Close reading is the habit of answering from what the passage says, and nothing beyond it. This cluster covers four skills that turn a vague answer into a supported one.
It is part of the SPM Bible Knowledge learning guide. If you are unsure which passage a question means, begin with prescribed-text orientation.
What skills does this cluster teach?
The four skills build on one another, from finding a single detail to linking two events.
- Find the textual detail required by a question
- Distinguish a paraphrase from an unsupported claim
- Support an explanation with appropriate textual evidence
- Explain the relationship between two events in a passage
How do they fit together?
Finding the detail is the base skill. Separating paraphrase from claim tests whether the detail you found is really in the text, and choosing evidence uses that detail to back an explanation.
Linking two events comes last because it needs all three earlier habits at once. You must find two details, describe each faithfully and then explain how one led to the other.
A short worked example
Take an original passage: a farmer sees dark clouds, moves his sacks into the barn, and the rain falls that afternoon. A question asks why the sacks stayed dry.
An unsupported answer says the farmer was wise and experienced. The passage never says so.
A supported answer says he moved the sacks into the barn after seeing the clouds, before the rain fell. The first sounds sensible, but the second can be pointed to in the text.
Where should you begin?
| What happens in your answers | Begin with |
|---|---|
| You miss the detail the question wants | Finding the textual detail |
| You add ideas the passage never states | Paraphrase versus unsupported claim |
| Your points have no backing | Supporting an explanation |
| Two-event questions feel confusing | Relating two events |
When you have tried each lesson, use the close reading practice set. For a teacher who works on your own answers, see online one-to-one Bible Knowledge tuition.