Approaching the Reading Comprehension Question

There are two comprehensions in the Leaving Cert French exam. They are worth 60 marks each, 120 marks in total. Together, they are worth 30% of the exam.

Spending about 30 minutes on each comprehension is a good guideline.

This gives you enough time to carefully read the passage, think about the questions, and double-check the spelling and grammar of your answers. Many students tend to overlook this part of the exam, but practicing and applying a logical approach is essential.

1. Comprehension 1: A Journalistic Passage. Usually discusses a current or topical issue.
2. Comprehension 2: A Literary Passage. Usually an excerpt from a book.

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Steps for Tackling the Comprehension:

1. Start by reading the headline, introduction, and Question 6 (the English question) to get a general idea of the text.
2. Read all the questions before diving into the passage.
3. Approach each paragraph separately: Read the questions for Section 1, then read Paragraph 1, and answer the questions.
4. Continue with Section 2: read the questions, read Section 2, and answer the questions.

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Look Out for Different Question Types:

1. Multiple Choice Questions:

These are straightforward—simply choose the correct option.

2. The Quote Question:

This is easy to spot. Look for these keywords:

• Citez - quote
• Trouvez - find
• Relevez - find/pick out
• If asked to find "un mot," select one word only.
• If asked to find "une expression," select a phrase—more than one word but not a full sentence.
• If asked to find "une phrase," select a full sentence. Important: For these quote questions, copy directly from the text without making any changes.

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3. The Reformulation Question:

• This question is often direct, introduced with words like pourquoi? or quand?
• You will need to slightly adjust the answer to match the question.
• Typically, this involves only a pronoun change and a verb ending change, and perhaps a change in the possessive adjective. Most Common Changes:

Original	Changes to
1. mon	son
2. ma	sa
3. mes	ses
4. je	il/elle
5. je (verb ending)	il/elle (verb ending)

Important: Do not use your own French or alter the vocabulary. Only a grammatical change is needed.

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4. The Vocabulary Question:

This question asks you to find a synonym (a word with a similar meaning) for a word in the text.

Hints:

• If asked to find a synonym for a verb provided in a specific tense, you're likely looking for another verb in the same tense.
• The synonym could also be a noun, adjective, or other part of speech, depending on what is asked.

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5. The Grammar Question:

This question asks you to identify an example from the text, such as an adjective, adverb, or verb in a specific tense.

• Key Rule: Provide only what is requested—nothing extra.
• For example, if asked to pick out a verb, give only the verb itself. Do not include pronouns like je, tu, il, elle, etc. This is very important.

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6. The English Question at the End (Q.6)

Q.6 is worth 10 marks, making up 1/6 of the total comprehension marks.

• This question is asked in English, so you must answer in English.
• Identify two separate points from the text and elaborate on each one using examples.
• Make your point, support it with a quote from the text, and then translate the quote. This shows that you understand what you are quoting and aren't just selecting random lines.
• Avoid giving your personal opinion. The goal is to demonstrate that you understood the text.

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Other Helpful Tips!

1. Prefix: Dé- (undoes the action of the verb)

• Coller = to stick/glue → Décoller = unstick/unglue

2. Accent circumflex (^) often replaces an 's' in English:

• Hâte = haste

3. Verb + -ant = -ing in English

• Chantant = singing
• Dansant = dancing

4. Prefix: Re- (means again/back)

• Donner = to give → Redonner = to give back
• Faire = to do → Refaire = to redo

5. Adjective + -ly in English = -ment in French

• Rapidement = rapidly
• Sincèrement = sincerely (Think of -ment as the French equivalent of -ly in English.)

6. If you don't know a word:

• Sound it out with an English accent.
• Does it remind you of another word in French?
• Does it remind you of a word in English?

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