Unit 2.2: Tackling Case-Based Factual Passages

Factual passages present objective information, data, or descriptions without opinions. They often include visuals like graphs, charts, or tables. Key characteristics are impartiality, informative content, data-driven nature, logical structure, and reliance on evidence. These visuals are integral, not just decorative, and help describe cases, explain processes, or present research findings.
- Detailed Explanation: This segment defines factual passages and highlights their core difference from discursive ones: they stick to facts and avoid opinions. It then emphasizes the crucial role of integrated visuals, explaining that these aren't merely illustrations but essential components that provide data and complete the information presented. Understanding these characteristics helps you approach such passages with the right mindset for data interpretation.
- Real-Life Example or Analogy: Think of a scientific report, a product manual, or a government census report. These are factual. If a report includes a chart showing population growth or a diagram of how a machine works, that's a factual passage with visual input.

To analyze visuals efficiently, first read the title or caption. Identify all labels and legends on axes or columns. Note the units of measurement carefully. Look for overall trends like increases or decreases. Compare different data points and identify any anomalies or outliers. Remember, the visual and the text work together, so always integrate them.
- Detailed Explanation: This chunk provides a systematic, step-by-step approach to decoding visual information. It stresses starting with the basics like titles and labels, then moving to broader trends, and finally to specific comparisons and unusual data points. The emphasis on noting units of measurement is critical to avoid misinterpretation. The core message is that visuals are an extension of the text and must be understood in context.
- Real-Life Example or Analogy: Imagine you're looking at a weather forecast chart. You first check the title ("Temperature Forecast"). You identify the days on the X-axis and temperature on the Y-axis (labels). You see the unit is degrees Celsius. You notice an overall warming trend for the week. You compare Tuesday's temperature to Wednesday's. If Friday is unusually hot, that's an anomaly.

Extracting specific information means finding facts, numbers, or statements directly stated in the passage or clearly shown in the visual. The answer is explicit. To do this, pinpoint keywords from the question, scan both the text and visuals for those keywords, and then carefully locate and verify the exact information. Avoid adding any personal interpretation.
- Detailed Explanation: This segment explains the skill of direct retrieval. It's about finding information that is literally present in the text or clearly depicted in a visual without needing any deduction. The process is like using a "search and find" method: identify what you're looking for (keywords), quickly search for it, and then confirm it's the exact answer. Accuracy and avoiding assumptions are key.
- Real-Life Example or Analogy: If a recipe says, "Add 2 cups of flour," and a question asks "How much flour is needed?", your answer is simply "2 cups." You're not interpreting or guessing; you're just extracting the direct fact.

Inferring means drawing a reasonable conclusion from the evidence in the passage and visuals, even if it's not explicitly stated. It's "reading between the lines." To do this, gather all relevant facts from both text and visuals, look for relationships like cause/effect or comparisons, formulate a logical conclusion, and always test it to ensure it's only supported by the provided material, not outside knowledge.
- Detailed Explanation: This chunk delves into the more complex skill of inference. It's not about guessing, but about making a logical leap based only on the given information. It requires connecting dots from different parts of the text and visuals to deduce an unstated conclusion. The critical "test" is to ensure your inference doesn't rely on anything outside the passage itself.
- Real-Life Example or Analogy: If your friend comes in soaking wet, and it's raining outside, you can infer they got wet from the rain, even if they don't explicitly say, "I got wet from the rain." You're combining observations to draw a conclusion.