Finding the answer in a short passage

To find the answer in a short Korean passage, read the question first, find its keyword in the passage, and then check each option against the exact sentence. You do not need to understand every word. Most wrong options use words from the passage but change one small detail, so careful checking matters more than fast reading.

Step 1: Read the question first

The question tells you what to look for. If you read the passage first, you have to remember everything. If you read the question first, you only need to find one thing.

Step 2: Find the keywords

Take one important word from the question. Look for it, or a word with the same meaning, in the passage. Then read that sentence carefully.

저는 가구 공장에서 일합니다. 아침 8시에 일을 시작해서 오후 5시에 끝납니다. 점심은 회사 식당에서 동료들과 같이 먹습니다. 주말에는 한국어를 배우러 학원에 갑니다.

Meaning: I work at a furniture factory. I start work at 8 in the morning and finish at 5 p.m. I eat lunch with my coworkers in the company cafeteria. On weekends, I go to a private school (학원) to learn Korean.

Question: 이 사람은 주말에 무엇을 합니까? (What does this person do on weekends?)

The keyword is 주말 (weekend). It appears only in the last sentence, so the answer is there: this person learns Korean at a private school.

Step 3: Check each option and eliminate

Now try a matching question for the same passage: 글의 내용과 같은 것을 고르십시오.

1. 이 사람은 혼자 점심을 먹습니다.
2. 이 사람은 저녁 8시에 일을 시작합니다.
3. 이 사람은 주말에 한국어를 공부합니다.
4. 이 사람은 가구 가게에서 일합니다.

Notice that the correct option uses different words. The wrong options copy words from the passage and change one detail.

Step 4: Watch for paraphrase traps

A paraphrase is the same meaning in different words. The correct answer is often a paraphrase.

Wrong options often use one of these four traps:

1. Same word, different detail: the time, number, place or person changes.
2. Opposite meaning: 안, 못, -지 않다 or 없다 is added or removed.
3. Not in the passage: the option sounds true in real life, but the passage does not say it.
4. Half right: the first half matches, but the second half does not.

A second example: a reason question

민수 씨, 저는 내일 병원에 가야 해서 늦게 출근해요. 오전 회의는 먼저 시작해 주세요. 11시까지 회사에 갈게요.

Meaning: Minsu, I have to go to the hospital tomorrow, so I will come to work late. Please start the morning meeting without me. I will get to the office by 11.

Question: 이 사람은 왜 늦게 출근합니까? (Why will this person come to work late?)

1. 회의가 있어서
2. 병원에 가야 해서
3. 늦게 일어나서
4. 버스가 안 와서

The answer is 2. The reason pattern -아/어서 appears in 가야 해서. Option 1 is a trap: 회의 is in the passage, but it is not the reason. Options 3 and 4 are possible in real life, but the passage does not say them.

Good habits

• Do not translate the whole passage. Find the sentence you need.
• If two options look right, go back and read the exact sentence again.
• Never choose an option only because it is true in real life.
• Pay attention to particles. They show who did what. See basic Korean particles with examples.
• After practice, write down why each wrong option was wrong. How to review a mock test explains a simple method.

Mini self-check

저는 지난달에 한국에 왔습니다. 지금은 회사 기숙사에서 친구 두 명과 같이 삽니다. 기숙사가 회사에서 가까워서 걸어서 출근합니다.

1. 이 사람은 어떻게 출근합니까? (How does this person get to work?)
2. 글의 내용과 같은 것을 고르십시오.
   • a. 이 사람은 혼자 삽니다.
   • b. 이 사람은 버스로 출근합니다.
   • c. 기숙사는 회사에서 멉니다.
   • d. 이 사람은 친구들과 같이 삽니다.

Answers: 1. On foot (걸어서). 2. d. 친구 두 명과 같이 삽니다 becomes 친구들과 같이 삽니다. Option c is the opposite: 멀다 (far) instead of 가깝다 (close).

Next step

Use this method in the EPS reading practice set. Notices are a good place to practise it, so read understanding short notices next. More lessons are on the grammar and reading topic page. For official test information, check the EPS official portal.