Outline

I. Background on Reading Comprehension Examination

II. Discussion on how to approach the passage
III. Discussion on tips in answering reading comprehension questions
IV. Discussion on question types

Background
What is a Reading Comprehension Exam?
RC type of exams measure the ability of a student or an examinee to comprehend both
academic and non-academic text selections under a specified time period.
How RC Exams evaluate student aptitude?
Unlike most examinations, RC exams are designed to mainly attack on the vocabulary of
the student or examinee but rather test the following:
• How students organize and select information from source materials read under time
pressure
• Compare and contrast relevant from irrelevant information scattered around a text
• How students are able to relate their current knowledge from newly gained information
• How students are able to understand a series of texts with varying degrees of difficulty

Critical Literacy
Enriching Vocabulary
Although RC exams do not really reflect the overall knowledge of the examinee through
vocabulary, it is still well understood that vocabulary is required to comprehend texts
efficiently. Vocabulary is proven to enhance the speed of reading the texts, thus lowering the
time consumed on reading and increasing the time for answering the questions
Reading styles and types of texts
RC exams usually contain several text selections that have different degrees of knowledge
needed in order to be understood. These are some of the types commonly found in RC type of
examinations:
• Short passages VS Long passages
• Natural/Physical Sciences VS Abstract/Social Sciences
• Humanities and Creative Literature
• Informative and Argumentative Texts
 How to Approach the Passage
1. Take a quick yet concentrated read of the passage. Do not try to understand everything.
You simply cannot absorb all the information and it is a waste of precious time. When
reading, look for the following:
• Literary Type (e.g., persuasive argument, informative narrative)
• Argument Structure
• Main Ideas
• Supporting Ideas
• Mood (e.g., complementary, argumentative)
• Important Dates and Characters
2. Focus on the opening and closing paragraphs of longer passages. Many of the passages
you will encounter on the reading comprehension questions will be shorter, but one or
two will be longer. If you are running out of time, read the opening and closing paragraphs
and skim the middle. The first and last paragraphs contain the passage’s main idea in most
passages. You can go back and read body paragraphs more carefully as questions call for
it.
3. The bottom line is that you cannot absorb all the information you need to answer the
questions on your first-time through. Instead, you should read rather quickly, gathering
the main idea and learning where specific topics are discussed.
4. Save unfamiliar passages for last. Passages will cover a variety of subjects, from history to
science to literature. Like with any question type, do the questions that are easier first
and save the harder ones for last. Each question is worth the same amount, so you don’t
want to waste a big chunk of time on a passage with a few questions when you could
answer twice as many questions on easier passages. If science passages are confusing to
you, come back to that one after you’ve completed the rest. The great thing about the
GRE is that it lets you skip around within a section, so use this to your advantage.

Critical Reading
To Effectively use the time spent in reading the given texts in an RC exam, the examinee
must be able to read the texts critically. Below are some of the steps in critical reading:
• Determining the background. Includes determining what Main idea the text is trying
to convey. It also includes the What kind of text the examinee is reading.
• Determining the purpose. This refers to the reason to why the text was written who
is it intended for.
• In an RC exam, both these steps are helpful in locating the main idea of the text
• Identifying the nature. This refers to the nature of the text, if it is quantitative in
nature or not, if the text uses statistical information or just being descriptive, if the
text is trying to argue a point, or if the text has deeper influence such as a creative
work.
• In an RC exam, this is used to determine what kind of resource the examinee is about
to read and apply the proper understanding needed
 • Defining the Conclusion. If the text is trying to argue or prove a point, it is effective for
the examinee to determine and evaluate the conclusion of the whole text.
• In an RC exam, conclusions are not always present, it will be the task of the examinee
to locate and verify the conclusion being proven by the text

Techniques on Efficient Reading

Reading techniques vary from person to person. Here are some of techniques an
examinee can use on RC type of exams:
• Read the whole text and try to visualize the whole picture and main idea conveyed by
the text.
• This technique works on people who pick up ideas quickly. This can also be used when
the text presented on the exam is argumentative and requires the reader to visualize
the main point in the text.
• Read the questions first to get a better grasp of what you need to look for in the text.
Some information may be irrelevant to the questions presented by the RC exam.
• This technique works better on texts that are descriptive in nature, or texts that tell a
lot of information about a specific topic. This also works on types of texts that are
statistical in nature.
• Reading the whole text, and relating it with the question
• this technique works better on creative literature, or those that require the reader to
visualize the text on his/her own and create his/her own interpretation. This particular
type of texts need the examinee to have a deeper realization of the text since
perspective of the readers may vary easily.
• Creating an Inference from the ideas and information presented on the texts.

A Walkthrough on Reading Comprehension Examinations

• RC exams require the examinee to get a grasp of the text and answer related questions
in a time pressure.
• Reading and Answering questions may take time, so the examinee must evaluate on
which part he/she is having a difficulty from.
• Questions may vary from Literal, Interpretive, to Inferential, so the examinee must
always not just read the text presented but also the questions carefully, and provide
what is asked for
• Some RC exams relate the text to the current events when the exam was taken. The
examinee must be mindful of some of the relevant events happening outside the
examination room as well.
 Tips in Answering Questions
Reading comprehension is in one sense simple: read the material, comprehend it, and
answer the questions. However, it can seem difficult, complicated, and subjective. The following
techniques strengthened the performance of past test-takers and should prove helpful in
improving your performance on reading comprehension questions.
1. Identify Question Types
It is essential that you quickly identify the type of question you are being asked. This
enables you to enter the right mindset, attack the problem in the appropriate way, avoid
common wrong answers, and pinpoint the correct answer.
2. Find Evidence in the Text
The text is your ally in attacking reading comprehension questions. For most of question
types (except those that ask you to extrapolate from the passage or weaken an argument in the
passage), the answer to the question is in the text. It is essential that you find evidence for the
correct answer in the text (except for the aforementioned question types). You must be able to
justify your answer by pointing to specific words or sentences. Common incorrect answers seem
logical and appeal to common sense but are not rooted in the text.
3. Go back to the passage for Detail questions
Refer to your passage and the specific paragraph that contained the detail. Only delve
back into the passage if the answer choices are too narrow. It is often enough to help you
eliminate the four incorrect choices.
4. Use context to help you
If a question asks about a particular line, don’t go back in to the passage and read just
that line. A good rule of thumb is to read at least 2 sentences before and after the line in question.
This will give you an idea of where the point started and where the author is going with it.
5. Identify Parallel Answers
If you are unsure about what the correct answer is, look closely at the answer choices and
try to find parallel answer choices--that is, answer choices that say very similar things in different
ways. These parallel answers are almost certainly not correct so eliminate them and guess.
6. Do not bring in outside knowledge
Your own biases might actually hurt you when answering the questions, especially if it is
an opinion passage.
7. Inferences are based on Implications
As you read each paragraph, take notes not only on what is directly stated by the author,
but also on anything he implies by his use of certain words or phrases. Look for any descriptive
adjectives that will reveal the author’s opinion and trust your own impressions.
 8. Don’t make assumptions
Inferring and assuming are not the same thing. When you infer, you make an inference
based on the information in the passage. When you assume, you make an assumption that brings
in outside information or biases and is not based solely on the given passage. An assumption may
seem valid, but if you can’t back it up with statements from the passage, it’s probably best to
stay away from it.

Question Types
1. Main Idea
2. Supporting Idea
3. Inference
4. Tone & Style
5. Passage Structure
6. Application
7. Logical Reasoning
Although there is by no means a hard-and-fast rule about the difficulty of the questions
that fall into each category, questions in the main idea category tend to be easier while questions
in the inference and application categories tend to be more difficult. Questions about the
author's tone tend to appear less frequently than other questions.
1. Main Idea
Main idea questions ask you to identify the "primary purpose" or "main point" of the
passage. To answer these questions correctly, you must be able to identify the thesis of the
passage and those ideas that support this thesis. Test-writers attempt to confuse you with a few
answer choices that are supporting ideas.
Common Question Stems:
• Which of the following most accurately states the main idea of the passage?
• The primary purpose of the passage is to
• The passage is primarily concerned with which of the following?
• The author of this passage is primarily concerned with
• The main point made by the passage is that
How to Identify Correct Answer
Main point questions ask you to identify the crux of the author's point. You must
identify which ideas in the passage play a supporting role and which idea is being
supported. In many ways, this is like identifying the premises and conclusion to a critical
reasoning argument. The correct answer to a main point question is often a paraphrase
of the conclusion or thesis statement of the passage. Common incorrect answer choices
are those that feature supporting ideas. These answer choices are appealing to many test-
takers because the material presented in them is true and based upon the passage.
 2. Supporting Idea
Supporting idea questions are often prefaced by "according to the passage" or "the
passage states that". Most of the questions that fit into this category could be called "find the
fact" as they rely on your ability to find a specific piece of information, often contained in two or
three sentences.
These questions tend to be more difficult than main idea questions because they require
a more detailed recollection of the test. If necessary, you can return to the text and quickly re-
read a few sentences.
Unlike main idea questions which are more generic in their question stem, these
questions tend to incorporate an idea specific to the passage in the question stem.
Common Question Stems:
• According to the passage, a questionable assumption about x is that
• The passage states that x occurs because
• According to the passage, which of the following is true of x
• The passage mentions each of the following EXCEPT
• According to the passage, if x occurs then
How to Identify Correct Answer
In trying to identify the correct answer, it is extremely important that you stick
quite close to the text. The words "according to the passage" should be taken seriously.
Answers that seem logical but are not directly supported by the text should be avoided.
3. Inference
Inference questions are often prefaced by "the passage implies" or "the author implies",
where "suggests" is sometimes substituted.
In some ways, inference and supporting idea questions are similar. They both require you
to stick closely to the text and rely on specific facts. However, inference questions tend to go a
tad further and ask you to make a very small logical conclusion that is strongly implied based
upon information in the passage. Answer choices that require significant assumptions or
inferences will NEVER be correct. In inference questions, the answer lies directly in the text and
requires a very small logical step (e.g., if the text says that "all the cups in the room are red", an
inference would be that "there are no green cups in the room").
In other ways, inference and application questions are similar. They both require you to
draw a conclusion, albeit a very small one, based upon what the passage states explicitly.
However, the inference question type asks for an answer that is often a near paraphrase of a fact
in the passage or a fact that the information in the passage rules out (e.g., if a species of an animal
has existed for 1 million years, you can infer that the animal is not new to the earth). On the
contrary, the application question type asks you to use the information in the passage as
premises and draw a conclusion that is not directly addressed in the passage. In other words, the
answer to inference questions is a conclusion made in the passage while the answer to
application questions is a conclusion that is applied outside of the passage to an idea or action.
 Common Question Stems:
• The passage implies that which of the following was true of x
• It can be inferred from the passage that
• The passage suggests which of the following about x
• The author implies that x occurred because
• The author implies that all of the following statements about x are true EXCEPT
How to Identify Correct Answer
The correct answer to these questions is usually an obvious logical consequence
of a sentence in the text. The logical consequence will be extremely clear. The difficulty
in these questions resides in finding the specific sentence in the passage that provides the
premise for the conclusion in the correct answer. Stay away from answer choices that do
not directly and closely follow from a statement in the passage, even if this statement
seems plausible based upon the general idea of the passage or commonly accepted
knowledge.
4. Tone & Style
Tone questions ask you to identify the attitude or mood of a specific part of the passage
or of the entire passage. A common characteristic of this question type is answer choices that are
marked by one to three-word phrases containing adjectives. Tone questions test your ability to
recognize an attitude or disposition of the author, which is signaled by the use of a handful of
trigger words. Never base your guess about the author's tone on a single word--this is not enough
to define the tone of the entire passage.
Tone questions tend to be among the more infrequent question types.
Common Question Stems
• The attitude of the author of the passage toward x is best described as one of
• The tone of the author is best described as
The Tone is either Neutral or Strong/Complex. Look for the adjectives the author uses to
describe the topic, and the main topics of the individual paragraphs. What does he/she like or
dislike? Look for descriptive phrases to track the opinions and how they change or develop.
Does the author introduce other people’s opinions? In harder passages, the author will have
mixed feelings. He may feel overall positively towards the topic but have certain specific
reservations. It’s also possible the author is removed from the passage and takes on a more
neutral/scholarly tone. Don’t worry if the opinion is subtle – just select answer choices that
reflect that.
5. Passage Structure
Passage structure questions ask you to determine the relationship between different
parts of a passage. The key to this question type is understanding the relationship between each
idea and paragraph. You must be able to separate ideas that support a thesis from the thesis idea
itself. These questions are referred to by some as logical structure questions.
 Common Question Stems
• One function of the third paragraph of this passage is to
• The author uses the adjective x in line y to emphasize that
• The author refers to x in line y primarily to
• In the context of the passage, the word x (line y) most closely corresponds to which
of the following phrases?

6. Application
Application questions ask you to take information and conclusions in the passage and
extrapolate them to similar situations or ideas. The key to this question type is the ability to
identify the crux of an argument and see how it relates to a similar situation.
Common Question Tasks
• Mirroring: Select an action or idea not discussed in the text that most mirrors an
action or idea discussed in the text
• Predicting: Make a prediction based upon the information in the passage
Common Question Stems
• The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which of the
following?
• Which of the following statements would provide the most logical continuation of
the final paragraph?
• [an idea or action described in the passage] is most similar to which of the
following?
7. Logical Reasoning
Logical reasoning questions ask you to take information outside the passage and reason
about how it will influence a point or sentence in the passage. The most common questions in
this genre are those that ask which pieces of information will strengthen or weaken a point in the
passage.
In some ways, these questions are similar to application questions in that both require
you to understand the thesis of the passage (if one exists) and the relationship between ideas in
the passage. However, logical reasoning questions ask you to take outside information and apply
it to the ideas in the passage (commonly to strengthen or weaken a point in the passage).
However, application questions ask you to take the information in the passage and apply it to an
argument or action outside the passage.
In other ways, these questions are similar to passage structure questions in that both
require you to understand the relationship between different parts of the passage and both
require you to identify the thesis (if one exists). However, passage structure questions simply ask
you to identify the roles different sentences play in the overall passage while logical reasoning
questions ask you to take outside information and apply it to the ideas in the passage while
maintaining an awareness of what these outside ideas will do to the structure and thesis of the
passage.
Common Question Stems
• Which of the following, if true, would best support/weaken x [where x is an idea
or argument described in the passage]
• The author's conclusion concerning x would be most seriously undermined if