For many CELPIP test takers, Reading Part 4 can feel intimidating. The passages are longer, the vocabulary is often more challenging, and the questions require more than simply locating information in the text. Students may encounter unfamiliar words, technical terminology, and complex ideas that seem difficult to understand under strict time limits.
However, one of the biggest misconceptions about Reading Part 4 is that it is primarily a vocabulary test. While vocabulary certainly plays a role, the section is actually designed to assess a candidate’s ability to understand viewpoints, opinions, attitudes, and arguments.
In many Part 4 passages, the reader is introduced to several people, experts, or groups who hold different perspectives on the same topic. Success often depends less on understanding every individual word and more on identifying who believes what and why. Is the speaker supportive, skeptical, concerned, optimistic, or neutral? What evidence do they provide to support their position? How does their viewpoint differ from others in the passage?
This can seem difficult but I have a very efficient strategy that can help you deal with another big problem: the time limit.
Getting Ready
(Try to do the first 4 steps in 1 to 2 minutes maximum).
- SKIM the first paragraph of the passage to get the MAIN IDEA of the article . . . (do not try to understand every word).
- Look at the first 5 questions. Identify which opinions you need to find. You may see names of people (such as Michael Jackman), or groups (such as local residents).
- SCAN the passage to see WHERE these people are mentioned.
- QUICKLY determine the general TONE of the people or groups. In most cases, one person will be positive, one will be negative, and the third may be supportive, skeptical, concerned, optimistic, or neutral.
- Deal with the questions . . .
Dealing with the Questions
- Do the specific questions first. Note that question 1 is often general, so you should save it for last.
General questions may include:
➔ What is the main idea of the article?
➔ What is the author’s purpose in writing this article?
➔ Which statement best summarizes the passage?
More specific questions deal with specific people or groups:
➔ According to Emily, what is the main benefit of the new policy?
➔ What is the resident’s opinion of the development project?
➔ Why does the Dr. Black support further research?
- Look for key words in the question to determine the location of the answer in the passage.
- Try to find the best choice for each question.
Don’t Match Words. Match the Meaning
One of the most common mistakes CELPIP students make is choosing an answer simply because it contains words they remember reading in the passage.
Unfortunately, CELPIP test writers know this. They often include incorrect answers that repeat vocabulary from the passage to tempt students into choosing them. The correct answer usually paraphrases the writer’s opinion instead of copying the original wording.
When answering viewpoint questions, don’t ask yourself:
“Which answer uses the same words as the passage?”
Instead, ask:
“How does this person feel about the topic?”
Remember this Rule
Use TOPIC words to find the location of the answer.
Use ATTITUDE words to find the CORRECT answer.
Topic words tell you what the passage is about.
- proposal
- research
- studies
- benefits
- results
Attitude words tell you how the speaker feels about the topic.
- supports
- opposes
- believes
- argues
- suggests
- doubts
- criticizes
- recommends
- remains concerned
- is enthusiastic
- is unconvinced
- is optimistic
- is skeptical
The correct answer is often the one that accurately describes the speaker’s attitude, even if it uses completely different vocabulary from the passage.
Let’s try one.
Read the following sentence:
“The results are promising, but additional studies are needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn.”
Question: What is the researcher’s opinion?
- The research provides strong evidence that the treatment should now be widely adopted.
- The study focuses on the relationship between the results and future research.
- The findings are encouraging, but there is not yet enough evidence to be completely confident.
- The researcher believes firm conclusions can now be made because the results are promising.
Notice how the incorrect answers recycle words from the passage:
- A exaggerates the researcher’s confidence.
- B repeats the words research, results, and future research, but it doesn’t express any opinion.
- D combines the words firm conclusions and promising, but completely changes their meaning.
The correct answer, C, hardly repeats any of the original wording. Instead, it summarizes the researcher’s attitude: hopeful, but cautious.
What’s Next?
In this blog, we’ve looked at an effective strategy for approaching Reading Part 4 by answering the specific questions first and avoiding the common trap of matching content words instead of meaning.
In the next blog, we’ll go one step further by exploring how CELPIP tests viewpoints and attitudes. You’ll learn how to recognize language that expresses certainty, doubt, skepticism, and enthusiasm, as well as how to answer more challenging inference questions that ask what a speaker assumes, implies, or is most likely to believe.
These questions often require you to read between the lines rather than simply locate information in the passage. Being able to read between the lines can make a significant difference to your CELPIP Reading score.
Written by Larry Fedorowick
CELPIP Reading Part 4: Reading for Viewpoints (Part 1)
