Every question asks the passage for one kind of detail. Read the question word first, then look for that kind of detail, not the most interesting one.
This lesson is part of close reading and evidence in the SPM Bible Knowledge learning guide. The passage below is original, written for practice.
What does each question word ask for?
| Question word | Detail to look for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Who | A person or group | The ferry-keeper |
| When | A time or sequence marker | At dusk |
| Where | A place | The jetty |
| Why | A reason given or strongly implied | Someone may still be on the far bank |
| How | A method or manner | By lighting a lamp |
The original passage
“At dusk the ferry-keeper lit the lamp on the jetty. He had lit it every evening since the flood, though no boat had crossed for a week. When the village boy asked why, he said, ‘Someone may still be on the far bank.’”
Worked example
Question: “Why did the ferry-keeper keep lighting the lamp?”
Step 1. The word is why, so you need a reason.
Step 2. Scan for a reason. The passage has “since the flood” (a time detail), “no boat had crossed for a week” (a situation detail), and “Someone may still be on the far bank” (a stated reason).
Step 3. Pick the stated reason and answer: “He kept lighting the lamp because someone might still be on the far bank.”
The other two details are true and useful as background, but only the third answers why.
When two details compete
Suppose the question were “When had he lit it every evening?” Now “since the flood” is the answer, and the reason about the far bank is not needed.
The passage is the same. The question changed, so the right detail changed. That is the skill in this lesson: match the detail to the question, not to your memory of the story.
The mistake that wastes a mark
A typical slip is to answer “Why did he keep lighting the lamp?” with “Because no boat had crossed for a week.” The fact is in the passage, but it describes the situation and does not give his reason.
| Answer | Fits why? |
|---|---|
| “No boat had crossed for a week.” | No, it is a situation |
| “Since the flood.” | No, it is a time |
| “Someone may still be on the far bank.” | Yes, the stated reason |
If the passage states a reason in someone’s words, prefer that over a reason you build yourself.
Check yourself
Use the same passage to answer two questions, each with one detail. (a) Who asked the ferry-keeper a question? (b) Where was the lamp lit?
Answer
(a) The village boy. The question word is who, so the answer is a person.
(b) On the jetty. The question word is where, so the answer is a place.
Both answers are short. Adding the reason for the lamp would be extra, because neither question asked for it.
What to study next
Move on to distinguishing a paraphrase from an unsupported claim, then test the skill in the close reading practice set.
If you want a teacher to give you fresh passages to try, see online one-to-one Bible Knowledge tuition, which starts with a one-hour trial class (from RM50).