A comparison places two responses side by side and says what they share and where they differ. Each claim needs its own evidence.
This lesson is part of narrative and teaching in the SPM Bible Knowledge learning guide. The passage is original and written for practice.
The original passage
“A notice said the bridge would close for repairs. Sani read it twice and asked the neighbours to share the boat at the landing. Dev read it once, sighed, and went home without a word, leaving his deliveries on the far side.”
Step 1: list what each did
| Sani | Dev | |
|---|---|---|
| Action | Asked neighbours to share the boat | Went home without a word |
| Manner | “read it twice” (careful) | “read it once, sighed” (resigned) |
| Result | A plan for crossing | Deliveries left on the far side |
Step 2: find one similarity and one difference
Similarity. Both read the notice about the bridge.
Difference. Sani acted with others to solve the problem. Dev gave up and left the problem unsolved.
Step 3: write the comparison
“Both Sani and Dev read the notice about the bridge. However, Sani ‘asked the neighbours to share the boat’, which shows he looked for a way to cross. Dev, in contrast, ‘went home without a word’ and left his deliveries, which shows he accepted the problem without acting.”
The answer has a similarity, a difference and two quotations. The linking words both, however and in contrast to carry the comparison.
Describing versus comparing
A common answer describes: “Sani asked the neighbours to share the boat. Dev went home.” The two sentences are correct but never meet.
| Answer | Type |
|---|---|
| “Sani shared the boat. Dev went home.” | Side-by-side description |
| “Sani looked for a way across, whereas Dev left.” | Comparison |
The test is simple. Does a linking word join the two characters in one sentence? If not, add one.
The mistake of unequal evidence
It is easy to quote the active character and only summarise the quiet one. Dev’s “without a word” is evidence of his response, so quote it.
Give each character the same treatment: one short quotation and one sentence of explanation.
Check yourself
Write one sentence comparing how Sani and Dev read the notice, using the words “read it twice” and “read it once”.
Answer
“Sani ‘read it twice’, which suggests he took care to understand the notice, whereas Dev ‘read it once, sighed’, which suggests he accepted it quickly.”
The sentence joins both characters with whereas and uses a quotation for each. It says “suggests” because the passage does not state their thoughts.
What to study next
Review identifying speaker, audience and purpose, then test yourself on the narrative and teaching practice set.
If you want a teacher to give you pairs of responses from your school passages, see online one-to-one Bible Knowledge tuition, which starts with a one-hour trial class (from RM50).