TSI Reading Overview

What is scanning?

• Quickly reading over a text to get the general gist.

• Quickly reading over a text to find some specific information which is focused upon.

• Taking the time to understand the whole text in depth.

• Rewording of something written or spoken by someone else.

What is skimming?

• Rewording of something written or spoken by someone else.

• Taking the time to understand the whole text in depth.

• Quickly reading over a text to get the general gist.

• Quickly reading over a text to find a specific piece of information which is focused upon.

Read the following early draft of an essay and then choose the best answer to the question or the best completion of the statement. What happens in our brains when we read? As one would expect, the parts of the brain associated with language development and processing play a central role. But recent research by neuroscientists suggests that the words and phrases we encounter when reading stories activate many other parts of our brains as well, including those responsible for smell, touch, motion, and even empathy. In one study, researchers asked participants to read words and have them scanned by a brain imaging machine. Brain imaging machines are also used to detect the effects of tumors, stroke, head and brain injury, or diseases such as Alzheimer’s. When subjects looked at words such as “perfume,” their primary olfactory cortex, the region used for smells, lit up; when they saw words such as “chair,” this region remained dark. In another study, metaphors involving texture, such as “The singer had a velvet voice,” roused the sensory cortex, while phrases such as “The singer had a pleasing voice” did not. The sensory cortex is the part of the brain responsible for perceiving texture through touch. In a third study, sentences like “Pablo kicked the ball” caused brain activity in the motor cortex, which coordinates the body’s movements. This activity was concentrated in different parts of the motor cortex depending on whether the movement was arm-related or leg-related. The idea that reading activates parts of the brain associated with “real life” functions goes beyond simple words and phrases: there is evidence that the brain treats the detailed interactions among characters in a book as something like real-life social encounters. One scientist has proposed a reason: reading produces a vivid simulation of reality, one that “runs on minds of readers just as computer simulations run on computers.” The brain, it seems, does not make much of a distinction between reading about an experience and encountering it in real life. Which piece of evidence, if added to the third paragraph (sentences 11–13), would best support the writer’s argument?

• Information about a study that showed substantial overlap in the parts of the brain used to understand stories and those used to navigate interactions with other people

• A discussion of how the nature of reading has changed due to people choosing to read books, magazines, and newspapers on computers and mobile devices rather than in print

• A quote from a neuroscientist about the connection between watching television and decreased brain activity

• A statement from a teacher about how reading great literature enhances students’ minds and improves students as human beings

What is the main purpose of skimming a text?

• To understand the text in depth

• To find specific information

• To get the general gist of the text

• To memorize the text

Which of the following is an example of scanning?

• Reading a novel to enjoy the story

• Looking for a specific date in a history book

• Understanding the theme of a poem

• Memorizing a list of vocabulary words

What does the term 'context clues' refer to in reading comprehension?

• Hints within the text that help define difficult words

• The main idea of the text

• The author's purpose for writing

• The setting of the story

Which sentence is grammatically correct?

• She don't like apples.

• He doesn't likes apples.

• They doesn't like apples.

• She doesn't like apples.

What is the function of a topic sentence in a paragraph?

• To conclude the paragraph

• To introduce the main idea of the paragraph

• To provide evidence for the main idea

• To summarize the paragraph

Identify the metaphor in the following sentence: 'Time is a thief that steals our moments.'

• Time is a thief

• Steals our moments

• Time is precious

• Moments are stolen

Which of the following best describes a simile?

• A comparison using 'like' or 'as'

• A direct statement

• A question

• A command