Part 3: Reading for Information

Skim the text and give each paragraph a brief label: origins, operations, costs, or problems, for example.

Then review the statements. You can read them before building the map if that helps guide your search. The important steps are locating and verifying, not memorizing all nine statements.

For each statement:

1. Identify the fact or idea you need to find.
2. Use your map to locate the most likely paragraph.
3. Look for keywords and paraphrases.
4. Read the whole passage and check that it supports the entire statement.

The service is available throughout the year can mean the same as The service operates year-round. The match is in the meaning.

A statement may repeat a word from the paragraph while assigning it a different date, cause, or quantity.

E means the text does not provide the information in the statement. It does not mean you forgot where it was.

If you cannot find an answer:

• Review the paragraph most closely related to the topic.
• Check whether the idea is expressed in different words.
• Verify whether the text actually provides the requested fact.

Do not assume how many E answers there will be. Unresolved statements do not automatically become E.

Example: Knowing the annual membership fee for a community garden does not tell you how much it cost to establish. Both facts concern money, but answer different questions.

This shortened practice uses four paragraphs and six statements. Choose A, B, C, or D according to where the information appears. Choose E if it is not given. You may reuse letters.

A

Riverside Community Garden opened in 2018. A group of local volunteers transformed a vacant lot into a shared growing space after receiving permission from the city.

B

Members pay an annual fee of $30. This includes seeds and compost, but gardeners must bring their own hand tools.

C

Free workshops take place every Saturday morning. Both beginners and experienced gardeners can attend, and no previous knowledge is required.

D

Rainwater is collected in large tanks and used during dry weather. Volunteers take turns watering the shared beds early in the morning.

Statements:

1. People with no gardening experience can take part in the learning sessions.
2. The text states how much the city spent to establish the garden.
3. The garden stores rainfall for use when conditions are dry.
4. The text identifies the year the garden began operating.
5. Some growing materials are covered by the membership fee.
6. Garden membership costs $30 each year.