLUES
02 Pay close attention to the surrounding words
and phrases in the sentence or passage.
TRANSITIONS
03 Consider how the word fits into the overall
structure of the sentence or paragraph.
MAIN IDEA
04 Focus on the main idea or theme of the
passage.
SUMMARY
05 Don't skim the text. Carefully read it and
express the main idea in your own words.
Words-in-Context Questionnaire
1. The following text is from Booth Tarkington's 1921 novel Alice Adams.
Mrs. Adams had always been fond of vases, she said, and every year her husband's
Christmas present to her was a vase of one sort or another—whatever the clerk showed
him, marked at about twelve or fourteen dollars.
As used in the text, what does the word "marked" most nearly mean?
A. Stained
B. Staged
C. Watched
D. Priced
Words-in-Context Questionnaire
2. The following text is adapted from Zora Neale Hurston's 1921 short story "John Redding Goes to
Sea." John wants to travel far beyond the village where he lives near his mother, Matty.
[John] had on several occasions attempted to reconcile his mother to the notion, but found
it a difficult task. Matty always took refuge in self-pity and tears. Her son's desires were
incomprehensible to her, that was all.
As used in the text, what does the phrase "reconcile his mother to" most nearly mean?
A. Get his mother to accept
B. Get his mother to apologize for
C. Get his mother to match
D. Get his mother to reunite with
Words-in-Context Questionnaire
3. Mineralogical differences are detectable in samples collected from two locations on the near-
Earth asteroid Ryugu, but such differences may not indicate substantial compositional variations in
the asteroid. Cosmochemist Kazuhide Nagashima and colleagues note that at the small scale of
the samples, the distribution of minerals is unlikely to be ______.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. redundant
B. neglected
C. uniform
D. ongoing
Words-in-Context Questionnaire
4. Visual artist Gabriela Alemán states that the bold colors of comics, pop art, and Latinx culture
have always fascinated her. This passion for the rich history and colors of her Latinx community
translates into the ______ artworks she produces.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. unknown
B. reserved
C. definite
D. vivid
Words-in-Context Questionnaire
5. Business researcher Melanie Brucks and colleagues found that remote video conference
meetings may be less conducive to brainstorming than in-person meetings are. The researchers
suspect that video meeting participants are focused on staring at the speaker on the screen and
don't allow their eyes or mind to wander as much, which may ultimately ______ creativity.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. recommend
B. criticize
C. construct
D. impede
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TIP Read the question carefully to
01 understand what information it asks
for, like the main idea or a key detail.
TIP Determine the task: identify the main
02 idea, find a detail, or understand the
argument.
TIP Use keywords or phrases from the
03 question to guide your search through
the text.
TIP Read the relevant text carefully,
04 focusing on statements that directly
provide necessary details.
TIP Identify relevant information, compare
05 it to answer choices, eliminate incorrect
options, and select the best match.
TIP A prediction should be concise and easy
06 to understand, avoiding unnecessary
details
Central Ideas & Details Questionnaire
1. The following text is adapted from Edgar Allan Poe's 1849 story "Landor's Cottage."
During a pedestrian trip last summer, through one or two of the river counties of New York, I
found myself, as the day declined, somewhat embarrassed about the road I was pursuing.
The land undulated very remarkably; and my path, for the last hour, had wound about and
about so confusedly, in its effort to keep in the valleys, that I no longer knew in what
direction lay the sweet village of B——, where I had determined to stop for the night.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
A. The narrator explains the difficulties he encountered on a trip and how he overcame them.
B. The narrator describes what he saw during a long trip through a frequently visited location.
C. The narrator recalls fond memories of a journey that he took through some beautiful river
counties.
D. The narrator remembers a trip he took and admits to getting lost.
Central Ideas & Details Questionnaire
2. The following text is adapted from Edith Nesbit’s 1906 novel The Railway Children.
Mother did not spend all her time in paying dull [visits] to dull ladies, and sitting dully at
home waiting for dull ladies to pay [visits] to her. She was almost always there, ready to play
with the children, and read to them, and help them to do their home-lessons. Besides this
she used to write stories for them while they were at school, and read them aloud after tea,
and she always made up funny pieces of poetry for their birthdays and for other great
occasions.
According to the text, what is true about Mother?
A. She wishes that more ladies would visit her
B. Birthdays are her favorite special occasion.
C. She creates stories and poems for her children.
D. Reading to her children is her favorite activity.
Central Ideas & Details Questionnaire
3. The following text is adapted from William Shakespeare’s 1609 poem “Sonnet 27.” The poem is
addressed to a close friend as if he were physically present.
Weary with toil, I [hurry] to my bed, The dear repose for limbs with travel tired; But then
begins a journey in my head To work my mind, when body’s work’s expired: For then my
thoughts—from far where I abide— [Begin] a zealous pilgrimage to thee, And keep my
drooping eyelids open wide,
What is the main idea of the text?
A. The speaker is asleep and dreaming about traveling to see the friend.
B. The speaker is planning an upcoming trip to the friend’s house.
C. The speaker is too fatigued to continue a discussion with the friend.
D. The speaker is thinking about the friend instead of immediately falling asleep
Central Ideas & Details Questionnaire
4. The following text is adapted from Lewis Carroll’s 1889 satirical novel Sylvie and Bruno. A crowd
has gathered outside a room belonging to the Warden, an official who reports to the Lord
Chancellor.
One man, who was more excited than the rest, flung his hat high into the air, and shouted
(as well as I could make out) “Who roar for the Sub-Warden?” Everybody roared, but
whether it was for the Sub-Warden, or not, did not clearly appear: some were shouting
“Bread!” and some “Taxes!”, but no one seemed to know what it was they really wanted.
All this I saw from the open window of the Warden’s breakfast-saloon, looking across the
shoulder of the Lord Chancellor.
“What can it all mean?” he kept repeating to himself. “I never heard such shouting before—
and at this time of the morning, too! And with such unanimity!”
Based on the text, how does the Lord Chancellor respond to the crowd?
A. He asks about the meaning of the crowd’s shouting, even though he claims to know what
the crowd wants.
B. He indicates a desire to speak to the crowd, even though the crowd has asked to speak to
the Sub-Warden.
C. He expresses sympathy for the crowd’s demands, even though the crowd’s shouting annoys
him.
D. He describes the crowd as being united, even though the crowd clearly appears otherwise.
Central Ideas & Details Questionnaire
5. In 2014, Amelia Quon and her team at NASA set out to build a helicopter capable of flying on
Mars. Because Mars’s atmosphere is only one percent as dense as Earth’s, the air of Mars would
not provide enough resistance to the rotating blades of a standard helicopter for the aircraft to stay
aloft. For five years, Quon’s team tested designs in a lab that mimicked Mars’s atmospheric
conditions. The craft the team ultimately designed can fly on Mars because its blades are longer
and rotate faster than those of a helicopter of the same size built for Earth.
According to the text, why would a helicopter built for Earth be unable to fly on Mars?
A. Because Mars and Earth have different atmospheric conditions
B. Because the blades of helicopters built for Earth are too large to work on Mars
C. Because the gravity of Mars is much weaker than the gravity of Earth
D. Because helicopters built for Earth are too small to handle the conditions on Mars
Central Ideas & Details Questionnaire
6. In West Africa, jalis have traditionally been keepers of information about family histories and
records of important events. They have often served as teachers and advisers, too. New
technologies may have changed some aspects of the role today, but jalis continue to be valued for
knowing and protecting their peoples’ stories.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
A. Even though there have been some changes in their role, jalis continue to preserve their
communities’ histories.
B. Although jalis have many roles, many of them like teaching best.
C. Jalis have been entertaining the people within their communities for centuries.
D. Technology can now do some of the things jalis used to be responsible for.
Central Ideas & Details Questionnaire
7. The following text is adapted from Oscar Wilde’s 1891 novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. Dorian
Gray is taking his first look at a portrait that Hallward has painted of him.
Dorian passed listlessly in front of his picture and turned towards it. When he saw it he drew
back, and his cheeks flushed for a moment with pleasure. A look of joy came into his eyes,
as if he had recognized himself for the first time. He stood there motionless and in wonder,
dimly conscious that Hallward was speaking to him, but not catching the meaning of his
words. The sense of his own beauty came on him like a revelation. He had never felt it
before.
According to the text, what is true about Dorian?
A. He wants to know Hallward’s opinion of the portrait.
B. He is delighted by what he sees in the portrait.
C. He prefers portraits to other types of paintings.
D. He is uncertain of Hallward’s talent as an artist.
Central Ideas & Details Questionnaire
8. The following text is adapted from Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1911 novel The Secret Garden.
Mary, a young girl, recently found an overgrown hidden garden.
Mary was an odd, determined little person, and now she had something interesting to be
determined about, she was very much absorbed, indeed. She worked and dug and pulled
up weeds steadily, only becoming more pleased with her work every hour instead of tiring of
it. It seemed to her like a fascinating sort of play.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
A. Mary hides in the garden to avoid doing her chores.
B. Mary is getting bored with pulling up so many weeds in the garden.
C. Mary is clearing out the garden to create a space to play.
D. Mary feels very satisfied when she’s taking care of the garden.
Central Ideas & Details Questionnaire
9. The following text is adapted from Jack London’s 1903 novel The Call of the Wild. Buck is a sled
dog living with John Thornton in Yukon, Canada.
Thornton alone held [Buck]. The rest of mankind was as nothing. Chance travellers
might praise or pet him; but he was cold under it all, and from a too demonstrative
man he would get up and walk away. When Thornton’s partners, Hans and Pete,
arrived on the long-expected raft, Buck refused to notice them till he learned they
were close to Thornton; after that he tolerated them in a passive sort of way,
accepting favors from them as though he favored them by accepting.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
A. Buck has become less social since he began living with Thornton.
B. Buck mistrusts humans and does his best to avoid them.
C. Buck has been especially well liked by most of Thornton’s friends.
D. Buck holds Thornton in higher regard than any other person
Central Ideas & Details Questionnaire
10. The following text is from Jane Austen’s 1811 novel Sense and Sensibility. Elinor lives with her
younger sisters and her mother, Mrs. Dashwood.
Elinor, this eldest daughter, whose advice was so effectual, possessed a strength of
understanding, and coolness of judgment, which qualified her, though only
nineteen, to be the counsellor of her mother, and enabled her frequently to
counteract, to the advantage of them all, that eagerness of mind in Mrs. Dashwood
which must generally have led to imprudence. She had an excellent heart;—her
disposition was affectionate, and her feelings were strong; but she knew how to
govern them: it was a knowledge which her mother had yet to learn; and which one
of her sisters had resolved never to be taught.
According to the text, what is true about Elinor?
A. Elinor often argues with her mother but fails to change her mind.
B. Elinor can be overly sensitive with regard to family matters.
C. Elinor thinks her mother is a bad role model.
D. Elinor is remarkably mature for her age.
Central Ideas & Details Questionnaire
11. Believing that living in an impractical space can heighten awareness and even improve health,
conceptual artists Madeline Gins and Shusaku Arakawa designed an apartment building in Japan to
be more fanciful than functional. A kitchen counter is chest-high on one side and knee-high on the
other; a ceiling has a door to nowhere. The effect is disorienting but invigorating: after four years
there, filmmaker Nobu Yamaoka reported significant health benefits.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
A. Although inhabiting a home surrounded by fanciful features such as those designed
by Gins and Arakawa can be rejuvenating, it is unsustainable.
B. Designing disorienting spaces like those in the Gins and Arakawa building is the
most effective way to create a physically stimulating environment.
C. As a filmmaker, Yamaoka has long supported the designs of conceptual artists such
as Gins and Arakawa.
D. Although impractical, the design of the apartment building by Gins and Arakawa
may improve the well-being of the building’s residents.
Central Ideas & Details Questionnaire
12. Utah is home to Pando, a colony of about 47,000 quaking aspen trees that all share a single root
system. Pando is one of the largest single organisms by mass on Earth, but ecologists are worried
that its growth is declining in part because of grazing by animals. The ecologists say that strong
fences could prevent deer from eating young trees and help Pando start thriving again.
According to the text, why are ecologists worried about Pando?
A. It isn’t growing at the same rate it used to.
B. It isn’t producing young trees anymore.
C. It can’t grow into new areas because it is blocked by fences.
D. Its root system can’t support many more new trees.
Central Ideas & Details Questionnaire
13. The following text is adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel Treasure Island. Bill is a
sailor staying at the Admiral Benbow, an inn run by the narrator's parents.
Every day when [Bill] came back from his stroll he would ask if any seafaring men had gone
by along the road. At first we thought it was the want of company of his own kind that made
him ask this question, but at last we began to see he was desirous to avoid them. When a
seaman did [stay] at the Admiral Benbow (as now and then some did) he would look in at
him through the curtained door before he entered the parlour; and he was always sure to be
as silent as a mouse when any such was present.
According to the text, why does Bill regularly ask about "seafaring men"?
A. He isn't sure that other guests at the inn will be welcoming of sailors.
B. He's trying to secure a job as part of the crew on a new ship.
C. He's hoping to find an old friend and fellow sailor.
D. He doesn't want to encounter any other sailor unexpectedly.
