Written Comprehension · 4 min read
What Written Comprehension Measures · Core Reading Skills
Written comprehension is the ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. School Safety Agents read and apply policies, procedures, memoranda, incident reports, legal excerpts and written instructions from supervisors, school administrators and other agencies every day.
On the exam, you read a passage and answer questions that show you understood it: identify the main idea, locate a specific detail, make an inference, determine the meaning of a word in context, or apply a stated condition to a new situation. The answer always comes from the passage, not from memory or outside experience.
Types of Passages
| Passage type | What it contains | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Policy and procedure | Rules, standard operating procedures, chain of command, reporting duties, prohibited actions | Required, optional and prohibited actions; conditions and exceptions |
| Incident report | Who was involved, what happened, when and where, what action was taken | Sequence of events and exact facts (times, rooms, names) |
| Memorandum | Sender, recipient, date line, subject, instructions or policy changes | Who must do what, starting when, and any temporary rule |
| Legal and regulatory excerpt | Definitions, requirements and penalties in formal language | Each element of a definition; words that narrow its scope |
| Informational | General material on safety, emergencies, adolescent behavior or conflict resolution | Main idea versus supporting detail |
- Must / shall: the action is required.
- May: the action is permitted but optional.
- Should: the action is recommended.
- Prohibited / may not / shall not: the action is forbidden.
- Unless / except / only if: the rule has a condition or exception that can change the answer.
Identifying the Main Idea
The main idea is the central point of a passage; every detail, example and explanation supports it. Ask what the passage is mostly about. Writers often state the main idea in the first sentence or summarize it in the last.
Locating Specific Details
Detail questions ask who, what, when, where, why or how. Identify exactly what is being asked, scan the passage for that information, and read the surrounding sentence carefully. Wrong answers often reuse words from the passage but change their meaning, combine two facts incorrectly, or add information that is not there.
Making Inferences
An inference is a conclusion that is not stated directly but follows logically from what is stated. Questions use phrases such as "It can be inferred that" or "Based on the passage, which is most likely true?" Use only the passage and logical reasoning. The strongest inference is the one that needs no extra assumptions.
Vocabulary in Context
Many words have several meanings. Read the sentence containing the word and the sentences around it, then substitute each answer choice. The correct choice keeps the original meaning of the sentence, even if another choice is a valid dictionary meaning in a different context.
Facts, Opinions, Tone and Purpose
| Concept | Definition | Clues |
|---|---|---|
| Fact | A statement that can be verified by observation, measurement or records | Concrete details: times, counts, names, locations |
| Opinion | A belief, judgment or interpretation that cannot be objectively verified | Evaluative words: best, worst, should, important, believe |
| Tone | The writer's attitude toward the subject | Formal, objective, urgent, critical, supportive, neutral |
| Purpose | The writer's reason for writing | To inform, instruct, persuade, describe or explain |
Policy documents usually instruct in a formal, authoritative tone; incident reports inform in an objective tone; memoranda vary with their content.
Passage Organization
| Pattern | Common in | Signal words |
|---|---|---|
| Chronological | Incident reports, narratives | first, then, at 9:15 A.M., afterward |
| Sequential | Procedures and instructions | step 1, next, finally |
| Cause and effect | Explanations of why something happened | because, therefore, as a result, consequently, due to |
| Compare and contrast | Policy comparisons | similarly, likewise, however, in contrast, on the other hand |
| Problem and solution | Safety policies and memoranda | the problem, to address this, the new procedure |
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