Pre-MYE Auto-Learning Module 2 of 4 Interpretation Question & Inference Question

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Doing Interpretation and Inference Questions To do Intepretation Questions, all you have to do is explain the quoted text in the context of the passage. To do Inference Questions, you have to figure out something that the author did not tell you. For both types of questions, you have to look at the passage of clues, and maybe even rely on background knowledge! Lets practise! Lets start with a recap of the steps for doing Interpretation and Inference Questions…

TRY THIS QUESTION! (This counts as homework; its not optional.) Passage 1: Question 1: Explain Ernest Hemingways six-word short story. Your answer must be no longer than two sentences. [2 marks] Within the next 2 minutes, write your answer – in full sentence form – on a piece of paper. When you are done, check the answer on the next slide.

Check Your Answer! Does your answer contain all the following ideas? 1a) [Someone]/[some people]… [Context: If point 1a) is not provided, the whole answer is awarded 0 marks!] 1b) … had been expecting the birth of a baby, [0.5 marks] 1c) and had bought baby shoes for it. [0.5 marks] 2) However, this child had unexpectedly died, [0.5 marks] 3a) leading [this person]/[these people] to sell the shoes,… 3b) … which he/she/they no longer needed. [3a) + 3b) = 0.5 marks] There are 3 main points/ideas in total. Mark [red pen] and correct [green pen] your work accordingly. Model Answer: A couple had been expecting the birth of a baby, and had bought baby shoes for it. However, this child had unexpectedly died, leading the couple to sell the shoes, which they no longer had need for. [2 marks]

TRY THIS QUESTION! (This counts as homework; its not optional.) Passage 2: Question 2: Explain what Bob Marley means when he says, Before you start pointing fingers, make sure your hands are clean.[1 mark] Within the next 2 minutes, write your answer – in full sentence form – on a piece of paper. When you are done, check the answer on the next slide.

Check Your Answer! Does your answer contain all the following ideas? 1) Before [criticising]/[accusing]/[blaming] another person, [Context: If point 1) is not provided, the whole answer is awarded 0 marks!] 2a) one must/should first [make certain]/[ensure] [0.5 marks] 2b) that his own character/behaviour/lifestyle is blameless*. [0.5 marks] *Also acceptable: faultless/perfect/flawless/righteous/upright/morally good. There are 2 main points/ideas in total. Mark [red pen] and correct [green pen] your work accordingly. Model Answer: Before criticising another person, one should first ensure that his own behaviour is faultless. [1 mark]

TRY THIS QUESTION! (This counts as homework; its not optional.) Passage 3: Question 3: What did Bruce Lee mean by A man must constantly exceed his level? [2 marks] Within the next 3 minutes, write your answer – in full sentence form – on a piece of paper. When you are done, check the answer on the next slide.

Passage 3: Question 3: What did Bruce Lee mean by A man must constantly exceed his level? Question 3: What did Bruce Lee mean by A man must constantly exceed his level? Did you manage to identify the main ideas? There are about 3 main ideas! 1) We must not put limits on what we can do, physical or anything else. 2) There are no limits… there are plateaus… but you must not stay there… must go beyond them. 3) If it kills you, it kills you. Model Answer: A person must not assume that he cannot achieve more than what his current capabilities allow. Rather, he must always try to improve these capabilities no matter the cost. [1 mark]

TRY THIS QUESTION! (This counts as homework; its not optional.) Passage 4: I have seen something like it happen in battle. An adversary was coming at me, and I at him; both desiring to make a martyr of the other. Then came a sudden great gust of wind that wrapped out cloaks over our swords and almost over our eyes, so that we could do nothing to one another but must fight the wind itself. And that ridiculous contention, so foreign to the business we were on, set us both laughing, face to face - friends for a moment - and then at once enemies again and forever. Question 4: What does the author mean by the business we were set on? Explain using your own words as far as possible. [1 mark] Question 5: Suggest why the author and his adversary had both laughed. [1 mark] Within the next 6 minutes, write your answers – in full sentence form – on a piece of paper. When you are done, check the answers on the next few slides.

Check Your Answer! Does your answer contain all the following ideas? Question 4. 1)The author and his adversary/enemy/opponent were [Context: If point 1) is not provided, the whole answer is awarded 0 marks!] 2) … in the midst/process of fighting to the death. [1 mark] OR 2) … endeavouring/attempting/trying/assaying to kill each other. [1 mark] OR 2) … each endeavaouring/attempting/trying/assaying to make the other person die for his country by killing him. [1 mark] There are 2 main points/ideas in total. Mark [red pen] and correct [green pen] your work accordingly. Model Answer: The author and his opponent were each trying to kill the other person and thereby make the other person die for his country. [1 mark]

Check Your Answer! Does your answer contain all the following ideas? Question 5. 1)The author and his adversary… [Context: If point 1) is not provided, the whole answer is awarded 0 marks!] 2)… briefly/momentarily/suddenly realised how silly/ridiculous/pointless their trying to kill each other was. [1 mark] There are 2 main points/ideas in total. Mark [red pen] and correct [green pen] your work accordingly. Model Answer: In the moment that the wind blew and interfered with their fight, the author and his opponent suddenly realised how pointless their trying to kill each other was. [1 mark]

TRY THIS QUESTION! (This counts as homework; its not optional.) Passage 5: Achievements, however great, sometimes pale in comparison to prior ones. And this is precisely what happened in the case of the prodigious Joe Cole, whose exceptional performances early in his career meant that subsequent ones were measured against ridiculously high standards, which he was unable to satisfy. Consequently, by the end of his career, Joe Cole had been written off by most people as a failure or, more precisely, a perennial underachiever. The former wunderkind was thus a victim of his own success. Question 6: What does the author mean by a victim of his own success? Explain using your own words as far as possible. [2 marks] Question 7: Suggest why the author uses quotation marks for the word failure? [1 mark] Within the next 5 minutes, write your answers – in full sentence form – on a piece of paper. When you are done, check the answers on the next few slides.

Check Your Answer! Does your answer contain all the following ideas? Question 6. 1)The author means that Joe Coles achievements early in his career… [Context: If point 1) is not provided, the whole answer is awarded 2)… caused people to have [unrealistic]/[extremely high] expectations/requirements of him… [1 mark] 3)… which caused him to suffer undue/unfair/harsh criticism [0.5 marks] 4)… when he was unable to meet/fulfill them later on in his career. [0.5 marks] There are 4 main points/ideas in total. Mark [red pen] and correct [green pen] your work accordingly. Model Answer: The author means that Joe Coles achievements early in his career caused people to have unrealistic expectations of him, which caused him to suffer unduly harsh criticism when he was unable to meet these expectations later on in his career. [2 marks]

Check Your Answer! Does your answer contain all the following ideas? Question 7. 1)The author thinks that Joe Cole was not really a failure. [1 mark] There is 1 main point/idea. Mark [red pen] and correct [green pen] your work accordingly. Model Answer: The author thinks that Joe Cole was not really a failure. [1 mark]

TRY THIS QUESTION! (This counts as homework; its not optional.) Passage 6: But I know the rage that drives you. That impossible anger strangling the grief, until the memory of your loved one is just... poison in your veins. And one day, you catch yourself wishing the person you loved had never existed… Question 8: Suggest why the person being spoken to would wish that his loved ones had never existed. [2 marks] Question 9: Suggest why the speaker uses the word catch. [1 mark] Within the next 6 minutes, write your answers – in full sentence form – on a piece of paper. When you are done, check the answers on the next few slides.

Check Your Answer! Does your answer contain all the following ideas? Question 8. 1)The loved one had probably caused a great deal of pain/hurt/suffering for the person being spoken to. [1 mark] 2)Therefore, the person being spoken to might wish that the loved one had never existed, because that would mean that he (the person that the author is addressing) would not have to suffer this pain/hurt/suffering. [1 mark] There are 2 main points/ideas in total. Mark [red pen] and correct [green pen] your work accordingly. Model Answer: The loved one had probably caused a great deal of hurt for the person being spoken to. Hence, the person being spoken to might wish for the loved ones non-existence because that would mean that he (the person that the author is addressing) would not have to suffer this hurt. [2 marks]

Check Your Answer! Does your answer resemble any of the following two answers? Question 9. 1) Very often, when you catch someone doing something, they are surprised. Wishing for the non-existence of a loved one is not a common or expected thing for a person to do. Hence, when one finds himself doing such a thing, he might be surprised that he is having such a wish, much like how a person who is caught doing something is often surprised. [1 mark] OR 2) Very often, people who are caught doing something are in fact doing something [immoral]/[morally wrong]/[morally questionable]/[inappropriate]. Wishing that a loved one did not exist is something [immoral]/[morally wrong]/[morally questionable]/[inappropriate]. Hence, realising that you are doing such a thing is similar to catching someone in the act of doing something [immoral]/[morally wrong]/[morally questionable]/[inappropriate]. [1 mark] If your answer looks like the above two answers, good job! If not, ask yourself whether your answer is reasonable… Remember, interpretation and inference questions allow for a range of answers AS LONG AS they are reasonable. If you are not sure if your answer is good, you can check with me (you can text/SMS/Whatsapp me your answer for me to check)! Model Answer: Very often, people who are caught doing something are in fact doing something morally questionable. Wishing that a loved one did not exist is something morally questionable. Hence, realising that you are wishing for a loved ones non-existence is similar to catching someone in the act of doing something morally questionable. [1 mark]

Important End-Note