Reading: Matching Paragraphs
8 pts8 questions · 8 points · ~15 minutes
Task 2 tests your ability to identify the main idea of individual paragraphs within a longer text. You are given a passage divided into paragraphs and a set of headings or summary statements. You must match each paragraph to the heading or statement that best captures its central point. There are more headings than paragraphs, so some headings will not be used.
Read all headings first
Before reading the text, go through every heading or statement option. Underline the key concept in each one. This gives you a mental checklist of ideas to look for as you read the paragraphs, making your reading more purposeful and efficient.
Skim each paragraph for its main idea
Read each paragraph quickly, focusing on the first and last sentences, which usually contain the topic sentence and the concluding point. Do not get lost in specific details or examples yet. Your goal is to capture the paragraph's overall theme in one phrase.
Match the clearest paragraphs first
Some matches will be immediately obvious. Start with those confident pairings and cross off the used headings. This reduces the number of options for the trickier paragraphs and prevents you from accidentally assigning the same heading twice.
Re-read difficult paragraphs carefully
For paragraphs where the match is not obvious, read more carefully. Look for keywords, synonyms, or paraphrases that connect to one of the remaining headings. Pay special attention to how the paragraph begins and what point it ultimately makes.
Distinguish between main idea and detail
A heading might relate to a detail mentioned in a paragraph but not actually capture the paragraph's main idea. Always ask yourself: 'Does this heading summarise what the entire paragraph is about, or does it only describe one sentence within it?' The correct heading covers the whole paragraph.
Use the extra headings as confirmation
The extra headings (distractors) are designed to tempt you. If you find yourself torn between two headings for one paragraph, check whether one of those headings is a better fit for a different paragraph. The process of elimination is a powerful tool in this task.
- •The correct heading will always match the paragraph's main idea, not a minor detail. If a heading only connects to one sentence in a paragraph, it is probably a distractor.
- •Watch for synonyms and paraphrasing. The heading will rarely use the exact words from the paragraph. For example, a paragraph about 'reducing costs' might match a heading about 'financial savings'.
- •If two paragraphs seem to match the same heading, re-read both paragraphs. One of them has a subtle difference in focus that points to a different heading.
- •Do not read the entire text word-by-word on your first pass. Skimming is faster and more effective for this task type.
- •Practise this task type regularly because the skill of identifying main ideas quickly improves dramatically with repetition.
- •After matching all paragraphs, do a final check: read each heading-paragraph pair together and ask yourself if the heading truly captures the essence of that paragraph.
Allocate roughly 15 minutes to this task. Spend the first 2 minutes reading all the headings and underlining key words. Then spend about 8 minutes skimming paragraphs and making matches, starting with the easiest ones. Use the remaining 5 minutes to re-read tricky paragraphs and finalise your answers. If you find yourself stuck on one paragraph for more than 90 seconds, skip it and return after you have matched the others. The process of elimination often makes difficult matches much easier.