Englisch 11

Basic Skills

1. Questions on the Text

The phrases in bold letters can serve as a checklist:

Questions:

• Read the question(s)!
• Does the question relate to only a certain (given) passage of the text?
• Mark keywords in question, look up unclear words!
• What is asked? What are you looking for? Decide what information you need before you read the text again (e.g. do you look for reasons, stylistic devices, facts/quotes that help to write a characterization?)

Reading/Marking Mark / collect passages that help to answer your questions

• Read the text one section/paragraph at a time to maximize your concentration.
• Stop at the end of the section/paragraph. Ask yourself: “What is important – what helps to answer the question?”
• Mark the phrases that help to compose your answer AFTER reading a paragraph and before moving on.
• Annotate by writing e.g. the number of the question or a short tag on the margin of the text. You may write out key words/phrases of your answer in your own words in English!

Writing

• Structure your material (related ideas/arguments, order of importance ...)
• Tense used in the question ==> Correct Tense of your answer?

• Have you got a good introductory sentence?
  • It states what question you answer/refers to the question
  • It gives the reader a basic idea of the structure/direction your answer takes. (Question: What problems does the author see for big cities? - Your introduction: The author believes that big cities have two main problems related to traffic and housing.)
• Do not copy entire passages from the text (Unless you have to quote, but this is rare)

Check

• Answer includes: introductory sentence ==> parts of answer (1 paragraph each; do you have to give lines/quotes?), incl. explanations [==> conclusion]?
• Are your paragraphs linked well ==> is the line of argument/order o.k.?
• Does the answer really answer the question?
• Do you keep the promises made in the introduction? (e.g "There many reasons ..." ==> Do you give at least three?)