Reading Comprehension of Short Passages
Reading short passages under time pressure
Passage questions test whether you can locate and rank information, not whether you can memorise text. Before reading the options, identify the topic (what the passage is about), the main idea (what the writer wants you to accept about the topic) and the function of each paragraph - does it set up a claim, give an example, concede a point, or draw a conclusion?
Distinguish three levels of information: the main claim, supporting evidence (figures, examples, quotations), and passing background. Questions often ask for the main idea while offering a supporting detail as a tempting wrong answer - a statement can be entirely true and still not answer the question. Watch for scope words: all, only, mainly, primarily, always, never. An option broader or more absolute than the passage is usually wrong.
Traps to expect: options that copy the passage's wording but reverse its logic; options that are correct but answer a different question; EXCEPT and NOT questions where you must find the odd one out; and choices that splice two paragraphs together.
Rule of thumb: for main-idea questions, cover the options, state the point in your own words in one sentence, then pick the option closest to your sentence. For detail questions, find the line, then read one sentence before and one after it - writers often place the qualifying clause just outside the sentence you first spot.
Budget roughly a minute per question. If an option needs two re-readings to defend, it is probably wrong.