Reading Academic – Session 9 – Single-choice Questions (SCQ)

Overview about SCQs

This is a type of Mixed form of questions. SCQs require you to read the questions/requests and choose a correct answer among multiple options. Some questions in SCQs require details to answer, while some others require a summary to answer. The purpose of SCQs is to test your ability to filter information and select the best-suited answer.

There are three factors to consider.

1. SCQs can be questions and answers or completing sentences with provided choices.
2. You should be able to answer the questions/complete the sentences based on your understanding of the text rather than the choices presented. This means that if you can match your understanding to a choice, that choice is correct.
3. The correct choices may be just parts of full answers.

Tips

• Apply all the Reading rules.
• No question section has only single-letter answers, for example, all As or all Bs.
• There is only one correct answer for each question. Other choices are only distractors.
• The information in the wrong choices may appear in the text but they are not to answer the questions.
• The correct choices must be as close as possible to your understanding of the text of all the choices.
• It must make sense to match the option to the question.
• Do not forget the mark the “locations” of answers.

Step-by-step strategy

Step 0: Look at the questions and identify the type of questions.

Step 1: Read the first two questions and DO NOT read the choices.

• Pay attention to the keywords in the questions but be prepared for synonyms.
• There is no need to read the choices because all of them are likely to appear in the text, but there is only one correct answer. As a result, reading the choices can be confusing and time-consuming. After you finish reading the text, you will most likely read the choices again.

Step 2: Start reading from the beginning or from where it is left off.

• Scan for the related information.
• Skim for the answers.
• Only stop reading when you can answer one of the questions with your understanding of the text.

Step 3: Read the choices of the related question and choose the choice that is closest to your understanding.

• Use your understanding to answer the question first, then match your understanding with one of the choices. 
• Because the correct choice may only be a part of your understanding, you must select the choice that is closest to your understanding.

Step 4: Reread the unanswered question and read the next one.

Step 5: Continue until the last question is answered.