Part B: Reading Comprehension - Multiple Choice Strategies
Part B presents a range of selections - informational, narrative, poetic, and sometimes visual or multimodal - each followed by multiple-choice questions. The questions test more than literal recall: expect main idea and theme, inference, author's purpose and tone, literary and rhetorical devices, vocabulary in context, text structure, and synthesis across or between texts.
What to know cold
Be able to distinguish tone (the speaker's attitude) from mood (the feeling created in the reader), and purpose (why the text was written) from subject (what it is about). Know common devices by name and function - simile, metaphor, personification, imagery, irony, allusion, repetition, juxtaposition - and, crucially, be able to say what effect each creates. For vocabulary questions, cover the options and predict a meaning from context first, then check which choice fits the sentence's logic and connotation, not just its dictionary sense.
Traps that appear repeatedly
- True but irrelevant. An option may be factually supported by the passage yet fail to answer the question asked. Re-read the stem after choosing.
- Too extreme. Words like always, never, proves, and completely often mark a wrong answer when the passage is more qualified.
- Half-right distractors. The first clause matches the text; the second clause overreaches.
- Plausible inference without textual support. Inference must be supported, not merely possible.
- Ignoring line or paragraph references. Go back to the exact cited lines rather than trusting memory.
Rule of thumb
For every question, find and underline the words in the passage that justify your choice. If you cannot point to supporting text, the answer is probably wrong. Answer easier questions first, flag uncertain ones, and never leave a blank.