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┃Reading time: 8 minutes

 

In part 8 of Advanced Reading and Use of English you’re given either one long text that’s been divided into sections, or around 4 to 6 short texts on the same topic. You’re also given 10 questions, or prompts, which you need to match with the relevant section or text.

This sounds a little confusing, so let’s look at an example. Imagine you’re given six different book reviews. You’re asked: ‘In which review is the following mentioned?’ Statement 1 is: ‘It is easily forgotten once it has been read’. So, you need to identify which of the six books is said to be forgettable.

You need to scan the text(s) to find the part where this is mentioned, relying on paraphrases and synonyms, as it’s unlikely the exact vocabulary from the question will be used. There are ten questions in part 8 and each of them is worth one mark.

 

HOW TO APPROACH PART 8

People disagree about the best way to do part 8, but I’m going to tell you how I’d do it if I were taking the Cambridge Advanced.  First of all, it’s best to start off with the questions, rather than the texts.

On the exam paper, in part 8 the questions are printed before the texts, which you might notice is different to the other reading tasks. This is because you’re meant to focus on the questions first. The reason for this is that you’re looking for specific information and you need to scan the texts for this information.

If you do it the other way round and go straight to the texts, then you’ll waste time reading about irrelevant things. So, start with question 1 and scan through the texts till you find a passage that seems  relevant to the question. Now, read it carefully and check that it actually says what you think it does. Two texts might refer to something similar, so check carefully that you’ve identified the right text.

When you’ve done question 1, go onto question 2 – you might already have an idea about the answer, seeing as you’ve already scanned the text once.

 

IDENTIFYING KEY WORDS

Remember that part 8 is called ‘multiple matching’? The reason for that is because there are multiple questions (10) and multiple texts/sections of texts to refer to (this varies, but it’s usually between 4 and 6). This means you need to potentially search 6 texts for the answer to each question. You need to scan the texts quickly, try not to lose momentum and be crystal clear (= completely clear) about what information you’re looking for.

To help you keep focus on what it is you’re searching for, it’s really important to go through the questions first of all and underline or highlight the key words from each one. This will make it much easier for you to remember what information you’re looking for.

Let’s go back to our example with the six book reviews. Take a look at the first two questions and see how I’ve highlighted what I think are the key words:

In which review is the following mentioned?

 

1) It is easily forgotten once it has been read.

2) People join together to fight a common enemy.

 

Ok, now it’s your turn. Take a look at the remaining eight questions below, and highlight or underline what you consider to be the key words. (Suggested answers at the end of the post).

In which review is the following mentioned?

 

3) A bad start but a good ending.

4) Anti-government rebels are used as guinea pigs.

5) A human transmitter.

6) A predictable but enjoyable ending.

7) The story of someone growing up.

8) This book has been written perfectly for its target reader.

9) Someone keeps remembering things in his/her past.

10) Two eras existing at the same time.

Take away: Don’t make the mistake of thinking underlining the keywords is a waste of time. Spending one or two minutes at the beginning of the task will really pay dividends (= benefit you) later.

 

IDENTIFYING SYNONYMS

You’ll need to look for synonyms and paraphrases as you read through the texts, because it’s very unlikely that the exact same language as in the questions will be used.

So, is your knowledge of synonyms up to scratch? Let’s practise. If we go back to our book review example, take a look at this sentence about a book called ‘Gifts’.

  ‘Gifts’ is a coming-of-age story.

 

Have you heard the expression ‘coming-of-age story’ before? Coming-of-age means becoming an adult, so this sentence matches with question 7 above (Which review mentions the story of someone growing up?). Therefore,

‘Gifts’ is a coming-of-age story = Q7. The story of someone growing up.

 

Below you’ll find nine more sentences which contain the answers to the questions above. See if you can match them to the nine remaining questions above. (Answers at the end of the post).

B: Calder’s novel situates the characters first in the Victorian London of Jack the Ripper and later in the crumbling metropolis of a modern Babylon existing in a parallel dimension.

C: In Jeapes’ latest novel invaders arrive on Earth to find the locals already at war; with their superior technology, the invaders hammer both sides indiscriminately but end up uniting the humans against them.

D: This is intended as a book for young teenagers, and as such has to be written with scrupulous care. In this respect it is exemplary.

E: Following a terrorist nuclear strike on Los Angeles, America’s political dissidents are rounded up and sent to a top secret research facility, to provide experimental hosts for military nanotech.

F: The prologue is terrible; the epilogue is surprisingly good; in between it averages out.

G: This is a densely packed Science Fiction thriller, and for all the twists and action the pace felt quite sedate to me. I think it might be all the flashbacks.

H: Accompanying Ken Jacklin is Rossa Corman, a woman who can send messages coded in pain back to Earth by jabbing herself in the arm.

I: “Memorable” and “original” are two words I can’t, in all sincerity, use to describe this book.

J: A section at the end of this intelligent novel caps the story with historical notes and a revelation that you may guess before, but which you should still find entertaining.

 

Take away: As you work through part 8, keep looking back at the keywords you’ve underlined in the questions. It’s these keywords and key ideas that will be paraphrased in the texts. Before you even start reading the texts, take a moment to brainstorm and consider what synonyms you might expect to come across.

 

Now, it’s over to you!

What do you find most difficult in part 8 – Getting overwhelmed by the number of different texts you need to read? Staying focused long enough to finish the task? Do you have any tips and advice for your fellow test-takers?

Tell us about your experiences in the comment section below! We’d love to hear from you 🙂

 

Answers:

Suggested ‘Keywords’ answers:

  • 3) A bad start but a good ending;
  • 4) Anti-government rebels are used as guinea pigs;
  • 5) A human transmitter;
  • 6) A predictable but enjoyable ending;
  • 7) The story of someone growing up;
  • 8) This book has been written perfectly for its target reader;
  • 9) Someone keeps remembering things in his/her past;
  • 10) Two eras existing at the same time.

‘Identifying Synonyms’ answers:

  • B: Q10 – Calder’s novel situates the characters first in the Victorian London of Jack the Ripper and later in the crumbling metropolis of a modern Babylon existing in a parallel dimension;  
  • C: Q2 In Jeapes’ latest novel invaders arrive on Earth to find the locals already at war; with their superior technology, the invaders hammer both sides indiscriminately but end up uniting the humans against them; 
  • D: Q8  This is intended as a book for young teenagers, and as such has to be written with scrupulous care. In this respect it is exemplary;
  • E: Q4 Following a terrorist nuclear strike on Los Angeles, America’s political dissidents are rounded up and sent to a top secret research facility, to provide experimental hosts for military nanotech
  • F: Q3 The prologue is terrible; the epilogue is surprisingly good; in between it averages out; 
  • G: Q9 This is a densely packed Science Fiction thriller, and for all the twists and action the pace felt quite sedate to me. I think it might be all the flashbacks
  • H: Q5 – Accompanying Ken Jacklin is Rossa Corman, a woman who can send messages coded in pain back to Earth by jabbing herself in the arm; 
  • I: Q1 “Memorable” and “original” are two words I can’t, in all sincerity, use to describe this book
  • J: Q6 A section at the end of this intelligent novel caps the story with historical notes and a revelation that you may guess before, but which you should still find entertaining.