English Language and Communication
Reading comprehension
Passages are short and academic. Read the question stem first, then locate the sentence that answers it. Correct answers paraphrase the passage; wrong answers copy its words but change the logic (opposites, overstatement, unsupported causes). For vocabulary-in-context, substitute each option into the original sentence and test whether the sentence still makes sense.
Grammar and usage
- Subject–verb agreement: the verb agrees with the head noun, not with a phrase between them. In “The list of items is on the desk,” the head noun is list.
- Pronoun reference: a pronoun must have one clear antecedent. “When John met Peter, he smiled” is ambiguous.
- Tense consistency: keep the time frame stable unless the meaning requires a shift.
- Sentence boundaries: a fragment lacks a main clause; a run-on joins two main clauses without a conjunction or semicolon.
- Punctuation: use a comma after an introductory phrase, and a semicolon between closely related main clauses.
Worked example
Choose the correct verb: “Neither the teacher nor the students ___ ready.” The subject nearest the verb is students, plural, so the verb is “are.” With “either … or” and “neither … nor,” the verb agrees with the nearer subject. If the order were reversed-“Neither the students nor the teacher ___”-the answer would be “is.”
Traps
Matching the verb to a plural noun inside a prepositional phrase; treating “its” and “it’s” as interchangeable; joining two complete sentences with only a comma; and choosing a comprehension option because it repeats a passage word rather than because it answers the question.