Reading Comprehension (Short Passages and Dialogues)
What this domain tests
This section uses short passages of roughly 100-200 words and short dialogues. Questions ask for the main idea, a specific detail, a inference, a pronoun reference, or the writer's purpose. The passages are short, so every sentence carries weight and there is little room to skim.
Core rules and concepts
- Read the first and last sentence first. In exam passages the main idea is usually stated early and restated at the end.
- Follow pronouns: it, this, they, such. A reference question is answered by the nearest earlier noun that fits grammatically and in meaning.
- Mark contrast: however, although, on the other hand. The writer's real claim often sits after the contrast.
- In dialogues, ask who wants what and who is refusing. The final line usually resolves the exchange.
Worked example
Passage: "The city library will stay open until nine on weekdays from April. Fewer students used it last year, and the staff believe the closing time of six was the reason. The longer hours will be tested for six months." Question: What is the main idea? Options: (A) The library was unpopular with students. (B) The library is extending its weekday hours as a trial. (C) The library will open on weekends. Reasoning: A is true in part but is the stated cause, not the point of the paragraph. C is not mentioned; the text says weekdays. B covers both the change and "tested for six months" (= trial). Answer: B.
Traps that cost marks
- Choosing a true statement that is not the main idea.
- Options with extreme words: always, never, all, only.
- Answering a reference question with a word that fits the grammar but not the meaning.
- Adding outside knowledge about libraries, schools, or the environment.