PSLE English Learning Guide · Guide 53 · Comprehension workshop
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“The class moved the display to the library because the corridor had become crowded. This reduced the number of pupils gathering outside the classroom.”
What does this refer to?
A careless answer might be the library because it is the nearest noun.
But a place cannot directly reduce crowding by itself.
The better referent is the action or situation: moving the display to the library.
Reference words such as this, that, these, those, such, former and latter help writers avoid repeating whole ideas. The reader has to reconstruct what the shorter expression points back to.
The 2026 PSLE English Language syllabus states that Paper 2 assesses understanding of written and multimodal texts at literal, inferential and evaluative levels. This guide owns one narrow job: rebuild the exact word, phrase, event or idea a reference expression points to, then check that the reconstructed sentence still makes sense.
Choose the reference-word difficulty you actually have
If you always choose the nearest noun, begin with nearest-noun trap. If this seems to refer to a whole sentence, use idea reference. If these and those are confusing, use plural reference. If such feels vague, use such. If former/latter create errors, use former and latter. If two candidates remain possible, use substitution test.
Nearest-noun trap · Idea reference · Plural reference · Such · Former/latter · Substitution · Main passage · Independent practice
The nearest noun is only a candidate
Sentence:
“Mira moved the stools away from the entrance because visitors kept tripping over them. This made the doorway safer.”
Nearest noun before this: visitors.
But “visitors made the doorway safer” is not the intended relationship.
Likely referent: moving the stools away from the entrance.
The first rule is therefore:
Do not answer by distance alone. Answer by meaning.
Use the substitution test
Replace the reference word with the suspected referent.
Original:
“The organisers added a second sign. This reduced confusion.”
Substitution:
“Adding a second sign reduced confusion.”
Meaning holds.
Weak substitution:
“The organisers reduced confusion.”
This is not impossible, but it is broader than the sentence’s specific causal relationship.
The more exact referent is the action.
Sometimes a reference word points to one noun phrase
“The school bought three new portable fans. These were placed in the hall.”
These refers to the three new portable fans.
The number and grammar match:
these → plural objects.
Do not answer “the hall” simply because it appears later in the sentence.
Sometimes “this” points to an event or whole idea
“The trial lasted only two days. This made it difficult to know whether the improvement would continue.”
This refers to the situation that the trial lasted only two days.
A complete answer can therefore be:
the short two-day duration of the trial.
Notice how the noun phrase compresses a whole clause.
An action can be the referent even when no action noun appears
“The librarian shifted the return trolley closer to the entrance. This allowed pupils to return books without joining the borrowing queue.”
Referent:
shifting the return trolley closer to the entrance.
Do not force the answer into a single noun if the text points to an action.
A reference can point to a result
“Only six pupils attended the first trial session. This surprised the organisers because more than twenty had registered.”
This refers to:
the fact that only six pupils attended the first trial session.
Not simply “the first trial session”.
The surprising element is the low attendance.
A reference can point to a reason or explanation
“The west staircase was closed because a handrail had become loose. For this reason, pupils were directed to the east staircase.”
this reason refers to:
the loose handrail / the west staircase being closed because of the loose handrail.
Choose wording that matches the exact question.
If asked “What reason?”, name the cause. If asked “What does this refer to?”, the full earlier situation may be safer.
“These” and “those” often point to a set
“Participants must bring a pencil, ruler and eraser. These will be used during the drawing task.”
These refers to all three listed items.
Do not choose only the last noun, eraser.
Plural demonstratives often collect a list.
Plural reference can also collect several actions
“The class moved the tables, opened both side doors and placed arrows along the corridor. These changes reduced congestion.”
These changes refers to all three modifications.
One change may have contributed more than another, but the phrase groups them.
“Those” may refer to a selected group
“Some pupils had already submitted the form, while others had not. Those who had submitted it were given a confirmation card.”
Those refers to:
the pupils who had already submitted the form.
The relative clause who had submitted it narrows the group.
“Such” points back to a type, quality or situation
“The organisers received several incomplete registration forms. Such forms had to be returned for correction.”
Such forms means:
forms of that kind — incomplete registration forms.
It does not refer to every form.
“Such behaviour” collects a previously described action pattern
“A few visitors ignored the queue barriers and entered through the exit lane. Such behaviour made it difficult for volunteers to manage the crowd.”
Such behaviour refers to:
ignoring the queue barriers and entering through the exit lane.
It is not enough to answer “visitors”.
“The same” requires comparison with an earlier item or condition
“The first group met in Room 3. The second group used the same room after lunch.”
the same room = Room 3.
But:
“The second group followed the same procedure.”
Now the referent is not a place. It is the earlier process.
The noun after same tells you what category to reconstruct.
Former and latter need an ordered pair
“The class considered the library and the activity room. The former was quieter, while the latter had more space.”
former = first item = library.
latter = second item = activity room.
Do not decide based on which option you personally prefer.
These words are positional references.
Do not force former/latter onto a list of three
If the writer lists:
library, hall and canteen
then uses the latter, the intended reference would normally require careful context because latter is most straightforward with two contrasted items.
In a school passage, use the local structure exactly as written. Do not invent a mechanical “last item in any list” rule without checking how the sentence is built.
“Respectively” maps items in order
“Mira and Ben received the red and blue cards respectively.”
Mapping:
Mira → red.
Ben → blue.
The order of the first pair maps to the order of the second pair.
This is another form of reference control.
“One…another” creates separate members of a set
“One sign pointed to the hall, while another directed visitors to the library.”
another means a different sign from the first.
Do not merge both directions into one sign unless the passage supports that.
“Previous” and “following” depend on sequence
“The first trial took place on Monday. In the following session, more chairs were added.”
following session = the next session after Monday’s trial.
“The previous arrangement used only one entrance.”
previous arrangement = the arrangement before the current one.
Track state and sequence.
Reference can form a chain across sentences
“The class tested a new collection shelf. It was placed outside the library. This made book donations easier before school.”
It = new collection shelf.
This = placing the collection shelf outside the library / the new arrangement.
The two reference words do not point to exactly the same grammatical unit.
A chain can move from object → action/result.
Reference questions are wider than pronouns
Guide 2 focuses on pronouns such as he, she, it, they.
This workshop adds:
- demonstratives: this, that, these, those;
- summary phrases: this change, such behaviour, the same process;
- ordered references: former, latter, respectively;
- sequence references: previous, following;
- whole-idea reference.
The common method is still reconstruction.
Read what the question asks you to reconstruct
Question:
“What does ‘this’ in line 12 refer to?”
Answer with the referent.
Question:
“What was the effect of this change?”
Now you need the result, not the referent.
Question:
“Why was this necessary?”
Now you need the reason.
The same phrase can appear in three different question jobs.
Give enough of the referent to remove ambiguity
Passage:
“The organisers moved the sign from the wall to the entrance. This made it easier to see.”
Weak answer:
“the sign.”
Better:
“moving the sign from the wall to the entrance.”
The second identifies the action that produced the result.
Do not copy the whole paragraph if one idea is enough
Reference question asks what this refers to.
If the referent is “extending the trial for another week”, you do not need to copy the later explanation of why the organisers did so unless the question asks for the reason.
Answer the reference, not everything nearby.
Main original passage: The Trial Entrance
This passage and all questions are original eduKate teaching material.
The school library tested a second entrance during the reading drive. The original entrance opened into a narrow corridor, and visitors often stopped there to ask where donations should be placed. This caused the queue to block pupils who were trying to return ordinary library books.
For the trial, staff opened a side door beside the activity room and placed a large “Book Donations” sign outside it. They also moved the ordinary return trolley closer to the main entrance. These changes separated the two groups of users.
During the first morning, volunteers noticed that several visitors still walked towards the old donation point. Such visitors had usually followed the first sign they saw near the school foyer. The school therefore added two blue arrows leading to the side door.
By the third day, fewer visitors joined the wrong queue. This encouraged the librarians to continue the arrangement for the rest of the week. The trial was still short, however, so they did not treat the improvement as final proof that the new entrance would work equally well during every event.
Reference questions
- What does “This” in “This caused the queue…” refer to?
- What do “These changes” refer to?
- Who are “Such visitors”?
- What does “This” in “This encouraged the librarians…” refer to?
- What does “the arrangement” refer to in the final paragraph?
Worked answers
1. Visitors stopping at the original entrance to ask where donations should be placed / the resulting congestion at that entrance. The exact acceptable wording depends on the sentence focus, but “the original entrance” alone is too narrow.
2. Opening the side door for donations, putting a large donation sign there, and moving the ordinary return trolley closer to the main entrance.
3. Visitors who still walked towards the old donation point.
4. The reduction in visitors joining the wrong queue by the third day.
5. The trial system using the side door for book donations while ordinary library returns used the main entrance area.
Answer audit
For each answer ask:
Can I substitute this referent into the sentence?
Does the grammar still make sense?
Does the cause/result relationship still make sense?
Have I chosen the whole idea or only one nearby noun?
Twelve reference micro-items
- “Mira closed the window. This reduced the noise.” What is this?
- “The class bought rulers and compasses. These were stored in a box.” What are these?
- “Several forms lacked signatures. Such forms were returned.” What are such forms?
- “The library and hall were considered. The former was quieter.” What is the former?
- “The library and hall were considered. The latter had more seats.” What is the latter?
- “Aisha and Ben received red and blue cards respectively.” Which card did Ben receive?
- “The old sign was removed. The following notice gave the new venue.” What does following indicate?
- “The trial lasted one day. This made the result uncertain.” What is this?
- “Three chairs were moved away from the doorway. This created more space.” What is this?
- “Some pupils had registered. Those pupils entered first.” Who are those pupils?
- “The first route was shorter. The second followed the same path until the bridge.” What is same path?
- “One volunteer checked names. Another gave out cards.” What does another tell us?
Micro-item answers
1. Closing the window.
2. The rulers and compasses.
3. Forms without signatures.
4. The library.
5. The hall.
6. Blue card.
7. The notice that came next after the old sign was removed.
8. The fact that the trial lasted only one day.
9. Moving the three chairs away from the doorway.
10. Pupils who had registered.
11. The path used by the first route up to the bridge.
12. A different volunteer from the first.
What if more than one referent seems possible?
Use three tests:
Grammar test: singular/plural and noun/action fit.
Meaning test: does the reconstructed sentence make sense?
Relationship test: does it preserve the cause, contrast, sequence or result in the passage?
If ambiguity remains in a teacher-created practice item, note the ambiguity rather than pretending certainty. Good reading includes recognising when a source does not uniquely determine one answer.
Reference diagram method
Draw arrows:
new side door → it
opening side door + moving trolley → these changes
wrong-queue visitors → such visitors
fewer wrong-queue visitors → this
This makes visible that different reference expressions can point to objects, actions, groups or outcomes.
Independent original passage: The Refill Trial
The school placed two water refill stations beside the sports hall. Before that, pupils who forgot their bottles often bought disposable drinks from a vending machine. This created more plastic waste after large events.
During the trial, pupils could borrow reusable cups from a return tray. These had to be rinsed before they were placed back. Some pupils forgot to return the cups, however. Such cases were recorded by volunteers so the organisers could see whether the system was practical.
After one week, fewer disposable bottles were found in the bins near the hall. This was encouraging, but the trial had taken place during a week with only two after-school events. The organisers therefore extended the test. The latter decision allowed them to observe the system during a busier period.
Independent questions
- What does the first This refer to?
- What does These refer to?
- What are Such cases?
- What does the second This refer to?
- What does the latter decision refer to?
Independent answers
1. Pupils buying disposable drinks when they forgot bottles / the previous reliance on disposable drinks.
2. The reusable cups available for borrowing.
3. Cases in which pupils forgot to return the reusable cups.
4. Fewer disposable bottles being found in bins near the hall after one week.
5. Extending the trial/test.
Reference-word error ledger
Nearest noun chosen automatically. Substitute and check meaning.
Only one item from a list chosen for “these”. Check plural set.
Object chosen where action is required. Reconstruct full clause.
Former/latter reversed. Map first/second explicitly.
Such treated as all members. Recover the described type.
Answer copies too much. Give the smallest unambiguous referent.
Parent and tutor guide: ban the answer “the previous sentence”
Ask the learner to name the idea inside the previous sentence.
Do not accept:
“This refers to the sentence before.”
That describes location, not meaning.
Use the substitution test aloud.
Then vary the referent type: object, action, event, result, group, pair.
A learner who succeeds only with pronouns may still need practice with whole-idea reference.
The reference-word card
What kind of thing must this word refer to—object, action, event, result, group or ordered item? Which candidates appear before it? Which candidate makes the reconstructed sentence meaningful? Can I substitute the referent back into the sentence without changing the relationship?
Reference words are shortcuts. Comprehension means rebuilding the full route they shorten.
Continue through Batch 14
Next: Guide 54: Evidence Across Paragraphs. Then Guide 55: Multi-part Question Scope and Guide 56: Evaluative Judgement.
Return to the PSLE Learning Guide
Sources and boundaries
Official assessment reference: SEAB: PSLE formats examined in 2026 and the linked English Language 0001 syllabus. Paper 2 assesses comprehension at literal, inferential and evaluative levels.
Teaching boundary: All passages, examples, labels and answer discussions are original eduKate teaching material. The reference categories and substitution routine are teaching tools, not official marking categories.