Duolingo Interactive Reading

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The Duolingo English Test now also includes an interactive reading task which tests your ability to read and understand a text in several ways. There are actually five tasks that are required with each reading text.

You will have two texts to deal with, one of which explains something while the other tells a story.

Example

Task 1: Complete the Sentences

PASSAGE

Biophysics is the study of the physical properties of living things. The field refers to physics, which (1) _________ the science of matter and energy, and also to biology, the science of living (2) _________. Biophysicists study the physical (3) _________ of organisms and the (4) _________ of physical processes on (5) _________ things. For example, biophysicists might study the effect certain chemicals (6) _________ on living cells, determine how tiny structures within cells work, or explain how injuries and diseases (7) _________ the structure of skin. Some biophysicists also (8) _________ the interaction of radiation with (9) _________ systems.

Select the best option for each missing word

_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________

In task one, between 5 and 10 words are removed. You need to select the correct word that has been removed.

Task 2: Complete the Passage

PASSAGE

Biophysics is the study of the physical properties of living things. The field refers to physics, which is the science of matter and energy, and also to biology, the science of living things. Biophysicists study the physical properties of organisms and the effects of physical processes on living things. For example, biophysicists might study the effect certain chemicals have on living cells, determine how tiny structures within cells work, or explain how injuries and diseases affect the structure of skin. Some biophysicists also study the interaction of radiation with biological systems.

______________________________

Biophysics is an interdisciplinary field; it is not limited to physics or biology. Biophysicists might also work on projects involving chemistry, geology and other fields.

Select the best sentence to fill the blank in the passage.

They have even studied the physical properties of the cells in the human body.
Biophysics is an interdisciplinary field; it is not limited to physics or biology.
Forensic science is the application of the techniques of the physical sciences to analyze evidence.
The discovery of quantum mechanics in 1925 ushered in a new world of physics.

In task two, you need to select the sentence that best fills the gap.

Task 3: Highlight the Answer

PASSAGE

Click and drag to highlight the answer to the question below.

How does biophysics relate to biology and physics?

In task three, select the part of the text that answers the question. You will be shown 2 questions.

Task 4: Identify the Idea

PASSAGE

Select the idea that is expressed in the passage.

Biophysicists study the physical properties of organisms and how they interact with their environments.
Electric charges can cause molecular reactions by changing their shape, size or position.
Living things are always in motion and they use this motion to perform many functions.
Cells and tissues are the basic building blocks of living things, such as humans and animals.

In task four, select the best summary of the text.

Task 5: Title the Passage

PASSAGE

Select the best title for the passage.

Computer Simulation of Living Systems
The Nature of Motion
The Process of Life
An Introduction to Biophysics

In task five, choose the title that best captures what the paragraph is about.

Strategy

There may seem like a lot to unpack here, but there are some useful strategies you can employ to make this task a little easier.

Complete the Sentences

The key to getting the right words here is to understand what type of word you need. There are two things you can do. The first is to try to understand what type of word you need, and if it is a noun or verb what form. For example, if the gap requires a verb, will it be in the present, past tense, past perfect or -ing form? If it is a noun, will it be singular, plural or uncountable?

Alternatively, or as well, you can think about what makes sense to you in the gap. Don’t think it must always be a difficult, high-level word. In the example above, none of the missing words are considered high-level.

Complete the Passage

One of the first things you will want to do is to read the sentence before and after the gap. If, as in the example, you find the same sentence in the choices provided, you can eliminate this choice.

Aside from that, it is helpful to eliminate other answers. If you can find yourself left with just one answer that you couldn’t eliminate, that is probably right. If you have two answers left, well at least it’s a 50-50 guess!

The sentence should either build on the previous sentence or lead on to the following sentence. This means that it will either contain some reference words that refer back to the previous sentence, or the following sentence will refer back to the missing sentence.

If you can spot these reference words and understand what they relate to, this may also help you to be sure you have the right answer.

Highlight the Answer

First of all, note that the task here is to identify where the answer is in the text. It does not require you to know what the answer actually is. Of course, it may help if you are able to understand the answer, but it is not necessary.

The most useful tip here will be to use key words, if there are any. Look for the wh- pronouns (where, who, why, when, how) as these will help you to understand what the answer looks like.

Your biggest problem will likely be deciding how much of the text to select. Do not select the whole text. Instead try to select the sentence where the answer appears.

Identify the Idea

For this stage you need to choose the best summary of the paragraph. Remember that the summary should be about the whole paragraph and not just part of it.

As with the complete the passage task, the best way to be confident about your answer is to eliminate choices that do not appear correct. This should then leave you with one clear choice, or if not, two choices and a 50-50 chance of getting the point.

Title the Passage

The final task is similar to the previous, in that you need to choose something that ties the whole paragraph together. The same tips therefore apply to this task as completing the passage, or identifying the idea.

Firstly, eliminate options that clearly do not reflect the contents of the paragraph. Then, if you still have more than one option, ensure the one you pick covers everything in the paragraph and not just part of it.

Practice

See if you can complete the example below. Make sure you do each task in order or you will be cheating yourself!

Task 1: Complete the Sentences

PASSAGE

Within the (1) _________ of a mystical forest, a courageous voyager embarked (2) _________ a quest to uncover the secrets of the “Eternal Lotus,” a flower rumored to grant eternal life. Equipped with a confusing (3) _________, they navigated rugged terrains and encountered enigmatic creatures. Throughout the expedition, the voyager came to (4) _________ that the true enchantment of the lotus lay not in immortality, but in the range of experiences and wisdom gained (5) __________ the way. This tale underscores that life’s significance is in the stories lived and shared, rather than merely the (6) _________ reached.

Select the best option for each missing word

_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________

Task 2: Complete the Passage

PASSAGE

Within the heart of a mystical forest, a courageous voyager embarked on a quest to uncover the secrets of the “Eternal Lotus,” a flower rumored to grant eternal life. Equipped with a confusing map, they navigated rugged terrains and encountered enigmatic creatures. Throughout the expedition, the voyager came to realise that the true enchantment of the lotus lay not in immortality, but in the range of experiences and wisdom gained along the way. This tale underscores that life’s significance is in the stories lived and shared, rather than merely the destination reached.

____________________________________________________

Select the best sentence to fill the blank in the passage.

With the flower safely secured, the hero returned to his daily life.
It reminds us that every step of the journey, with its challenges and discoveries, is a treasure to be cherished, encapsulating the essence of a life well-lived.
Having achieved immortality, the hero decided to improve his map-reding skills.
This story tells the tale of a crime-fighting anti-hero.

Task 3: Highlight the Answers

PASSAGE

Click and drag to highlight the answer to the question below.

Why was the journey difficult for the protagonist of the story?
Why was the lotus flower really valuable?

Task 4: Identify the Idea

PASSAGE

Select the idea that is expressed in the passage.

Lotus flowers have incredible healing powers.
Lotus flowers have the ability to grant knowledge.
The journey was more important than obtaining the lotus flower.
A hero will never succeed in their quest if they don’t have the right map.

Task 5: Title the Passage

PASSAGE

Select the best title for the passage.

The Journey for the Eternal Lotus
How I Gained Immortality
The Meaning of Flowers
How to Treasure Every Moment

Answers

Task 1

heart
on
map
realise
along
destination

Task 2

2. It reminds us that every step of the journey, with its challenges and discoveries, is a treasure to be cherished, encapsulating the essence of a life well-lived.

Task 3

Equipped with a confusing map, they navigated rugged terrains and encountered enigmatic creatures.
the true enchantment of the lotus lay not in immortality, but in the range of experiences and wisdom gained along the way

Task 4

3. The journey was more important than obtaining the lotus flower.

Task 5

The Journey for the Eternal Lotus

Duolingo Interactive Reading

Published by awalls86 on August 12, 2023