R33: Map the passage in 2 minutes

Before you answer any questions, spend two minutes building a map of the passage. Not a picture. A simple mental list: what each paragraph is about. With this map, you'll know where to look for every answer, instead of searching the whole passage again and again.

Why this matters

Students who skip this step often read the passage from the top for every question. That wastes huge amounts of time. Students who map first can jump straight to the right paragraph. Two minutes spent mapping can save ten minutes of searching.

What to look at

1. The title and subtitle. They tell you the overall topic, and sometimes the writer's angle.
2. The first sentence of each paragraph. This is usually the topic sentence.
3. A quick glance at each paragraph. Notice names, numbers, dates and words in italics. Don't read them carefully. Just notice them.
4. The last paragraph. It often gives a conclusion or the writer's opinion.

Make a mini map

On your rough paper, write a few words for each paragraph:

• A: history, 1800s
• B: how it works
• C: problems, cost
• D: Dr Kim's study
• E: future, writer's view

That's it. Five lines, two minutes. Now when a question asks about cost, you go straight to C. When a question mentions Dr Kim, you go to D.

A worked example

Title: The Secret Life of Fungi

A For centuries, fungi were classed as plants...

B Beneath the forest floor, fungi form vast networks of threads...

C In a 1997 study, Dr Suzanne Simard showed that trees can exchange nutrients through these networks...

D Not all scientists accept this interpretation. Critics argue the evidence is weaker than it seems...

E Whatever the truth, the writer believes we should protect forest soils more carefully...

Mini map:

• A: old classification, plants
• B: underground networks
• C: Simard, 1997, trees share nutrients
• D: critics, doubts
• E: writer's view, protect soil

Now try these: Where would you look for...

1. the name of a researcher?
2. an opinion about what we should do?
3. disagreement with a theory?

You found all three without reading the passage in detail.

Mapping on the computer test

You can use your rough paper for the mini map. You can also use the highlight tool to mark one key phrase in each paragraph. Keep it light. Too much highlighting hides the important parts.

Honest note

In some passages, the first sentence isn't the topic sentence. The main idea might come after a however in the middle. Your map won't be perfect, and that's fine. It's a guide, not the answer.

Your task today

Take any passage. Set a 2-minute timer and make a mini map. Then answer the questions, using your map to find each answer.