Reading and Comprehension (Non-Fiction) Set 7
Reading and Comprehension (Non-Fiction) Set 7 is further 13+ Common Entrance practice at reading a real-world text, such as a speech or article, and identifying the writer's purpose, viewpoint and persuasive or informative techniques.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Work out the text type and its purpose before reading closely: a speech aims to be heard and often persuades directly, while an article may inform as well as persuade.
- Read the whole text once to establish the writer's overall viewpoint or main message before answering detailed questions.
- Name persuasive and informative techniques precisely: rhetorical question, repetition, statistics, anecdote, expert opinion, direct address and emotive language.
- When a question asks you to identify and explain, always quote the exact words, name the technique, and explain the effect it has on the reader or listener.
- Separate fact from opinion, remembering that a fact can be checked or proven while an opinion is a personal judgement.
- For higher-mark questions on persuasion, cover at least two or three different techniques, each with its own short quotation and explained effect, to avoid repeating the same point.
Worked example
In a speech encouraging pupils to join the debate club, the speaker says: 'Every great leader you have ever admired once stood exactly where you are standing now, unsure of their own voice. Will you let that stop you?' Identify two persuasive techniques and explain their effect.
- Identify the first technique: the appeal to admired figures, 'Every great leader you have ever admired', which links joining the club to becoming like people the audience respects.
- Explain its effect: it makes the audience feel that hesitation is only a temporary, ordinary stage, not a permanent limitation, encouraging them to see themselves as future leaders too.
- Identify the second technique: the rhetorical question, 'Will you let that stop you?'
- Explain its effect: it challenges the audience directly, making it feel embarrassing or weak to answer 'yes', which pushes them towards joining.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1What is the effect of directly addressing an audience as 'you' in a speech?Show answer
Answer: It makes the message feel personal and immediate, as though the speaker is talking to each listener individually.
Q2Is the claim 'debating is clearly the single best way to build confidence' a fact or an opinion?Show answer
Answer: An opinion - the word 'clearly' signals a personal judgement rather than a proven, checkable fact.
Q3Name the technique used in this line: New voices. New ideas. New confidence.Show answer
Answer: The rule of three - three short phrases in a list, each with the same structure.
Q4A speaker says 'Ninety per cent of our debate club members say it changed how they see arguments.' Name the technique used here.Show answer
Answer: A statistic, used to add authority or evidence to the claim.
Q5A speaker opens with a short, true story about one shy pupil who became the club's best speaker. What is this technique called?Show answer
Answer: An anecdote.
Q6Give one example of emotive language a speaker might use to persuade pupils that public speaking is worth the risk.Show answer
Answer: For example, describing the fear of speaking as 'terrifying' or the reward as 'exhilarating' - words chosen to create a strong emotional response.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a 13+ Common Entrance exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Look at this line from the speech: 'Join once, and you will wonder why you waited so long.' Identify the persuasive technique used and explain its effect.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 2 available
Read this extract from the same speech: 'Every argument you lose here teaches you something. Every argument you win here proves something. Either way, you leave stronger than when you arrived.' Explain how the writer uses language to persuade the audience. Refer to at least two techniques.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 4 available
This is the closing paragraph of the speech: 'We are not asking you to become a champion overnight. We are asking for one lunchtime a week, just to try. One lunchtime. That is less time than most people spend deciding what to have for dinner, and it could be the moment you discover a voice you never knew you had. Please, come along and see.' Explain how the speaker builds a persuasive argument across this paragraph. Refer to at least three techniques or details.
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 reading and comprehension (non-fiction) set 7 worksheet pack - 10 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 21 of 13+ English Workbook, the whole course as one free printable PDF.
Next topics
Not quite what you needed?
Tell us what is missing on reading and comprehension (non-fiction) set 7, or which topic to write up next. Every request is read, and we reply to every one.
Build a full practice pack.
This topic is one of hundreds in the library - pick the ones a student needs and generate a printable PDF in minutes.