Reading 46–47 The Writer's Attitude and Content Matching

Reading · Hardest

Level 3: just guess.

Items 46–47 use an editorial- or column-style passage on a social issue to ask about the writer's attitude (item 46) and whether the content matches (item 47). Unlike an informational text, you need to work out what stance the writer takes toward the phenomenon — are they worried, hopeful, critical, wary? Attitude items are hard because the writer never states a position outright, using a restrained tone instead. Sentences often hedge, like '거부하자는 말이 아니다' ('this isn't a call to reject it'), while still carrying a clear undercurrent of worry. Attitude vocabulary also overlaps in nuance — '비판적이다', '경계하다', '회의적이다', '우려하다' — so you need to tell them apart precisely. As with earlier types, the content-match item (47) is solved by checking the passage against the options fact by fact, but the passage itself carries abstract claims, which makes pinning down the facts relatively tricky. In particular, wrong options often blend what the writer concedes (e.g., the usefulness of technology) with what the writer worries about (e.g., the decline of judgment), so read while sorting which sentence is the writer's 'concession' and which is the writer's 'worry'. If you're short on time, a realistic strategy is to solve item 47 (content match) first to lock it down, and approach item 46 (attitude) by guesswork.

The Writer's Attitude and Content Matching

• 비판적이다 — An attitude that points out flaws in the subject and evaluates it negatively.
• 객관적이다 — An attitude that sets aside personal feelings and judges based on facts.
• 우려하다 — To worry that something bad may happen in the future.
• 경계하다 — To be cautious and watchful about something that could become a problem.
• 옹호하다 — To support and side with a position or claim.
• 냉소적이다 — A cold attitude that dismisses or seems to mock something.
• 강경하다 — Firm and unyielding, refusing to back down from one's claim.
• 완곡하다 — To express something gently and indirectly rather than stating it outright.
• 촉구하다 — To strongly demand that something be done promptly.
• 미온적이다 — An attitude that is lukewarm and not proactive.
• 무관심하다 — To have no interest or concern in something.
• 유보적이다 — An attitude that puts off a decision rather than settling it firmly.

• A sentence that hedges gently yet still carries a clear position ('~하자는 말이 아니다' — 'this isn't a call to...')
• A structure where what the writer concedes and what the writer worries about appear together
• Nuance differences among attitude vocabulary (비판적이다 · 경계하다 · 회의적이다)

• First pin down the phenomenon the writer discusses and their basic stance toward it (positive/negative/neutral).
• Read while distinguishing what the writer concedes from what the writer worries about.
• Compare the nuances of attitude vocabulary and choose the one closest to the overall tone of the passage.
• For the content-match item, check the passage against the options fact by fact.

• Reading only the part the writer concedes and mistaking the overall attitude as positive.
• Failing to distinguish the difference in intensity between attitude words (worry vs. criticism).

If you're short on time, solving the content-match item (47) first to secure it and guessing on the attitude item (46) is a realistic choice.