Reading Comprehension Success in 20 Minutes a Day, 3rd Edition

Your Observations:
Example: I noticed that version B is almost twice as
long as version A.
Now, use your observations to answer the
following questions:
11. Which version tells you more about Mark
Spencer?
a. paragraph A
b. paragraph B
12. Which version tells you more about Eleanor
Cartwright?
a. paragraph A
b. paragraph B
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S T Y L E : I T ’ S N O T W H AT T H E Y S AY B U T H O W T H E Y S AY I T
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1 0 5

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13. Which version is more objective?
a. paragraph A
b. paragraph B
14. Which version makes you feel excited about
Eleanor Cartwright’s appointment?
a. paragraph A
b. paragraph B
You noticed, of course, that paragraph B is much
more descriptive than paragraph A—it tells you more
about both Mark Spencer and Eleanor Cartwright.
Paragraph A just provides the facts—specific details,
but no description. Paragraph A is very objective. We
do not learn anything about Mark Spencer other than
his job title. For example, we don’t know how people
feel about him. In paragraph A, we also learn very lit-
tle about Eleanor Cartwright other than her new job.
We don’t know what she looks like or how people in the
room respond to her.
Paragraph B, however, tells us about Mark
Spencer’s reputation (“popular” and responsible for
making the annual fundraising dinner “the hottest
ticket in town”). Paragraph B also provides many details
about Eleanor Cartwright (“striking woman with a
crimson suit,” “impressive credentials”). We also learn
a good deal about the general tone of the room and how
this announcement was received (“the room was
buzzing,” “reporters hung on her every word,” “they left
the room convinced that the Smithfield Museum, once
barely known, was truly becoming a major force in the
art world”). All these details help us feel something
about the announcement and the people involved
because the characters and the situation are presented
visually; we can almost see what happens.

S u m m a r y
Style, as you can see, is an important aspect of reading
comprehension. It can tell us about the writer’s rela-
tionship to the reader; it can distance us with its objec-
tivity or draw us in with its description and detail. As
readers, we tend to react strongly to style, often with-
out knowing why. But now you do know why, and you
can use that knowledge to help you understand what
you read.