Question

Jamal is about to read a story in his English textbook. The story is from a culture with which he is not familiar. Which action is least likely to help him understand the text?
A. reading footnotes in the text that provide clues about the cultural context

B. looking for background information on the culture as he reviews the introductory material in his textbook

C. asking questions about the cultural context before he begins to read

D. skipping titles, subtitles, and information in graphs, or captions so he can focus only on reading the passage

Answer 1

The correct answer is D.

If Jamal skips titles, subtitles and information in graphs, he would probably understand even less of the text.

In order to understand the text properly, he needs some background information about  the culture he is not familiar with. He might research the internet or visit the library, he might ask his teacher some questions before he starts the reading. While reading, he should pay attention to the footnotes in the text as they provide useful information and clues about the cultural context.

The more information on the subject he gathers before reading the story, the better he would understand the text.

Answer 2

Answer:

D. Skipping titles, subtitles, and information in graphs, or captions so he can focus only on reading the passage .

Explanation:

If Jamal is to read a story of some culture that he's not familiar with, he would need to read the footnotes in the text. They will provide clues about the cultural context of the story. He can also look for any background information on the culture as he reviews the introductory material in his textbook. Asking questions, looking for answers can also be done before he actually proceeds with the actual reading of the text. All these efforts will be able to impart some information for the better understanding of the cultural background of the people and their history. But, if he skips the titles, subtitles and information in graphs or captions that may be provided, and he focus only on reading the passage, it will not be helpful for him in his understanding of the text.