Reading
What this domain tests
Reading items assess comprehension of short passages - gist, explicit detail, vocabulary in context, inference, and text organisation. The passages resemble classroom materials, notices, and short expository texts, so the reading load is modest but the distractors are precise.
Concepts to master
- Main idea vs. supporting detail: the main idea covers the whole passage, not one vivid sentence.
- Inference: conclusions the text strongly implies but does not state.
- Vocabulary in context: a familiar word may carry an unusual sense ("the current argument" = present, not water).
- Reference words: this, they, the former, such - always resolve them to the noun they replace.
- Text structure: cause–effect, comparison, sequence, and problem–solution organise where answers live.
- Author's purpose and tone: inform, persuade, instruct, or entertain.
Traps to expect
- True-but-not-answered: an option that is factually correct but does not answer the question asked.
- Overstatement: options with always, never, all, only when the text is qualified.
- Half-right options: correct on one clause, wrong on another.
- Detail-as-main-idea: a supporting fact offered as the passage's point.
Rule of thumb
Answer in the text first, in your own words, then match that meaning to an option - do not read the options first and let them steer you. For inference items, ask: which option must be true if the passage is true?
Worked example
Passage: "Although the library extended its hours, borrowing fell, suggesting students preferred online sources." Question: What does the passage suggest? An option saying "the library closed early" contradicts extended. An option saying "longer hours did not increase borrowing" is supported. The word suggesting signals inference, not certainty.