Even in high school, students struggle to correctly answer multiple choice questions used to assess ...

1. How to Improve Reading Comprehension
Even in high school, students struggle to correctly answer multiple choice questions used to assess
reading comprehension. Oftentimes, students cannot tell the difference between question types,
such as vocabulary in context, main idea, organizational patterns and specific details. For this
reason, they try to answer all multiple choice questions by using the same techniques--and often
experience frustration.
Teach Specific Types of Multiple Choice Questions
Teachers can assist students to become better readers and improved test takers by using a simple,
two-layered approach. First, teachers should show students how to identify different question types
commonly found on both standardized and teacher-made tests. Once students have identified
specific question types, they can guide students to develop a tailored plan of attack to tackle each
type.
Understanding Specific Detail Questions
Specific detail questions test students' basic level of comprehension related to plot details, conflict
development character development, sequence of events and ideas stated directly in the passage.
These are lower-level reading comprehension questions that often begin with who, what, where, and
when. Sample specific detail questions are as follows:
Who is the main character of the story?
What color boots was Thomas wearing when he left the house?
What did Thomas' mother tell him as he closed the door?
Where did the story take place?
When did Thomas finally arrive to school?

2. While students begin answering these types of questions in elementary school, many often find these
questions challenging as reading passages become more difficult in high school. Still, they are
generally the easiest type of question to answer on standardized tests. Therefore, it is important
students master this question type.
Teach Reading Strategies to Answer Specific Detail Questions
Clearly, the answers to these type of questions should be readily accessible in the text. Students can
locate the answers to these types of questions by returning to the passage and skimming to locate
the answer. Students can follow a simple process to find the answers to specific detail questions:
Read the question carefully and reword it so that it is easy to recall.
Scan the first and last sentence of each paragraph to identify the paragraph in which the answer is
most likely to be found.
Skim the paragraph for the correct answer.
If the student cannot find the answer, he should read the answer choices and look for synonyms in
the passage to words in the answer choices.
Select the best answer using all available information.
Teachers should model this simple process and then provide students with ample practice until
answering these types of questions becomes Reading Rainbow Television Show guide second nature
to them. Students should be exposed to a variety of reading passages in order to practice their skills,
including non-fiction, news articles, short stories, novel excerpts, and poetry.
Teaching specific detail questions can be easy if this skill is approached methodically. Once students
have correctly answered specific detail questions about diverse reading passages, they can then be
exposed to more challenging question types to further improve reading comprehension.