NOUN AND PROUN IN READING COMPREHENSION
By Nargis. Tan
Pronoun and noun referrent
It’s the easiest question in TOEFL reading Comprehension.
Because you have to read the sentences before noun or pronoun.
Remember the correct answer is not always the closest noun to the pronoun..pay attention to the part of speech (verb, noun as subject or object )
You can find the logical answer.
In the reading comprehension section of the TOEFL test, you will sometimes be asked to determine which noun a pronoun refers to. In this type of question it is important to understand that a noun is generally used first in a passage, and the pronoun that refers to it comes after. whenever you are asked which noun a pronoun refers to, you should look before the pronoun to find the noun.
HOW TO IDENTIFY THE QUESTION
The pronoun … in line x refers to which of the following?
WHERE TO FIND THE ANSWER
The line where the pronoun is located is generally given in the question. the noun that the pronoun refers to is generally found before the pronoun.
HOW TO ANSWER THE QUESTION
.- Find the pronoun in the passage. (the line where the pronoun can be is generally stated in the question).
2.- look for nouns that come before the pronoun.
3.- read the part of the passage before the pronoun carefully.
4.- eliminate any definitely wrong answers and choose the best answer from the remaining choices.
SAMPLE QUESTION
- Major League Baseball (MLB) has strict rules about the kinds of ball and bat that can be used in a game. The ball has to have an outer layer of stitched cowhide or horsehide. Its innermost layer is a sphere of bouncy material like cork or rubber. This inner core is wrapped in yarn before it gets its outermost layer of hide.
- What does the pronoun it in the last sentences of the passage refer to?
- a) ball
- b) layer
- c) core
- d) yarn
Look again at the pronoun it in the passage. It is the subject of the verb gets, which has as its direct object its outermost layer of hide.
Also, look at the singular nouns that come before the underlined it. Usually, the referent for a pronoun appears somewhere before the pronoun. In this passage, looking before the underlined it, the closest singular-noun referents are core and yarn. The noun ball is very far away. Ask yourself: “What is wrapped in yarn before it gets its outermost layer?” That will lead you to core.