Reading Comprehension
What the section tests
Reading comprehension items give you a passage and ask about its main idea, specific details, inferences, vocabulary in context, and the author's purpose or tone. Passages may resemble policies, procedures, incident reports, or technical descriptions. The goal is to show you can extract accurate information and distinguish what the text says from what you assume.
Concepts to master
Identify the main idea by asking what the passage is mostly about, not what one sentence says. For detail questions, locate the exact sentence and match it carefully to the answer choices. For inference questions, choose only conclusions strongly supported by the text; an inference is a small, logical step, not a leap. For vocabulary in context, substitute each answer choice into the sentence and test which meaning fits. For purpose and tone, notice whether the author is informing, persuading, or warning, and whether the language is neutral or opinionated.
Traps to watch
Answer choices often recycle exact words from the passage but distort the meaning, or state true facts that do not answer the question asked. Watch for absolutes like always and never that the passage does not support. Do not bring in outside knowledge that contradicts the text.
Worked example
If a passage says a policy applies to "all personnel assigned to emergency response," a question about whether an office clerk is covered should be answered by checking whether the clerk is assigned to emergency response, not by guessing. Rule of thumb: every answer must be defensible with a specific line from the passage.