Reading
Core Concepts
Reading comprehension questions test your ability to understand explicit meaning, infer implicit meaning, and analyze how texts are structured. Key concepts include:
- Main idea and purpose: Identify the central point and why the text was written (to inform, persuade, entertain, or instruct).
- Supporting details: Locate facts, examples, or reasons that back up the main idea.
- Inference: Draw logical conclusions from evidence in the text without adding outside assumptions.
- Vocabulary in context: Determine the meaning of a word or phrase based on how it is used in the passage.
- Text structure: Recognize organizational patterns such as cause-effect, compare-contrast, problem-solution, and chronological order.
- Author’s tone and attitude: Detect the writer’s feelings or viewpoint through word choice and emphasis.
Common Traps
- Overgeneralization: Choosing an answer that is too broad or too narrow for the passage.
- Outside knowledge: Selecting an option that is true in real life but not supported by the text.
- Misreading scope: Confusing a detail with the main idea, or a supporting example with the author’s claim.
- Extreme wording: Options with words like always, never, or all are often incorrect unless the text explicitly says so.
- Similar-sounding words: Words that look or sound alike but have different meanings in context.
Worked Example
Passage: “Many cities are turning to green roofs-planting vegetation on top of buildings-to reduce energy costs. These roofs insulate buildings in winter and cool them in summer, cutting heating and cooling bills by up to 25 percent.”
Question: What is the main purpose of the passage?
Options: A) To argue that green roofs are too expensive. B) To explain a benefit of green roofs. C) To describe how to install a green roof. D) To compare green roofs with solar panels.
Analysis: The passage focuses on how green roofs reduce energy costs, which is a benefit. It does not argue cost, give installation steps, or compare with solar panels. The correct answer is B.
Rule of Thumb
Always base your answer on the text. If an option requires information not in the passage, it is likely wrong. For main idea questions, ask: “What is the one thing the author most wants me to know?”
Writing and Communication (in English)
Core Concepts
Writing and communication questions assess your ability to produce clear, grammatically correct, and well-organized text. Key concepts include:
- Sentence structure: Avoid fragments, run-ons, and comma splices. Ensure every sentence has a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought.
- Punctuation: Use commas, semicolons, colons, and apostrophes correctly. For example, use a semicolon to join two independent clauses without a conjunction.
- Subject-verb agreement: Make sure the verb agrees with its subject in number, even when words come between them.
- Pronoun reference: Ensure pronouns clearly refer to a specific noun and agree in number and gender.
- Verb tense consistency: Keep tenses consistent within a sentence or paragraph unless a shift is logically required.
- Word choice and clarity: Choose precise words, avoid redundancy, and maintain a formal, professional tone when appropriate.
- Organization: Use topic sentences, transitions, and logical paragraph structure.
Common Traps
- Comma splices: Joining two independent clauses with only a comma.
- Misplaced modifiers: Placing descriptive phrases too far from the word they modify.
- Faulty parallelism: Mixing grammatical forms in a list (e.g., “reading, writing, and to listen”).
- Its vs. it’s: “Its” is possessive; “it’s” means “it is.”
- Overly wordy options: The correct answer is often the most concise and clear version.
Worked Example
Question: Choose the best version of the sentence: “The report was written by the team, they submitted it on time.”
Options: A) The report was written by the team, they submitted it on time. B) The report was written by the team; they submitted it on time. C) The report was written by the team, and they submitted it on time. D) The report was written by the team they submitted it on time.
Analysis: The original sentence is a comma splice (two independent clauses joined by a comma). Option B correctly uses a semicolon. Option C is also grammatically correct but adds a conjunction; both B and C are acceptable, but B is more concise. Option D is a run-on. The best answer is B.
Rule of Thumb
When editing, read the sentence aloud. If you need to pause, check whether the pause requires a comma, semicolon, or period. For multiple-choice questions, eliminate options with clear grammatical errors first, then choose the most concise and clear remaining option.