Reading comprehension: choose an answer the passage can support

Original practice passage

When a neighbourhood library extended its evening hours for six weeks, attendance after 6 pm increased. The staff had also placed a notice about the new hours at a nearby bus stop. Some visitors said they came because the later closing time suited their work schedules; others had learned about the library from the notice. The trial cost more because a second staff member stayed late. The manager recommended continuing it for another month while recording the number of repeat visitors and the extra staffing cost. She did not claim that longer opening hours alone explained the increase.

The first sentence reports an observation: attendance increased during the trial. The next sentences describe two possible influences, visitor comments and a cost. The final recommendation is cautious: continue collecting evidence. The passage does not prove that one change caused the whole increase.

After reading, state the passage in one sentence: “An evening-hours trial increased attendance, but the manager wants more evidence before judging its value.” This summary keeps both the result and the limitation.

Question: Which statement best captures the passage?

A. Longer opening hours always improve a library’s performance.

B. A library trial showed promising attendance, but its causes and costs still need evaluation.

C. Advertising is the only reason people visit libraries.

D. Libraries should avoid employing extra staff.

Answer: B. It includes the attendance change and the manager’s qualified recommendation. A adds “always”, although the passage discusses one six-week trial. C turns one possible influence into the only cause. D converts a reported cost into advice the author never gives.

A main-idea answer should fit the whole passage. A detail such as the bus-stop notice is important evidence, but it is too narrow to replace the central point.

Question: What can reasonably be inferred about the manager?

A. She knows that the notice had no effect.

B. She thinks the trial should be assessed using more than attendance alone.

C. She wants to close the library immediately.

D. She believes every visitor works late.

Answer: B. She asks for repeat-visitor counts and extra staffing cost, so her assessment goes beyond the current attendance increase. A conflicts with her refusal to isolate a cause. C conflicts with extending the trial. D takes comments from “some visitors” and applies them to everyone.

Inference is not free speculation. Ask whether the passage gives enough support for the answer without adding a new fact. “Some”, “all”, “may” and “must” change the strength of an option. Treat these words as part of the reasoning, not decorative language.

For each candidate answer, identify the sentence that supports it. If there is no supporting sentence or clear combination of sentences, you may be relying on outside knowledge.

Suppose an option says “The trial proved that later closing alone caused attendance to rise.” The passage explicitly says the manager did not claim this. Another option might say “Staffing cost rose during the trial.” That follows directly from the sentence about a second staff member staying late.

For a vocabulary question, first identify the word’s role in that sentence. In this passage, “trial” means a limited experiment, not a court case. Replace the word with your proposed meaning and check whether the sentence still fits.

Tone questions also need evidence. Here the manager’s recommendation is cautious and investigative. “Angry” or “triumphant” would require language that the passage does not contain.

Use a 20-minute practice block: read a short passage for 5 minutes, answer its questions for 8 minutes, and spend 7 minutes reviewing. Adjust the timing to your level and target exam; this is a learning routine, not a universal test strategy.

Record one reason for each rejected option: too broad, too narrow, unsupported cause, reversed meaning, or stronger language than the passage. If you chose a wrong answer, write the evidence you overlooked. Avoid keeping only the option letter, which does not explain the error.

For longer CAT passages, map each paragraph’s role: introduce a claim, explain it, qualify it, offer evidence, or challenge an alternative. Do not assume that every paragraph states the author’s own opinion. Read attribution words such as “critics argue” carefully.

Continue with reading comprehension, the beginner English routine and the error notebook. Revisit this passage later and explain why each incorrect option fails without looking at the solutions.