DET Prep Course: Interactive Reading

Hi, there. Welcome to the Advancement DET Course. Today, we will be discussing a question type called Interactive Reading. Let’s delve into the specifics of this question type.

Interactive Reading questions appear twice in each exam, with each occurrence containing five types of questions, making a total of six sub-questions. These types include Complete the Sentences, Complete the Passage, Highlight the Answer, Identify the Idea, and Title the Passage. There are two sub-questions for Highlight the Answer, thus making it five types and six sub-questions in total. The difficulty decreases progressively from the first question onward. The time allocated for answering is 7 minutes for one set and 8 minutes for the other. This means you have to complete six sub-questions within 7 to 8 minutes.

How should we approach this question type? Firstly, it’s important to understand that the first question is the most difficult among the six sub-questions. You need not only to understand the meaning of the passage but also to distinguish between certain words, especially when synonyms are placed in the options. At this point, you need to differentiate how these words are used in the sentences and their subtle differences. This is the only way to answer correctly.

In practice, always differentiate between the usage of vocabulary and manage your time well, as each sub-question does not have individual time limits. Therefore, allocate your time wisely for each question. Initially, you can use the elimination method, especially when the paragraphs are long and you might not have had the time to read them thoroughly, but the time is relatively tight. By analyzing the options, you can eliminate the obviously incorrect ones first, which can speed up your answering process and increase efficiency.

Let’s look at each question type in detail. The first type is Complete the Sentences. The number of blanks ranges from three to thirteen. You can see in the image that certain words are removed from a complete paragraph and placed in a dropdown menu on the right. You simply select the appropriate words from this menu. The recommended time for this question is 2 to 3 minutes, as it is relatively difficult. It’s advisable to read the entire passage first before answering since it’s a reading comprehension question. Understanding the passage will improve your accuracy. When filling in the blanks, consider the context of the sentences and paragraphs.

Some questions will test fixed collocations and the subtle differences between synonyms and near-synonyms in the context of the sentence. Therefore, when memorizing vocabulary, it’s crucial to understand their usage. After completing your answers, review them carefully before clicking “next.” The reason for this will be explained shortly.

This concludes our discussion on the first question type: Complete the Sentences. When attempting this type of question, always read the passage thoroughly to understand its main idea, perspective, and tense, ensuring a comprehensive grasp during the filling process. For instance, if the passage is entirely in the past tense, and you encounter a verb that’s in the present tense, it’s likely incorrect. Use these methods to eliminate wrong answers. Avoid taking phrases out of context. Look at the entire sentence or even the whole paragraph to gain more clues for selecting the right answer. Analyze the grammar, semantics, context, and differences between synonyms. Fixed collocations can also be useful in the elimination process. After selecting a word, check if the grammar is correct and if it fits as a fixed expression.

Finally, as mentioned earlier, prioritize the elimination method, especially when dealing with long and difficult passages. Quickly eliminate the wrong answers to narrow down the correct ones, improving your accuracy.

Now, why should you wait until all questions are completed before clicking “next”? Once you click “next,” you cannot go back to review or amend your answers. Hence, ensure all your answers are checked thoroughly before proceeding.

Alright, let’s look at an actual question and try to solve it using the methods we’ve just discussed. First, we need to read through the entire passage, right? We can get a general idea of what it’s about, even though there are blanks. There are still quite a few remaining words, many of which are meaningful words. Let’s take a quick look.

Through our quick reading, we find that the passage is about a protagonist named Lenore, who wants to take on significant responsibilities within the company. However, it appears that the team members do not particularly recognize her efforts and might turn her down. The passage also mentions some possible reasons, such as “she always seems stressed out,” implying she often appears very stressed.

One day, the manager talks to her about something, suggesting that if she sought the company’s interest, they should consider giving her a bigger role. This means giving her a more important position within the team. Lenore would be thrilled if she could play a significant role in the team, indicating she is quite eager to take on such a responsibility.

So, the passage talks about this scenario. Now, let’s list all the options for the missing words. You may try to select the words yourself. Then, we’ll review the correct answers together.

Now, let’s discuss how to solve this question. For example, in the first part, ‘wanted to’, we commonly use expressions like ‘wanted to do’ or ‘want to be’. Therefore, options like ‘someone’, ‘became’, and ‘are’ can be ruled out. Considering the context, ‘want to be’ fits better than ‘want to find’ because this isn’t about finding something. In the context of the whole sentence, it should be ‘Lenore wanted to be an important part of the team.’

In the second sentence, ‘the problem was that they didn’t think she was capable of carrying out the job,’ we are looking at the fixed phrase ‘be capable of.’ Here, ‘they’ refers to the contract management team mentioned earlier. Previously, it was stated that Lenore wanted to be an important part of the team, and now we are discussing the problem, which likely explains why Lenore hasn’t become an important part of the team yet. So, choosing ‘capable’ matches the context.

Moving on, ‘Often when she requested a larger role on the team, they turned her down.’ We need to choose two words here: ‘often’ serves as an adverb indicating frequency, and it pairs with ‘when’ to form a time clause. The second word should be ‘they’ because the sentence is missing a subject pronoun, and ‘they’ again refers to the team previously mentioned.

Continuing to the next sentence: ‘Perhaps that was because even though Lenore worked hard,’ we need a verb here. Given the context, it is easy to see that ‘worked’ should be chosen. The next part, ‘and got all her assignments done on time,’ indicates that Lenore worked hard and completed her tasks on time, so ‘on time’ is the appropriate choice.

Next, ‘One day, one of the managers approached her and asked her what was wrong.’ Here, ‘what’ should be chosen because it is a fixed expression. Words like ‘they’ can be ruled out since it modifies the singular ‘was,’ not ‘were,’ so plural nouns or pronouns are incorrect here.

Lenore said that she ‘wanted to do more.’ This tests the distinction between similar words; ‘wanted’ is used because it expresses a very strong desire, matching the earlier ‘wanted to.’

In the next sentence, ‘The manager asked her if she thought the company should consider giving her a bigger role on the team,’ first based on the context, we can determine that the manager is asking her something, so ‘asked’ is appropriate. The phrase ‘on the team’ is used to indicate being part of the team.

Finally, ‘and she said she would be thrilled if they did.’ Why choose ‘did’? Because ‘did’ refers to the previously mentioned ‘consider giving her a bigger role on the team.’

Alright, this is the first topic we discussed. Now, let’s move on to the second topic: Complete the Passage. This task is similar to the sentence insertion questions in the TOEFL reading. For this task, we recommend spending about one minute answering it.

We have some tips for tackling this type of question. First, make sure to read through the entire passage. The first paragraph of this task is the same as the first question of the interactive reading we did earlier, but now it has become a complete paragraph. Even if there were any incorrect word choices previously, they will be corrected here. Additionally, there will be a new supplementary paragraph.

The reason it’s called a “sentence insertion question” is that you need to choose the most appropriate sentence from the four options on the right and insert it into the correct spot in the paragraph. You should consider the relationship between the previous paragraph and the new one, such as progression, cause and effect, or referential connections.

When answering, you can also think about the tense. Generally, the tense of the sentence to be inserted should match the tense of the surrounding paragraphs. As before, once you finish the task, take a moment to review your answer before clicking “Next” to proceed.

Then, let’s talk about the full strategy for tackling “Complete the Passage” questions, which is the second type of question or sub-question you might encounter in this exam.

The key here is to approach this methodically. Before you even think about choosing an answer, take a moment to read the entire text thoroughly. Your goal is to get a comprehensive understanding of the passage. You want to grasp not just what each paragraph is saying, but how they relate to each other and how the overall piece is structured.

As you read, look for patterns in the writing. Is the author telling a story in chronological order? Are they building up to a particular point? Maybe they’re explaining a cause-and-effect relationship, or perhaps they’re contrasting different ideas. They could be classifying information into categories, or if it’s fiction, you might be seeing plot development. Understanding these structural elements will give you a significant advantage in predicting what kind of information should logically come next.

When you turn your attention to the answer options, it’s time to put on your detective hat. Pay close attention to the details in each potential answer. Check if the tense matches the rest of the passage. Look for specific topic words that align with the text you’ve just read. Consider the pronouns – do they correctly refer to what’s been mentioned? Also, keep an eye out for transitional words that might smoothly connect ideas.

Here’s a useful strategy: start by eliminating answers that clearly don’t fit. This narrows down your options and increases your chances of selecting the correct answer. It’s often easier to identify what’s wrong than what’s right, so use this to your advantage.

After you’ve made your choice, don’t forget to do a quick review. Read the passage again with your selected answer in place. Ask yourself: Does it flow naturally? Does it make logical sense in the context of the whole piece? This final check can save you from simple mistakes that are easy to overlook.

Remember, this task isn’t just about filling in a sentence. It’s about understanding how good writing flows and connects ideas. With practice, you’ll start to develop an intuition for what “sounds right” in well-constructed passages. This skill will serve you well not just in the exam, but in your reading and writing in general.

Alright, let’s continue with our explanation of the sample question. The first paragraph is a bit long, but it’s the one we’ve already worked on. The final paragraph includes a new short sentence: ‘Lenore was overjoyed.’ This shows that the outcome was positive, and Lenore was very happy.

So, what’s the reason? We can think about it: she wanted to play an important role in the team, so it’s likely that this wish was fulfilled. In the first paragraph, the manager asked Lenore if she wanted to take on a more significant role in the company, and Lenore responded affirmatively before the paragraph ended. Therefore, the sentence to be inserted is probably describing the manager agreeing to Lenore’s request.

Let’s analyze the options. The first one is: ‘She was so certain of this idea that she didn’t hesitate to offer it to him.’ Here, we don’t actually know what ‘this idea’ refers to, so there’s an issue with ambiguity. It wouldn’t be the correct answer as it would seem out of place in the paragraph.

Now, let’s look at the second option: ‘The company told her that she could start her job whenever she wanted.’ This mentions starting a job, but we know Lenore isn’t just starting or new to the company, so this isn’t a correct choice either.

Moving on to the third option: ‘With the company going out of business, Lenore was no longer needed as part of the team.’ This is clearly a negative statement, suggesting the company is shutting down and no longer needs Lenore, which would contradict the idea of her being overjoyed at the end. This doesn’t make sense.

So, out of the four options, we’ve eliminated three. The fourth option, ‘He told her not to worry and that he would speak to the rest of the team,’ is the correct one. The manager reassured Lenore that he would talk to the rest of the team, making it the right answer.

Next, let’s look at the following task, ‘Highlight the Answer.’ This is essentially a detail question. You need to use your mouse to drag and highlight the relevant text in the passage. The selected text will be highlighted in the passage and simultaneously displayed in the text input box on the right. There are two questions of this type, and the recommended time to answer is two minutes.

For this task, pay attention to the question words and focus on what the question is specifically asking. Then, identify the keywords in the question and locate these keywords in the passage. Since this is a detail question, your ability to pinpoint information in the passage is crucial. When selecting your answer, make sure it is accurate and complete, fully addressing the question. As before, it’s recommended to review your answer before clicking ‘next’ to proceed.

Now let’s discuss the strategy for the third question type, which covers the 3rd and 4th sub-questions: Highlight the Answer. This type of question requires a different approach than the previous ones we’ve discussed.

The first step in tackling these questions is to carefully examine the specific question words used. These are typically interrogative words like “When,” “How,” “Why,” “Which,” “Where,” or “What.” These words are crucial because they indicate exactly what kind of information you’re looking for in the passage.

Next, you’ll want to focus on the keywords in the question. These are the important content words that relate directly to the topic of the passage. Your task is to find where these words, or their synonyms, appear in the original text. This is a critical skill because sometimes the passage won’t use the exact same words as the question, but rather synonyms or related terms. By quickly locating these keywords or their equivalents, you can efficiently pinpoint the area of the text where the answer is likely to be found.

It’s important to note that the answer you’re looking for should be accurate and complete in addressing the question. However, don’t get caught up in trying to find or formulate a full sentence as the answer. Sometimes the correct response might be just a phrase, a name, or even a single word. The key is that it fully answers the question asked, regardless of its length or grammatical structure.

This type of question tests your ability to quickly scan and comprehend text, to recognize synonyms and related concepts, and to extract precise information from a larger context. It’s a valuable skill not just for this test, but for efficient reading and information gathering in general.

Remember, practice is key to developing this skill. The more you work with these types of questions, the better you’ll become at quickly identifying the relevant information in a passage. This will not only improve your test performance but also enhance your overall reading comprehension abilities.

Alright, let’s continue with the sample question. First, let’s look at the question: ‘What was Lenore’s goal at her company?’ It asks about Lenore’s goal, which refers to what she wanted to achieve. Understanding it this way makes it easier to find the answer.

Where is the answer to this question? We need to find a corresponding relationship. Here, ‘goal’ corresponds to ‘wanted to be’ in the text. This helps us identify the answer. It should be a part of the first sentence: ‘Lenore wanted to be an important part of her company’s contract management team.’

Alright, let’s move on to the next question: ‘How did Lenore respond when her manager asked her if she wanted an expanded role?’

This question asks about Lenore’s response. We can identify more keywords in the question to help locate the answer, such as ‘manager’ and ‘an expanded role,’ which corresponds to ‘a big role.’ By understanding this correspondence, we can find the answer: ‘she said she would be thrilled if they did.’

Next, let’s look at the fourth question type, which is the fifth item: ‘Identify the Idea.’ From the four options on the right, choose the one that best summarizes the main idea of the passage. This question will appear once in the actual exam, and the recommended time to answer is one minute.

When tackling this question, be careful not to choose options that are not supported by the text or that contradict the text, as these are definitely incorrect. Additionally, if you can find a sentence in the passage that has the same meaning or is a close synonym, that option is very likely to be the correct answer. The correct answer does not need to summarize the entire passage. Finally, try to review your answer before clicking ‘Next.’

Moving on to the strategies. The first strategy to employ here is the elimination method. Start by carefully examining each answer option and look for nouns or key terms that aren’t mentioned anywhere in the original text. If you find an option that contains words or concepts not present in the passage, you can safely rule it out. This method helps narrow down your choices quickly and efficiently.

For most of these questions, your task will be to select an option that accurately represents the meaning of a specific sentence or a group of sentences from the text. Essentially, you’re searching for synonymous expressions or paraphrases of the original content. This requires you to understand not just the words, but the underlying concepts and ideas presented in the passage.

To tackle this effectively, make sure you locate the corresponding content in the text for each answer option. This means you’ll need to read the passage carefully and match each possible answer to a specific part of the text. Look for options that capture the main idea or key point of the relevant section, even if they use different words to express it.

A crucial point to remember is to avoid taking things out of context or making unfounded assumptions. Stick closely to what the text actually says, rather than inferring or extrapolating beyond the information given. The correct answer should be firmly grounded in the passage itself.

This question type tests your reading comprehension at a higher level, assessing your ability to synthesize information and recognize ideas expressed in different ways. It’s not just about finding matching words, but about understanding and identifying core concepts.

Developing this skill requires practice in paraphrasing and summarizing texts. As you prepare, try restating passages in your own words to get better at recognizing when two differently-worded statements are expressing the same idea. This will not only help you with these questions but also improve your overall reading and analytical skills.

Alright, let’s get back to the question. Here we have four options, and we’ll see which one is the correct answer. For this type of question, the process of elimination is the best approach. As we mentioned earlier, do not choose options that are not supported by the text or that contradict the text.

For example, the first option, ‘get a new job,’ is not mentioned in the text. The second option, ‘new team,’ is also not mentioned in the text. Now, let’s look at the third option, ‘her assistant,’ which is not mentioned in the text either. This makes it easy to determine that the fourth option is the correct answer.

Let’s double-check: the fourth option actually corresponds to the third and fourth sentences of the passage: ‘Often when she requested a larger role on the team, they turned her down. Perhaps that was because even though Lenore worked hard and got all her assignments done on time, she always seemed stressed out.’ So, even though this option doesn’t summarize the entire passage, it is indeed the correct answer.

Alright, let’s look at the final question: Title the Passage. In the actual exam, this question will appear once per set, and the recommended time to answer is also one minute. This question is quite simple; we just need to choose the title of the passage.

When answering this question, focus on identifying the core topic of the passage. Use the process of elimination first, carefully read all the options, and make sure to review your choice before clicking ‘Next.’

Strategies time, first and foremost, employ the elimination method. This strategy is particularly effective here. Carefully examine each answer option and look for nouns or key terms that aren’t mentioned anywhere in the original text. If you find an option containing words that are completely absent from the passage, you can confidently rule it out. This approach helps you quickly narrow down your choices to the most relevant options.

Next, pay close attention to options that include the core topic words of the passage. These are often the correct choices. The core topic words are those that appear frequently or carry significant weight in conveying the main subject of the text. A good title typically incorporates these key terms as they encapsulate what the passage is fundamentally about.

However, don’t just focus on individual words. The most crucial aspect is to identify the main idea conveyed in the article. A good title should encapsulate the overarching theme or central message of the entire passage. It’s not just about finding a phrase that appears in the text, but about summarizing the essence of what the author is trying to communicate.

Be cautious of options that, while perhaps using words from the text, are unfounded or inconsistent with the original content. A title should accurately represent the passage, not mislead or exaggerate certain aspects. Avoid selecting options that only focus on minor details or tangential points mentioned in the text.

This question type requires you to step back and look at the big picture. It tests your ability to synthesize information and identify the core message amidst all the details. As you read the passage, try to continuously ask yourself, “What is this text primarily about?” or “What’s the author’s main point?”

Developing this skill is not only useful for the test but also enhances your overall reading comprehension and analytical abilities. It forces you to engage with the text at a deeper level, understanding not just what is being said, but why it’s being said and what the overall purpose of the passage is.

Let’s look at the final question. First, let’s review the possible titles. The first one, ‘Lenore’s New Job,’ talks about her new job, which is definitely incorrect. The second one, ‘The Challenging Contract,’ does not mention anything about a contract. The third one, ‘The Client’s Complaint,’ also does not relate to anything mentioned in the passage. Therefore, the fourth one, ‘Lenore’s Big Chance,’ is the correct answer. This ‘big chance’ refers to the ‘big role’ that Lenore is about to have. Alright, that concludes our discussion of the questions.

Mastering Interactive Reading questions requires practice and a strategic approach. Key takeaways include:

1. Read passages thoroughly to understand the context and main ideas

2. Use elimination techniques to narrow down options

3. Pay attention to grammar, semantics, and text structure

4. Practice time management to complete all sub-questions within the allotted time

5. Always review your answers before moving to the next question

By applying these strategies and consistently practicing, you can improve your performance on Interactive Reading questions and boost your overall score in the Advancement DET Course exam.

That’s all for today’s lesson. Please like and support our video and subscribe to our channel for more test preparation videos. Goodbye!