Reading: a new school club
To understand a school-club text, first identify who takes part, where they meet and what they do. Then return to the passage for details instead of inventing them. This original English 2AC reading follows Yassine and a map-making club, with vocabulary, evidence-based answers and a short writing task.
English 2AC · S1
Your illustrated PDF
The text, the reading method and corrected exercises to print. The quiz stays online.
By the end of this lesson, you can
- Find a main idea and supporting details
- Use time and place clues
- Separate information in the text from an assumption
Before you startRead short English sentences and familiar school vocabulary
Un bon cours, ça se partage.
Start with the situation
Find a main idea and supporting details. Use time and place clues. Separate information in the text from an assumption.
The map-makers’ club
My name is Yassine. I am thirteen and I go to a school in Taza. Our map-makers’ club meets in the library every Wednesday at half past three. There are eight pupils in the club. We usually draw maps of imaginary towns. I like the club because I enjoy drawing and learning new English words. Today we are making a map for new pupils. My friend Idriss is drawing the classrooms, and I am writing the names of the buildings. We are not drawing a real street map. Our teacher is checking the English labels. At four thirty, we put the pencils away and leave the library tidy. Next Wednesday, we want to show the map to another class.
How do you understand the first reading?
Read the whole passage without stopping at every unfamiliar word. The title gives a topic, but the sentences tell you what actually happens. Here, a pupil introduces a school club, its usual activity and its special task today. You do not need to translate every line to recognise that the passage is about pupils making maps.
Next, identify the speaker and place. My name is Yassine identifies the narrator. Taza tells us his city, while in the library gives the club’s meeting place. Keep these details separate. A question about where the club meets needs the library, rather than only the name of the city.
Which clues separate a routine from today’s activity?
Every Wednesday and usually introduce repeated activities. Meets and draw use the present simple. Today introduces the current project; are making, is drawing and am writing use the continuous. The text does not say that the club always makes maps for new pupils. That is the task on this particular day.
Because introduces a reason. Yassine likes the club because he enjoys drawing and learning vocabulary. Answer a why question with that reason, rather than a personal guess such as because the club is free. The passage says nothing about fees. A plausible idea is still an unsupported answer when a reading question asks for textual evidence.
| Expression | Meaning in this text |
|---|---|
| meets | comes together for an activity |
| imaginary | invented, rather than a real place |
| labels | names written beside parts of a drawing |
| tidy | clean and in order |
Answer with evidence
Where does the club meet? It meets in the library.
- The exact place clue is in the library. Taza answers a different question about the city.
How do you justify an answer?
Read the question word: who asks for a person, where for a place, when for a time, how many for a number and why for a reason. Underline the relevant words in the passage, then write a concise answer. For a true-or-false task, correct a false statement with the actual detail rather than writing false alone.
Do not confuse pupils with every person in the room. There are eight pupils in the club, and a teacher is also mentioned, but the text does not give a count of everyone present today. Similarly, a plan for next Wednesday is an intention; it is not an event that has already happened. Good reading follows the wording and the time reference.
A method you can reuse
Step by step
Work step by step
- Read once for the main topic.
- Circle the question word.
- Find a matching clue in the passage.
- Answer in your own sentence and check that you added no new facts.
Remember
Do not replace a fact from the text with something you know about your own school. The city, time, pupil count and project belong to this invented reading.
Frequently asked questions
How do I answer a reading question in anglais 2AC?
Must I translate every word?
How do I correct a false statement?
Quiz: 2 questions
2 questions are randomly selected from this lesson’s 2-question bank. Choose one answer for each question and get an immediate explanation.
Q1The club meets …
Incorrect answer
The passage names the library as the meeting place.
Correct answer: in the library
The passage names the library as the meeting place.
Q2What is Yassine doing today?
Incorrect answer
He says I am writing the names of the buildings.
Correct answer: Writing building names
He says I am writing the names of the buildings.
Your score
0/2
Start with the worked examples
Read the lesson in small sections. Write your own example for each rule and try the Easy exercises before returning to the quiz.
Review: 2 missed questions
The club meets …
Correct answerin the library
The passage names the library as the meeting place.
What is Yassine doing today?
Correct answerWriting building names
He says I am writing the names of the buildings.
Exercises with answers
7 exercises, from easy practice to challenges. Try each one yourself, then reveal the answer and explanation.
Exercise 1
EasyWho tells the story, and how old is he?
Answer and explanation
Yassine tells the story. He is thirteen. The first two sentences identify him.
Exercise 2
EasyWhere and when does the club meet?
Answer and explanation
It meets in the library every Wednesday at half past three, or 3:30. Include both the place and time.
Exercise 3
IntermediateHow many pupils belong to the club?
Answer and explanation
Eight pupils. The teacher is mentioned separately and is not part of that pupil count.
Exercise 4
IntermediateTrue or false: Idriss is writing the building names.
Answer and explanation
False. Idriss is drawing the classrooms. Yassine is writing the names of the buildings.
Exercise 5
IntermediateWhy does Yassine like the club?
Answer and explanation
He enjoys drawing and learning new English words. Because introduces this reason in the passage.
Exercise 6
IntermediateCan you say that the club is free? Explain.
Answer and explanation
No. The passage gives no information about cost. An answer about fees would be an assumption.
Exercise 7
ChallengeWrite four sentences about an imaginary school club, with a place, a time and an activity today.
Answer and explanation
One possible answer: Our reading club meets in the library on Friday at three. There are six pupils. We usually read short stories. Today we are choosing a book for new pupils. Other coherent invented details are possible.