Read the following passage and complete the tasks that follow.

The habit of reading is quietly slipping away from the lives of many young people, and the reasons are not hard to find. A generation raised on glowing screens has grown used to information that arrives in seconds an

Question

Read the following passage and complete the tasks that follow.

The habit of reading is quietly slipping away from the lives of many young people, and the reasons are not hard to find. A generation raised on glowing screens has grown used to information that arrives in seconds and entertainment that demands nothing more than a swipe. Against the instant rewards of short videos and endless feeds, a book can seem slow, even dull. Yet what is being lost is far greater than a pastime.

Reading, and especially the reading of long and continuous texts, trains the mind in a way few other activities can. It builds the power of sustained attention — the ability to follow a single thread of thought for minutes or hours without being distracted. This 'deep attention' is precisely the capacity that a world of constant notifications is eroding. A reader also develops a larger vocabulary, a surer grasp of grammar and a feel for how ideas are organised, all of which strengthen a person's own writing and speech.

Beyond these practical gains, reading stories nurtures empathy. When we follow a character through fear, hope or loss, we briefly inhabit another person's mind and come to understand lives unlike our own. Studies suggest that regular readers of fiction are often better at sensing what others feel. In this sense a good novel is not an escape from the real world but a rehearsal for living in it.

Reviving the reading habit does not require grand resolutions. It begins with small, steady choices: keeping a book within reach, setting aside twenty unhurried minutes a day, and choosing subjects one genuinely enjoys rather than those one feels obliged to read. A library card costs nothing, and a single absorbing book can rekindle a lifelong pleasure. The screen will not disappear, but it need not crowd out the quiet, enduring rewards of the printed page.

Tasks:
(a) Make short notes on the passage with a suitable title, using headings, sub-headings, numbering and at least four recognised abbreviations. (5 marks)
(b) Using your notes, write a summary of the passage in about 80 words. (3 marks)

Accepted Answer

> [!TLDR]
> A discursive passage on the fading reading habit: its causes, its benefits for attention and vocabulary, its power to build empathy, and simple ways to revive it. Note-make each strand under a numbered heading, then summarise from the notes within the word limit.

**(a) Model notes (format as marked):**

```
Title: Why Reading Still Matters

1. Decline of reading
   1.1 young people read less
   1.2 screens give info in secs & instant fun
   1.3 books seem slow vs short videos/feeds
2. Trains the mind
   2.1 builds sustained/'deep' attention
   2.2 resists distraction from notifications
   2.3 grows vocab, grammar & sense of structure
   2.4 strengthens own writing & speech
3. Builds empathy
   3.1 readers enter a character's mind
   3.2 understand lives unlike their own
   3.3 fiction readers better at sensing others' feelings
4. Reviving the habit
   4.1 no grand resolutions needed
   4.2 keep a book near; 20 mins/day
   4.3 choose subjects one enjoys
   4.4 e.g. free library card

Key:
&      = and
secs   = seconds
vs     = versus
vocab  = vocabulary
mins   = minutes
e.g.   = for example
```

*(Marking: appropriate title 1 mark; four numbered headings with indented, numbered sub-points 3 marks; at least four recognised abbreviations with a key 1 mark.)*

**(b) Model summary (about 80 words):** …

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