These six questions are original. Each has a short Tamil passage with its English meaning beside it. Write your answer first, then open the explanation.
The lessons are in reading and evidence. If you want to work against the clock, use the timed original practice session builder.
Questions 1 to 3: idea, detail and inference
Question 1. Passage:
வாரந்தோறும் சனிக்கிழமை காலை மாலதி தன் தெருவில் உள்ள குப்பைகளைப் பொறுக்குவாள். அவள் தோழிகளும் சில வாரங்களில் அவளுடன் சேர்ந்தனர். இப்போது தெரு முன்பைவிடத் தூய்மையாக உள்ளது.
In English: Every Saturday morning Malathi picks up rubbish on her street. Her friends joined her within a few weeks. The street is now cleaner than before. Write the main idea in one Tamil sentence.
Answer
A good sentence: மாலதியின் முயற்சியால் தெரு தூய்மையாகியுள்ளது. It means Malathi’s effort has made the street clean.
It covers all three sentences. “Her friends joined” is only one supporting detail, so using it as the main idea would be too narrow.
Question 2. From Question 1, state one detail written in the passage and one inference.
Answer
Stated detail: she picks up rubbish every Saturday morning.
Inference: Malathi is a responsible person who cares about her surroundings. Nothing says so in words, but her weekly action and her friends joining support it.
Question 3. Passage:
தாமரை மேசையின்மேல் புத்தகங்களை அடுக்கி வைத்தாள். பிறகு சுவரில் தொங்கிய கால அட்டவணையைப் பார்த்தாள்.
In English: Tamarai arranged the books on the table. Then she looked at the timetable hanging on the wall. A student writes that Tamarai is about to sleep. Explain why this claim is unsafe.
Answer
Nothing in the passage mentions sleep. Arranging books and looking at a timetable suggests she is preparing to study or packing for school. The claim about sleep has no evidence from the passage, so it is a guess.
Questions 4 to 6: evidence and word meaning
Question 4. Passage:
கணேஷ் வீட்டுப்பாடத்தை முடித்ததும் பள்ளிப்பையைத் தயார் செய்தான். மறுநாள் தேவையான புத்தகங்களையும் எடுத்து வைத்தான்.
In English: After finishing homework, Ganesh prepared his school bag. He also put out the books needed for the next day. Inference: Ganesh is well organised. Give the exact evidence.
Answer
Evidence: “மறுநாள் தேவையான புத்தகங்களையும் எடுத்து வைத்தான்” (he put out the books needed for the next day).
Link: he prepared ahead for the following day, which shows he is organised. The phrase about homework alone shows he finishes tasks, which is a different point.
Question 5. In the sentence நீண்ட நேரம் காத்திருந்ததால் அவன் சலிப்படைந்தான்; அங்கும் இங்கும் நடந்தான், what does சலிப்படைந்தான் mean? (He waited for a long time and was chalippadaindhaan; he walked here and there.)
Answer
It means became bored or weary.
Clue 1: நீண்ட நேரம் காத்திருந்ததால் gives the long wait as the cause. Clue 2: walking around shows restlessness. Replacing the word with “became bored” keeps the sentence natural.
Question 6. A student answers a question on the passage in Question 1 with “மாலதி நல்லவள்” (Malathi is good) and adds nothing else. State what the answer lacks and rewrite it.
Answer
It lacks evidence and a link. A rewrite: மாலதி பொறுப்புள்ளவள். “ஒவ்வொரு சனிக்கிழமையும் குப்பைகளைப் பொறுக்குவாள்” என்பதிலிருந்து இதை அறியலாம்.
It means: Malathi is responsible, and we know this from the fact that she picks up rubbish every Saturday.
If you got these wrong
- Question 1: return to finding the main idea.
- Questions 2 and 3: see stated detail or inference.
- Questions 4 and 6: see supporting an inference with exact evidence.
- Question 5: see explaining a word from its context.
For a teacher to read your responses, see online one-to-one SPM Bahasa Tamil tuition.