Example 1: a single fact
Question: What colour was Grandad's boat?
- Step 1: Key words: colour, boat.
- Step 2: Scan for 'boat': paragraph 2, 'her grandfather's red boat'.
Answer: Red.
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Comprehension · Guide 1 of 6
Retrieval questions
The answer is right there in the passage. Your job is to find it quickly and copy or say it accurately.
- Ages 9 to 11
- 11+ Comprehension
- Worked examples
What is it?
A retrieval question asks for information the writer states directly: a name, a time, a place, a colour, what someone did. You don't need to work anything out, just find it.
They are usually worth 1 mark each, so they're the quickest marks in the paper. The skill is scanning: moving your eyes over the text looking for key words, rather than reading every word again.
The passage used in these guides
Passage
The Harbour
1The storm had been building all afternoon. By the time Maya reached the harbour, the sky had turned the colour of a bruise, and the fishing boats were tugging at their ropes like restless dogs.
2She pulled her coat tighter and scanned the quay for her grandfather's red boat. It wasn't there.
3Her stomach tightened. Grandad always came back before four o'clock; he said the sea kept its promises only until teatime. Maya checked her watch: ten past five.
4Behind her, the lighthouse blinked awake, sweeping its long white arm across the waves.
How to spot it
- Question words: who, what, where, when, which, how many.
- Instructions such as 'Find and copy…', 'Give one…', 'List two…', 'According to the text…'.
- Often worth 1 mark, and often about the first part of the passage.
Step-by-step method
- Step 1: Underline the key word in the question (e.g. 'colour', 'boat').
- Step 2: Think which part of the passage it's in: the beginning, middle or end.
- Step 3: Scan that part for the key word or a word that means the same.
- Step 4: Read the whole sentence it's in, and the sentence after, to be sure.
- Step 5: Answer exactly what's asked: one word if it says 'one word', two things if it says 'two'.
- Step 6: 'Find and copy' means copy the exact words, spelled correctly.
Worked examples
Example 2: a time
Question: By what time did Grandad usually come back?
- Step 1: Key words: Grandad, come back, time.
- Step 2: Paragraph 3: 'Grandad always came back before four o'clock'.
- Step 3: Careful: 'ten past five' is also a time in the passage, but that's when Maya checks her watch.
Answer: Before four o'clock.
Example 3: find and copy
Question: Find and copy a phrase that shows the boats were moving.
- Step 1: Key word: boats.
- Step 2: Paragraph 1: 'the fishing boats were tugging at their ropes'. 'Tugging' shows movement.
Answer: 'tugging at their ropes'
Common traps
Picking the wrong detail
Passages often have two similar facts (two times, two names). Read the sentence carefully to check it answers this question.
Copying too much
If the question asks for a word or phrase, don't copy a whole paragraph. A long answer with the right bit hidden in it may not get the mark.
Answering from memory
Always go back and check. Memory swaps details around.
Giving one when it asks for two
'Give two things' needs two separate things to get both marks.
Top tips
- Questions usually follow the order of the passage, so the next answer is often just after the last one.
- Copy spellings exactly from the text.
Practice questions
Read the passage
The Harbour
1The storm had been building all afternoon. By the time Maya reached the harbour, the sky had turned the colour of a bruise, and the fishing boats were tugging at their ropes like restless dogs.
2She pulled her coat tighter and scanned the quay for her grandfather's red boat. It wasn't there.
3Her stomach tightened. Grandad always came back before four o'clock; he said the sea kept its promises only until teatime. Maya checked her watch: ten past five.
4Behind her, the lighthouse blinked awake, sweeping its long white arm across the waves.
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4 practice questions on this topic, from easy to 11+ level. Reading the guide is free for everyone; practice is for members, and signing up is free.
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