Reading skill merupakan salah satu kompetensi yang
harus dikuasai oleh para siswa khususnya dalam soal ujian nasional pasalnya
soal reading memiliki komposisi yang paling banyak dibanding soal lainnya.
Dalam hal ini para siswa harus menyiapkan dengan benar jauh- jauh hari sebelum
ujian dilaksanakan.
Mengenal jenis-
jenis pertanyaan reading adalah satu hal yang mesti dipersiapkan pertama kali
untuk membekali anda dalam menghadapi soal- soal reading. Nah, pada post atau
tulisan kali ini, kami akan membahas mengenai jenis- jenis pertanyaan
seputar reading text. Dan seperti apa, jenis- jenis
pertanyaan tersebut, berikut ulasannya.
1. Gambaran Umum
Suatu bacaan
(dialog atau bacaan jenis lainnya) pasti membicarakan sesuatu. Bila kita
membahas tentang apa suatu bacaan tersebut, maka kita membicarakan gambaran
umum atau topik sebuah teks. Ada bermacam teks yang sudah kita kenal sebelumnya
seperti procedure, descriptive, report, narrative, recount, news items,
exposition, discussion, explanation, dan sebagainya. Beberapa contoh
soal yang merujuk pada gambaran umum adalah sebagai berikut.
- The
text tell us about ....
- What
is the text about?
- The
text tells/ describes us about ....
- What
is the topic of the text above?
- The
text mainly discusses ....
Untuk menjawab
pertanyaan seputar gambaran umum, kita bisa menggunakan strategi yaitu
- Melihat
pada judul
- Menghitung
kata benda atau frasa kata benda yang dijadikan topik/ bahasan/ idde utama.
- Temukan
pikiran utama tiap- tiap paragraf, utamanya pada paragraf awal. Pikiran utama
terkandung dalam kalimat utama dan kalimat utama terdapat pada awal paragraf.
Berikut contoh
teks dengan pertanyaan gambaran umum.
Last
holiday my friends and I went to Bali for a field trip. We went there by bus.
When we arrived in Tuban, the bus stopped at a restaurant for a rest. My
friends and I got off the bus to have meal for lunch. Then, I went to the
toilet. It took only a few minutes.
When
I came out again, the bus I rode was not there. It had left! I looked for my
friends around the restaurant but they were not there too. I felt shocked and
confused. I didn’t know what I had to do. Then I asked the security of
the restaurant about the bus and he said that the bus had left about ten
minutes ago. I thought that the bus had left when I was in the toilet.
I
tried to call my friends one by one but none was answer my phone. I couldn’t do
anything but pray and hope. After several minutes, the bus came back. One
of my friends knew that I was not in the bus and told the bus
driver that I was left in the restaurant.
Then
I got on the bus and walked to my seat. I was so embarrassed when all of
my friends looked and laughed at me. I thought it was my unforgettable
experience in my life.
What does the
story mainly tell us about?
A. The writer
and his friends enjoyed their trip to Bali
B. The writer
was left by the bus on his trip
C. The writer
went for a field trip by bus in his holiday
D. The writer
called his friends but none of them answered
E. The writer
arrived in Tuban for a rest
2. Pikiran
Utama (main ideas of paragraph)
Bacaan umumnya
dibangun dari sekumpulan paragraf; paragraf dibuat dari sekumpulan kalimat
walaupun terkadang hanya terdiri atas satu kalimat; dan kalimat dibangun ddari
sekumpulan kata- kata, frasa dan anak kalimat. Tipe soal yang menunjukkan
pikiran utama addalah sebagai berikut:
- What
is the main idea of paragraph 1?
- Paragraph
four tells us about ....
- What
is the main idea of the third paragraph?
Adapun strategi
menjawabnya adalah sebagai berikut.
Dalam sebuah
paragraf biasanya terdapat satu topik atau apa yang dibahas dan suatu pokok
pikiran yang biasanya dinyatakan dalam bentuk kalimat utama (topik sentence).
Pokok pikiran menceritakan kepada pembaca ide dari si penulis tentang topik
tersebut.
- Bila
pokok pikiran atau kalimat utama terdapat di awal paragraf disebut deduktif.
- Bila
pokok pikiran atau kalimat utama terdapat di akhir paragraf disebut induktif.
- Bila
pokok pikiran atau kalimat utama terdapat di awal dan akhir paragraf maka bisa
disimpulkan.
Berikut contoh
dari pertanyaan seputar pikiran utama.
The
Mississippi River is the most important river in North America. It provided a
major highway for early explorers of North America. Many cities grew up along
it. Furs and farm goods traveled from these settlements down the river to
markets. Today, more freight travels on the Mississippi than on any other
waterway within the continent.
The
Mississippi is known as the Father of Waters. It splits the United States from
north to south in the nation’s heartland. The Mississippi gathers waters from
rivers that lie between the Appalachian Mountains in the East and the Rocky
Mountains in the West. The Ohio River flows into the Mississippi at Cairo,
Illinois. The Missouri River empties into it near St. Louis, Missouri. The
Illinois and Arkansas are other major rivers that flow into the
Mississippi.
The
Mississippi is the largest river in North America. This means that it carries
more water than any other North American river. But the Mississippi is not the
longest river. That honor goes to the Missouri. The Missouri is 200 miles (320
kilometers) longer. The Mississippi starts at Lake Itasca in northern
Minnesota. It flows southward through the central United States for 2,340 miles
(3,770 kilometers). In southeastern Louisiana, the river empties into the Gulf
of Mexico. Along the way, the Mississippi borders ten states.
A
number of important cities are located on the Mississippi River. Before
railroads and roads were available, these cities shipped and received goods by
keel boats, steamboats, and other vessels on the river. Today, coal, oil,
grain, and other goods travel on barges along the river. The biggest cities
along the Mississippi are St. Paul and Minneapolis in Minnesota, St. Louis in
Missouri, Memphis in Tennessee, and New Orleans in Louisiana. Native Americans
lived along the Mississippi before European settlers arrived. Algonquian
Indians gave the river its name. The name means “big water” in the Algonquian
language.
Adapted from
: Article in Microsoft Encarta; The
Mississippi River
What is the
main idea of the third paragraph?
A. The Mississippi
is one of a crucial river in America
B. Many rivers
that lie between Appalachian Mountains in the East and the Rocky Mountains in
the West gather to The Mississippi river
C. The major
river that flow into the Mississippi
D. The
Mississipi becomes the largest river in North America
E. There are
many important cities are located on the Mississippi river
3. Informasi
tertentu (specific information)
Informasi
tertentu merupakan informasi yang tertera jelas atau tertulis jelas dalam
bacaan dan dapat diidentifikasi dengan cepat. Informasi ini meliputi informasi
seperti nama orang, tempat, jumlah, warna, cara, waktu, hari, tanggal dan
lainnya. Ciri- ciri pertanyaan ini adalah dengan menggunakan WH Question
seperti What (apa/ apakah), who (siapa), where (dimana), when (kapan), what day
(hari apa), whom (siapa), how (bagaimana), dan seterusnya.
Cara menjawab
Untuk menemukan
informasi tertentu dengan cepat, dapat dilakukan dengan cara mengambil salah
satu kata penting atau yang sama artinya di ddalam pertanyaan, lalu mencari
kata tersebut dalam bacaan dan menemukan informasi yang terkait yang mungkin
berada setelah atau sebelum kata penting tersebut.
Contoh soal
informasi tertentu.
Because of
construction work, Park street Station is closed. All passengers for Park
Street Station will have to exit the train at Center station. Bus service is
available at Center station to carry passengers to Park Street. After exiting
the station, please line up the curb for a bus. Please avoid crowding. Buses
will leave frequently, but there may be some delays because of street traffic.
we are sorry for the inconvenience. The station is scheduled to reopen in three
weeks. thank you for your cooperation.
Where would
this announcement be posted?
A. In a railway
station
B. In a
restroom
C. In a bus
station
D. In a park
E. In an
airport
4. Informasi
Rinci (detailed information)
Ialah informasi
yang baru bisa diketahui setelah kita membaca suatu teks dengan ciri rinci atau
seksama. Tipe soalnya adalah sebagai berikut .
- Which
sentence is correct based on the text above?
- Which
statement is incorrect about ... ?
- Which
is true according to the text?
- Which
of the following sentences is TRUE based on the text?
Cara menjawab:
- Cek
satu persatu jawaban yang disediakan
- Periksa
paraphrase yang ada dalam teks dan pilihan jawaban
Inilah contoh
soal informasi rinci.
Two
years ago I had a chance to fly in an aeroplane. This was my first flight so I
was very nervous. I feared that sorts of accidents might happen on the way. I
thought that the engine might burst and come down with a crash. Sometimes I was
afraid that the pilot might make a mistake and I had to pay for it with my
life.
Soon
after I had seated myself there, the sound of the engines rose to a roar as
moved off, and gradually its speed. Then it was with a feeling of surprise I
noticed that the ground was at some distance beneath me. As the plane went
higher and higher up in the air, a strange sensation ran through my body. Soon,
the motion was easy. The fear which overtook me at the time of flight was no
more in my heart. Now I was quite bold in the air.
This
did not mean that I felt the worse for it. I felt as comfortable in the
aeroplane as I used to feel in my car. I felt no sense of insecurity. I did not
occur to me even for a moment that my life could ever be in danger. The machine
flew as smoothly in the air as a boat glides down a peaceful stream.
When
the plane was at sufficient height, I looked through the pane of the window.
The earth seemed to be “falling off” from us. The big building looked like a
small spots of beauty. The sky was clear. Everything looked new and
strange.
The
most beautiful thing was the scene around me. I saw nothing but was surrounded
by pure air. Occasionally I saw clouds floating here and there.
We
flew over the roofs of many houses. At one place we were very near the roof and
I felt that we were going to touch it. After flying for a long time, we
finally touche the earth. The journey was so pleasant and comfortable that I
could not forget it.
What is NOT
true according to the text?
A. The writer
felt worried before getting on the plane
B. The writer
was afraid of flying because he had traumatic accident caused by the pilot’s
mistake
C. The writer
felt relief after the plane went higher
D. The weather
was fine when the writer flew by plane
E. The writer
thought his first flight was his memorable experience
5. Informasi
tersirat (not clearly stated information)
Informasi
tersirat yaitu suatu kesimpulan yang logis/ masuk akal yang terdapat dalam
bacaan atau dengan menggunakan pengetahuan yang kita miliki atau keduanya.
Ciri- ciri dari soal informasi tersirat adalah sebagai berikut .
- From
the text above, we know that ....
- What
can we conclude from the text?
- From
the text above we can conclude that .....
- The
following statements are true about ..., except ....
- From
the text above,it shows that ....
Cara
menjawabnya,
- Periksa
satu persatu pilihan jawaban yang disediakan
- Paraphrase.
Contoh soal
Informasi tersirat.
Because
of construction work, Park Street Station is closed. All passengers for Park
Street Station will have to exit the train at Center Station. Bus service is
available at Center station to carry passengers to Park Street. After exiting
the station, please line up the curb for a bus. Please avoid crowding. Buses
will leave frequently, but there may be some delays because of street traffic.
We are sorry for the inconvenience. The station is scheduled to reopen in three
weeks. Thank you for your cooperation.
From the text
we may know that ….
A. Park Street
Station will be closed for a month
B. Passengers
are suggested to take bus after exiting the station
C. Because of
street traffic, passengers will be late to work for hours
D. Bus Services
is available once a day
E. Passengers
are allowed to wait for the bus everywhere
6. Rujukan Kata
Saat kita
membaca sebuah teks, kadang kita menemukan kata- kata ganti seperti she,
he, it, they, we, us, ours, my, youratau kata lain yang mengganti orang-
orang atau benda- benda tertentu, seperti the boy, the man, one, this,
that, these, those. Dalam teks kita biasa menemukan kata- kata tersebut
dalam pertanyaan seputar rujukan kata atau reference. Biasanya
ciri- ciri pertanyaan ini adalah sebagai berikut .
- ·
...
What does the underlined word refer to?
- ·
...The
underlinedd word refers to ....
- ·
...
What does the word "she" refer to?
- ·
...
The word I refer to ...
Cara menjawab
- Rujukan kata
biasanya terdapat pada kalimat sebelum kata ganti tersebut dan ada pula yang
terletak setelah kata ganti itu.
Contoh soal
rujukan kata
Pramoedya
Ananta Toer, also spelled Pramudya Ananta Tur (born February 20, 1925, Blora,
Java, Dutch East Indies (now in Indonesia)—died April 30, 2006, Jakarta,
Indonesia), Javanese novelist and short-story writer, the pre-eminent prose
writer of post independence Indonesia.
Pramoedya,
the son of a schoolteacher, went to Jakarta while a teenager and worked as a
typist there under the Japanese occupation during World War II. In 1945, at the
end of the war, when Indonesia declared its independence and revolted against
renewed Dutch colonial rule, he joined the nationalists, working in radio and
producing an Indonesian-language magazine before he was arrested by the Dutch
authorities in 1947. He wrote his first published novel, Perburuan (1950; The
Fugitive), during a two-year term in a Dutch prison camp (1947–49). That work
describes the flight of an anti-Japanese rebel back to his home in Java.
After
Indonesian independence was recognized by the Netherlands in 1949, Pramoedya produced
a stream of novels and short stories that established his reputation. The novel
Keluarga gerilja (1950; “Guerrilla Family”) chronicles the tragic consequences
of divided political sympathies in a Javanese family during the Indonesian
Revolution against Dutch rule, while Mereka jang dilumpuhkan (1951; “The
Paralyzed”) depicts the odd assortment of inmates Pramoedya became acquainted
with in the Dutch prison camp. The short stories collected in Subuh (1950;
“Dawn”) and Pertjikan revolusi (1950; “Sparks of Revolution”) are set during
the Indonesian Revolution, while those in Tjerita dari Blora (1952; “Tales of
Bora”) depict Javanese provincial life in the period of Dutch rule. The
sketches in Tjerita dari Djakarta (1957; “Tales of Jakarta”) examine the strains
and injustices Pramoedya perceived within Indonesian society after independence
had been achieved. In these early works Pramoedya evolved a rich prose style
that incorporated Javanese everyday speech and images from classical Javanese
culture.
By
the late 1950s Pramoedya had become sympathetic toward the Indonesian Communist
Party, and after 1958 he abandoned fiction for essays and cultural criticism
that reflect a left-wing viewpoint. By 1962 he had become closely aligned with
communist-sponsored cultural groups. As a result, he was jailed by the army in
the course of its bloody suppression of a communist coup in 1965. During his
imprisonment he wrote a series of four historical novels that further enhanced
his reputation. Two of these, Bumi manusia (1980; This Earth of Mankind) and
Anak semua bangsa (1980; Child of All Nations), met with great critical and
popular acclaim in Indonesia after their publication, but the government
subsequently banned them from circulation, and the last two volumes of the
tetralogy, Jejak langkah (1985; Footsteps) and Rumah kaca (1988; House of
Glass), had to be published abroad. These late works comprehensively depict
Javanese society under Dutch colonial rule in the early 20th century. In
contrast to Pramoedya’s earlier works, they were written in a plain, fast-paced
narrative style.
“…and popular
acclaim in Indonesia after their publication, but the government subsequently
banned them from circulation, and the last two volumes
of the tetra logy, …” (paragraph 4)
The underlined
word refers to ….
A. A series of
four historical novels
B. Essays and
cultural criticism
C. Short
stories
D. Bumi Manusia
and Anak Semua Bangsa
E. Pramoedya’s
early works
7. Makna Kata
(deducing meaning of words from context)
Pertanyaan
seputar makna kata membutuhkan kemampuan dan ketrampilan menebak arti suatu
kata yang belum diketahui artinya dengan cara menafsirkn arti kata tersebut
berdasarkan kata- kata yang anda tahu artinya atau berdasarkan konteks kalimat
atau bacaan, kemudian menyimpulkan kira- kira apakah arti dari kata tersebut.
hal ini sangatlah penting karena satu kata bisa memiliki banyak makna.
Contoh soal
seputar makna kata
- ·
The
underlined word has similar meaning with ....
- ·
The
underlined word has the same meaning as ....
- ·
what
does the underlined word mean?
- ·
The
closest meaning of the underlined word is ....
- ·
The
synonym of ... is ....
- ·
The
word of " ..." can be replaced with ....
- ·
What
is the antonym of the underlined phrase?
Cara menjawab :
- Menebak
kata berdasarkan konteks nya.
Contoh soal
Continued
progress in advanced technology is not necessary. Already the technical
progress in our world has caused severe pollution in the air and in the water.
Although the technical progress in previous years has been helpful, recent
technology has significantly increased pollution. Another reason to stop
technical progress is that many inventions which were developed for good causes
are now also used for powerful weapons to have been found have serious side
effects. For example, pesticide put inside particle boards to proscribe
termites has now be found to be toxic to human life. Technology does not always
bring good effects; for example, computers do much work faster than man, but
then man loses his job to a machine. Because no man can guarantee that
technology will have only good effects and will be used only for the benefit of
man, we should delay the continued development of technology.
“For example,
pesticide put inside particle boards to proscribe termites
has now be found to be toxic to human life”
What does the
underlined word mean?
A. prevent
B. authorize
C. allow
D. accept
E. enroll
8. Tujuan
Komunikatif (purpose of the text)
Setiap teks
dibuat dengan maksud tertentu yang hendak disampaikan kepada pembacanya.
Beberapa contoh soal yang berkaitan dengan tujuan komunikatif teks adalah
sebagai berikut.
- ·
The
aim of the text above is ....
- ·
What
does the writer write the message for?
- ·
The
purpose of the text above is to ....
- ·
What
is the goal of the text?
- ·
The
text is written to .....
Cara menjawab.
Setiap teks
memiliki tujuan tersendiri misalnya,
- Descriptive
= to describe
- Report
= to describe in general
- Procedure
= to explain how ...
- Recount
= to retell ....
- Narrative
= to entertain or to amuse ....
- etc.
Contoh soal
dalam teks
Two
years ago I had a chance to fly in an aeroplane. This was my first flight so I
was very nervous. I feared that sorts of accidents might happen on the way. I
thought that the engine might burst and come down with a crash. Sometimes I was
afraid that the pilot might make a mistake and I had to pay for it with my
life.
Soon
after I had seated myself there, the sound of the engines rose to a roar as
moved off, and gradually its speed. Then it was with a feeling of surprise I
noticed that the ground was at some distance beneath me. As the plane went
higher and higher up in the air, a strange sensation ran through my body. Soon,
the motion was easy. The fear which overtook me at the time of flight was no
more in my heart. Now I was quite bold in the air.
This
did not mean that I felt the worse for it. I felt as comfortable in the
aeroplane as I used to feel in my car. I felt no sense of insecurity. I did not
occur to me even for a moment that my life could ever be in danger. The machine
flew as smoothly in the air as a boat glides down a peaceful stream.
When
the plane was at sufficient height, I looked through the pane of the window.
The earth seemed to be “falling off” from us. The big building looked like a
small spots of beauty. The sky was clear. Everything looked new and
strange.
The
most beautiful thing was the scene around me. I saw nothing but was surrounded
by pure air. Occasionally I saw clouds floating here and there.
We
flew over the roofs of many houses. At one place we were very near the roof and
I felt that we were going to touch it. After flying for a long time, we
finally touche the earth. The journey was so pleasant and comfortable that I
could not forget it.
What is the
purpose of the text?
A. To describe
the writer’s experience in his first flight
B. To persuade
the readers to fly by aeroplane
C. To inform
the readers about condition in an aeroplane
D. To retell
the writer’s experience in his first flight
E. To show the
writer’s opinion about flying by aeroplane
9. Nilai Moral
(moral value)
Nilai moral
suatu teks dapat dipahami dari kata- kata yang digunakan di akhir teks dan
biasanya kata- kata itu menunjukkan perbuatan- perbuatan yang patut diteladani
atau diperhatikan. Namun kadang- kadang pada akhir cerita tidak menunjukkan
secara langsung nilai moralnya sehingga kita harus menarik suatu kesimpulan
tentang nilai moral tentang apa yang hendak disampaikan.
Contoh soal
- ·
What
can you learn from the story above?
- ·
What
is the moral value of the story?
Cara menjawab :
- Penyimpulan
tiap- yiap paragraf
- Beberapa
ditemukan dalam paragraf terakhir.
Contoh Soal
dalam Teks
Once
upon a time Sammy and his sister Marie visited their grandparents at their
farm. Sammy picked up a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He
practiced in the woods but he could never hit the target. Getting a
little discouraged, he headed back for the lunch. As he was walking back
he saw Grandma’s pet duck.
Just
out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly which hit the duck square in the head
and killed it. He was shocked and grieved. In a panic, he hid the dead duck in
the pile of woods. Marie had seen it all from the window but she said
nothing. After the lunch, the next day Grandma said, “Marie, let’s wash the
dishes.” Marie said, “But Grandma, Sammy told me he wanted to help in the
kitchen.”
Then
she whispered to Sammy, “Remember the duck?” Sammy got nervous knowing his
sister knew about the duck and if he doesn’t obey, she may tell his
grandparents about it. So without saying anything he did the dishes.
Later
that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing but Grandma said,
“I’m sorry but I need Marie to help make a supper.” Marie just smiled and
said, “Well that’s all right because Sammy told me he wanted to help.”
She
whispered again to Johnny, “Remember the duck?” So Marie went fishing and
Sammy stayed to help. After several days of Marie taking advantage of
Sammy, he finally couldn’t stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and
confessed that he had killed the duck.
Grandma
knelt down, gave him a hug and said, “Sweetheart, I know. I was standing at the
window and I saw the whole thing but because I love you, I forgave you. I
was just wondering how long you would let Marie take advantage of you.”
What is the
moral value of the story?
A. Practice
makes perfect
B. What is bad
in one case may be good in another
C. Don’t trust
people easily
D. You should
confess of your mistakes
E. Keep going
and do the best
Demikian
sembilan jenis pertanyaan atau soal reading teks dan cara menjawabnya dalam
Ujian Nasional Bahasa Inggris. Semoga bis amemberikan manfaat bagi anda
semuanya.
Salam.
Sample texts
are taken from :
