How long should a reading answer be?

Match the marks: two or three marks need key words and one line of explanation, longer answers need points.

How do I spot a topic sentence?

Usually first in the paragraph, and it covers the whole paragraph while the rest only illustrates.

S4 Chinese, DSE Paper 1 Modern Reading, Paper 1: paragraph evidence and character description

2026-10-31

Ten items on narrowing evidence to the named paragraph, answering reason questions with motives, topic sentences and action description.

Focus　Evidence must come from the paragraph a question names; reason questions want motives; the first sentence usually carries the topic; action detail is evidence of feeling; a simile has a tenor and a vehicle; an insertion adds background; the writer position follows a contrast marker.

01　Paper details (check answers afterwards)

Item	Detail
Questions	10
Suggested time	25
Difficulty mix	Foundation 4 · Intermediate 3 · Challenge 2 · Error redo 1
Chapter	Chapter: S4 Chinese: DSE Paper 1 Modern Reading
Level	S4 to S6

02　Questions (10 items)

FoundationIf a question says according to paragraph 2, where must the evidence come from?
FoundationIf asked why the writer left home, what must the answer give?
FoundationWhat role does the first sentence of a paragraph usually play?
FoundationHe fell silent and tapped the table: which kind of description is this?
IntermediateIn he was like a caged beast, what are the tenor and the vehicle?
IntermediateThe text describes the father at the station then breaks into the writer childhood: what device is this?
IntermediateWhat do however and but usually signal in a passage?
ChallengeA 1 200-word passage is answered in 150 words: what percentage is that?
ChallengeAsked about the writer attitude, a student answers that he wrote a lot: what is wrong?
Error redoWhy does copying a whole paragraph into a long answer lose marks?

03　Answers and one-line notes

#	Answer	One-line note
1	Paragraph 2 only	When a question names one paragraph, the evidence must sit in that paragraph alone.
2	The reason, that is the motive	A reason question wants the motive, not a retelling of what happened.
3	Topic sentence, summing up the paragraph	Chinese expository paragraphs often open with a topic sentence and then add examples.
4	Action description showing inner unease	Action details are evidence of feeling; naming the feeling without quoting earns little.
5	The tenor is he, the vehicle is a caged beast	The tenor is the thing described and the vehicle is the image borrowed to describe it.
6	Flashback, a mid-sequence insertion	An insertion adds background or motive and is usually signalled by transition words.
7	A turn, introducing a contrasting idea	A contrast marker tells you the writer real position usually comes after it.
8	12.5%	One hundred fifty over one thousand two hundred is one eighth of the passage.
9	It answers length, not attitude, so it misses the question	An attitude question needs a stance such as approval or doubt, backed by wording from the text.
10	The copied lines bury the point the marker needs	Markers reward key words and analysis, not proof that you have read the passage.

04　What to do after marking

After marking, redo only the wrong items and write down which step went wrong (formula, unit, or misread number).
Repeat the same item two days later; move to the next paper only when both attempts are correct.
Parents only need the answer and note columns; there is no need to explain every item.

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