A concise answer includes exactly what the question asks, and nothing more. The skill is to locate the right part of the passage, then trim it.
This lesson is part of modern-text comprehension in SPM Bahasa Cina.
What are the three steps?
- Locate. Find the sentence that answers the question.
- Trim. Keep only the clause that answers it.
- Check. Does the answer cover every part of the question, with no extras?
Read the question word first. 为什么 needs a reason, and 什么时候 needs a time. The glossary lists common question words and what each asks for.
Worked example with an original passage
Read this original passage.
周六早上，阿美本来打算去图书馆，可是妈妈忽然病了，需要人照顾。阿美放下书包，煮了一碗粥端到妈妈床边，又到药房买了退烧药。直到傍晚，妈妈的烧才退。
Question: 阿美为什么没有去图书馆？
A copied answer: 阿美本来打算去图书馆，可是妈妈忽然病了，需要人照顾。阿美放下书包，煮了一碗粥端到妈妈床边。
The answer includes the cooking, which is not part of the reason. It also repeats the plan the question already mentions.
A concise answer: 因为妈妈忽然病了，需要人照顾。
The answer uses only the reason clause, in the shape 因为…. Nothing else is added.
More questions on the same passage
Question: 阿美为妈妈做了哪两件事？
Answer: 她煮了一碗粥，又去药房买了退烧药。
The question asks for two things, so two actions are given and the rest of the passage is left out.
Question: 妈妈的烧什么时候才退？
Answer: 直到傍晚。
The question asks for a time, so a short phrase is enough.
What goes wrong most often
Many students copy from the first relevant word to the end of the sentence. The answer starts well but picks up extra clauses.
The correct approach is to find the exact clause that answers the question, then stop. If a clause starts with 可是 or 结果, check that it belongs to your answer.
A trimming checklist
- Does my answer start with the clause that answers the question?
- Have I removed words that repeat the question?
- Have I included every item the question asks for?
- Does the answer read as a complete sentence?
Check yourself
Read this original passage.
社区图书馆每周三晚上七点开放给学生自习，入场不收费，但需要提前在柜台登记。上个月，一共有四十多名学生参加。
Question: 学生想在周三晚上使用图书馆，需要做什么？
Answer
Concise answer: 需要提前在柜台登记。
The question asks what a student must do. The registration requirement is the only action. Information about opening time, no fee and the number of students is true, but it does not answer this question, so it is left out.
What to study next
Move on to the modern-text comprehension practice set, and read supporting an inference with text evidence for questions that need more than a located fact. Log each over-long answer in the mistake log and paper-error review.
To have a teacher read your written Chinese answers, see online one-to-one Chinese tuition.