Reading Comprehension
Reading comprehension asks you to extract and weigh meaning from a passage: the main idea, supporting detail, the writer's attitude, the referent of a pronoun, and what is implied rather than stated. Passages are typically short expository or argumentative texts, and the difficulty lies less in the vocabulary than in separating what the text says from what a plausible answer choice says.
Working method
- Read the question stems first so you know which lines earn attention, then read the passage once for shape: what is claimed, what supports it, what is conceded.
- Main idea items want the whole passage, not its most vivid sentence. Test an option by asking whether it covers the opening and the closing.
- Detail items are answered from the text, not memory; locate the line and read one sentence either side.
- Inference must be forced by the text. If an option needs outside knowledge, it is wrong.
- Reference items: substitute the candidate noun into the sentence and check that the grammar and sense still hold.
- Tone turns on evaluative words - admittedly, unfortunately, merely, surprisingly.
Worked example
Although the council approved the budget, it postponed funding for the river project, citing unresolved questions about cost. Question: What is implied? A. The council rejected the budget. B. Approval did not guarantee immediate money for the project. C. The project was cancelled. Although signals contrast: the budget passed, but one item was held back. A and C contradict the text. Answer: B.
Traps
Options that are true in general but not stated here; options that swap a hedge (may, suggests) for a certainty (proves, always); and paraphrase that reverses a contrast word.