21 The correct answer is B: The writer refers to Ziming Liu’s finding ‘that the “new norm” in
reading is skimming, involving word-spotting and browsing through the text’. The phrase ‘the
new norm’ describes a current tendency. The term ‘word-spotting’ describes the strategy of
picking out single or isolated words and phrases located throughout the text.
22 The correct answer is C: The writer says, ‘When the reading brain skims like this, it
reduces time allocated to deep reading processes. In other words, we don’t have time to grasp
complexity, to understand another’s feelings, to perceive beauty, and to create thoughts of the
reader’s own.’ Not having time to ‘grasp complexity’ and ‘understand another’s feelings’ has a
similar meaning to only gaining a superficial understanding of a text’s emotional content.
23 The correct answer is YES: In the penultimate paragraph (the paragraph before the final
one), the writer refers to ‘how we all have begun to read on various mediums and how that
changes not only what we read, but also the purposes for which we read’. In this sentence, the
word ‘that’ refers back to the fact that we have all begun to read on various mediums. The writer
is suggesting that we choose reading content according to the particular medium that we are
using.
24 The correct answer is NO: In the penultimate paragraph, the writer refers to the loss of
complex reading skills and says, ‘Nor is it only about the young. The subtle atrophy of critical
analysis and empathy affects us all equally.’
25 The correct answer is NOT GIVEN: In the penultimate paragraph, the writer says that our
loss of complex reading skills is ‘leaving us susceptible to false information’ but does not say
whether false information has become more widespread today.
26 The correct answer is YES: In the final paragraph, the writer says, ‘We possess both the
science and the technology to identify and redress the changes in how we read before they
become entrenched.’ When referring to problems, the word ‘redress’ means to rectify, correct
or put right. ‘Before they become entrenched’ means before they become firmly established,
meaning that we still have the chance or opportunity to rectify these problems.
