CHAPTER 9

Reading Comprehension Strategy

Below is a typical Reading Comprehension question. For now, don’t worry that we haven’t given you the passage this question refers to. In this chapter, we’ll look at how to apply the Kaplan Method to this question, discuss the types of questions the GMAT asks about reading passages, and go over the basic principles and strategies that you want to keep in mind on every Reading Comprehension question.

The passage suggests that Ferguson would be most likely to agree with which of the following claims about the “multiplier effect” (line 4)?
1. It was unlikely to have generated the returns for the European national economies that Behrman claims.
2. It may have been helpful to the European national economies, but it was not the most important outcome of the Marshall Plan.
3. It was the most controversial aspect of the Marshall Plan, generating intense resistance from those countries that chose not to participate.
4. It was a crucial part of the Marshall Plan, being substantially responsible for the recovery of participating Western European economies.
5. It was designed primarily to assist the recovery of industry in the United States, despite its benefits to Western European national economies.

Before you move on, take a minute to think about what you see in the structure of this question and answer some questions about how you think it works:

What does it mean to draw an inference from a GMAT passage?
How much are you expected to know about the subject matter of the passages before you take the test?
What can you expect to see in a GMAT passage that discusses two related theories?
What GMAT Core Competencies are most essential to success on this question?