Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
What this domain tests
Verbal ability and reading comprehension tests grammar, vocabulary in context, sentence completion, para jumbles, and the ability to identify main ideas, inferences, tone, and author purpose.
Core rules
- For reading comprehension, the answer must be supported by the passage; outside knowledge is irrelevant even if true.
- Main-idea questions ask what the passage is chiefly about, not for a supporting detail.
- Inference questions require a logical step, not a guess; extreme words such as always and never often signal wrong options.
- Vocabulary questions test context: the same word can have different meanings in different sentences.
- Para jumbles: find mandatory pairs, pronoun references, and transition words such as however and therefore.
- Sentence completion: use the sentence's contrast or cause-effect structure to predict the blank before looking at options.
Worked example
Passage: Remote work reduced commuting time, but it also blurred the boundary between office and home. Employees reported longer digital workdays, even as they saved travel hours. Question: What does the author suggest about remote work? A correct inference is that it can create new time costs even while removing others. An incorrect inference is that it is universally less productive. The passage never claims productivity fell; it notes longer digital workdays and saved travel. Match the exact scope: both a benefit and a cost are mentioned.
Traps
Choosing an option because it is true in general rather than supported by the passage. Confusing tone with topic. Overlooking EXCEPT and NOT in the question stem. In para jumbles, forcing an option that sounds smooth but breaks pronoun agreement. In grammar, ignoring subject-verb agreement when a phrase separates the subject and verb.