Hedgie's English Quest
Map › Ch 12 · Comprehension
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Chapter 12 · Book pages 39–42

📖 Comprehension

Read like a detective: find clues, crack word meanings and pick the best answer.

By the end of this lesson, you can…
  • read the questions first and underline key words before reading the passage
  • skim for the main idea and scan for names, numbers and facts
  • tell right-there, think-and-search and author-and-me questions apart
  • work out the meaning of a new word from the clues around it
  • choose the best title, put events in order and spot what the passage does not say
Start the story →Jump to quiz
A passage is a treasure map. The answers are hidden in it. Let's learn how to find them fast! 🗺️
📖 Story time

The Berry Fair Notice

A big notice was pinned on the Bramblewood oak: “Berry Fair! Saturday, 10 o'clock, at Willow Pond. Bring a basket. Prizes for the biggest blackberry!”

🦉
Ollie the OwlHoo-hoo! Quiz time. Three questions about the notice, and you have one minute. Ready, Hedgie?
HedgieEasy! I'll read every word very slowly, from the top… Berry… Fair… Saturday… ten…
🐿️
Nutty SquirrelTIME'S UP! You only got to the word Pond, Hedgie! You didn't even look at the questions!
HedgieOh no. I read and read, but I didn't know what I was looking for.
🦉
Ollie the OwlHere is the secret. Read the questions first. Question 1 is: “Where is the fair?” The key word is where. So you hunt for a place.
HedgieA place… my eyes zoom to it… Willow Pond! That was quick!
🦊
Fizz the FoxHah! Then the fair is on Sunday, right? Everyone knows fairs are on Sundays.
🐢
Tara TortoiseSlowly, Fizz. The answer must come from the text, not from what we think. The notice says Saturday.
🦉
Ollie the OwlExactly! Read the questions, find the key words, then scan the passage like a torch beam. Today you'll become a reading detective.

Hedgie grabbed his magnifying glass. The reading adventure had begun… 🔍

💡 Big ideas

Let's learn it

Read each card, try the example sentences out loud (tap 🔊), then answer the Quick check.

1

🔑Questions first, then key words

In the Olympiad, you don't have time to read a passage three times. So use the detective plan:

  1. Read the questions first. Now you know what you are hunting for.
  2. Circle the key word in each question: who, where, when, how many, why, and the important noun.
  3. Read the passage once, carefully. Underline lines that match a question.
  4. Go back to the underlined line and choose the answer.
Question wordHunt for…
Whoa person or animal
Wherea place
Whena day, time or season
How many / how longa number
Whya reason (look for because, so)
  • Question: How many acorns did Nutty bury? key words: how many + acorns, so hunt for a number near 'acorns'
  • Question: Why did the map get spoilt? key word: why, so hunt for a reason: it rained hard
Hedgie's trickHedgie's trick: Q-K-R-C. Questions first, Key words circled, Read once, Check the line. 🔍
Olympiad trap!Don't answer from memory or what you think is true. Fizz said fairs are on Sundays, but the notice said Saturday. The passage is the boss.
🧐 Quick check
What is the key word to hunt for in: “When did Sameer visit his uncle?”
2

👀Skim and scan

Good readers have two speeds.

  • Skim = read quickly to get the main idea (what is it mostly about?). Look at the title, the first line of each paragraph and the last line.
  • Scan = run your eyes down the page to find one fact: a name, a number, a date, a capital letter word.
Skim 🦅Scan 🔦
Like…an eagle looking at a whole fielda torch looking for one lost key
Use it formain idea, best titlewho, where, when, how many
Look attitle, first & last linesnumbers, Capital Letters, key word
  • “How many days does it take for the eggs to hatch?” scan for a number next to the word hatch
  • “What is the passage mainly about?” skim the first line of each paragraph
Hedgie's trickNumbers and names have digits and Capital Letters, so they jump out of the page. Scanning for them is super fast! ⚡
Olympiad trap!When you scan, the word in the passage may be a little different from the question: question says hatch, passage says come out of the egg. Look for the same idea, not only the same word.
🧐 Quick check
You need to find the name of the city in a long passage. What should you do?
3

🧭Three kinds of questions

Not every answer is sitting in one sentence. Ask yourself: where will I find this?

TypeWhere is the answer?Example
📍 Right therein ONE sentence, almost the same wordsWho helped Nutty? Bela Bunny.
🧩 Think and searchin TWO or more places; put the pieces togetherHow many acorns were lost? 12 buried, 11 found, so 1.
💭 Author and meclues in the text + what I knowHow did Nutty feel on Tuesday? She sobbed, so sad.
  • “Aarav felt as tall as a mountain.” How did he feel? author and me: people don't grow, so it means very proud
  • “Fizz's ears turned pink.” clue + what I know = he was embarrassed
Hedgie's trickFor author-and-me questions, prove it: point to the clue word in the passage that made you choose. No clue, no answer! 👆
Olympiad trap!Options like “all of these” or “both B and C” are think-and-search traps. Check each part in the passage. If all are there, “all of these” wins.
Fun factDetectives call these clues evidence. You are doing real detective work every time you read! 🕵️
🧐 Quick check
“Meera's lip trembled and she looked at the broken vase.” How did Meera feel?
4

🔍Word meaning from context

The Olympiad often asks: “According to the passage, the word ___ means…” You may not know the word, but the sentence around it (the context) gives clues.

  1. Find the word in the passage.
  2. Read the sentence before and after it.
  3. Put each option in place of the word. The one that keeps the meaning is right.
  • The soil was so parched that it cracked, and the plants begged for rain. cracked + begged for rain → parched = very dry
  • Kabir was famished; he ate three plates of rice! three plates → famished = very hungry
  • The rustling leaves whispered as the wind blew. a soft dry sound, like crackling
  • Opposite question: the box was light, not ______. opposite of light = heavy
Hedgie's trickUse the swap test: replace the word with each option and read the sentence aloud. The right one sounds and makes sense. 🔄
Olympiad trap!The word may have two meanings. Light can mean not heavy or bright. Choose the meaning the passage uses, not the first one you think of.
🧐 Quick check
“The tiny puppy was so timid that it hid under the bed whenever anyone came in.” Timid means:
5

🏷️Main idea and the best title

The main idea is what the whole passage is mostly about. A good title fits the whole passage, not just one line.

  • Skim the first and last lines.
  • Ask: Who or what is in almost every paragraph?
  • Throw out titles that are too small (one detail) or too big (much more than the passage).
  • A passage about the queen, workers, the waggle dance and honey. best title: Life in a Bee Hive · too small: The Waggle Dance · too big: All the Insects of the World
  • A story about Riya picking mangoes and sharing them with neighbours. best title: The Sharing Tree
Hedgie's trickGoldilocks rule 🐻: a title must be not too small, not too big, but just right.
Olympiad trap!A wrong title often uses an exact phrase from the passage to fool you. It sounds familiar, but it covers only one detail.
🧐 Quick check
A passage tells how a seed sprouts, grows roots, gets leaves and becomes a tall tree. Best title?
6

✅True, false, not given & order

True / False / Not given

  • True: the passage says it.
  • False: the passage says the opposite.
  • Not given: the passage does not talk about it at all, even if it is true in real life!

Sequencing (order): look for time words: first, then, next, after that, one morning, finally, the next day. Number the events in the margin: 1, 2, 3…

Statement (Nutty passage)Answer
Nutty buried twelve acorns.True
Nutty found all twelve acorns.False (she found eleven)
Nutty's favourite food is walnuts.Not given
  • “Which vitamin is NOT mentioned?” tick each option you find in the passage; the one left over is the answer
  • Monday → that night → Tuesday morning time words help you put events in order
Hedgie's trickWatch for NOT in a question. Hedgie circles it in red every time! 🔴
Olympiad trap!A fact can be true in real life but not given in the passage. In comprehension, only the passage counts.
🧐 Quick check
A passage says: “Bees collect nectar from flowers.” Statement: “Bees can sting.” This is:
🗺️ Mind map

The whole chapter on one page

Tap a branch to focus on it. Can you explain each bubble to someone at home?

🃏 Flashcards

Flip & remember

Say the answer in your head before you flip. Be honest — "not yet" cards go to your Review Burrow for later.

📘 Book mission

Now practise in your workbook

Use a pencil. Do each set, then check with the answer key and tick it off here.

📗 Open the answer key
🎁 Wrap-up

Remember these

  1. Use the detective plan: questions first, circle key words, read once, then check the line.
  2. Skim for the main idea; scan for names, numbers and dates.
  3. Answers can be right there, need think and search, or need author and me (clue + what you know).
  4. Find a word's meaning from context and use the swap test.
  5. The best title fits the whole passage. Not given means the passage doesn't say it. The passage is always the boss!

🦔 Teach Hedgie!

Hedgie thinks skim and scan are the same thing. Explain the difference to him and tell him which one he should use to find the date of the Berry Fair.

Explaining something in your own words is the best way to make it stick.

How do you feel about this chapter?

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