Verbal Reasoning and Reading Comprehension
Verbal Reasoning and Reading Comprehension measures how accurately you read and interpret written information - the kind found in standing orders, incident summaries, legislation extracts and correspondence. Questions ask for the main idea, a detail, an inference, the meaning of a word in context, or which statement is best supported by the passage. The passages are short; the difficulty is in the distractors.
Reading method
- Read the question stem first so you know what to look for, then read the passage.
- Locate the sentence that decides the answer and re-read it in full.
- Separate what is stated from what is implied. If the passage does not support it, it is wrong, even if you know it to be true in real life.
- Watch quantifiers: all, every, none, must, only are strong; some, may, can, often, generally are weaker. An answer that turns 'some' into 'all' is wrong.
- Watch for reversed relationships: 'A caused B' is not the same as 'B caused A'.
- For main-idea questions, choose the option that covers the whole passage, not one vivid detail.
Worked example
Passage: 'Searches in correctional centres serve two purposes. The first is detection: finding contraband that has already entered. The second is deterrence: the reasonable expectation of being searched discourages people from attempting to bring contraband in at all. Because deterrence depends on the perception of unpredictability, search schedules are not published.'
Question: Which statement is best supported?
(A) Searches always find contraband. (B) Publishing search schedules would reduce deterrence. (C) Detection is more important than deterrence. (D) Searches are conducted only at night.
B is correct: the passage links deterrence to perceived unpredictability, and non-publication follows. A is refuted by 'the reasonable expectation'; C is a comparison the passage never makes; D is invented.
Traps
- Choosing an answer that is true in the real world but not stated.
- Being drawn to a word from the passage used in a different sense.
- Missing a 'NOT' or 'EXCEPT' in the question.
- Accepting sweeping absolutes.