Verbal Reasoning and Reading Comprehension
What this domain tests
Verbal reasoning and reading comprehension questions test whether you can extract the meaning of a passage, separate explicit statements from inferences, and identify the author's purpose and tone. The exam usually presents a short passage followed by one question. The correct answer is always supportable from the text, even when it is not worded in the same way.
Core rules
- Read the question before the passage so you know what to look for.
- Treat the passage as the only evidence. Outside knowledge can make a true statement wrong.
- Distinguish stated ('the notice says') from inferred ('the notice implies'). Inferences must be necessary, not merely plausible.
- Track qualifiers: all, some, only, unless, except, not, may, must. A single qualifier often decides the answer.
- Paraphrase is normal; exact wording is not required. Wrong options often repeat a phrase but change its scope.
- Identify the function of each sentence: claim, evidence, concession, recommendation. Main-idea questions usually target the claim, not the example.
Worked example
Passage: 'Applicants who submit an incomplete form are contacted within five working days. This contact does not pause the processing clock; the application remains subject to the published service standard.'
Question: What is the effect of the contact on processing time? A. It pauses the clock until the form is complete. B. It has no effect on the processing clock. C. It extends the service standard by five days. D. It cancels the service standard.
Answer B. The second sentence states directly that contact 'does not pause the processing clock.' A is the opposite. C and D add consequences not stated. The five working days is the contact deadline, not an extension.
Traps
- Choosing a true statement that does not answer the question.
- Treating a possible inference as certain.
- Missing a negation ('not', 'except') that reverses the meaning.
- Confusing the author's example with the author's conclusion.
- Selecting an extreme option when the passage uses cautious language ('may', 'some').