Question first: scanning vs reading in detail
Use the question to decide where to look and how carefully to read.
A2 and B18 minLesson 2 of 6
After this lesson you can
- Pick out the key words in a question
- Scan a text quickly for a name, number or date
- Switch to careful reading at the right sentence
Two speeds of reading
Good readers do not read everything at the same speed. They use two modes:
- Scanning: your eyes move fast over the text, looking for one thing: a word, a number, a name, a heading. You do not try to understand the rest.
- Reading in detail: you slow down and read one or two sentences word by word, including the small words.
In the exam you need both, in that order. First you scan to find where the answer is. Then you read that place in detail.
Step 1: take the question apart
Before you look at the text, read the question and find two things.
1. The question word. It tells you what kind of answer to look for.
| Question word | You look for… |
|---|---|
| Wanneer…? | a day, date, time |
| Hoe laat…? | a clock time |
| Hoeveel…? | a number or price |
| Waar…? | a place, address, room |
| Wie…? | a person, job, organisation |
| Waarom…? | a reason (omdat, want, daarom, door) |
| Wat moet je doen…? | an action (moet, graag, vergeet niet) |
2. The key word. This is the most specific word in the question: a name, a thing, a place. In Hoe laat gaat de bibliotheek op zaterdag dicht? the key words are zaterdag and dicht.
Step 2: scan for the key word
Now let your eyes run over the text looking only for zaterdag. Headings, bold words, tables and numbers jump out first, so use them. Don't stop for words you don't know. They are not your problem yet.
Be careful: the text may use a different word with the same meaning. The question says dicht, the text may say gesloten or tot 17.00 uur. The question says kosten, the text says prijs or tarief. Keep a few synonyms in mind while you scan.
| In the question | Maybe in the text |
|---|---|
| dicht | gesloten, sluit om… |
| kosten | prijs, tarief, betalen |
| beginnen | starten, van … tot |
| meenemen | bij je hebben, neem … mee |
| afspraak maken | aanmelden, inschrijven, reserveren |
Step 3: read in detail around the spot
When you find the key word, stop scanning. Read the full sentence, plus the sentence before and after. That is where conditions hide:
Op zaterdag zijn wij open van 10.00 tot 16.00 uur. In de zomervakantie sluiten wij op zaterdag al om 13.00 uur.
If the question is about a normal Saturday, the answer is 16.00. If it is about a Saturday in July, it is 13.00. You only see this if you read the sentence after the first hit.
Step 4: check the options
Compare each option with what you read. Don't choose the first option that "sounds right". Check all three or four. Lesson 5 covers the traps in detail.
When to read the whole text first
Scanning first works for detail questions. For questions like Wat is het doel van deze brief? or Waarover gaat deze tekst? you need the big picture. For those, read the title, the first paragraph and the last paragraph. At A2 a short text is quick to read in full anyway.
A practical order for one text:
- Read all the questions for this text (not the options yet).
- Read the title and first lines of the text.
- Answer the questions one by one, scanning for each.
Practise this at home
Take any Dutch text with numbers in it: a supermarket folder, a bus timetable, a website of a sports club. Write three questions for yourself (Wanneer…? Hoeveel…? Waar…?). Time how fast you find each answer. Most people get much faster within a week.
Useful Dutch
- wanneerwhen
- hoe laatat what time
- hoeveelhow much / how many
- waaromwhy
- geslotenclosed
- het tariefthe rate, fee
- aanmeldento sign up, register
- meenemento bring (along)
- van … tot …from … until …
- uitzonderingexception
Worked example
Opening hours with a condition
Question word: tot hoe laat, so you need a closing time. Key words: Tweede Paasdag and maandag. Scanning for maandag gives 22.00, and that is option C. But you must read the line under the table: on public holidays (feestdagen) they open as on Sunday. Tweede Paasdag is a feestdag, so the Sunday hours apply: until 14.00. The answer is A. Option C is the trap for people who stop at the first hit.
Common mistakes
- Reading the whole text slowly before even looking at the question.
- Stopping at the first place where the key word appears and missing the condition in the next sentence.
- Only scanning for the exact word from the question, while the text uses a synonym.
- Choosing the first option that seems right without checking the others.
Check yourself
Answer all three to mark this lesson as done.
1. The question is: 'Hoeveel kost een kaartje voor kinderen?' What do you scan for first?
2. The question says 'Wanneer is het kantoor dicht?' Which word might the text use instead of 'dicht'?
3. You found the key word in the text. What should you do next?