Reading Comprehension and Written Communication
Reading Comprehension and Written Communication
This domain tests whether you can extract the main idea, distinguish stated fact from inference, read tone and vocabulary in context, and recognize correct grammar and usage. Passages are often procedural or investigative in tone, so precision matters more than speed alone.
Core rules
- Main idea must cover the whole passage, not one supporting detail.
- An inference must be forced by the text. If a choice adds a motive, cause, or outcome the passage never supports, it is wrong.
- Extreme wording such as "always," "never," or "proves" is usually a trap unless the passage is equally absolute.
- Grammar items test subject-verb agreement across intervening phrases, pronoun reference, modifier placement, parallelism, comma splices, and semicolon use.
- Prefer active voice and clear actors when the item asks for the most effective sentence.
Worked example
Passage: "The inspector noted that the warehouse logs were incomplete, but she did not recommend shutting the facility down." Which statement is supported? The correct answer is that she found a recordkeeping problem but did not recommend closure. It is not supported that she believed the logs were falsified, because the passage says incomplete, not false. It is also not supported that she opposed all enforcement action; she opposed one specific measure.
Traps
- Choosing a true statement that does not answer the question asked.
- Confusing inference with speculation.
- Missing a pronoun with an unclear antecedent.
- Letting a long phrase between subject and verb hide a disagreement.
- Selecting a grammatically correct sentence that changes the original meaning.