Reading

Choose the main subject

Seemile Easy TOPIK I · reading · pp. 86–89

Understand the task

Short topic passages often list specific examples, while the answer options name broader categories. Think of the relationship between apples and fruit: the paragraph does not have to use the word 과일 for it to be about fruit. Find the category shared by all the examples and reject categories supported by only one incidental word.

Group the concrete examples under one shared category. Look for the word that covers all of them.

How to solve this question type

Circle the content words in both sentences and identify what they have in common.
Replace specific examples with one category word: mother and younger brother become 가족; spring and winter become 계절.
Check that the category is neither unrelated nor so specific that it leaves out part of the passage.

Grammar and expressions

N입니다 / 입니까?

Use a noun as a formal statement or question. The same form follows a consonant or vowel.

저는 학생입니다.

I am a student.

A/V-습니다 / ㅂ니다

Remove 다 and choose the formal ending from the stem. 읽다 becomes 읽습니다; 가다 becomes 갑니다.

봄에는 꽃이 핍니다.

Flowers bloom in spring.

Vocabulary for this type

가족: family
계절: season
날씨: weather
직업: occupation
교통: transport
나이: age

A worked example

봄에는 따뜻합니다. 여름에는 덥습니다. → 계절

It is warm in spring. It is hot in summer. → Seasons.

봄 and 여름 are both seasons.
The temperature words describe them, but the repeated structure organizes the passage around seasons.
Use all the evidence and the available options when choosing between a wider category and a narrower detail.

Try it yourself

Practice 1

저는 사과를 좋아합니다. 바나나도 자주 먹습니다.

I like apples. I also eat bananas often.

What is the subject?

운동
과일
장소
계절

Answer and explanation

2. 과일

사과 and 바나나 are both kinds of 과일.

The passage mentions foods, not sports.
Apples and bananas are both fruits; 과일 covers both examples.
No category of locations is discussed.
No spring, summer, autumn or winter is mentioned.

Review your reasoning

Option 1: The passage mentions foods, not sports.
Option 2: Apples and bananas are both fruits; 과일 covers both examples.
Option 3: No category of locations is discussed.
Option 4: No spring, summer, autumn or winter is mentioned.

Try the question again with the explanation closed. Identify the exact phrase that supports the answer, then explain which detail makes each other option unsuitable.