Top 8 Tips for Answering English Exam Questions in the National High School Exam to Avoid Failing

The first question in a passage usually asks about the main idea, topic, or the most suitable title for the passage. If you come across a question like 'Which of the following is the main idea/point/purpose/topic/best title of/for the passage?' at the beginning of the reading comprehension, don't answer it right away. Instead, tackle the subsequent questions first. This type of question typically requires students to identify the main theme or topic of the text.

To determine the main idea or theme of the passage, you need to read it thoroughly. The topic sentence is often found at the beginning or end of the paragraph. After answering all the other questions, you will have a clearer understanding of the main content and can answer this question more effectively.

Questions containing the word "guidance" will direct you to the specific topic or information you need to find in the passage. These guiding words are often nouns or noun phrases, capitalized words, numbers, or abbreviations.

Example:

For a question like: “According to the passage, Tom was…”, you should look for details about Tom in the text. In this case, "Tom" is the guiding word in the question.

Here’s how to approach answering such questions:

• Step 1: Read the question and identify the guiding word.
• Step 2: Locate the guiding word in the passage.
• Step 3: Once you find the guiding word, read the sentence before it and the sentence containing it.
• Step 4: If you find the information, refer back to the question and select the closest answer related to the passage.
• Step 5: If no relevant information is found, the guiding word may appear again later in the passage. Repeat steps 2 to 4 each time you encounter the guiding word.

If the guiding word appears 5 to 6 times, you might need to read the entire paragraph. However, avoid this if possible; quickly return to the question and focus on another guiding word. If you still can’t find the answer, the question might be difficult. In such cases, consider skipping it and moving on to the next question. If time is running out, make a quick guess and select an answer.

Mastering the technique of reading the first sentence of each paragraph to find the main idea is crucial for saving time and achieving effective results in the limited time frame of the exam. This strategy also helps you grasp the passage's content in advance, making it easier to focus on relevant details when answering the questions.

For questions that ask about the main idea of a paragraph, you don’t need to read the entire passage. Instead, you can focus on the first sentence of each paragraph and compare the answer choices to find the correct one. Identifying the main idea and understanding how it connects to supporting details is an essential step if you want to score well in the reading section of the English exam.

In English, a sentence can contain multiple clauses (S+V), and in such cases, the verbs in each clause must agree in tense. In other words, the tense of the verb in the subordinate clause (adverbial clause) is influenced by the tense of the verb in the main clause. Generally, verbs in English follow this agreement: the present tense goes with the present tense, and the past tense goes with the past tense (except when using 'since' in combination with the present perfect and past simple).

Example: She opened her arms to the audience, smiled and bowed deeply. (She opened her arms to the audience, smiled, and bowed deeply.)

On the other hand, a sentence may describe actions occurring at different times, in which case the verbs can be in different tenses.

Example: She had left before I got there. (She had left before I arrived.)

A time clause does not use the future tense, so when paired with the future tense, the time clause uses the present tense.

You should approach multiple-choice tests with the strategy of "easy first, difficult later". Some test versions are arranged from easy to difficult, so students should avoid the mindset that question 1 is the easiest and question 50 is the hardest. Instead, carefully read each question, answer the easy ones right away, and leave the hard ones for later. Don’t get stuck on a tough question and waste time on easier ones. Whether a question is difficult or easy, it’s worth only 0.2 points.

As the saying goes, "Better to guess wrong than to leave a question unanswered." If you still can’t find the answer, it may be a tough question. In that case, it’s best to mark it and move on to the next one. If time is running out, make an educated guess for the remaining answers. At this point, you can review the answers you’ve already marked and check for the least frequent answer choice (A, B, C, or D). Then, select that answer for all remaining questions.

Students often encounter significant challenges when taking English multiple-choice exams and can become uncertain when they are unsure of the correct answer to certain questions. In these situations, one strategy you can apply is to identify which answer is the most distinct from the others. Eliminate this answer and continue by removing the next most different option from the remaining three. Eventually, you will have only two answers left—compare them to see how they differ and choose accordingly. The chances of selecting the correct answer are 50%.

For example :
She has to………
She had to………
She has to………
She has to………

It is clear that answer B is the most different from the others. Continue comparing the remaining options:

She has to have it taken……….
She has to have it taken ……….
She had to………
She has to have it to take ………

Answer D is more distinct than the other two. Proceed by comparing the last two answers to find the correct one.

During the exam, there will be several questions that leave you confused and unsure of which answer to choose. You might feel stuck, uncertain, not knowing which option to pick. According to the advice of many experienced individuals, national high school exams are often a bit tricky, and the answer choices rarely resemble each other or are easily recognizable. For those questions where you have no clue, choose the answer that stands out the most, even if you don’t fully understand its meaning.

For example, if the answer choices are as follows:

A. Happy B. Sad C. Fun D. Razzmatazz .

Choose the answer that seems most unusual compared to the others.

Inversion refers to changing the usual order of elements in a sentence. An inverted sentence might place adverbs, auxiliary verbs, etc., before the subject. After inversion, apart from the shifted elements, other parts of the sentence may also undergo changes.

Consider the following example: Only if you promise to study hard ________ to tutor you.

A. Will I agree

B. I agree

C. Agree I

D. I will agree

Among these four options, it's easy to eliminate option B because it would create an incorrect inverted structure due to the absence of an auxiliary verb. By gradually ruling out other options, the correct and most suitable choice is A. This trick suggests that choosing an inversion structure typically results in a higher likelihood of correctness compared to the other answers.