Comprehension: Non-Fiction Set 3
Comprehension: Non-Fiction Set 3 is an 11+ non-fiction comprehension task built around a report structured by cause and effect, testing whether pupils can track how a change (such as a new local scheme) leads to a stated result, alongside facts, vocabulary and viewpoint questions.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Skim the whole passage first to identify what it is mainly about and whether it explains a cause, an effect, or both.
- Notice connecting words such as 'since', 'because' or 'as a result', which often signal a cause-and-effect structure worth tracking closely.
- Return to the exact paragraph a question names rather than relying on a general memory of the passage.
- For 'find and copy' questions, use the exact wording from the text; for 'in your own words' questions, rephrase the idea in your own language.
- For questions on the writer's viewpoint, look at word choices that reveal whether they see the topic positively, negatively or with mixed feelings.
- Match your answer's length and detail to the marks available, giving one separate point for each mark on longer questions.
Worked example
Extract: 'Since the council installed forty beehives on unused rooftops three years ago, local honey yields have risen every summer, and residents report far more butterflies and wildflowers in nearby parks, though a handful of allergy sufferers have asked for hives to be kept further from housing.' Question: What does this sentence suggest about the writer's overall view of the beehive scheme? (3 marks)
- Notice that the sentence lists several clear benefits (rising honey yields, more butterflies and wildflowers) before mentioning one concern (allergy sufferers).
- Identify that this is mostly a positive view, with a small, fairly presented reservation rather than a purely one-sided argument.
- Support this with word choices: 'risen every summer' and 'far more' sound strongly positive, while the concern is introduced gently with 'though a handful'.
- Explain the effect: giving far more space and stronger language to the benefits, while still naming a real concern, makes the writer's support for the scheme clear but fair.
- Final answer: The writer is mainly positive about the beehive scheme, emphasising its clear environmental benefits, while briefly and fairly acknowledging a genuine concern from a small number of allergy sufferers.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1According to the extract, what has happened to honey yields since the beehive scheme began?Show answer
Answer: They have risen (increased) every summer.
Q2Give one word from the extract that means 'requested'.Show answer
Answer: asked (as in 'asked for hives to be kept further from housing')
Q3True or False: According to the extract, every resident is happy with the beehive scheme.Show answer
Answer: False (some allergy sufferers have asked for changes)
Q4'Residents report far more butterflies and wildflowers in nearby parks.' What does 'far more' suggest about the scale of the change?Show answer
Answer: It suggests a large, noticeable increase, not just a small one.
Q5In your own words, explain why some residents want the hives moved further from housing.Show answer
Answer: People with allergies are worried about being close to the bees, likely because of concerns about being stung.
Q6Explain why a writer might include a specific number, such as 'forty beehives', rather than just saying 'several beehives'.Show answer
Answer: A specific number gives precise, checkable evidence and makes the scheme sound more established than a vague word like 'several'.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a 11+ exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Extract: 'Beekeepers now train ten volunteers each spring, and three have gone on to keep their own hives at home.' Find and copy the phrase that shows the scheme has had a lasting effect on some volunteers. Then explain what this phrase tells the reader. (2 marks)
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 2 available
Extract: 'Officials admit the rooftop hives cost more to maintain than ground-level ones, but argue that the extra honey sold at the summer market more than covers the difference.' Explain how the writer presents the case for the rooftop hives in this sentence. (4 marks)
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 4 available
Extract: 'Since the hives went in, the school next door has begun a weekly nature club, and its teacher says pupils who once complained about insects now compete to spot the most different pollinators in a single lunchtime.' Explain how the writer builds a positive impression of the beehive scheme's effect on local children. (5 marks)
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 5 available
Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the comprehension: non-fiction set 3 worksheet pack - 9 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
This topic is chapter 17 of 11+ English Workbook 1, the whole course as one free printable PDF.
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