8

ENGLISH

Name of Student: ________________________________________

Grade & Section: ___________________
Contact No: __________________
Complete Address: _____________________________________________________
House No. Purok/Street Barangay Municipality Province

Ms. Niña Romina Galang Navalta

Teacher
Contact No.: 09756760889
 Table of Contents

What This Learning Package is About…………………………………………………..……..i

What I Need to Know…………………………………………………………………….….….. i
How to Learn from this Learning Package …………………………………………….….….. i
Icons of this Learning Package……………………………………………………….…….….. ii
What I Know………………………………………………………………….…………….…..iii

Lesson 1:
Scanning for Text Types and Logical Connectors………………………………1
What I Need to Know……………………………………………………………….…..1
What’s New
Activity 1: Locating logical connectors………………………………............1
What Is It ……………………………………………………………………………...…2
What’s More
Activity 2: Scanning for Text Type and Connectors ………………….…….4
What I Have Learned
Activity 3: Generalization…………………………..…………………….….…5
What I Can Do
Activity 4: Let Me Join ………………………….………..…………………....5

Lesson 2:
Skimming for Key Ideas………………………………………………………………7
What I Need to Know……………………….……………………………………….….7
What’s In ……………………………………………………………………….………..7
What’s New
Activity 1:Skim Through……………………………………………..……....7
What Is It
Activity 2: Determine the Main Idea……………………………….….….9
What’s More
Activity 3: Skimming Practice………………………………………….…11
What I Have Learned
Activity 4: Generalization…………………………………………………13
What I Can Do
Activity 5: Expressing Main Idea…………………………………………13
What This Module is About
This module is about Reading Comprehension using various techniques in
reading: scanning, skimming, speed reading, and intensive reading. It is hoped
that you will be able to develop your skill in reading through the activities ask of
you to do.
In this module, you will encounter different activities that will give you
opportunity to enhance your comprehension, self-reliance and self-confidence as
you work on your own.
The following are the lessons contained in this module.
Lesson 1 – Scanning for Logical Connectors and Text Types
Lesson 2 – Skimming for Key Ideas
Lesson 3 – Reading for One’s Purpose
Lesson 4 – Intensive Reading to Determine the Author’s Purpose

What I Need to Know

At the end of this module, you should be able to:

1. Scan for logical connectors and determine the text types (EN8RC-Ia-
7.2)
2. skim to determine key ideas (EN8SS-1c.1.5.1)
3. use the appropriate reading style (scanning, skimming, speed reading,
intensive reading, etc.) for one’s purpose (EN8RC-1e-7)
4. read intensively to determine the author’s purpose EN8RC-Ig-7.1;

How to Learn from this Module

To achieve the objectives cited above, you are to do the following:
1. Carefully read all the lessons.
2. Take your time on going through each lesson.
3. Answer the pretest honestly; the purpose of the pretest is for you to
determine your prior knowledge before going through the lessons and
activities.
4. If you have a hard time understanding the lessons and activities, please
do take a break. Having breaks between lessons and activities will give
you some space where you can absorb the lesson well.
5. You can use the internet if you need more information about the lesson.

i
Icons of this Module
What I Need to This part contains learning objectives
Know that are set for you to learn as you go
along the module.

What I know This is an assessment as to your level of

knowledge to the subject matter at hand,
meant specifically to gauge prior related
knowledge

What’s In This part connects previous lesson with

that of the current one.

What’s New An introduction of the new lesson

through various activities, before it will be
presented to you

What is It These are discussions of the activities as

a way to deepen your discovery and
understanding of the concept.

What’s More These are follow-up activities that are

intended for you to practice further in
order to master the competencies.

What I Have Activities designed to process what you

Learned have learned from the lesson

What I can do These are tasks that are designed to

showcase your skills and knowledge
gained, and applied into real-life
concerns and situations.

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 What I Know
Multiple Choice

Directions: Read each sentence. Identify the connector used in each sentence.
Write the letter of your choice.

1. He was very rude to us but we forgave him.

A. was B. very C. but D. him
2. She didn’t take an umbrella in spite of the fact that it was raining.
A. didn’t B. an C. in spite of D. the fact that
3. “I thought you didn’t like spicy food.”
“On the contrary, I liked it very much.”
A. Like B. I thought C. I thought D. On the contrary
4. I’m too busy to take a vacation besides, I cannot leave my old parents on
their own.
A. Too busy B. Besides C. I cannot D. on their own
5. All my friends will be at the party except of Andrew.
A. Except with B. all C. will be D. at

Identification

Directions: Read each item. Identify if the example given is SCANNING or SKIMMING.
Write your answer before each number.

_______________6. Looking for a specific information within a text to answer an

exam question.
_______________7. Looking at chapters and sub-headings to get an idea of what a
text is about.
_______________8. Looking for the author of the textbook you are using
_______________9. Going through several newspapers, locating its date of issue
______________10. Reading through to find the purpose of the author
______________11. Surveying the text to know the point of view and tone of the text
______________12. A specific data in a graph
______________13. Reading a timetable to find out what are the exams for the Day
1 and Day 2
______________14. Researching for a topic for your Science assignment
______________15. Determining the tone of a passage
Directions: Skim through the illustration and answer the questions on the right side of
the picture. Write your answers on the spaces below.
16. ________________________________
17. ________________________________
18. ________________________________
19. ________________________________
20. ________________________________
Life cycle of a monarch butterfly (SCIENCE)
16. What is the title of the
illustration?
17. How many steps are in the
process?
18. What is in the third picture?
19. This topic is studied
thoroughly in what subject?
20. What is in the last step of the
cycle before it begins another
cycle?

https://www.activewild.com/life-cycle-of-the-monarch-butterfly/

iii
Directions: Choose the word from the box that corresponds to the description of each
number. Write the word in the space before each number.

Narrative Expository Descriptive Persuasive

to inform to persuade to entertain to express

__________21. This type of texts furnishes you with relevant facts and figures
but do not include their opinion.
__________22. This type of texts focuses on describing a character, an event, or
a place in great detail.
__________23. This type of texts contains justifications and reasons as well as the
opinions and the biases of the author to convince others to agree with the author’s point
of view.
__________24. This type of texts tells a story. The author creates different characters
and tell you what happens to them.
__________25. An author’s purpose to convince you to change your thinking.
__________26. The author’s purpose to arouse interest or evoke laughter.
__________27. The author’s purpose to give facts and reasons to get the point
across.
Read the text below and identify what text type is used.
__________28. Jordan, the heir to a rich historical and religious heritage, is my larger
home. It extends from the temperate heights of the rugged purple-hued mountains of
Moab to the gently rolling hills of Jerusalem; from the deep tropical Jordan Valley, with
its luxuriant vegetation, to the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on earth; and from the
spectacular sandstone cliffs of Wadi Run to the arid desert of the eastern plateau . (An
excerpt from What Home Means to Me by Numati Nurredin)

29-30 Write the letter of your answer.

Passage
You need a balanced diet to stay healthy. A balanced diet provides the amount of
nutrients your body needs every day. By eating lots of different foods, you will get
the nutrients you require to stay healthy. (p.49 Total Reading 6)

29. What is the topic of this paragraph?

A. eating foods B, the importance of a balanced diet
C. planning your diet
30. Which sentence states the main idea about the topic?
A. When you eat lots different foods you get the nutrients you require.
B. A balanced diet provides the amount of nutrients your body needs every
day.
C. You need a balanced diet to stay healthy
Passage
You need a balanced diet to stay healthy. A balanced diet provides the amount of
nutrients your body needs every day. By eating lots of different foods, you will get
the nutrients you require to stay healthy. (p.49 Total Reading 6)
29. What is the topic of this paragraph?
A. eating foods B, the importance of a balanced diet
C. planning your diet
30. Which sentence states the main idea about the topic?
A. When you eat lots different foods you get the nutrients you require.
B. A balanced diet provides the amount of nutrients your body needs every
day.
C. You need a balanced diet to stay healthy

iv
Lesson
Scanning for Text Types and
1
Lesson Logical Connectors

What I Need to Know

Scan for logical connectors to determine text types
 What are logical connectors?
 What are text types?
 How can I identify text types?

What’s New
Conjunctions and Connectors

Conjunctions and connectors describe the relationship between two

statements. These statements can be written without linking words, but
often more information can be succinctly conveyed using these words.
Conjunctions grammatically join two clauses (independent or
dependent, depending on the conjunction) so that it reads as one
sentence.
Connectors are used between two separate sentences.
(https://ctl.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/GWC_LinkingWords-1.pdf)

A paragraph developed by process uses connectors to show the

sequence, instruction or direction.

Connectors are also helpful in presenting ideas in a paragraph in logical

order.

Activity 1: Locating Logical Connectors

As you read the process of solving consecutive integer word problem, you
will notice the connectors used in the texts. Can you locate them? Write
the logical connectors in the table provided below.

SOLVING CONSECUTIVE INTEGER WORD PROBLEM

Problem: Two consecutive numbers have a sum of 91. What are the
numbers?
First, define the variable. You do not know what the first consecutive
number is, so you call it X. Thus,
Let X = the first consecutive number.
Then, find the second consecutive number. Since the numbers are
consecutive, meaning one number comes right after the other, the second
number must be one more than the first. So, X=1 equals the second number.
Let X+1= the second number

1
 Next, show in equation. The problem says that the sum of two numbers is 91.
Hence,
X+(X+1) = 91
Finally, solve the equation.
X+X+1 = 91
2X+1 = 91
2X = 91-1
2X = 90
2 2
X = 90/2
X = 45
No. Connectors
1
2
3
4
5

What Is It
Categorized Word Connectors
Activity 1 shows the logical arrangement of a text in a step by step
process using order connectors.
Word Connectors are used to link large groups of words: phrases and sentences.
You can also use them to connect paragraphs to give them coherence. Sentence
connectors are usually placed at the beginning of a sentence and may be categorized
as follows: (https://www.myenglishteacher.eu/blog/list-of-sentence-connectors-in-english/)

CONTRAST ADDITION CAUSE PURPOSE CONSEQUENCE ORDER EXPLICATION

however moreover because in order to as a result to start above all
with
yet furthermore since so as to therefore first in short
despite in addition due to so that consequently next at least
but besides on thus then essentially
account
of
instead what’s in in particular
more conclusion
on the on top of lastly in general
contrary that
in contrast likewise finally more or less
to

Logical connectors are commonly used in various text types.

The four types of texts with example each:

1. Expository – its main purpose is to explain. It is a subject-oriented in which
authors focus on telling you about a given topic or subject without voicing their
personal opinions. This type of texts furnishes you with relevant facts and figure
but do not include their opinion.

2
Example:

“I’m using the term ‘Chinese mother’ loosely. In like manner, I know some Korean,
Indian, Jamaican, Irish and Ghanaian parents who qualify too. Conversely, I know some
mothers of Chinese heritage, almost always born in the West, who are not Chinese
mothers, by choice or otherwise. I’m also using the term ‘Western parents’ loosely.
Western parents come in all varieties. All the same, even when Western parents think
they’re being strict, they usually don’t come close to being Chinese mothers. For
example, my Western friends who consider themselves strict make their children
practice their instruments 30 minutes every day. An hour at most. For a Chinese mother,
the first hour is the easy part. It’s hours two and three that get tough.” by Amy Chua
(https://literarydevices.net/narrative-essay/)

Notice the words/expressions in bold text used in the narrative text.

1. Descriptive – Its main purpose is to describe. It is a style of writing that focuses on

describing a character, an event, or a place in great detail. It can be poetic when the
author takes time to be very specific in his or her description.

Example:

Taj Mahal is an immense mausoleum of white marble. It was built in Agra between 1631
and 1648 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in order to remember the memory
of his favorite wife. The Taj Mahal is the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the
universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage. The Taj Mahal is located on
the right bank of the Yamuna River in a vast Mughal garden that encompasses nearly 17
hectares, in the Agra District in Uttar Pradesh. The Taj Mahal is considered to be the
greatest architectural achievement in the whole range of Indo-Islamic architecture.
Moreover, its recognized architectonic beauty has a rhythmic combination of solids and
voids, concave and convex and light shadow. Furthermore, arches and domes increase
the aesthetic aspect. The color combination of lush green scape reddish pathway and
blue sky over it show cases the monument in ever changing tints and moods.
(https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/252/)

2.Persuasive – Its main purpose is to convince. Unlike expository writing, this type of
text contains the opinions and biases of the author. To convince others to agree with the
author’s point of view, persuasive writing contains justifications and reasons.

Example:

“Governments today do two things that I object to in particular. First, they encourage
introspection, telling us that unless men examine their testicles, unless we keep a check
on our cholesterol level, then we are not being responsible citizens. You are letting down
yourself, your wife, your kids, everybody. We are encouraged continually to worry about
our health. As a consequence, public health initiatives have become, as far as I can tell,
a threat to public health. Secondly, governments promote the value of health seeking.
We are meant always to be seeking health for this or that condition. The primary effect of
this, I believe, is to make us all feel more ill.”
(https://literarydevices.net/persuasive-essay/)

3
3.Narrative – Its main purpose is to tell a story. The author will create different
characters and tell you what happens to them.

Example:

“Annie, over six feet tall, big-boned, decided that she would not go to work as a domestic
and leave her “precious babes” to anyone else’s care. There was no possibility of being
hired at the town’s cotton gin or lumber mill. But maybe there was a way to make the
two factories work for her. In her words, “I looked up the road I was going and back the
way I come. Since I wasn’t satisfied, I decided to step off the road and cut me a new
path.” She told herself that she wasn’t a fancy cook but that she could “mix groceries
well enough to scare hungry away and keep from starving a man.” by Maya Angelou
(https://literarydevices.net/narrative-essay/)

What’s More

Activity 2: Scanning for Text Type and Connectors

Directions: Scan through the following texts to find the connectors used. Then read
again thoroughly to identify the text type. Finally, complete the information below by
identifying the text type and indicating the logical connectors.

Paragraph Text Type Logical connectors

No.
1
2
3
4

Paragraph 1
In 1997, 175,000 volunteers picked up three million pounds of
garbage along the coasts of the United States. As a result, both
people and sea animals can enjoy cleaner and safer environments.
Glass bottles, lumber, and syringes are less of a threat to
barefooted beachgoers. Fewer seabirds, fish, and crabs will die
entangled in plastic can holders, fishing nets, and fishing line.
People put trash in the oceans, but by volunteering their time to
help clean up after themselves, people are also the solution to the
problem.
(https://www.eslprintables.com/powerpoint.asp?id=69990)

Paragraph 2
Jerry was the kind of guy who love to hate. He was always in a
good mood and always has something positive to say. When
someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, “If I
were any better, I would be twins!” Because he was a unique
manager, he had several waiters followed him around from
restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed him
around was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If
an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling him how
to look on the positive side of the situation.

4
 (https://www.chickensoup.com/book-story/54410/attitude-is-everything)
.

Paragraph 3

The iPhone 6 is unexpectedly light. While the size of its screen

is bigger than those of the iPhones that came before, it is thinner,
and its smooth, rounded body is made of aluminum, stainless steel,
and glass. Furthermore, its casing comes in a whitish silver, gold,
or a color the company calls ”space gray”, the color of the lead of a
pencil, with darker gray accents.
(https://bvcoend.ac.in/images/upload/BVP_Vidyapeeths_Colle_of_Engineering_New_Delh
i_60510613907866FILE38623UPLOAD56435731556253485.pdf)

Paragraph 4
Immigration contributes to the overall health of the American
economy. Despite the recent concerns expressed about the illegal and
some legal immigration to the United States, this country has largely
benefited from the skills, talents, and ambition that immigrants bring with
them. American businesses gain from a good source of affordable labor,
while towns and cities are revitalized by immigrant families who
strengthen communities through civic participation and the generation of
new economic activity. The United States must continue to welcome new
arrivals and help those who are already here; otherwise, the country will
lose the advantages it has over other industrialized countries that
compete against us in the global marketplace and seek to recruit from a
vast pool of unskilled and skilled global workers.
(https://www.learnamericanenglishonline.com/Write_in_English/WL14_persuasive_parag)

What I Have Learned

Activity 3: Generalization
1. In what way can I make use of connectors?

2. What are the four types of texts? How can I identify each?

What I Can Do

Activity 4: Let Me Join!

Directions: Scan each paragraph and underline the logical connectors. Then, identify the
text type.
1. February 14 has been celebrated as Valentine’s Day throughout the universe. It
is the day singled out for sending flowers, greeting cards, bars of chocolates,
heart-shaped gifts and objects to someone special in our lives. Likewise, it is the
day for expressing one’s undying love to a sweet heart or secret love. But we
must not forget that it is not only this day that we must say our love but also

5
 make everyday a Valentine’s Day. (p.16, Improving Study, Thinking, Reading, and Writing
Skills for College Freshmen by Cabrera,L., et.al)
Text Type __________________

2. There are similarities and differences of the Philippine and American good
manner. Both types of behavior aim to put them at ease. Both intend to show
sincerity and goodwill. However, the Americans are frank, open and
straightforward and the Filipinos are timid, verbose, and over polite. The
Americans consider loud laughing and hand shaking vigorously but Filipinos
consider these actions as a breach of etiquette. On the other hand, the Filipino
offers his guests the most delicious food at the best accommodation at home.
The Filipinos are well known for their hospitality. They display their simplicity and
humility in action and speech. (p.174, Improving Study, Thinking, Reading, and Writing Skills
for College Freshmen by Cabrera,L., et.al)
Text type ___________________

3. Sitting at the kitchen table, 32-year-old Caroline was distraught. She had just
learned that her older sister, Susan, 46, had a mild stroke while teaching in her
classroom. Less than two months before, their father died of high blood pressure.
And in 1982, Carol’s mother succumbed to arterial clogging and heart failure at
age 65. Carol’s mind raced. Was her whole family destined to die of
hypertension? (p.137, Improving Study, Thinking, Reading, and Writing Skills for College
Freshmen by Cabrera,L., et.al)
Text type ___________________

4. Tea is a drink for its taste, but at the same time it is a healthy drink that is so
beneficial to the human body that it is used as medicine. Tea is a great help in
strengthening the body, the most important part of a healthy life. Not only that,
but the devotion and rules of etiquette that accompany the steeping, drinking,
and serving of tea, as well as the calm, quiet atmosphere, provide an
environment for gaining enlightenment.
(p.151, English Expressways 11 by Bermudez, V., et.al)
Text type ___________________

5. The students play a big role in saving our environment. It starts at home: the
students should not forget to segregate the trash in the waste basket, before
having the garbage collector collect it. Then, while at school, the students should
participate actively in symposia and other similar activities organized by other
students who, like them, advocate a clean and healthy environment. Lastly,
before going home, the students should make a pledge to protect the
environment whenever possible. Truly, when future is at stake, the whole
student body could really help a lot.
(p.199, English Expressways 11 by Bermudez, V., et.al)
Text type __________________

6
 Lesson
Skimming for Key Ideas
2
Lesson

What I Need to Know

Skim to determine the key ideas
 What is skimming?
 How do I skim?
 What is skimming for?

What’s I
What’s In
Review on Scanning
In Lesson 1, you have learned about scanning. Let us review what
scanning is.
Scanning is reading a text quickly in order to find specific
information, e.g. figures or names.
(https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/scanning)

Study the figure below. Which of the examples have you done as a
student?

list of flight
movies schedule
now
showing

scanning exam
page schedule
number of
for
assigned a/an...
topic
word
phone meaning in
number in a dictionary
a directory

What’s New

Skimming
This reading technique enables the reader to move quickly over
the material in order to get an idea of its subject matter without having to
pay close attention to details. By skimming or quickly running thru the
selection or parts of it, you can preview or survey the text, select what is
relevant and set these aside for further study. (p.14, Improving Study, Thinking,
Reading and Writing Skills for College Freshmen by Cabrera, et.al)

7
 PROCESS ON HOW TO SKIM

1. Read the title, subtitles, subheading to find out what the text is about.
2. Look at the illustrations to give you further information about the story.
3. Read the first and last sentence of every paragraph.
4. Don’t read every word or every sentence. Let your eyes skim over the text,
taking in keywords.
5. Continue to think about the meaning of the text.

Activity 1. Skim Through

Directions: Skim through the paragraph and answer the given questions below:

Passage 1

Despite the hatred that most people feel toward cockroaches, they do
help humans in several ways. For example, they are perfect experimental
animals and are used for scientific research in the laboratory. Breeding
them is easy, for they thrive under almost any conditions. In studies on
nutrition and food, cockroaches are good subjects because they will eat
any kind of food. They can be used to study heart disease, and cancer
researchers work with roaches because they grow cancerous tumors like
those that are found in humans.
(https://www.proprofs.com/discuss/q/756098/located-despite-cockroaches-experimental)

1. What is being talked about in the passage? _________________

What particular aspect about cockroaches is discussed in the passage?
2. ____________________________________________________

Passage 2

Logging is one of the country’s top dollar earners. Millions of board

feet of hard wood are exported yearly to Japan, the United States,
Europe, and the Middle East. As a result, millions of dollars pour
into the national treasury. Many Filipino logging businessmen also
get rich. However, in the process of logging, forests are denuded.
Life, property and crops are lost due to flash floods. (p.179, Improving
Study, Thinking, Reading and Writing Skills for College Freshmen by Cabrera, L., et.al)

1. What is being talked about in the passage? ___________

2. What specific aspect of the subject is discussed in the passage?

______________________________________________________

Passage 3

Digestion begins as soon as food is taken into the mouth. The food is
masticated by the teeth and moistened with saliva which contains a
substance called ptyalin. While food is still in the mouth, ptyalin acts upon
complex molecules of starches, breaking them into simple sugars. The
effect of ptyalin may continue inside a ball of food for some time after the
food is swallowed. Then, the food reaches the stomach. It passes through
the pharynx and down the esophagus. Peristalsis, the wavelike
movements of the esophagus muscles, forces food into the stomach.
(p.61, Ventures in Communication by Flores, M., et.al)

8
 What is the passage about? __________
What specific aspect of the subject is discussed in the passage?
________________________________________________________

What Is It
Main Idea
The main idea is the central, or most important idea in a paragraph or passage.
It states the purpose and sets the direction of the paragraph or passage.
 The main idea may be stated or it may be implied.
 When the main idea of a paragraph is stated, it is most often found in the first
sentence of the paragraph. However, the main idea may be found in any
sentence of the paragraph.
 The main idea may be stated in the first sentence of a paragraph and then be
repeated or restated at the end of the paragraph.
 The main idea may be split. The first sentence of a paragraph may present a
point of view, while the last sentence presents a contrasting or opposite view.
 To find the main idea of any paragraph or passage, ask these questions:
• Who or what is the paragraph about?
•What aspect or idea about the ‘who’ or ‘what’ is the author concerned
with?
(https://www.mdc.edu/Kendall/collegeprep/documents2/MAIN%20IDEASrevised815.pdf)

Activity 2. Determine the Main Idea

Directions: Skim through the passages to determine the main idea.
Passage 1

It is often said that lightning never strikes twice in the same place, but this
isn’t true. Go ask the forest rangers. Rangers who spend their summers as
fire-fighters will tell you that every thundershower brings several bolts of
lightning to their lookout stations.

Main idea: _______________________________________________

Passage 2

Costs were low that year and the output high. There was a good person for
each job and the market remained firm. There were no losses from fire. All in
all, it was the best years in the history of the company.

Main idea: _____________________________________________

Passage 3

There are great numbers of deer around here. This whole area is a great
country for hunters and fishermen. There are bears, mountain lions, and
coyotes. To the east there are streams full of trout, and there are ducks and
geese.

Main idea: ___________________________________________

9
 Passage 4

Advertising affects our lives every day. Brand names are common household
words. We start each day using the toothpaste, soap, and breakfast foods
promoted by advertisers. Ads have made the cars we drive signs of our
success. Our choices of food, dress, and entertainment are swayed by ads.
Not one of American life is untouched by advertising.

Main idea: ______________________________________________

Passage 5

Penicillin is one of the greatest of the wonder drugs. It has saved thousands
of lives already and will save many more in the future. Unfortunately, it has no
effect at all on most of the ills of mankind. Penicillin is a very good drug, but it
is certainly not a cure-all.

Main idea: _______________________________________________

(https://www.mdc.edu/Kendall/collegeprep/documents2/MAIN%20IDEASrevised815.pdf)

10
 What’s More

Activity 3: Skimming Practice

Direction: Skim through the following long passages for five minutes. Then
answer the questions that follow.

Passage 1

Americans have always been interested in their Presidents’ wives. Many

First Ladies have been remembered because of the ways they have
influenced their husbands. Other First Ladies have made the history books on
their own.
At least two First Ladies, Bess Truman and Lady Bird Johnson, made it
their business to send signals during their husbands’ speeches. When Lady
Bird Johnson thought her husband was talking too long, she wrote a note and
sent it up to the platform. It read, “it’s time to stop!” And he did. Once Bess
Truman didn’t like what her husband was saying on television, so she phoned
him and said, “If you can’t talk more politely than that in public, you come
right home.”
Abigail Fillmore and Eliza Johnson actually taught their husbands, Millard
Fillmore and Andrew Johnson, the thirteenth and seventeenth Presidents. A
schoolteacher, Abigail eventually married her pupil, Millard. When Eliza
Johnson married Andrew, he could not read or write, so she taught him
herself.
It was First Lady Helen Taft’s idea to plant famous cherry trees in
Washington, D.C. Each spring these blossoming trees attract thousands of
visitors to the nation’s capital. Mrs. Taft also influenced the male members of
her family and the White House staff in a strange way: she convinced them to
shave off their beards!
Shortly after President Woodrow Wilson suffered a stroke, Edith Wilson
unofficially took over most of the duties of the Presidency until the end of her
husband’s term. Earlier, during World War 1, Mrs. Wilson had sheep brought
onto the White House lawn to eat the grass. The sheep not only kept the lawn
mowed, but provided wool for an auction sponsored by the First Lady. Almost
$ 100,000 was raised for the Red Cross.
Dolly Madison saw to it that a magnificent painting of George Washington
was not destroyed during the War of 1812. As the British marched toward
Washington, D.C., she remained behind to rescue the painting, even after the
guards had left. The painting is the only object from the original White House
that was not burned.
One of the most famous First Ladies was Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of
President Franklin D. Roosevelt. She was active in political and social causes
throughout her husband’s tenure in office. After his death, she became
famous for her humanitarian work in the United Nations. She made life better
for thousands of needy people around the world.
(http://cs.engr.uky.edu/~cheng/GMAT/GMAT_reading2.html)

Question: What is the main idea of this passage?

A. The humanitarian work of the First Ladies is critical in American

Government.
B. Dolly Madison was the most influential President’s wife.
C. Eleanor Roosevelt transformed the First Lady image.
D. The First Ladies are important figures in American culture.
E. The First Ladies are key supporters of the Presidents

11
 Passage 2

Of the many kinds of vegetables grown all over the world, which remains the
favorite of young and old alike? The potato, of course.
Perhaps you know them as “taters”, “spuds”, or “Kennebees”, or as “chips”,
“Idahoes” or even “shoestrings”. No matter, a potato by any other name is still a
potato – the world’s most widely grown vegetable. As a matter of fact, if you are
an average potato eater, you will put away at least 100 pounds of them each
year.
That’s only a tiny portion of the amount grown each year. However, worldwide
annual potato harvest is over 6 billion bags. Each bag contains 100 pounds of
potatoes, some of them as large as four pounds each. Here in the United States,
farmers fill about 400 million bags a year. That may seem like a lot of “taters”, but
it leaves the United States a distant third among world potato growers. Polish
farmers dig up just 800 million bags a year, while the Russians lead the world
with nearly 1.5 billion bags.
The first potatoes were grown by the Incas of South America, more than 400
years ago. Their descendants in Ecuador and Chile continue to grow the
vegetable as high as 14,000 feet up in the Andes Mountains. (That’s higher than
any other food will grow.) Early Spanish and English explorers shipped potatoes
to Europe and they found their way to North America in the early 1600s.
People eat potatoes in many ways – baked, mashed, and roasted, to name just
three. However, in the United States most potatoes are devoured in the form of
French fries. One fast-food chain alone sells more than $1 billion worth of fries
each year. No wonder, then, that the company pays particular attention to the
way its fries are prepared.
Before any fry makes it to the people who eat at these popular restaurants, it
must pass many separate tests. Fail any one of these tests and the potato is
rejected. To start with, only Russet Burbank potatoes are used. These Idaho
potatoes have less water content than other kinds, which can have as much as
80 percent water. Once into “shoestrings” shapes, the potatoes are partly fried in
a secret blend of oils, sprayed with liquid sugar to brown them, steam dried at
high heat, then flash frozen for shipment to individual restaurants.
Before shipping, every shoestring is measured. Forty percent of a batch must be
between two and three inches long. Another 40 percent has to be over three
inches. What about the 20 percent that are left in the batch? Well, a few short
fries in a bag are okay, it seems.
So, now that you realize the enormous size and value of the potato crop, you can
understand why most people agree that this part of the food industry is so “small
potatoes”. (http://cs.engr.uky.edu/~cheng/GMAT/GMAT_reading2.html)

Question: What is the main idea of this passage?

A. Potatoes from Ireland started the Potato Revolution.

B. The average American eats 50 pounds of potatoes a year.
C. Potatoes are a key vegetable in America.
D. French fries are made from potatoes.
E. The various terms for potatoes have a long history.

12
 What I Have Learned
A
Activity 4: Generalization
Directions: Answer the following questions below.

1. In your own words, what is scanning and skimming?

_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

2. What is the main idea?

_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

What I Can Do

Activity 5: Skim for the Main Idea

Directions: Each paragraph is followed by four statements. Skim through the
sentences and find the statement that best expresses the main idea. Circle the letter of
that statement.

1.The food guide pyramid shows the five basic food groups. When choosing what
to eat, you should think about these food groups. The food groups are Bread, Cereal,
Rice, and Pasta; Vegetable; Fruit; Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese; and Meat, Poultry, Fish,
Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts. The best way to plan a balanced diet is to choose a variety
of foods from each of the five food groups. (p.49, Total Reading 6 by American Education
Publishing)

A. The food guide pyramid shows the five basic food groups.
B. When choosing what to eat, you should think about these food groups.
C. The best way to plan a balanced diet is to choose a variety of foods from each of the
five food groups.

2.The fact that electronic computers are now used for data processing has led the
general public to believe that it is a mysterious, complicated science and that the
computers are giant brains. Both of these ideas are false. A computer is basically just a
high-speed adding machine that performs the functions it is told to. If the input data are
varied even a little, the computer is unable to operate until it is programmed to accept
the variations. The business operations it performs are impressive only because of the
extremely high speed of manipulation, but most of these operations have been used for
decades. Unlike man, the computer performs repetitive calculations without getting tired
or bored.

A. A computer is a high-speed adding machine.

B. A computer is a mysterious giant brain.
C.A computer is impressive because of its high speed.
D.A computer is superior to man in many ways.

13
 3.The Louisiana Purchase proved to be one of the shrewdest business pacts in
the entire history of the United States. The purchase doubled in the area of the country
and provided territory from which fourteen new states were created either wholly or in
part. It also gave us control over the mouth of the Mississippi River and opened up the
way to foreign trade. Prior to the purchase, the waterway had been blocked by the
Spanish, probably with the approval of Napoleon. The land that was bought was rich in
timber, minerals, and natural resources of many kinds. Finally, the cost of the transaction
was unbelievably low; the total of $15 million amounted to about four cents an acre.

A.The Louisiana Purchase was a very good business deal for the U.S.
B.The land bought by the Louisiana Purchase was rich in minerals.
C. The land bought by the Louisiana Purchase was very cheap.
D. Most Americans was pleased with the purchase.

4.There is a common belief that while the dog is man’s best friend, the coyote is
his worst enemy. The bad reputation of the coyote traces back to his fondness for small
animals; he hunts at night and is particularly destructive to sheep, young pigs, and
poultry. Yet it is sometimes wise to encourage coyotes. Provided valuable farm animals
are protected, the coyote will often free the property of other animals, like rabbit, which
are ruinous to crops and certain trees. He is especially beneficial in keeping down the
rodent population. Where coyotes have been allowed to do their work without
molestation, ranchers and fruit growers have found them so valuable that they would no
more shoot them than would shoot their dogs.

A.Under certain conditions the coyote is helpful to man.

B.The coyote is feared because of his fondness for small animals.
C.Modern ranchers would no sooner shoot coyotes than they would shoot dogs.
D.The coyote usually prefers rabbits and other rodents to sheep and poultry.

5.In earlier days those who had overseas business which they believed should be
discussed personally, took ship and set out across the briny deep. Once aboard they
transacted their affairs, engaging in commercial and social matters or conducting
government business. Today ships and passengers continue to sail the seven seas, and
airplanes soar overhead. But above them all, words speed through the sky – telephone
conversations quickly bring together in most personal fashion people who are separated
by thousands of miles.

A.Overseas telephone service today is ruling out all need for overseas travel.
B.Nothing can take the place of person-to-person conversation in settling business,
social, and government problems.
C.Many conversations which once required overseas travel can now be conducted by
telephone.
D.Even with modern overseas telephone service people continue to travel abroad by
ship or by plane.

(https://www.mdc.edu/Kendall/collegeprep/documents2/MAIN%20IDEASrevised815.pdf)

14
 Lesson
Reading for One’s Purpose
3
Lesson

What I Need to Know

Use appropriate reading style for one’s purpose
 What is speed reading?
 How do I determine the number of words I can read per minute?
 When is speed reading needed?
 When is it not helpful?
 How can I develop speed reading?
 Why speed reading and comprehension must go together?

What’s In
Comparing Scanning and Skimming

In previous lessons, you familiarized with two techniques in reading: scanning and
skimming. To review, have a look at the information below to compare scanning and
skimming.

scanning skimming

details main idea

specific relevant
information ideas

15
16
 Questions to answer:
1. What is your speed? ______ words per minute (wpm)

2. After reading, did you remember any detail of what you have read?
Yes______ No______

2. Did you understand well what you read? Yes _____ No _____

4. In your own thinking, in what way would you be able to improve your
speed in reading? _________________________

17
 What is it

Speed Reading Studies have

Effective speed reading is
a balance between pace
and comprehension.
So, speed reading
is clearly not the
answer if you're
reading a complex
legal or technical
document, even if
you are pushed for
using a speed reading
time.
found that the
faster you read,
the less
information you
take in,
particularly
When you need to when it comes
understand only the
basic arguments or
conclusions being
presented, though,
Similarly, it would be
sensible to slow down if
technique can work.
the material you're reading
is new or unfamiliar.

When you need to

understand only the basic
arguments or conclusions
being presented, though,
using a speed reading
technique can work.
A normal rate for learning
is 100-200 wpm, and for
comprehension it is 200-
400 wpm.

18
 What’s More
Improve Your Speed Reading
Speed reading is normally done at a rate of around 400-700 wpm.
Anything above 500-600 wpm means sacrificing comprehension, although this
varies from person to person. (https://www.mindtools.com/speedrd.html)

How to Improve Your Speed Reading

Avoid distractions. Create an environment where there are as few interruptions and
distractions as possible, to allow you to focus fully on the words in front of you.

Know what you want from the text. This can be useful if you are using the skimming
method, as it primes you to pay attention when you see relevant words, sentences or
phrases. You can then slow down at these points, or circle them for emphasis, but
otherwise move across the page quickly.

Practice, practice, practice. You have to practice speed reading to get good at it. The
more you train yourself, the more natural it will feel.
(https://www.mindtools.com/speedrd.html)

Activity 2. Try this!

Directions: Read first the questions below the passage. Know what you want
from the text. Then, read with speed the passage about The Grasshopper and the Toad.
See if you can answer the questions without going back to the passage.

The Grasshopper and the Toad

(An African Folktale)

Grasshopper and Toad appeared to be good friends. People always saw

them together. Yet they had never dined at each other’s houses. One day Toad
said to Grasshopper, “Dear friend, tomorrow come and dine at my house. My
wife and I will prepare a special meal. We will eat it together.”
The next day grasshopper arrived at Toad’s house. Before sitting down to
eat, Toad washed his forelegs, and invited Grasshopper to do the same.
Grasshopper did so, and it made a loud noise.
“Friend Grasshopper, can’t you leave your chirping behind. I cannot eat
with such a noise,” said Toad.
Grasshopper tried to eat without rubbing his forelegs together, but it was
impossible. Each time he gave a chirp, Toad complained and asked him to be
quiet. Grasshopper was angry and could not eat. Finally, he said to Toad: “I invite
you to my house for dinner tomorrow.”
The next day, Toad arrived at Grasshopper’s home. As soon as the meal
was ready, Grasshopper washed his forelegs, and invited Toad to do the same.
Toad did so, and then hopped toward the food.
“You had better go back and wash again,” said Grasshopper. “All that
hopping in the dirt has made your forelegs dirty again.”
Toad hopped back to the water jar, washed again then hopped back to
the table, and was ready to reach out for some food from one of the
platters when Grasshopper stopped him: “Please don’t put your dirty
paws into the food. Go and wash them again.”
Toad was furious. “You just don’t want me to eat with you!” he
cried. “You know very well that I must use my paws and forelegs in
hopping about. I cannot help it if they get a bit dirty between the water jar
and the table.”

19
 Grasshopper responded, “You are the one who started it
yesterday. You know I cannot rub my forelegs together without making a
noise.”
From then on, they were no longer friends.
(https://www.worldoftales.com/African_folktales/African_Folktale_6.html)

Questions to answer:

1. What is the title of the reading material?

2. What is the purpose of the author in writing the material?
3. Who are the characters involved?
4. What happened in the material’s ending?
5. What lessons can be obtained from the material?

What’s More
Activity 3: Speed Reading with Comprehension

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.

Metal Detectors

Have you ever been to the beach? Did you see a man with a
headset pointing a long pole at the ground? If so you might have seen a
person using a metal detector. People use these devices to find metal.
Metal detectors make magnetic waves. These waves go through
the ground. The waves change when they hit metal. Then the device
beeps. This lets the person with the device know that metal is close.
The first metal detectors were meant to help miners. They were
big. They cost a lot of money. They used a lot of power. And worst of all,
they didn't work well. People kept trying to make them better.
Metal detectors got smaller. Now they are light and cheap. They
also work better. That is why people bring them to the beach. They can
look for rings in the water. They can look for phones in the sand. Metal
detectors help them find these things. They usually just find junk though.
Metal detectors also protect people. They help to keep guns out of
some places. They are in airports. They are in courthouses. Some
schools use them. They help guards look for weapons. Guards use
special wands to find metal on a person.
These devices save lives in other ways too. During wars, people
plant bombs in the ground. When the war ends, they don't clean up their
messes. This is unsafe for the people who live in those places. Others
use metal detectors to find bombs. They remove them and help the
people.

20
 These devices also make clothes safer. It sounds funny, but it's
true. Most clothes are made in big factories. There are lots of needles in
these places. Needles break from time to time. They get stuck in the
clothes. They would poke people trying them on. They don't though.
That's because our clothes are scanned for metal. Isn't that nice? Let's
hear it for metal detectors. They make the world a safer place.
(https://www.ereadingworksheets.com/reading-comprehension-
worksheets/nonfiction-rea)

Questions:
1. Which was not one of the problems with the first metal detectors?
a. They were too big. b. They were too expensive.
c. They didn't work well. d. They were unsafe.

2. Which best describes the main idea of the second paragraph?

a. It describes the sounds of a metal detector.
b. It explains how metal detectors work.
c. It warns about the effects of metal detectors.
d. It explains how magnetic waves move.

3. How do metal detectors make clothing safer?

a. Metal detectors make sure factory machines are working the right way.
b. Metal detectors make sure workers don't bring weapons into factories.
c. Metal detectors make sure that broken needles don't get into clothing.
d. Metal detectors help people recover lost clothing at the beach.

4. Why were metal detectors first used?

a. To help miners b. To help security guards
c. To help doctors d. To help soldiers

5. According to the text, metal detectors have been used in all of the
following except which?
a. schools b. churches
c. courthouses d. airports

6. How do metal detectors help soldiers?

a. They warn soldiers when bullets are coming.
b. They help soldiers find hidden bombs.
c. They find weaknesses in their armor.
d. They create a relaxing beeping noise.

7. Why do people bring metal detectors to the beach?

a. Metal detectors help people keep the sand clean and safe.
b. Metal detectors look cool.

21
 c. Metal detectors help people find valuable items.
d. Metal detectors help guards keep weapons away from the beach.

8. Which happens first?

a. The metal detector beeps alarmingly.
b. The magnetic waves hit metal and change.
c. The magnetic waves go through the ground.
d. The metal detector creates magnetic waves.

9. How did metal detectors get better over time?

a. They became cheaper. b. They became lighter.
c. They began working better d. All of these

10. Which title would best describe the purpose of this text?
a. A Day at the Beach: Using Your Metal Detector to Find Things
b. Metal Detectors: Complete the Story of Their Invention
c. Magnetism and More: How a Metal Detector Works
d. Metal Detectors: What They Do and How We Use Them

What I Have Learned

A
Activity 4: Generalization
Directions: Answer the question and complete the statements that follow.
1. What is speed reading?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
2. Speed reading is necessary when
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3. Speed reading is not necessary when
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
4. I can improve my speed by _________________________________________

What I Can do

22
Activity 5: One Minute Reading

Directions: Read the material for one minute. Then, answer the comprehension
questions that follow.

Aspirin can be a fatal poison. People are used to taking aspirin

whenever they feel pain. It is true that aspirin is an efficacious pain-killer
for example in headache cases. However, aspirin is like any other
medicine can be dangerously harmful. Any unregulated use of it may
result into the damage to the lining of the stomach, prolonged bleeding
time, nausea, vomiting, ulcers, liver damage, and hepatitis. It is
scientifically proven that excessive use of aspirin turns it into a toxin. Its
toxic effects are kidney damage, severe metabolic derangement,
respiratory and central nervous system effects, strokes, fatal
hemorrhages of the brain, intestines and lungs and eventually death.
Thus, the careful and regulated use of aspirin is most advisable so as not
to turn into a deadly poison.

Questions:

1. Aspirin is a _____.

A. poison B. food C. medicine

2. Aspirin can be fatal if ______.

A. you have a headache

B. used without prescription
C. taken by people

3. Aspirin can _____.

A. help ease the pain C. worsen the pain

B. increase the pain

4. If used improperly, aspirin may_____.

A. damage the liver C. contaminate blood cells

B. decrease cancer cells

5. The author’s purpose in writing is to _____.

A. persuade B. entertain C. inform

23