Connect related ideas across a text
Follow how examples, reasons and contrasts relate, then use those links to answer short-answer and matching questions.
Section R3 · Show connections between ideas, opinions and attitudes
Exam scope and assessment notes
This original online sequence is a starter, not the complete approximately 130 guided learning hours or a Cambridge coursebook. Chinese-language examples, scripts, character forms, register and pronunciation guidance need review by a qualified Mandarin teacher before publication. Browser speech synthesis is not Cambridge audio and may not provide exam-quality Mandarin; it cannot reproduce the invigilator-controlled recordings. StudyForA practice and speaking self-review do not award Cambridge marks. The centre must conduct, assess, record and submit the Component 3 Speaking test for external moderation. Full-length timed papers, official examiner marking and a complete reviewed vocabulary-in-context progression remain outstanding.
Before you begin
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
Which approach best supports this Mandarin task?
What you will learn
- R3: show understanding of connections between ideas, opinions and attitudes.
- Track cause, contrast, example and consequence markers.
- Match a statement to the whole paragraph rather than one repeated word.
Follow the relationship
Paper 1 Exercise 3 presents several short paragraphs and statements to match. First identify the statement's meaning, then search for a paragraph with the same idea even if the wording differs.
Connectors such as «因为» (because), «但是» (however), «所以» (so) and «例如» (for example) show how a point develops. Do not treat an example as the writer's whole argument.
Use more than a keyword
A repeated noun can appear in several paragraphs. Check who is acting, what is claimed and whether a connector changes the meaning.
A correct match should fit the paragraph's central point and its qualifiers. Reject an option that copies a keyword but reverses the relationship.
Sources for this lesson
Pause and explain
What is a useful check for a multiple-match answer?
Worked example
Paragraph: «学校增加了自行车架，因此更多学生可以把车停在校内；不过，雨天仍需要遮雨处.» Match it to ‘better access, with one remaining need’. Why?
Show the worked solution
- Identify the result after «因此».
- Notice the qualification after «不过».
- Check both parts of the proposed statement.
Answer The paragraph supports the match: extra racks make parking available to more students, while rainy-day shelter is still needed.
Try a topic test
Choose Easy, Normal or Difficult. Save your answers and open worked review after finishing.
Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
Read «虽然活动很短，但是每个人都提出了一个解决办法». What relationship links the two clauses?
Give me a hint
Look for the contrast marker.
Compare my reasoning
- Read the clause before «但是».
- Read the clause after it.
- Explain how the second changes expectations.
The activity was short, yet each person proposed a solution. «但是» signals a contrast between limited time and useful participation.
Look for these in your work
- Uses both clauses
- Explains the contrast
- Does not confuse duration with outcome
Three notes say: A, the garden saves water; B, it gives science classes a place to observe plants; C, it needs volunteers in school holidays. Match ‘a learning use’ and ‘a maintenance condition’.
Give me a hint
Match each statement to the purpose of the note, not to the word garden.
Compare my reasoning
- Identify what students do in note B.
- Identify the holiday requirement in note C.
- Keep the benefit and condition distinct.
Learning use: B, because classes observe plants. Maintenance condition: C, because volunteers are needed during holidays.
Look for these in your work
- Matches the learning point
- Matches the staffing condition
- Does not confuse note A with these claims
A paragraph says a community bus reduced walking for some older residents, but only after a timetable change made the route easier to use. Explain the cause-and-effect link and its limit.
Give me a hint
Keep the timetable change, bus use and group qualification.
Compare my reasoning
- Find the condition that changed first.
- State the reported result.
- Retain the phrase ‘some older residents’.
The timetable change made the route easier to use, and the text reports less walking for some older residents. It does not establish the same effect for every resident.
Look for these in your work
- Orders the causes and result
- Keeps the group scope
- Avoids overgeneralising
Common mistakes
- Matching on one shared word
- Missing a contrast marker
- Treating a reason as an outcome
What can you explain now?
What is a useful check for a multiple-match answer?
Compare with the explanation
The whole paragraph supports the statement, including its connection and qualification
A keyword alone can create a false match.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
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Make it stick
Before leaving connect related ideas across a text, explain one strategy from memory and identify a detail you still need to practise.
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.