FCE Reading Quiz: Master Comprehension Skills

The opening scene functions as a narrative hook that foregrounds a common pain point before transitioning into solutions. By dramatizing the delay and frustration, the writer creates emotional relevance and contextual stakes, increasing reader investment. This aligns with a problem solution structure, where an initial complication primes expectations for practical advice. The scene is not data summary, admonishment, or an advertisement; no statistics, scolding, or product pitches appear. Instead, it frames an everyday obstacle that many commuters recognize, thereby justifying the forthcoming guidance and improving comprehension by giving concrete context to the abstract idea of calmer commuting.

The pronoun this refers to the immediately preceding cause screens delaying melatonin via emitted blue light. In cohesive academic prose, demonstratives typically point to the nearest salient idea. The sentence explicitly links screens, melatonin suppression, and alertness. Late night snacking, timetables, or workouts are not previously introduced causes in that local context. Biologically, blue light exposure in the evening shifts circadian phase by suppressing pineal melatonin, delaying sleep onset and maintaining cortical arousal. The writer’s shorthand this therefore encapsulates that specific photic stimulus rather than general habits, preserving tight reference and logical continuity across the two sentences.

The argument emphasizes incrementalism: small, repeatable behaviors accumulate measurable effects through compounding. A fitting title must compress this causal arc. Tiny changes big results captures the mechanism and outcome succinctly, aligning with habit literature that connects marginal gains to long term performance. Big goals or nothing contradicts the text’s anti all or nothing stance. Success is pure luck denies behavioral causality, while Habits are a myth rejects the core premise. Titles in reading tasks should reflect main claim, not a peripheral detail or provocative negation. Therefore Tiny changes big results best signals the message and primes accurate comprehension.

Cohesion requires restating the statistic in reader friendly language while maintaining logical flow. In other words nearly two in three struggle with attention by early afternoon paraphrases sixty five percent, translates numbers into a ratio, and links loss of focus to a specific time anchor. The other options break cohesion or exaggerate. Banning lunch is an unreasoned leap. A nap room is a policy suggestion without a connective bridge. Coffee solves the entire issue is sweeping and unsupported. Effective follow ups reframe data, clarify implications, and prepare for subsequent analysis, which the chosen sentence does by quantifying and temporalizing the problem.

The reviewer balances praise for structure with critique of evidence reliability. This mixed assessment signals a measured and fair tone. Sarcasm would rely on ridicule or exaggerated irony, which is absent. Open hostility would minimize positives and amplify negatives, contrary to the recognition of clear structure. Blind enthusiasm would ignore weaknesses, yet the reviewer notes thin evidence. Academic reviews often employ evaluative balance, weighing strengths and limitations to guide readers. Such hedged language increases credibility and aligns with critical appraisal norms, indicating objectivity rather than emotional bias. Hence, measured and fair most accurately captures the stance and rhetorical approach.

The rhetorical question if not now when is a classic urgency cue that prompts commitment before presenting actionable steps. Its function is persuasive transition, shifting the reader from contemplation to implementation. Immediately following with a five step plan operationalizes that motivation into behavior. It is not historical trivia, nor does it intend confusion; instead, it frames the forthcoming structure as timely and necessary. Ending signals are typically summaries or calls to action without subsequent detailed procedures. Here, the question primes readiness, while the numbered plan reduces friction by offering concrete sequencing, together optimizing motivation plus method for better uptake.

In scientific discourse, patchy signals uneven or incomplete evidence across studies or datasets. It contrasts with fully proven claims, highlighting gaps, variability, or limited replication. Describing findings as patchy often cautions readers about overgeneralization and calls for larger samples, standardized protocols, or meta analytic synthesis. It does not imply celebration, speed of replication, or mature consensus. The adjective guides interpretation by tempering confidence levels and signaling a provisional state in the evidence hierarchy. Thus, inconsistent or incomplete captures both heterogeneity and insufficiency, aligning with prudent academic hedging and the norm of calibrating claims to the strength of support.

The sequence start with purpose skim headings scan for names and dates then read closely describes a top down, goal aligned approach. The main idea is strategic reading, allocating attention based on task relevance rather than exhaustive line by line coverage. Memorizing every line is inefficient and unnecessary for exam objectives emphasizing gist, detail retrieval, and inference. Ignoring headings discards structural cues that accelerate orientation. Reading only the abstract suits research screening, not FCE tasks with varied item demands. Matching method to purpose optimizes time, improves retention through focused encoding, and mirrors exam strategies like skimming, scanning, and selective close reading.

The gap needs a bridge sentence that connects problem perception to actionable habit formation. Seeing trash more often makes it easier to remember a bag supplies the psychological mechanism salience increases cue dependent behavior. The preceding image of a littered beach primes disgust and awareness; the following advice to carry a small bag provides a practical response. Windy beaches or historical facts about plastic do not establish the cue routine link. People enjoying walks lacks causal force. The selected sentence articulates a trigger that reinforces the desired behavior, maintaining coherence while justifying the specific, modest action the author recommends.

Under time pressure, the optimal approach is triage. Mark the item, capture the keyword and exact line reference, and move to faster wins before returning. This preserves momentum, secures available marks, and prevents cognitive tunneling. Guessing and abandoning forfeits potential points that a targeted reread could recover. Rereading the entire text wastes time relative to the local scope of a line specific question. External searching is prohibited and impractical. Efficient examinees sequence tasks by marginal gains per minute; annotating the location and term compresses the later lookup cost, enabling a focused revisit once easier questions have been banked.