Reading Comprehension
Reading Comprehension - what the exam tests
This domain measures whether you can identify main ideas, trace an author's argument, infer what the text implies, interpret vocabulary in context, and use evidence. Paired passages ask you to compare two authors' positions.
Core rules
- Main idea: combine the topic with the author's claim about it. Correct answers match the passage's scope-not too broad, not a single detail.
- Evidence questions: the right answer is directly supported by a stated line or a clear paraphrase; the passage, not outside knowledge, decides.
- Inference: an inference must be logically forced by the text. If a choice is merely plausible or interesting, it is usually wrong.
- Vocabulary in context: substitute each answer choice into the original sentence and test which meaning fits the surrounding logic.
- Purpose and structure: ask why the author includes a sentence-to qualify, concede, illustrate, or counter.
- Paired passages: decide the relationship first (agree, disagree, one qualifies the other), then evaluate each option against both texts.
- Tone: watch for cautious wording; extreme absolutes such as 'always' or 'never' rarely match an academic passage.
Worked example
A passage reports that in one season a researcher observed bees visiting blue flowers more often than white ones. A choice saying 'bees universally prefer blue flowers' overreaches; the supportable inference is narrower: 'in that study, blue flowers were visited more often.' The words 'universally' and 'prefer' add claims the evidence does not carry.
Traps that cost marks
- Choosing an answer that is true in real life but not stated in the passage.
- Confusing the author's view with a view the author quotes and rejects.
- Picking a detail when the question asks for the main idea.
- Ignoring line references or the second passage in a paired set.
- Letting one strong word in an answer choice override the overall meaning.