OET Reading: Skimming for Information 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: While skimming a text on wound care, your eyes should move:
- Slowly across every line
- Quickly down and across, catching key words (Correct answer)
- Only along the margins
- Right to left
Correct answer: Quickly down and across, catching key words
Effective skimming uses rapid eye movement that picks up key words and phrases.
Question 2: Which clue best helps you skim and identify a text's subject area?
- The page number
- Repeated key terms and the title (Correct answer)
- The font color
- The line spacing
Correct answer: Repeated key terms and the title
Titles and recurring terminology reveal the text's topic quickly.
Question 3: A common mistake when skimming under time pressure in Part A is:
- Reading headings first
- Getting stuck reading one paragraph in full detail (Correct answer)
- Noting key words
- Using subheadings
Correct answer: Getting stuck reading one paragraph in full detail
Stopping to read a paragraph fully defeats the purpose and wastes limited time.
Question 4: When you skim the first and last sentences of each paragraph, you are most likely to learn:
- Exact statistics
- The paragraph's main point and conclusion (Correct answer)
- Author's name
- Publication date
Correct answer: The paragraph's main point and conclusion
Opening and closing sentences usually carry the main idea and its summary.
Question 5: To decide which of four texts answers a gap-fill about infection control, you should first:
- Read the question, then skim each text's headings (Correct answer)
- Memorize all four texts
- Answer randomly
- Read footnotes only
Correct answer: Read the question, then skim each text's headings
Knowing the question focus lets you skim purposefully for the matching text.
Question 6: Skimming differs from scanning because skimming aims for:
- A specific word or number
- Overall meaning and structure (Correct answer)
- Spelling accuracy
- Exact dates only
Correct answer: Overall meaning and structure
Skimming targets the general sense; scanning hunts for specific details.
Question 7: Visual cues like bullet points and numbered lists help skimming by:
- Hiding key information
- Highlighting organized, important content (Correct answer)
- Slowing you down
- Replacing headings entirely
Correct answer: Highlighting organized, important content
Lists flag structured, salient information you can absorb at a glance.
OET Reading: Skimming for Information 3
While skimming a text on wound care, your eyes should move: