Reading Comprehension
Reading Comprehension
The Reading Comprehension domain measures how accurately you understand short academic and general passages. Questions ask for main idea, explicit detail, inference, vocabulary in context, pronoun reference, and author’s purpose or tone.
Core rules and concepts
- Main idea is the topic plus the author’s central claim. It must cover the whole passage, not one paragraph.
- Detail questions require locating the keyword, reading the complete sentence, and choosing a paraphrase. A choice that repeats passage wording but changes the logic is wrong.
- Inference must follow necessarily from the text. Apply the “must be true” test; if an option needs outside knowledge, reject it.
- Vocabulary in context may differ from the common dictionary meaning. Substitute each option into the sentence and check both logic and connotation.
- Reference items require the pronoun to agree in number and meaning with its antecedent. Check the nearest logical noun, not just the nearest noun.
- Purpose and tone are signaled by verbs and adjectives: argue, describe, criticize, praise, caution; tones include objective, skeptical, sympathetic, approving.
Worked example
Passage: “The university moved all first-year writing courses online to reduce classroom shortages. Yet the writing center, which supports those same students, reported a 40 percent increase in requests for face-to-face tutoring during the first semester.”
What can be inferred about the online writing courses?
A) They removed the need for classrooms. B) Some students still needed in-person support. C) The writing center closed during the semester. D) All students disliked the online format.
Answer: B. Increased face-to-face tutoring requests support the inference that some students sought in-person help. A restates the stated reason. C contradicts the passage. D is too absolute; no evidence covers all students.
Traps
- Choosing an option because it repeats a passage word.
- Picking a true statement that does not answer the question.
- Missing NOT or EXCEPT in the stem.
- Over-inferring from one example to a universal claim.
- Ignoring plural or distant pronoun antecedents.