In reference questions, there would be a reference word, such as pronouns, possessive,demonstrative, quantifiers, etc. ​Based on the reference word, you will need to find its referent, that is the word that refers back to the real meaning.

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Example: She ​is my girlfriend. I love her.

​ Referent Reference Word

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Reading Comprehension ​

​Skill 2. Reference

Questions​

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" There are 8 steps you can follow if you want to succeed with reference questions " 

​Look for nouns or noun phrases before the highlighted word that could replace the highlighted word. The correct answer will agree in number and gender and make sense in the context. For instance, if the pronoun is them, the noun or the noun phrase has to be plural.

2. Look for Nouns​

Re​ad the sentence containing the highlighted reference word or phrase.

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1. Read​

How to Answer Reference Questions​

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Replace the highlighted word with your choice to be sure it makes sense.

4. Replace​

Choose the noun or noun phrase that fits best. ​

3. Choose

Focus on the reading...​

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If your choice is not listed, eliminate definitely wrong answers. ​

6. Eliminate​

Check your answers if your choice is listed. If so, it is probably correct. Double-check by eliminating wrong answers. ​

5. Check Answers​

Look at the surrounding context...​

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Choose the one that makes the most sense in the context.​

8. Choose​

Replace the highlighted word with the other choices in turn.​

7. Replace​

Last steps...​

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​Explanation of the answer