Every card in Reading comprehension, Year 8: more practice
The whole deck, in order — so you can read it through before your child ever sees it.
- A review says: 'Despite a few lively moments, the film dragged along its tired plot.' What is the reviewer's overall opinion?
Mostly negative about the film
HintLook at the verb 'dragged' and the adjective 'tired'.
WhyThe praise is brief and hedged by 'despite', while the criticism is stronger and more detailed.
- A text uses jokes, a chatty voice and cartoons to explain how volcanoes work. Who is the likely audience: young children or scientists?
Young children
HintThink about who jokes and cartoons are meant to please.
WhyA text's style tells you who it was written for.
- A charity advert reads: 'Every day, a child goes hungry. You can change that — donate today.' What is its main purpose?
To persuade readers to give money
HintLook at the command at the end.
WhyThe emotional opening and direct 'you' lead to a call to action.
- A newspaper article about a new road quotes five people who support it and none who oppose it. What is the problem?
It is one-sided and leaves out opposing views
HintCount whose voices are missing.
WhyBias can come from what is left out, as well as from the words used.
- Which wording is more biased: 'Protesters gathered outside the town hall' or 'A rabble of troublemakers swarmed outside the town hall'?
The second
HintWhich one uses loaded words?
Why'Rabble', 'troublemakers' and 'swarmed' are chosen to make the crowd seem unpleasant.
- 'I tiptoed down the stairs, my heart pounding.' Is this written in the first person or the third person?
First person
HintWhich pronoun is the narrator using?
Why'I' and 'my' show the narrator is a character in the story.
- A narrator who knows what every character thinks and feels is called ____.
omniscient
HintIt begins with the same Latin word as 'omnibus'.
WhyAn omniscient narrator can move between characters' minds. A limited narrator sticks to one.
- 'Libraries should stay open. They give everyone free access to books.' Which is the reason: the first sentence or the second?
The second
HintWhich sentence answers the question 'Why?'
WhyThe first sentence is the claim. The second supports it.
- 'I shall be home ere nightfall.' What does the old word 'ere' mean?
Before
HintNightfall is something that happens later.
Why'Ere' appears in older poems and novels, so learning it helps with pre-1914 texts.
- What is the term for a short, striking quotation from a magazine article that is printed again in large type to catch the eye?
A pull quote
HintThe article's own words are lifted out and displayed.
WhyDesigners use these to draw readers into the article.
1★ KS3-ENLA-REA-0064
2★ KS3-ENLA-REA-0065
3★ KS3-ENLA-REA-0066
4★ KS3-ENLA-REA-0067
5★ KS3-ENLA-REA-0068
6★ KS3-ENLA-REA-0069
7★ KS3-ENLA-REA-0070
8★ KS3-ENLA-REA-0071
9★ KS3-ENLA-REA-0072
10★ KS3-ENLA-REA-0073
Keep what you learn
Here, nothing is saved. In your child’s own sky every card is scheduled — it comes back just before they’d forget it — and the professor who wrote it is one tap away.