Question Types
As discussed earlier, GRE Reading Comprehension questions come in a variety of forms, but they can be placed into two major categories:
In this chapter, you will learn seven strategies for answering Reading Comprehension questions. The first of these strategies will help you answer General questions. The second and third strategies will help you answer Specific questions. The last four strategies are applicable to both General and Specific questions.
General Questions
General questions deal with the main idea, purpose, or structure of a passage. Typical General questions are phrased as follows:
The primary purpose of the passage is…?
The author is chiefly concerned with…?
A good title for the passage would be…?
The passage as a whole can best be characterized as which of the following?
The correct answer to General questions such as What is the primary purpose of this passage? should relate to as much of the passage as possible.
Your understanding of the passage gained through your initial read-through provides the key to answering General questions. You should be able to answer General questions without having to reread the entire passage. In fact, rereading the entire passage can actually be distracting. An incorrect answer choice may pertain only to a detail in a body paragraph. As you reread, you might spot that attractive detail and choose the wrong answer.
So, instead of rereading, first articulate the point to yourself in your own words. Then, dive right into the answer choices and start eliminating. If you need to, review your notes so that you are confident in your knowledge of the author's main message. Armed with the Point, you should be able to eliminate two or three choices quickly.
The last four strategies described in this chapter will help you get to the final answer. Occasionally, though, you may still find yourself stuck between two answer choices on a General question. If this is the case, use a scoring system to determine which answer choice relates to more paragraphs in the passage. Assign the answer choice two points if it relates to the first paragraph. Give one more point for each additional related paragraph. The answer choice with more points is usually the correct one. In the event of a tie, select the answer choice that pertains to the first paragraph over any choices that do not.
Don't spend too much time deciding. If you're not sure whether to assign a point, don't. If two choices tie exactly, just pick one and move on.
(1) Strategy for Geveral Q's: If you are stuck between two answer choices, use a scoring system to assign a value to each one.
Specific Questions
Specific questions deal with details, inferences, assumptions, and arguments. Typical Specific questions are phrased as follows:
According to the passage…?
It can be inferred from the passage that…?
All of the following statements are supported by the passage EXCEPT…?
Which of the following would weaken the assertion in the passage…?
In contrast to your approach to General questions, you will need to reread and grasp details in the passage to answer Specific questions. First, read the question and focus on the key words you are most likely to find in the passage. Then, look back over the passage to find those key words. Use your notes as a search tool, if necessary. Do not look at the answer choices. Four out of five of them are meant to mislead you.
(2) Strategy for Specific Q's: Identify the key words in the question. Then, go back to the passage and find those key words.
Consider the sample notes below:
Imagine that you are presented with this question: Robinson raises the issue of cultural bias to do which of the following? You would start scanning the passage looking for cultural bias. Since you just created the sketch, you would probably head toward the third paragraph anyway, but if necessary, the sketch would remind you to look there.
Sometimes, you will need to find a synonym for the key words in the question. For example, if the question addresses weapons of mass destruction, you may need to find a paragraph that addresses nuclear or chemical or biological weapons.
Once you find the key words, reread the surrounding sentence or sentences to answer the question. You may have to do a little thought work or take a few notes to figure out what the sentences mean. That is expected: after all, you did not master those details the first time through. In fact, do not look at the answer choices until you boil down the relevant sentence or sentences into a “mantra”—five words of truth. Then you can bring back that mantra and hold it in your head as you scan the five answer choices, eliminating the four lies and matching your mantra to the truth.
If you can't develop a mantra, then you know the question is hard. There's a good chance that you'll need to guess; eliminate any answers you can, then pick one and move on.
(3) Strategy for Specific Q's: Find one or two proof sentences to defend the correct answer choice. Boil them down into your mantra.
Only a handful of Specific questions require more than two proof sentences.
Strategies for All Reading Comprehension Questions
You can implement the following strategies for all Reading Comprehension questions.
(4) Strategy: Justify every word in the answer choice.
In the correct answer choice, every word must be completely true and within the scope of the passage. If you cannot justify every word in the answer choice, eliminate it. For example, consider the answer choices below:
(A) The colonists resented the king for taxing them without representation.
(B) England's policy of taxation without representation caused resentment among the colonists.
The difference in these two answer choices lies in the word king versus the word England. Although this seems like a small difference, it is the key to eliminating one of these answer choices. If the passage does not mention the king when it discusses the colonists’ resentment, then the word king cannot be justified, and the answer choice should be eliminated.
(5) Strategy: Justify extreme words.
Extreme words, such as all and never, tend to broaden the scope of an answer choice too much or make it too extreme. The GRE prefers moderate language and ideas. Eliminate answer choices that go too far. Of course, occasionally you are justified in picking an extreme choice, but the passage must back you up 100%.
(6) Strategy: Infer as little as possible.
Many Reading Comprehension questions ask you to infer something from the passage. An inference is an informed deduction. Reading Comprehension inferences rarely go far beyond what is stated in the passage. In general, you should infer so little that the inference seems obvious. It is often surprising how simplistic GRE inferences are. If an answer choice answers the question and can be confirmed by language in the passage, it will be the correct one. Conversely, you should eliminate answer choices that require any logical stretch or leap. When you read The passage suggests… or The passage implies…, you should rephrase that language: The passage states just a little differently…. You must be able to prove the answer, just as if the question asked you to look it up in the passage.
(7) Strategy: Preview the question.
As stated earlier, you will always see one question on the screen next to the passage. Because you are able to skip questions on the revised GRE test, you could theoretically preview all of the questions you'll be asked before you read the passage. However, previewing all of the questions is not a good use of time. Instead, quickly click through to see how many questions are associated with the passage, and then go back to the first question. Before reading the passage, read the first question. Previewing the first question will give you a good sense for what you can expect in the passage. To review: first check the number of questions associated with the passage, then preview the first question, then read the passage.
The Seven Strategies for Reading Comprehension
You now have seven effective strategies to use on Reading Comprehension questions on the GRE. Practice them frequently.
For General questions:
(1) Use a scoring system when stuck between two answer choices.
For Specific questions:
(2) Match key words in specific questions to key words (or synonyms) in the passage.
(3) Defend your answer choice with one or two proof sentences, and develop your mantra.
For all questions:
(4) Justify every word in your answer choice.
(5) Justify extreme words in answer choices.
(6) Choose an answer choice that infers as little as possible.
And do not forget to:
(7) Preview the first question before reading the passage.