Daily Reads-41 (Level-2)

Reading comprehension exercises: How does one improve one’s reading comprehension skills?

In this article, we explore some reading comprehension exercises that you can effectively to improve as a reader. Every student that is preparing for various entrance exams has one central question dominating his thought process: how does improve one’s reading comprehension skills? Well, the answer to this question is very simple. You need to do the following activities:

The first one is toughest of the reading comprehension exercises that you need to take up: READING. You will be surprised to read this but ‘reading’ is an exercise in itself. You need to take it up diligently and make sure you are regular with your reading practice.
The second activity that you need to take up is building your vocabulary. By improving your vocabulary, you can slowly and steadily improve your comprehension skills. In fact, comprehension is all about understanding contexts, and the moment your vocabulary improves, your comprehension skills improve.
One of the most effective reading comprehension exercises that you can take up is speed reading. You can go through the book on speed reading by Norman Lewis. The book will help you boost your reading skills and also improve your comprehension skills.

Reading Suggestion-1

Article Name: Polar bears need to be fat and they can’t be without sea ice
Author Name: Thea Bechshoft
Source: Aeon
Category: Science

Summary for this article:

In this beautiful piece of writing, the writer addresses our curiosity of why a polar bear cannot adapt to life on land when they are constantly being threatened by the melting ice sea. The writer says that in no circumstances can the polar bear be able to adapt to life on land stating all valid facts to prove his point. The ice is life itself to these bears says the writer. It’s the basis for their survival. The polar bears, says the writer, are the Apex predators of the Arctic food chain, they have adapted to eating seals- ringed seals in particular whose existence is also tied to the ice and any alternative food source will simply not stand as a substitute for long as there are simply not enough of them to sustain the world’s population of polar bears. Every polar bear we see in the land are the ones that are trying their best to survive for the short term while holding out for the seals and the ice to return says the writer. The writer concludes by saying that how the polar bears fare on land are an indication of the state of their environment. The hungry polar bears that we see on the lands are indicative of an Arctic ecosystem in turmoil.

Words to learn from this article:

Indisputable: Cannot be argued, denied or challenged
Lethargic: Lazy, not active
Nibble: Take small bites of something
Foraging: To move around places in search of food
Symptomatic: Indication of something

Reading Suggestion-1: Click to read full article

Reading Suggestion-2

Article Name: What Research Says about Defeating Terrorism
Author Name: Kevin Dutton and Dominic Abrams
Source: Scientific American
Category: Behaviour and Society

Summary for this article:

The word terrorism and its implications aren’t new to any of us. We all tune into the big boxes to hear what the experts have to say about the attacks. We often find the big figures waging their own rhetorical outbursts but have we ever wondered what psychology has to say about the problem?
In this article, the writers Kevin Dutton and Dominic Abrams present to us seven exemplary studies from social psychology that would stand as a vital learning lesson for all of us including the policy makers to address the threat of terrorism.

Words to learn from this article:

Propensity: Tendency to do something in a certain way
Grapple: A violent effort
Polemical: Something that attracts controversy
Belligerent: Eager to be involved in a violent act
Blowhards: Someone who brags a lot
Grotesque: Ugly in a bizarre fashion

Reading Suggestion-2: Click to read full article

Reading Suggestion-3

Article Name: The truth about tarot
Author Name: James McConnachie
Source: Aeon
Category: Sociology

Summary for this article:

Want a brief snapshot about the subject and content of this article? Read this description for the article: Whether divining ancient wisdoms or elevating the art of cold reading, tarot is a form of therapy, much like psychoanalysis.

The article is all about the practice tarot and its origins. The author goes on to explain how it came about and describes its historical origins in detail. This is an interesting but rather long read.

Words to learn from this article:

Gypsies: A labourer who moves from place to place as demanded by employment
Wreck: Smash or break forcefully
Pretension: A false or unsupportable quality
Esoteric: Confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle