0 Critical Language Tactics for Your Examinations

Tips for Critical Reading Questions in Your Exams


• Read all the answer options provided before choosing a response.
• Always try to imagine the context of the passage so that you can get an idea of what an unfamiliar word might mean. Every story has a situation. Learning what makes up parts of words will help you break down the mean of “big words”
• Words are not always the same in meaning; sometimes they are just similar in meaning or closest in meaning. Always apply the situation to your responses to ascertain that it will fit right into the sentence.

Sentence Completion Questions


Read a passage twice so that you can get a genuine feel of the passage. You might miss crucial pointers in your first reading that might become clearer to your understanding when you reread the excerpt.
Words like (but, however, although, albeit, on the other hand) that signals a contrast and others like (moreover, in addition to, furthermore) that indicates a continuation of the storyline being told.
Always test words in double blank sentences to see which would fit in their correctly before choosing a pair of words for a response.
For Eg.
1. B Choose which of the following pair of words when inserted in the blank spaces expresses sentence best.

A) Adore-Doting b) Forgive-Loving C) Harsh-Respectable D) Ridicule-Hilarious

I ___________my father because he is a ___________Parent

Read the sentence twice while thinking about words that would best fit in the blank spaces. First word that comes to mind should be “love”. A word that is similar to love in the choices section is (A) Adore which means “love intensely” and since it is a pairing response question then Doting would be the word that best pairs with Doting.
Someone might choose (B) because in truth Forgive and Loving could work but when one thinks of it. It leaves the sentence sounding unfinished. Unfinished means it is not expressed at its best.
Do not be distracted by the response that could be the answer” this is fondly called the distractor. The distractor is always a response that sounds like it could work in the response sections.
Then there is the choice that sounds similar to the situation but completely inadmissible to the sentence situation that would be choice (D) and then there is a response that is completely absurd and has nothing whatsoever to do with the subject at hand. Always try and eliminate these factors before you choose a response.

Improving Writing Skills


Try to write from your heart or your imagination when you are doping an essay. Think about a story you would create to tell your friends. Imagine all the elements that you would use in order to make that story appealing, engaging or even funny to your friends and then proceed to write that story on paper in English.


Try to remember sceneries you have seen on Television or in your everyday life. Attempt to describe the colours, smells and tastes that you encounter in your everyday life. This brings life to your writing.
You can apply knowledge from other fields to your English Language paper. For instance you are asked to write an essay about Dancehall Music and Its influence on culture. You can draw references from what you learnt in History class, Social Study Class and Business class to express a sound essay.



Talk about where Dancehall Music is derived from and how music is a social agent, and how it affects our economy with the vendors, corporate sponsorships and money circulating to Hairdressers, Clothes Merchant, and Car Rentals. There is so much to talk about in an Essay if only one is directed to sources for inspirations.


Answering Question from a Read Passage


Read through the questions before you start reading the passage. You will get an idea of what it is you are looking for when you read the passage.
Always read the introduction twice because in there lies the lead of the passage. You know where the passage from the introductory paragraph is heading and that is why teachers stress that students who have good lead paragraphs gain better marks on exams.
Make sure your answers are based only on what is written in the passage and not what you know from the story, if it is taken from a popular book. Always read paired excerpts separately and answer questions one at a time.

Sentence Reconstruction Answers

Not all sentences need correction. Some are acceptable the way they are.
Read sentences aloud so that you can get an idea of whether it would sound right if you spoke like that. Picture how it would sound in your ear and if it doesn’t sound right. It means it is not right.
Always attempt a response than leave a question blank. Remember you do not lose points for incorrect responses.
The most common errors are spelling, subject-verb agreement, faulty diction, incorrect tense,). The changes that are in the answer choices can also reveal what is wrong with the sentences.