Sentence Comprehension: Getting the Meaning of a Single Sentence
What this domain tests
Sentence comprehension asks you to read one sentence and identify what it actually says - who did what, to whom, when, and how. You are not asked to agree or disagree; you are asked to restate the meaning accurately. The core concepts are subject and action (who or what the sentence is about, and what happens), modifiers (words that limit or describe), negation and scope (what exactly is being denied), and pronoun reference (which noun a pronoun points back to).
Traps to watch for
- Reversed roles. A sentence like "The reviewer praised the author" is easily flipped in the answer choices to "the author praised the reviewer." Track the verb carefully.
- Partial truth. An answer that repeats half the sentence but adds or drops a detail (a time, a number, a condition) is wrong even though it sounds familiar.
- Negation. "Not all students passed" does not mean "no students passed." Watch for not, never, hardly, except.
- Extreme wording. Choices with always, only, every, never usually overstate a sentence that used some, often, or many.
- Pronoun drift. In "Marta told Lena that she had won," decide from context which woman she refers to; the correct answer will not force an unclear reading.
Rule of thumb
Before looking at the choices, say the sentence in your own simple words: Who? Did what? To what? When? Then match that paraphrase. If a choice contains information the sentence never states, eliminate it even if it is true in real life.
Worked example
"Although the museum closes at five, the gift shop stays open until seven on Fridays." Ask: what is the main point? The gift shop has later Friday hours than the museum. A choice saying "the museum is open until seven on Fridays" reverses the facts; a choice saying "the gift shop is closed on Fridays" contradicts them; the correct answer keeps the contrast - the shop outlasts the museum on that day.