Conclusion

A conclusion is a judgement or decision about a character, setting, or event. It's reached by applying deep thinking and reviewing information that's provided. Readers draw conclusions as they read to help them understand the story. Even though drawing conclusions and making inferences are similar, they are not the same. Often, readers draw conclusions from what additional information they gather or infer.

Steps in Drawing Conclusions

Review all the information stated about the person, setting, or event.

Next, look for any facts or details that are not stated, but inferred.

Analyze the information and decide on the next logical step or assumption.

The reader comes up with a conclusion based on the situation.

Sample Question:

You're driving on the highway, listening to the radio, and a police officer pulls you over.

What can be inferred from the statement above?

Explanation:

Information we know: You're driving onthe highway, listening to the radio, and a police officer pulls you over.

Prior knowledge: Police officers only pull you over if you have broken the law.

Inference: You have broken the law in one way or the other (most likely: speed limit)

Conclusion: If we can assume that you have broken the law in one way or another, we can conclude you may be getting a ticket from the police for which you would have to pay fines.

#materiUTBK2024 #LiterasiBahasaInggris#Inference_Conclusion

Inference

Inferences is implied information (information that is not clearly stated in the text) we draw from the text. Students may better understand inferring as using clues in the text to figure out what it really means. 

One simplified model for teaching inferences includes the following steps:

We need to find clues to get some answers.  

We need to add those clues to what we already know or have read.  

There can be more than one correct answer. 

We need to be able to support inferences. 

Important to note: Inferences are not actual or ultimate truths, they are the closest you can get to the actual truth. 

Sample Question:

You're driving onthe highway, listening to the radio, and a police officer pulls you over.

What can be inferred from the statement above?

Explanation:

Information we know: You're driving onthe highway, listening to the radio, and a police officer pulls you over.

Prior knowledge: Police officers only pull you over if you have broken the law.

Inference: You have broken the law in one way or the other (most likely: speed limit)

#materiUTBK2024 #LiterasiBahasaInggris#Inference_Conclusion

Understanding Text Purpose
A text written with the author's intention and emotion. As a reader, we must acknowledge the author's intention by revealing the purpose of the text.

 Three Purposes: 

To persuade (membujuk): to convince the readers to agree with the author's ideas. Several types of texts that aim to persuade the readers are advertisement text, campaign speech, and persuasive letter or persuasive note. 

To inform (menginformasi): to inform a particular issue through a text. Several texts that aim to inform people are exposition text, article, encyclopedia, and direction.  

To entertain (menghibur): to entertain the readers as well as to invite them to use their imagination through a text, such as narrative, poem, song, and prose.

Keywords

To persuade

To argue against (berdebat melawan sesuatu)

To argue for (berdebat mendukung sesuatu)

To convince (meyakinkan)

To criticize (mengkritisi)

To inspire or motivate a change (menginspirasi atau mendorong perubahan)

To against (melawan)

To inform

To analyze (menganalisa)

To clarify (mengklarifikasi)

To discuss (mendikusikan)

To establish (mengembangkan)

To explain (menjelaskan)

To teach (mengajar)

To give a fact or facts (memberikan fakta)

To entertain

To amuse (menghibur)

To delight (menyenangkan)

To frighten (menakuti)

To describe feelings or appearance (mendeskripsikan perasaan atau penampilan)

Tips for Questions about Purpose of the Text

Pay attention to the core of the question: whether it asks about the purpose of the whole text or the purpose of the particular part of the text. This is one of helpful solutions to save time. 

Pay attention to the type of the text.
a. If it is a narrative, song, drama, or poem, the goal is exactly to entertain (menghibur).
b. If it is a text that provides information in a form of a description, study result, social or science and technology issues, news, the goal of the text is to inform (menginformasikan).
c. If the text provides the author's opinion (pros/cons) toward a certain issue, it is exactly to persuade the readers (mengajak). The author aims to invite and influence the readers to do something.

Understand the content of the text by paying attention to the main idea (ide pokok) as well as the conclusion (kesimpulan). As you understand the text, finding the author's purpose in producing the text would be easier.

EXAMPLES  

Across the United States, COVID-19 vaccinations are changing seniors' daily lives in ways large and small a year after the pandemic drove many in the high-risk group into forced isolation. Older Americans are again visiting family members, eating at their favorite restaurants and shopping in stores without fear of death or hospitalization.

(source: https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2021/03/09/after-year-of-isolation-vaccinated-older-americans-start-to-reclaim-their-lives.html.) 

In this passage, the author’s main purpose is to...

A. give news about the life of elderly after the vaccination 

B. encourage a longer isolation for the elderly  

C. explain why the elderly population decreased after vaccination  

D. amuse readers by giving good news about COVID-19 vaccination 

E. argue that vaccination is not for the elderly 

Steps of Answering the Question 

Pay attention to the question; this question asks about the purpose of the text as a whole (secara keseluruhan), so we have to understand the entire text.

By seeing the type of the text, this is a news item text,  jenis teks di atas adalah news item, yakni teks berita yang bertujuan untuk memberikan informasi kepada masyarakat. Therefore, the option B (to encourage/mendorong), D (to amuse/menghibur), and and E (to argue/berdebat) are completely false.

To understand the content of the text, pay attention to the main idea of the text. The first sentence says that, "COVID-19 vaccinations are changing seniors' daily lives" (vaksinasi COVID-19 merubah kehidupan sehari-hari para lansia). This sentence serves as the main idea of the following sentence; "Older Americans are again visiting family members, eating at their favorite restaurants and shopping in stores without fear of death or hospitalization" (para warga lansia Amerika mulai mengunjungi anggota keluarga, makan di restoran favorit mereka, dan belanja di toko tanpa harus merasa takut dirawat). This sentence displays the daily life of the elderly (kehidupan sehari-hari lansia) that has become normal after getting vaccinated. 

It can be concluded that the correct answer is A (give news about the life of elderly after the vaccination/memberikan berita tentang kehidupan lansia setelah vaksinasi)

#materiUTBK2024 #LiterasiBahasaInggris#Purpose_of_the_Text

Finding Detailed Information
Finding detailed information means discovering specific information contained in a text. 

First thing first, we have to understand supporting details. A text usually contains a main idea and a few supporting details. Main idea is the big idea that is used to develop a text. Meanwhile, supporting detail is additional ideas that support and elaborate the main idea (e.g. facts, steps, or other evidence elaborating the main idea). This elaboration part is usually the part that deals with the questions of finding detailed information. The questions itself are always around the 5W+1H; what, where, when, who, why, and how. 

Several expressions are commonly used to ask about detailed information, such as: 

What happens when people go to the gym regularly?

Where do people in Canada usually fish? 

When is the best time to study?

Who is Napoleon Bonaparte? 

Why do people in Indonesia enjoy spicy food?

How did a car emerge in our society?

Tips in Finding Detailed Information

The most important tip is to read the question first before you read the whole text. It helps you to save time by getting straight to the specific part of the text. Also, there are several methods that can be used to save time in reading the text, such as scanning and skimming.

Skimming and Scanning Techniques 

Skimming helps you to find the main discussion in a text, while scanning aims to find specific information in a text. These two techniques can help you to match several keywords between the text and the answer choices and guide you to choose the proper answer. By using  these techniques, the first thing you need to do is know what you are looking for. By doing so, you will be able to easily find the keyword related to the questions. 

EXAMPLE 

“Oven” is the umbrella and broad term for a kitchen appliance that uses heat to cook food. The appliance itself dates back to the prehistoric times when different civilizations tried to cook food with fire. The oven primarily uses a thermal insulation method to cook food. The appliance also provides a variety of cooking methods to a large number of food items. Almost any kind of food, whether it be a meat, vegetable, or fruit dish can be made with an oven. It can boil, bake, or roast any food item. Also, it can reheat large quantities of food.

Types of ovens can be classified into many categories. Cooking ovens can include: conventional oven, convection oven, earth oven, gas oven, and microwave oven. As an appliance, the oven can also be used for special purposes like pottery, forging, glass-making, ceramics, cements, and wood drying.

(source: http://www.differencebetween.net/object/difference-between-microwave-and-oven/#ixzz6oV9Arfx8)

How did ovens first emerge in our society? 

A. It emerges from the variety of cooking methods to cook a different kind of food item, such as meat, vegetable, and fruit.

B. The conventional oven, convection oven, earth oven, gas oven, and microwave oven first emerged to our society.

C. The varied usage of ovens as pottery, forging, glass-making, ceramics, cements, and wood drying is encouraging its emergence.

D. The people in prehistoric generations tried to cook with fire back then and it urged the emergence of ovens.

E. The need to cook any kind of food like meat, vegetable, or fruit dish urged the making of ovens.

Steps to answer the question:

Look at the question first: "How did ovens first emerge in our society?”

The question asks for a correct statement about how the oven emerged.

By doing the skimming technique, you will quickly find the main discussion on the text and get the general idea about what happened back then and how people started using the oven. Which is explicitly mentioned in "The appliance itself dates back to the prehistoric times when different civilizations tried to cook food with fire."

It can be seen that the correct answer is D (The appliance itself dates back to the prehistoric times when different civilizations tried to cook food with fire). Note that option D has the same meaning on how an oven is emerged. 

#materiUTBK2024 #LiterasiBahasaInggris#Finding_Detailed_Information

Stated-Unstated Information
Stated-Unstated Question 

Stated-Unstated Question is a type of question aimed to find stated information and unstated information. 

Stated information is a piece of information that is mentioned in a text, while unstated information is a piece of information that is wrong and not mentioned in the text. Questions for stated-unstated information usually are as follow:

TIPS for answering the question :

1. Read the question first before you read the entire text

Pay attention to which parts of the text need to be read to answer the questions. Many questions only ask for certain parts of the text, such as paragraph 1 or paragraph 2, or only ask for true/false statements about the main idea and conclusion of the text. Don't waste your time to read the entire text that isn't asked.

2. Use skimming and scanning techniques 

Skimming aims to find the core or main discussion in a text, while scanning aims to find specific information in a text. After understanding the content of the text, do the scanning technique by matching the answer choices with the text. Most of the answer choices have the same sentence structure as the sentences in the text, so this will be very useful to save time in answering questions. Don't worry if the answer choices are different from the sentences in the text; there will be several keywords in the answer choices that show the same meaning as the text. Therefore, always be careful when doing the skimming and scanning techniques.

CONTOH SOAL

On March 11, 2011, the largest earthquake ever recorded in Japan caused massive devastation, and the ensuing tsunami decimated the Tōhoku region of northeastern Honshu. On top of the already-horrific destruction and loss of life, the natural disaster also gives rise to a nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The Fukushima disaster is considered the second-worst nuclear disaster in history, forcing the relocation of over 100,000 people.

(source: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history)

The largest earthquake in Japan caused the following event, except….

A. Originating an enormous destruction

B. Causing a nuclear disaster in Fukushima

C. Losing the life of people in Tōhoku region

D. Causing the second-worst natural disaster

E. Giving a rise to a decimating tsunami

Steps to answer the question:

Look at the question first: "The largest earthquake in Japan caused the following event, except…."

The question asks for a statement about Japan’s largest earthquake that is not mentioned in the text. 

By doing the skimming technique, you will quickly find the main discussion in the text and get the general idea about what happened in Japan's largest earthquake. 

The last sentence says that, "The Fukushima disaster is considered the second-worst nuclear disaster in history".

It can be seen that the correct answer is D (Causing the second-worst natural disaster), because the Fukushima disaster is the second-worst natural disaster itself, not the one that triggered it.

#materiUTBK2024 #LiterasiBahasaInggris#Stated_Unstated_Question

Author's Writing Organisation
Writers develop their ideas in various ways. We must recognize the patterns the writers use to develop ideas in the text. Common ways that we can do is to pay attention to the keywords or conjunctions in the text. Here are some types of reading patterns:

1. COMPARISON/CONTRAST

Compare the similarities and differences of two or more topics. The keywords of this pattern are:

- likewise

- as with

- in the same way

- But

- different from

- similarly

2. CAUSE/EFFECT

Shows the reasons and consequences of an event. The keywords of this pattern are:

- Accordingly

- As a result

- Because

- Consequences

3. TIME ORDER (Sequence)

Shows processes, procedures, cycles or events that are told from beginning to end. Usually this type of text describes "steps" or "stages". The keywords of this pattern are:

- After

- Before

- Formerly

- Thereupon

4. GENERALIZATION AND EXAMPLE

The main idea of this reading is followed by examples. Some of the keywords that indicate this development pattern include:

- for example

- for instance

- such as

- to illustrate

- to demonstrate

5. DEFINITION

Explain the definition of a term. The keywords of this pattern are:

- means

- defined as

- is referring to

- consists of

6. CLASSIFICATION

In this type of text, the writer tries to separate the information into several categories or classes. Then the author explains the categories one by one. The keywords of this pattern are:

- properties

- elements

- features

- characteristics

- aspects

- types

Contoh soal :

If we study a child’s handwriting, certain personality characteristics are revealed. If children have handwriting that is slanted only a little to the right or is straight up and down, they have a moderate temperament and use good judgment. This type is usually affectionate and sharing. However, if the handwriting slants to the far right, they are usually emotional children who react quickly. Their quick responses are often negative responses. The third type, children who write with a backhand slant, are very logical, unemotional, and sometimes very insecure. Their world seems to revolve around themselves rather than around friends and loved ones. 

(adapted from mdc.edu)

1. In developing the passage, the organizational pattern used by the author could be described as….

a. classification 

b. cause/effect 

c. summary 

d. time order

e. Example

Penjelasan:

Jawaban yang tepat adalah A, classification. Teks tersebut menjelaskan tentang klasifikasi atau penggolongan tulisan pada anak-anak berdasarkan karakter dan sifat mereka. Ada 3 klasifikasi tulisan dan karakter yang dijelaskan. Pada teks tersebut, kamu juga bisa melihat kata kunci yang mengidentifikasikan bahwa pattern atau pola yang digunakan penulis adalah klasifikasi, yaitu pada kata characteristics dan type

Opsi B kurang tepat karena teks tersebut tidak menjelaskan sebab dan akibat terjadinya sesuatu

Opsi C kurang tepat karena teks tersebut tidak berisi ringkasan. Ringkasan biasanya terdapat pada paragraf akhir atau penutup dalam sebuah teks

Opsi D kurang tepat karena teks tersebut tidak menjelaskan proses atau prosedur melakukan sesuatu

Opsi E kurang tepat karena teks tersebut tidak menjelaskan contoh, bisa dilihat dari tidak adanya kata kunci yang digunakan seperti for example, for instance, such as, dan lainnya.

TIPS :

Try to remember the keyword of each pattern because it will help you to find the author organization!

Read the question first before you read the text because what is asked is usually only specific to one paragraph!

#materiUTBK2024 #LiterasiBahasaInggris#Authors_Attitude_and_Writing_Organisation

Author's attitude / tone
An author's attitude or tone  is simply his or her feelings about the subject he or she is writing about. Writers express their attitudes through their word choices, sentence structures, and figurative language. Most author's attitude questions go something like this:

1. "The author’s attitude toward ___ can best be described as"

2. "Which best characterizes how the author feels about __?"

3. "The author of the passage would be most likely to characterize/describe __ as"

4. “The tone of lines 5-6 can best be described as”
 

Read the whole of passage carefully!

TIPS :

- After reading the passage , you can decide what kind of the author's attitude or tone (positive, negative, or might be neutral) from the chosen words that are used by the author in that passage.- And then you can be more specifically find out that if the author's tone is positive the vibes of the passage must be cheerful, happy, enthusiastic, accepting, passionate, joyous, if the author's tone is negative so the vibes of the passage must be disapproving,  angry, pessimistic, critical, suspicious, and many more.- Enrich your vocabulary mastery. The key is understanding the vocabulary because if you don't understand with the vocabulary used by the author's , you will be very difficult to find out the attitude or tone from the author.

Example :

Parents usually do not insist that their children learn to walk by a certain age. Parents feel confident that the children will learn to walk within a reasonable period of time, when their bodies are ready for such an undertaking. Teachers should adopt the same attitude when teaching children in school how to read. If teachers did this, children might learn to read much more quickly and experience less anxiety while doing so. 

(text is adapted from khan academy)

The author's attitude toward teachers who try to force children to learn how to read once they reach a certain age can best be described as…

A. Sympathetic

B. Accepting

C. Disapproving

D. Neutral 

E. Enthusiastic

Discussion  :

- The correct answer is C, disapproving. Word "should" on the third paragraph shows that the author suggest the teachers to behave same with the parents during teaching the children about reading, not forcing something to be learnt in certain ages. So, it can be concluded that the author's disagree with the teachers who force the children to read in certain ages 

- Option A is not correct because the author doesn't show the sympathy to the teachers who force the children to read in certain ages. 

- Option B is not correct because the author doesn't show the any acts of agreement to the teachers who force the children to read in certain ages. 

- Option D is not correct because the use of of word "should" by the author shows the clear side of the author's , not the neutral behavior. 

- Option E is not correct because the author doesn't show any enthusiastic actions to the teachers who force the children to read in certain ages. 

#materiUTBK2024 #LiterasiBahasaInggris#Authors_Attitude_and_Writing_Organisation

Author's Opinion
Author’s opinion is the way an author looks at or feels about the topic or the ideas being described. An opinion can also be called the author’s personal thought, assumption, perspective, or viewpoint that can be seen in the content and the language used in the text. To find the author's opinion, students have to read the text analytically in order to identify the validity of the information. By identifying words and phrases used in the text, students are able to find the author’s strong feelings either supporting or opposing something (a person, a group, or an issue).

Contoh Soal

BRAZIL BIG FOOD

(1). The long-established Brazilian diet, in common with the diets of other South American countries, can readily be improved from the nutritional and public health points of view. Indeed, it has already improved. Remaining faults in the Brazilian traditional dietary patterns can be addressed by a combination of fiscal and other types of legislation. This legislation should support cooperatives and family farmers, protect and stabilize the prices of healthy staple foods and ingredients, and make green vegetables and other fresh and minimally processed foods more attractive to produce. It should also reduce the volume of salt and sugar entering food supplies, either as raw materials or as contained in ultra-processed products. Programs of information and education at the national and state levels should be used to reinforce this legislation.

(2). The use of law to protect and improve food systems and supplies, and thus public health, may be difficult in parts of the world where governments have already surrendered the responsibility of governance to transnational and other corporations. However, in Brazil, protection of public health still remains a prime duty of government that has not eroded as it has in other countries. Two important principles used in legislation in Brazil add to the current conventional discourse about food, nutrition, and public health. First, access to adequate healthy food in Brazil is regarded as a basic human right that needs protection by the use of law in the public interest. Second, many improvements in Brazilian food supplies depend on sustained pressure on legislators exerted by energetic and often militant civil society organizations.

(3). Governments and other powerful and influential institutions, and also research and public health institutions, now need to examine and document the impact on South America of Big Food and Big Snack on public health, regional and national nature and culture, independence, and identity. This work must not inhibit the implementation of policies and actions that are needed now; importantly, once enacted, the impact of these essential policies and actions needs to be carefully monitored.

1. Which of the following best represents the author’s opinion of the often-militant actions of Brazil’s civil rights organizations?

A. These actions are excessive

B. These actions are necessary

C. These actions are counter-effective

D. These actions are misguided

E. These actions are dangerous

Discussion :

If there is a specific question refers to one keywords, just be focus with the keywords to ease and shorten you time durability in answering the question. In this question, the keywords is "the often-militant actions of Brazil's civil right organizations" which is stated on the last sentence of the second paragraph.

Look at the whole sentence , "Second many improvements in Brazilian food supplies depend on sustained pressure on legislators exerted by energetic and often militant civil society organizations"  which means "Kedua, banyaknya perbaikan dalam suplai makanan Brazil bergantung pada pada tekanan berkelanjutan pada legislator yang dilakukan oleh organisasi masyarakat sipil yang energetik dan seringkali militan”.

The improvement of food supply in Brazil depends the civil society organizations. So, it can be defined that the civil society organizations have a big impact and role to be included to that case. 

- Answer A is not correct because excessive means berlebihan. There is no indication that the civil society organizations do any action way too much (excessive)

- Answer B is correct because the acts did by the civil society organizations have an important impact and role or necessary.

- Answer C is not correct because counter-effective means tidak efektif. There is no indication that the civil society. organizations measured to be ineffective. 

- Answer D is not correct because misguided means sesat. There is no indication that There is no indication that the civil society organizations measured to be misguided. 

- Answer E is not correct because dangerous means berbahaya. There is no indication that the civil society organizations measured to be dangerous.

2. Which of the following types of evidence would best add support to the author’s primary conclusion on the Brazilian diet, as well as the primary reason given in support of that conclusion?

A. Additional data about the general public health in fast-food saturated countries

B. Examples of ways in which the displacement of family meals is an ideological issue

C. Discussion of the impact of family meal displacement upon religious practices

D. Dissagregated data about food and family mealtime practices by socioeconomic status levels

E. Examples of commercial materials that glamorize a lifestyle in which fast foods replica traditional family mealtimes

Discussion : 

The keyword in this question is conclusion or kesimpulan.  So, you need to be focused on the third paragraph. 

“Governments and other powerful and influential institutions, and also research and public health institutions, now need to examine and document the impact on South America of Big Food and Big Snack on public health, regional and national nature and culture, independence, and identity. This work must not inhibit the implementation of policies and actions that are needed now; importantly, once enacted, the impact of these essential policies and actions needs to be carefully monitored.“

So, the correct answer is E. 

#materiUTBK2024 #LiterasiBahasaInggris#Authors_Attitude_and_Writing_Organisation

Reference

When we read a text, we sometimes find certain pronouns like I, you, they we, she, he, it, them, us or pronouns that replace certain people or objects such as the children, the man, one, this, that, these, those. 

So, reference is a pronoun that refers to the objects or people that have been mentioned previously. The following lists are the examples of questions for the reference :

- What does the word “he” in the last paragraph refers to?

- The word “it” in the above sentence refers to . . .

- The pronoun “which” in the last sentence refers to …

And many more..

TIPS :

Just focus on the object and the pronoun that is being asked. This might be the helpful solution to save your time. 

The object must be in the same sentence with the pronoun.

EXAMPLE :

The old woman said that her daughter had been dead for many years and she was buried in a cemetery about an hour drive away from here.

1. The underlined word refers to . . .

a. cemetery

b. the old woman

c. she

d. the old woman's daughter

E. dead

EXPLANATION:

Jawaban yang benar adalah D, the old woman’s daughter. “Wanita tua itu mengatakan bahwa anak perempuannya telah meninggal selama bertahun-tahun dan dia dimakamkan di pemakaman yang jaraknya sekitar satu jam perjalanan dari sini”. Jadi, pronoun she yang dimaksud merujuk pada anak perempuan dari perempuan tua tersebut.

Opsi A kurang tepat karena pronoun she tidak merujuk pada kuburan. 

Opsi B kurang tepat karena pronoun she tidak merujuk pada perempuan tua, melainkan pada anak perempuannya. 

Opsi C kurang tepat karena she yang dimaksud tidak jelas kepada siapa.

Opsi E kurang tepat karena she tidak merujuk pada kata dead atau meninggal.

#materiUTBK2024 #LiterasiBahasaInggris#Reference

Main Idea/Topic Sentence
Once you have found the topic of the text, you can then find the main idea or the topic sentence. The main idea explains the topic being discussed in the text supported by the details in the following sentences in the text.

Text 1

Music can be an effective study tool. Some people say that music helps them to relax and to focus better on what they are learning. Some studies show that many students actually perform better when they listen to artists like Beethoven, and Mozart while studying.

The main idea is the first sentence of the text which is “Music can be an effective study tool” because later it is supported by the details in the following sentences that show the effectiveness of music.

In many texts, the main idea is commonly located in the first sentence. However, the main idea is not always supposed to be in the first sentence. For instance :

Text 2

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… Oh it’s just a leaf. What does that mean? It’s autumn! Autumn, or fall, marks the transition from summer to winter. There are several different ways to recognize this transition without looking at the calendar. For instance, if the leaves start to change colors, and fall off, this is a good marker that it is autumn. The temperature, in many parts of the world, will also start to drop.

The topic of this text is autumn because it is repeated and everything is referring to it. Moreover, the first sentence of the text is not the main idea. “Autumn, or fall, marks the transition from summer to winter” is the main idea because later it is supported by the details in the following sentences that show the transitions of autumn.

**Note : notice that topics are expressed as words or phrases, and main ideas are expressed in sentences**

Contoh Soal

The global number of confirmed COVID-19 cases surpassed 100 million on Tuesday. The actual number of cases is likely much higher, experts say, but cases have been underreported due to inadequate testing and contact tracing. More than 2 million people have died of the virus worldwide, including 420,000 Americans, but that number is also believed to be higher. There has been a sharp increase in cases since last summer — there were 25 million global coronavirus cases at the end of August, and that number doubled to 50 million by mid-November. The United States has had the world's worst coronavirus outbreak, and while the number of new daily cases has declined in recent days, the number of deaths has not; on average, more than 3,000 COVID-19 deaths are reported daily in the U.S.

source: https://theweek.com/5things/963332/more-than-100-million-coronavirus-cases-have-been-reported-globally

What is the main idea of the passage?

A. The United States had the world’s worst coronavirus outbreak.

B. The global number of COVID-19 cases keeps increasing. 

C. The number of COVID-19 deaths reaches dramatic rising. 

D. There are miscalculations on COVID-19 cases. 

E. No track of surviving cases are reported. 

Pembahasan :

Tipe soal ini adalah Finding Main Idea yang bertujuan untuk menemukan ide pokok dalam teks yang disajikan. Ide pokok biasanya terdapat pada awal atau akhir teks, jadi fokuslah pada kalimat pertama dan terakhir pada bacaan yang disediakan.z

Ide pokok dari teks di atas berada pada kalimat pertama, yakni tentang jumlah kasus COVID-19 yang mencapai 100 juta per hari Selasa. kalimat -kalimat selanjutnya menjelaskan ide pokok tersebut tentang bagaimana angka kasus semakin meningkat dan keadaan semakin memburuk.

Jawaban yang tepat untuk soal di atas adalah B (The global number of COVID-19 cases keeps increasing), atau angka kasus COVID-19 secara global terus meningkat.

Opsi A (The United States had the world’s worst coronavirus outbreak.) salah karena merupakan kalimat penjelas.

Opsi C (The number of COVID-19 deaths reaches dramatic rising.)</i> salah, karena tidak disebutkan angka peningkatan kasus kematian karena COVID-19 di dalam teks.

Opsi D (There are miscalculations on COVID-19 cases.) salah, karena detail mengenai salah hitung kasus yang dilaporkan merupakan kalimat penjelas.

Opsi E <i>(No track of surviving cases are reported.)</i> salah, karena tidak disebutkan kasus orang yang sembuh dari COVID-19 di dalam teks.

Jadi, jawaban yang benar adalah B. 

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Topic

A topic is the word or phrase that everything in the text refers to. The easiest way to identify the topic of the text is by finding the repeated words or phrases.

Text 1

Music can be an effective study tool. Some people say that music helps them to relax and focus better. People listen to music for many other reasons as well. Music has been proven to produce serotonin, one of the so-called happiness hormones.

The topic of the text above is music. The word music, in this case, was repeated in each sentence.

However, finding the topic of the text can be more tricky. Sometimes the author will use different words that refer to the same thing. For instance :

Text 2

If you want to be accepted in your future college, Pahamify is the perfect solution for you. This company specializes in preparing study material that helps you with the knowledge you need. More than three hundred students have used this resource to help them be accepted to their future college.

The topic is Pahamify. Even though the word “Pahamify” is only stated once, the topic is repeated with different words such as “company” and “resource”.

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Coherence

Coherence, generally, is the contextual appearance of the utterances in the text. More specifically, it is the contextual fitness of in the text that contributes in understanding the meaning or message. 

Coherence is achieved when sentences and ideas are connected and flow together smoothly. An essay without coherence can inhibit a reader’s ability to understand the ideas and main points of the essay.

Decide on an order for your sentences that will best develop the paragraph’s main idea. Your supporting sentences are raw materials. They will not make sense to a reader unless they are put in order.

Coherence focuses on the organization of the writing which includes how paragraphs are developed through patterns. As follows: 

Cause and effect: If narration offers a sequence of events, cause/effect essays offer an explanation about why that sequence matters.

Description: The purpose of description is to recreate, invent, or visually present a person, place, event, or action so that the reader can picture that which is being described. 

Process: Analyzing a process can also be thought of as “how-to” instruction. 

Analogy: An analogy is something that shows how two things are alike, but with the ultimate goal of making a point about this comparison.

Narration: The purpose of narration is to tell a story or relate an event. 

Problem/Solution: This type of academic writing has two equally important tasks: clearly identifying a problem, and then providing a logical, practical solution for that problem. 

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: Coherence focuses on how sentences within a text are sequenced in an orderly manner which cause them to relate to each other and adhere to the development pattern the text is using. 

SAMPLE QUESTION

Read the passages below, and then choose the best answer to the question. 

(1) The rise in personal debt in recent years is due largely to aggressive and unwarranted hustling by credit-card companies. (2) Between 1990 and 1996, credit card debt doubled. (3) Today it is still rising. (4) Credit cards with interest rates reaching nearly 20 percent are a remarkably lucrative part of the loan business. (5) Debtors pay an average of $1,000 a year in interest and fees alone, money that could instead have been used for a college or retirement fund. (6)Using subtle tactics to tempt unwary consumers to borrow, credit-card companies have led consumers to hold more cards and to fork over a bigger and bigger fraction of their income to the companies.

How does sentence 5 relate to the main idea of the paragraph?

A. Sentence 5 contradicts the main idea of the paragraph  

B. Sentence 5 elaborates the main idea of the paragraph

C. Sentence 5 negates the main idea of the paragraph

D. Sentence 5 emphasizes the main idea of the paragraph

EXPLANATION

The main idea of the paragraph:

The rise in personal debt in recent years is due largely to aggressive and unwarranted hustling by credit-card companies. 

Supporting details: 

(2) Between 1990 and 1996, credit card debt doubled. (3) Today it is still rising. (4) Credit cards with interest rates reaching nearly 20 percent are a remarkably lucrative part of the loan business. (5) Debtors pay an average of $1,000 a year in interest and fees alone, money that could instead have been used for a college or retirement fund. (6)Using subtle tactics to tempt unwary consumers to borrow, credit-card companies have led consumers to hold more cards and to fork over a bigger and bigger fraction of their income to the companies.

Sentence 5 explains how debtors are affected by the rise in personal debt caused by credit card companies. They are affected by having to pay average of $1,000 a year in interest and fees alone which would make them struggle to afford other things like college or retirement fund. 

How does sentence 5 relate to the main idea of the paragraph?

A. Sentence 5 contradicts the main idea of the paragraph  

B. Sentence 5 elaborates the main idea of the paragraph

C. Sentence 5 negates the main idea of the paragraph

D. Sentence 5 emphasizes the main idea of the paragraph

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Cohesion

Cohesion from Lat. “cohaesionem” – to stick together

is the grammatical and lexical linking within a text or sentence that holds a text together and gives it meaning. 

4 Components of Cohesion :

1. Repeated words

Example :

Music can be an effective study tool. Some people say that music helps them to relax and to focus better on what they are learning. Some studies show that many students actually perform better when they listen to Beethoven and Mozart while studying.

2. Reference

Example :

Anne walked in and sat down. She picked up a newspaper.

John sipped his coffee.

He got breakfast in the morning. It was very delicious.

3. Substitution

Example :

Drinking alcohol before driving is illegal in many countries, since doing so can seriously impair one's ability to drive safely.

Jack’s car is very old and ugly. He should get a nicer one.

I challenge you to win the game before I do! 

4. Transition signals

Example

When the Titanic sank, many died because there were too few lifeboats. As a result, federal authorities required that ships carry enough lifeboats to save everyone on board.

List of transition signals :

1. Examples :

For example

For instance

Such as

To illustrate

To demonstrate

Namely 

2. Summarize :

To conclude

In conclusion

To sum up

Summing up

3. Contrast

However

Nevertheless

But

Yet

In contrast

On the other hand

Whereas 

4. Compare

Similarly

Likewise

Similar to

Same as

Just like

Not only … but also

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Phrasal Verb
A phrasal verb is a combination of words consisting of a verb and a preposition, or a verb and an adverb that give a different meaning to the original verb.

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Word Substitution
A word substitution is substituting a word or phrase that has the same meaning or context with another word or phrase in the same language. 

Read the text carefully!

Fashion is an entity that knows no boundaries. From an outsider’s perspective, the industry can <b>appear</b> to be all about runway models and celebrity endorsements which are often uninspired but it's counteracted by unbelievable talent, on-style trends and clothing so fashion-forward that we can’t help but jump on the bandwagon. Fashion superpowers Milan, London, New York and Paris have paved the way for the rest of the world to follow suit – pardon the pun – and now Asia is under the spotlight for new quirky trends that have the industry in awe. So much more than kimonos and knock-off handbags, Asia is taking over the industry so grab a front-row seat to the show and get ahead of the curve before someone beats you to it. From the glittering street-style in Seoul to the outrageous cartoonish outfits in Harajuku, cutting-edge clothing is found throughout this glorious continent. 

Adapted from: https://www.wingedboots.co.uk/magazine/why-asia-is-the-new-fashion-capital-of-the-world 

Which of the following is best to replace the word appear in the second sentence?

a. Arise  

b. Emerge 

c. Show 

d. Occur  

e. Seem 

The word “appear” is the synonym of arise, emerge, show, and seem. However, this kind of question asks us to find the word substitution. In order to find it, we have to choose the right word that has the same meaning or context with the word “appear”. 

The word “appear” is stated in the sentence “From an outsider’s perspective, the industry can appear to be all about runway models and celebrity endorsements ….” (Dari sudut pandang orang luar, industri ini dapat dilihat atau tampak seperti hal yang berkaitan dengan model atau dukungan selebriti…).

Option E (seem) is the best answer because it has the same meaning with the word “appear”. 

Appear & seem mean “to show up” or “to come in sight”. 

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