Reading Comprehension and Interpretation of Texts
What this domain asks of you
Reading comprehension tests whether you can reconstruct what a text says, what it implies and how it works. You need to understand main idea versus supporting detail, explicit versus implicit meaning, inference, tone and attitude, purpose and audience, text organisation (cause and effect, comparison, chronology, problem and solution) and register (formal, informal, persuasive, neutral).
Method that works under exam pressure
Read the questions first, then the passage, then answer with a finger on the line. For each answer, find the words in the text that justify it and underline them. If you cannot point to evidence, your answer is probably a guess.
Traps examiners build in
- True but not answering the question. An option repeats a fact from the passage but does not answer the question asked.
- Extreme wording. Options with always, never, all, only, proves usually overstate a cautious text.
- Half-right options. The first half matches the text; the second half adds something the text never says.
- Personal opinion. Your own view is irrelevant; the answer must come from the text.
- Confusing inference with invention. A valid inference is tightly supported; it is not a creative leap.
Worked example
Text: “Although the council approved the budget, several members noted that the repairs could not begin until the rainy season ended.” Question: What does the text suggest about the repairs? A. The council rejected the budget. B. Repairs will start immediately. C. Weather will delay the work. D. Members opposed the repairs. A is false (the budget was approved), B contradicts the text, D overstates noted. C is the inference: the rainy season delays the start. Notice that C is cautious, not extreme - a useful signal.
Rule of thumb
Ask: Which option could I defend by reading a sentence aloud from the passage? Choose that one.