1. Section A at a glance
Section A (Reading Skills, 20 marks) has two unseen passages:
- Q1 Discursive passage (400–450 words, 10 marks): the writer discusses an issue or argues a view.
- Q2 Case-based factual passage with visual input (200–250 words, 10 marks): a report with a table, chart or similar visual.
Questions mix multiple choice, true/false, complete-the-sentence, find-the-word and short answers of about 30–40 words. Every passage is new to you, so the skills, not the topic, are what you prepare.
| Board question | Passage | Length | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Discursive passage: a writer discusses an issue, argues a view or weighs both sides | 400–450 words | 10 |
| Q2 | Case-based factual passage with visual input (table, chart or similar) | 200–250 words | 10 |
Key terms
- Unseen passage
A passage you have not read before, set to test reading skills rather than knowledge.
- Discursive
Discussing an issue from a point of view, with reasons and often a counter-point.
2. Reading strategies: skim, scan, read closely
Five-step plan: read the questions → skim for the gist → scan for each answer → read those lines closely → answer and check.
Skimming (for the general idea): title, first and last paragraphs, first sentence of each paragraph.
Scanning (for one detail): jump to keywords, names, numbers or the paragraph named in the question.
Close reading (for inference, tone and evaluation): read the sentence before and after the key line.
| Skimming | Scanning | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | the general idea (gist) | one specific detail |
| Where your eyes go | title, first and last paragraphs, first line of each paragraph | keywords, names, numbers, dates |
| Speed | fast, once through | very fast, jumping to the target |
| Use it for | main idea, title, writer's purpose | who, when, how many, which word |
Key terms
- Skimming
Reading quickly for the general idea of a passage.
- Scanning
Searching quickly for one specific detail.
- Gist
The general meaning or main idea.
3. The shape of an argument
Most discursive passages follow this shape: opening (a hook) → claim (the writer's view) → reasons and examples → counter-point (a limit or the other side) → conclusion (summary or call to action).
Signal words help: Yet, The truth is (claim); First, Also, For example (reasons); None of this means, Of course, However (counter-point); So, In short (conclusion).
Main idea questions need an answer that covers the whole passage, not one paragraph. Writer's purpose questions ask why a detail is there (to hook, to prove, to contrast, to persuade).
| Part of a discursive passage | What it does | Signal words |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | hooks the reader with a scene, question or surprising fact | Ask any…, Imagine…, On a May afternoon… |
| Claim | states the writer's main view | Yet…, The truth is…, This matters because… |
| Reasons and examples | support the claim | First…, Also…, For example… |
| Counter-point | admits a limit or the other side | None of this means…, Of course…, However… |
| Conclusion | sums up or calls for action | So…, In short…, The next time you… |
Key terms
- Topic sentence
The sentence, usually the first, that states a paragraph's main point.
- Counter-point
A point that admits a limit to the writer's argument or presents the other side.
4. Inference and evaluation
Inference is a conclusion the text suggests but does not state. It must rest on a clue: a full tiffin box, no humming, an unopened geometry box → something is troubling her. Reject options that go beyond the clues.
Evaluation asks you to judge: Do you agree? Is the claim convincing? Which suggestion is most practical? Either view earns marks if it is supported by the passage.
Fact or opinion: a fact can be checked (attendance rose from 88 to 94 per cent); an opinion judges or recommends (every school should…).
| The text says… | So we can infer… | Clue |
|---|---|---|
| Her tiffin came back full for the third day. | something is troubling her | a change in a daily habit |
| She had stopped humming as she got ready. | her mood has dropped | a missing sign of happiness |
| The new geometry box lay unopened. | she has lost interest in school work | a neglected object |
Key terms
- Inference
A reasonable conclusion drawn from clues in the text.
- Evaluation
Judging the writer's ideas and supporting your judgement.
5. Tone and attitude
Tone is the writer's attitude, shown through word choice. Useful tone words: admiring, appreciative, critical, sarcastic, ironic, nostalgic, apprehensive, concerned, objective, balanced, optimistic, pessimistic, humorous.
Prove a tone with the writer's words: How wonderful that cars can now reach the next traffic jam sooner is sarcastic because it praises something bad. A paragraph that admits None of this means structure is the enemy is balanced.
Avoid vague words such as good, bad or nice.
| Tone word | Meaning | Typical clue |
|---|---|---|
| admiring / appreciative | praising, approving | triumph, remarkable, worked through the night |
| critical | finding fault | failed, careless, at last… only after |
| sarcastic | mocking by saying the opposite | How wonderful that… (for something bad) |
| nostalgic | fondly longing for the past | those days, will never come back |
| apprehensive / concerned | worried about what may happen | if this continues, may have to |
| objective | factual, no feeling shown | figures, dates, neutral verbs |
| balanced | weighing both sides | None of this means…, However… |
Key terms
- Sarcasm
Mocking by saying the opposite of what is meant.
6. Vocabulary in context
Five clue types: definition, synonym, contrast, example, general sense.
Method: (1) decide the part of speech; (2) find the clue; (3) state the meaning; (4) test it by substitution.
Find-the-word questions: give the passage's own word, from the paragraph named, in the same part of speech as the meaning given (unpleasant to bear → uncomfortable, an adjective). A synonym of your own does not earn the mark.
Opposites and phrases: some questions ask for an antonym (rival ↔ complementary) or the meaning of a phrase (pay off, flooded with information).
| Clue type | How it works | SOYL example |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | the meaning is given beside the word | The herbivores, animals that eat only plants, … |
| Synonym | a word of similar meaning is nearby | the tiny, almost minuscule, print |
| Contrast | a word like unlike or but shows the opposite | Unlike her gregarious brother, she liked being alone |
| Example | examples show what the word covers | citrus fruits such as lemons and oranges |
| General sense | the whole sentence points to the meaning | neither side would move: an impasse |
Key terms
- Context clue
A hint in the surrounding words that shows what an unfamiliar word means.
- Antonym
A word opposite in meaning.
7. The case-based factual passage and its visual
Read the visual first: title and caption, labels and units, highest, lowest, biggest change. Then match each claim in the text to a figure.
Tables: read across a row to follow one item, down a column to compare. Bar charts: the horizontal axis gives categories or time; the vertical axis gives the quantity and unit; check where the scale starts.
Number language: percentage points for the gap between two percentages; per cent for change relative to the start; fractions (a quarter); multiples (doubled, more than ten times); by for the size of change, to for the final value.
Traps: wrong units; axes not starting at zero; things that happen together are not proof of cause; overclaiming words; small samples or a single period.
| To show… | Say | Example |
|---|---|---|
| the gap between two percentages | percentage points | 40% → 30% is a fall of 10 percentage points |
| change relative to the start | per cent | 20 → 30 students is a 50 per cent increase |
| a simple fraction | a quarter, a third, half | 200 of 800 = a quarter |
| multiples | doubled, tripled, ten times | 600 → 6,300 is more than ten times |
| size of change | by | rose by 2,200 |
| final value | to | rose to 6,300 |
| Trap | What to check |
|---|---|
| Wrong unit | thousand or lakh? hours or minutes? per cent or a number? |
| Axis not starting at zero | do not judge size by bar height alone |
| Together is not because | two things rising together do not prove a cause |
| Overclaiming words | is a 2-point rise really far more popular? |
| Small sample or one period | one class, one month or one survey proves little |
Key terms
- Percentage point
The arithmetic gap between two percentages: 40% → 30% is 10 points.
- Correlation
Two things changing together; it does not by itself prove that one causes the other.
8. Writing the answers and managing time
Multiple choice: eliminate what the passage does not support; watch NOT and EXCEPT.
Complete the sentence: continue the given words grammatically with the passage's idea.
Two-mark answers (about 30–40 words): point + evidence + explanation; in factual passages, the reason from the text plus the figure, with its unit, from the visual.
Time: about 20–22 minutes for Q1 and 15–18 minutes for Q2, so Section A takes under 40 minutes.
| Part type (SOYL model of Q1) | Marks | What earns the mark |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple choice: purpose, inference, tone | 1 each | the one best option |
| Complete the sentence | 1 | a grammatical completion with the right idea |
| True / false | 1 | the correct choice, checked against the passage |
| Find the word | 1 | the exact word from the named paragraph |
| Short answer (about 30–40 words) | 2 each | a point plus support or a reasoned view |
| Part type (SOYL model of Q2) | Marks | What earns the mark |
|---|---|---|
| Read a value or rank from the visual | 1 | the exact figure with its unit |
| Complete a sentence with a figure or calculation | 1 | the correct number |
| True / false using text and visual | 1 | the correct choice, checked against both |
| Find the word | 1 | the exact word from the passage |
| Explain a trend or judge a claim (about 30–40 words) | 2 each | a point plus accurate figures, or a supported view |
Exam tips
Marks: Section A, 20 marks: Q1 discursive passage (400–450 words) 10 + Q2 case-based factual passage with visual input (200–250 words) 10 (CBSE 2026-27).
How marks are awarded (SOYL model of the board pattern): six 1-mark parts and two 2-mark parts per passage. One-mark parts need the single right option, word or figure; two-mark parts need a point with support, or a reasoned judgement.
Common mistakes
- Answering from general knowledge instead of the passage.
- Giving your own synonym in a find-the-word question.
- Vague tone words (good, bad).
- Writing per cent where the answer is percentage points.
- Leaving out units, or reading the wrong row of a table.
- Treating two trends that move together as cause and effect.
Time: under 40 minutes for the whole section.