Verbal Literacy - Reading Comprehension and Text Analysis
Reading Comprehension and Text Analysis tests whether you can identify what a passage says, what it implies, and how it is built. Answers must be grounded in the text, not in prior opinion.
Core rules
- Main idea vs detail: the main idea covers the whole passage; a detail supports it. A choice that is true but narrow is usually a distractor.
- Inference: an inference is a small, necessary step beyond the words. If a choice needs outside knowledge, reject it.
- Tone and purpose: ask what the writer wants the reader to think or do. Tone words (critical, cautious, enthusiastic) must match the evidence.
- Structure: notice contrast markers (however, although), cause markers (therefore, because) and sequence markers (first, later).
- Vocabulary in context: substitute each choice into the sentence and test which meaning fits the surrounding words.
- Eliminate answers that are too absolute ('always', 'never') unless the text is absolute.
Worked example
Passage: 'The council approved the new cycle lane, though shopkeepers warned that two loading bays would disappear. Supporters argue that deliveries can be rescheduled; critics reply that small businesses cannot absorb the extra cost.' Question: What is the passage's attitude toward the cycle lane? The passage reports both sides without endorsing either, so the best answer is 'balanced' or 'neutral'. 'Supportive' is wrong because the shopkeepers' objection is given equal space; 'hostile' is wrong for the same reason.
Traps
- Choosing a true statement that does not answer the question.
- Confusing the author's view with a quoted speaker's view.
- Over-reading irony or sarcasm that the text does not signal.
- Ignoring 'EXCEPT' and 'NOT' in the question stem.