ESL ESL Reading & Writing Instruction 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which reading strategy involves quickly moving the eyes across text to locate specific information?
- Skimming
- Scanning (Correct answer)
- Close reading
- Inferencing
Correct answer: Scanning
Scanning is a targeted reading strategy used to find particular facts, names, or figures without reading every word.
Question 2: What is the purpose of pre-reading activities in ESL instruction?
- To test reading speed
- To activate background knowledge and set a purpose for reading (Correct answer)
- To assess writing grammar errors
- To introduce new writing genres
Correct answer: To activate background knowledge and set a purpose for reading
Pre-reading tasks like predicting and brainstorming activate schema and prepare learners to comprehend the text more effectively.
Question 3: Which writing approach treats writing as a recursive process involving drafting, revising, and editing?
- Product approach
- Process approach (Correct answer)
- Genre approach
- Translation approach
Correct answer: Process approach
The process approach focuses on the stages of writing—prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing—rather than only the final written product.
Question 4: What is 'extensive reading' in ESL instruction?
- Reading difficult academic texts slowly and carefully
- Reading large amounts of easy, self-selected texts for pleasure and fluency (Correct answer)
- Analyzing short paragraphs for grammatical errors
- Reading aloud in front of the class
Correct answer: Reading large amounts of easy, self-selected texts for pleasure and fluency
Extensive reading builds reading fluency and vocabulary through high-volume exposure to accessible, enjoyable texts.
Question 5: What does the term 'reading fluency' encompass in ESL instruction?
- Only the speed at which a student reads aloud
- Accuracy, speed, and appropriate prosody in reading (Correct answer)
- The ability to read only silently
- Mastery of advanced academic vocabulary
Correct answer: Accuracy, speed, and appropriate prosody in reading
Reading fluency combines accurate word recognition, appropriate reading rate, and expressive prosody that reflects meaning.
Question 6: Which technique helps ESL learners organize ideas before writing by visually mapping relationships among concepts?
- Free writing
- Mind mapping / graphic organizers (Correct answer)
- Dictation
- Sentence combining
Correct answer: Mind mapping / graphic organizers
Graphic organizers and mind maps help learners brainstorm and visualize how ideas connect before drafting.
ESL ESL Reading & Writing Instruction 1
Which reading strategy involves quickly moving the eyes across text to locate specific information?