Reading and Comprehension (Non-Fiction) Set 3
Reading and Comprehension (Non-Fiction) Set 3 is a further set of ISEB Common Entrance style non-fiction questions, giving practice at reading a new factual or explanatory text and answering questions on content, structure, purpose and language.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Read the whole text once to establish its subject, its purpose (to inform, explain, describe, entertain or persuade) and its intended audience.
- Look at any headings, sub-headings, captions or bullet points, since these often show how the text is organised and can point you to relevant information quickly.
- Distinguish between fact (something that can be checked and proved) and opinion (a personal view or judgement) wherever a question asks you to.
- For "find and copy" questions, quote the exact words or figures from the text rather than paraphrasing them.
- For questions on structure, consider how the text moves from one idea to the next, such as from general information to specific detail, or in chronological order.
- For language questions, identify the technique used and explain its effect on the reader, just as you would for a fiction extract.
Worked example
A factual text about hot air balloons states: "As the burner roars to life, a column of flame surges upward, and the balloon slowly begins to strain against its ropes, eager to rise." Explain how the writer uses language here to make the process of launching a balloon interesting to read about. (3 marks)
- Identify the technique: this is personification, since the balloon is described as "straining" and "eager to rise", as though it wants something.
- Note the literal information being conveyed: the burner heats air, which fills the balloon and creates lift against the ropes holding it down.
- Link this to meaning: personifying the balloon as eager suggests it has energy and purpose, making the scientific process feel exciting rather than purely mechanical.
- Comment on the effect on the reader: it creates a sense of anticipation, making the reader feel the drama of the moment just before takeoff. Final answer: the personification of the balloon as "eager to rise" makes a factual process feel exciting and full of anticipation for the reader.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1In a factual text, is the sentence "Hot air balloons were first flown in France in 1783" a fact or an opinion?Show answer
Answer: A fact (it is a specific, checkable historical detail).
Q2In the same text, is the sentence "There is nothing more thrilling than floating silently above the countryside" a fact or an opinion?Show answer
Answer: An opinion (it expresses a personal judgement about how thrilling the experience is).
Q3A non-fiction text about volcanoes uses the heading "How an Eruption Happens." What is the purpose of this heading?Show answer
Answer: To show the reader what that section of the text is about, helping them find or predict the relevant information quickly.
Q4Which word means the same as "ascend" in a sentence about a balloon rising into the sky: "climb", "sink", "hover" or "spin"?Show answer
Answer: Climb.
Q5A text about coral reefs moves from explaining what coral is, to how reefs form, to why they are under threat. What is this structure called?Show answer
Answer: A logical or explanatory structure that builds from general background information to more specific or complex ideas.
Q6A writer describes rising ocean temperatures as "a slow-burning threat to one of the planet's most colourful ecosystems." Explain what effect the phrase "slow-burning" has on the reader.Show answer
Answer: It suggests the danger is gradual but serious and ongoing, like something smouldering rather than an obvious sudden disaster, which makes the threat feel more alarming because it is easy to overlook.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a 13+ Common Entrance exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
A factual text about the Northern Lights states: "Curtains of green and violet light ripple silently across the Arctic sky, as though the heavens themselves were breathing." Explain what this simile suggests and comment on its effect on the reader.
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Nothing ticked yet - 3 available
A text explaining how earthquakes happen states: "Deep beneath our feet, enormous plates of rock grind against one another for centuries, storing up pressure like a coiled spring, until they finally slip." Explain how the writer makes this scientific process easy and interesting to picture. Support your answer with reference to at least two details.
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Read this extract from a text about the deep ocean: "Sunlight never reaches these depths. Here, in permanent darkness, strange creatures generate their own light, flickering like tiny lanterns in an endless night. Scientists believe we have explored less of this world than we have of the surface of the Moon." Explain how the writer makes the deep ocean seem mysterious and worth exploring further. Refer to at least three details or techniques.
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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 reading and 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 9 of 13+ English Workbook, the whole course as one free printable PDF.
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