Pernah nggak sih kamu diminta bercerita tentang liburan ke pantai, lalu gurumu bilang “ceritakan pakai bahasa Inggris”? Nah, di situasi itulah materi recount text mulai masuk. Teks jenis ini memang sering muncul di kelas 8, karena jadi jembatan antara kemampuan bercerita dan tata bahasa yang sudah dipelajari sebelumnya.
Masalahnya, banyak siswa merasa recount text itu gampang-gampang susah. Strukturnya kelihatan sederhana, tapi begitu disuruh menulis atau menjawab soal, sering bingung menentukan bagian mana yang termasuk orientation, events, atau reorientation. Belum lagi urusan past tense yang harus konsisten dari awal sampai akhir.
Supaya pemahamanmu makin kuat, coba kerjakan latihan berikut dulu. Jangan langsung lihat kunci jawaban, ya. Baca teksnya dengan santai, bayangkan kejadiannya seperti film pendek di kepalamu.
Read the text below carefully.
Last holiday, my family and I went to my grandmother’s house in Yogyakarta. We left Jakarta at five in the morning and arrived there around two in the afternoon. The trip took longer than usual because the traffic was quite heavy.
As soon as we arrived, my grandmother welcomed us with warm gudeg and fresh es teh. I was starving, so I ate two plates without saying much. After that, my father took a nap, while my mother helped grandmother in the kitchen.
On the second day, we visited Malioboro. I bought some keychains for my friends and a batik shirt for myself. The street was crowded, but I enjoyed every minute of it. We also tried wedang ronde near the sidewalk. It was sweet and warm, perfect for the chilly evening.
We stayed there for four days. On the last day, my grandmother hugged me tightly and told me to come back soon. I promised her I would. It was a simple holiday, but it left a big impression on me.
A. Choose the correct answer.
-
What is the text mostly about?
a. The writer’s daily routine
b. The writer’s holiday to grandmother’s house
c. How to make gudeg
d. The history of Malioboro -
What did the writer eat when they arrived?
a. Batik shirt
b. Wedang ronde
c. Gudeg
d. Keychains -
Why did the trip take longer than usual?
a. The car broke down
b. The traffic was heavy
c. They left at night
d. They got lost -
The word “starving” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to…
a. Very full
b. Very sleepy
c. Very hungry
d. Very angry -
What did the writer buy at Malioboro?
a. Gudeg and es teh
b. Keychains and a batik shirt
c. A car and a shirt
d. Wedang ronde only -
How long did the family stay in Yogyakarta?
a. Two days
b. Three days
c. Four days
d. Five days -
The purpose of the text is to…
a. Describe a place
b. Tell past experiences
c. Explain how something works
d. Persuade readers to visit Yogyakarta -
The last paragraph is called…
a. Orientation
b. Events
c. Reorientation
d. Complication
B. Answer the questions briefly.
-
Who welcomed the writer’s family when they arrived?
-
What did the writer’s mother do after lunch?
-
Mention two activities the writer did at Malioboro.
-
What did the grandmother say before the family left?
C. Arrange these sentences into a good recount text.
-
Finally, we went home with tired but happy faces.
-
Last week, my class went to the museum.
-
We saw many old statues and traditional tools.
-
In the afternoon, we had lunch together in the park.
-
The trip started at eight in the morning.
Kunci Jawaban
Bagian A
-
b
-
c
-
b
-
c
-
b
-
c
-
b
-
c
Bagiian B
-
The writer’s grandmother.
-
She helped grandmother in the kitchen.
-
Buying keychains, buying a batik shirt, trying wedang ronde (pilih dua).
-
She told the writer to come back soon.
Bagian C
Last week, my class went to the museum. The trip started at eight in the morning. We saw many old statues and traditional tools. In the afternoon, we had lunch together in the park. Finally, we went home with tired but happy faces.
Tips Mengerjakan Soal Recount Text
Kalau kamu sering keliru saat menjawab soal seperti di atas, ada beberapa kebiasaan kecil yang bisa membantu. Pertama, selalu cari kata kerja bentuk kedua (went, bought, ate, arrived). Kehadiran kata-kata itu jadi tanda kuat kalau teks tersebut recount, bukan deskriptif atau prosedur.
Kedua, perhatikan urutan waktu. Recount text hampir selalu bergerak dari masa lalu ke masa lalu, dengan penanda seperti last holiday, on the second day, after that, dan finally. Penanda ini sering dipakai pembuat soal untuk menanyakan urutan kejadian.
Ketiga, jangan panik saat menemukan kata yang belum dikenal. Biasanya konteks kalimat sudah cukup untuk menebak artinya. Misalnya kata starving di teks tadi, kalau kamu baca kelanjutannya “I ate two plates”, otomatis kamu tahu artinya lapar, bukan kenyang.
Terakhir, biasakan membaca pertanyaan lebih dulu sebelum membaca teks panjang. Dengan begitu, matamu sudah terarah pada informasi yang dicari, jadi waktu mengerjakan lebih efisien.
Kalau kamu ingin lebih mahir, coba tulis pengalamanmu sendiri dalam bahasa Inggris. Mulai dari hal sederhana seperti pergi ke warung, bertemu teman lama, atau ketinggalan bus. Semakin sering dipakai, semakin natural rasanya. Recount text bukan sekadar materi ujian, tapi keterampilan bercerita yang berguna seumur hidup.
