Reading Comprehension Question Types: Comprehend this dick hoe

Main Point Question Type: What’s the point?

Keywords: main point, main idea, central idea

These questions are basically asking for the big idea in the passage

• looking for a narrower answer than summarize questions

• you must identify the most important idea the passage is trying to establish (the main claim/conclusion)

Strategy:

• Try to predict what the main idea is in your own words before looking at the answer choices or question type

• Look out for contrast language (yet, but, although, however)

• Translate each paragraph after reading it

• Look at the first and last paragraphs because they usually make a main claim and summarize that claim

Main Point Question Type: Can you sum it up?

Keywords: summarizes

These questions are a kind of main point question that asks you to find the answer that best summarizes the passage

• The correct answer will be the choice that covers the important material most completely (most inclusive of steps taken in the passage)

• not a super common question type

Strategy:

• Try to predict what the main idea is in your own words before looking at the answer choices or question type

• Look out for contrast language (yet, but, although, however)

• Translate each paragraph after reading it

• Look at the first and last paragraphs because they usually make a main claim and summarize that claim

Main Point Question Type: What is the best title?

Keywords: name or title

These questions ask you to choose a title that is the most suitable based on the main point of the passage

• The best title will be the one that touches most directly on the central idea or point of the passage

Strategy:

• Try to predict what the main idea is in your own words before looking at the answer choices or question type

• Look out for contrast language (yet, but, although, however)

• Translate each paragraph after reading it

• Look at the first and last paragraphs because they usually make a main claim and summarize that claim

Recognition Question Type: What does the passage say?

Keywords: explicitly identify, says which of the following, asserts which one of the following, according to the passage which is true about…

These questions ask you to recognize things that the passage explicitly states

• the correct answers are almost always a very close paraphrase of some part of the passage (you have to identify the idea not the exact wording)

Strategy:

• first pass- eliminate the answers that were not present in the passage

• second pass you can look for keywords and then skim the passage to match it

• rate the answers: 1s are not in the passage, 3s you are sure yet go back and look to see, and 5s are definitely in the passage (only one choice should be a five)

Do the opposite of this for except! And always use your except mark

Clarifying Question Type: What did the author mean by this?

these questions test your ability to identify contextually appropriate meanings of words and phrases (identify how the author is using words/phrases in context)

• clarify ambiguous meaning, narrow the meaning of vague expression, or supply a definition of unusual uses of an expression

• three main varieties: find a synonym, find the referent, and interpret the meaning

Clarifying Question Type: Find the synonym

Looking for a synonymous word or phrase

Strategy:

• Cover and predict: Try to predict the word or phrase on your own before looking at the answer choices. Then see if you can find one that matches your prediction

• Plug in the choices: reread the sentence with each choice in place of the word or phrase, and see if it fits

  • This can be a good way to double-check or narrow down answers

• obvious meanings are suspicious if the question askes about a word that is being used in an uncommon way

Clarifying Question Type: Find the referent

this question type tests your ability to identify what an earlier part of the passage is referring to

• do not assume the answer can be found right around the lines mentioned

Clarifying Question Type: Interpret the meaning

This type of question asks you to clarify the ambiguous use of an expression

• for example, the questions might give you a metaphor and ask for a simpler way to express the same idea

Strategy:

• Try to predict the answer first! It will really help you know what to look for and show that you understand the stimulus in your own words

Purpose of Reference Question: What is the function?

These questions ask you to identify why the author referenced something in a certain part of the stimulus (what was the point of including the reference?)

• The task is to interpret the function of the reference

Strategy:

• Don’t overthink it: try to come up with the answer in your own words first, and go to the answer choices

• If the reference is confusing, go back and reread the immediate context of the reference

• Review the first sentence of the paragraph with the reference- you can also look at the last sentence if needed

• understand the main points of the passage first

  • Many of these references are studies or other kinds of evidence that support the claim or position taken by the author

“The author refers to the ____ in order to...”

Purpose of reference type

The author’s reference to ____ (lines ____) serves which one of the following functions in the passage?

Purpose of function type

Organizing Information Question Type

Asks “how does the passage or paragraph make its point?”

These questions ask you to understand and analyze how a passage works to make an argument

• asks about the progression or the purpose of a specific paragraph

Strategy:

• When the question asks about the entire paragprah, read the first and last sentence of each paragraph to help track shifts in the discussion and the overall build of the argument paragraph

  • always think about how the author is building hte argument

    • i.e. does the author state a thesis, give evidence, and then address opposing positions?

    • present a contradictory situation, then give examples for how it manifests, and then discuss potential solutions?

  • These are possible answer formats- the correct answer will be a very broad characterization of the way the main point is developed (so don’t be so concerned with a lack of detail)

Common wrong answer types:

• wrong order: will include the right elements from the passage but will arrange them in the wrong order (i.e. the order the author uses the parts)

• Alllmost: slight mischaracterizations of the role of a particular paragraph of the argument part

• sounds good, but just wrong: sound smart, but are just wrong

“Which one of the following most accurately describes the organization of the last paragraph in the passage?”

Organizing information type

Which one of the following most accurately describes the organization of the passage?

Organizing information type

Which one of the following is an approach used in both passages to help make a point about _____?

Organizing information type (comparative)

• these types often ask you to identify a strat used by both passages, so you can eliminate any answer that contains a strat not used by one or both passages

Which one of the following most accurately describes a relationship between the two passages?

Organizing information type (comparative)

• this type is a bit narrower because it asks you to identify how the passages relate to each other (is one narrower in focus? Does one make a recommendation while the other sums up background information?, etc.)

Inferences about views Question

Asks what they would and would not agree with

• Authors rarely specifically state what they believe, but the correct choice will be a viewpoint that is supported by something explicitly stated in the stimulus

• Two main variants are agree and disagree

Strategy:

• get rid of inferences that can’t be supported or are too strong

• It will always be the answer that has the most support for the passage. You do not need to do any leaping

• Be wary of powerful language like all, always, and never

• Sometimes you have to find inferences between two passages too (comparative)

It can most reasonably be inferred that the researchers mentioned in paragraph 4 would agree with which one of the following statements?

Inferences about views Question

It can be inferred from the passage that the author most clearly holds which one of the following views?

Inferences about views Question

It is most likely that the authors of the two passages would both agree with which one of the following statements?

Inferences about views Question (comparative)

Given the information in the passage, the author is LEAST likely to believe which one of the following?

Inferences about views Question

Inferences about information question

asks what is implied or what is likely to be true

• the answer may not be explicitly stated in the passage but it will be supported by the context

• think of these as MSS questions (what is very very likely to be true)

Strategy is similar to other inference subcategories

The passage provides the most support for which one of the following statements?

Inference about information

“The passage implies that _____ is...

Inference about information

Which one of the following statements is most strongly supported by both passages?

Inference about information

Inferences about attitudes

asks how does the author feel about this

• these attitudes may not always be explicitly stated but they are hidden in the language and context of the passage

• another variations of this type may ask you to consider specific words or phrases and identify how those indicate an attitude

Strategy:

• figure out whether the attitude or tone is positively or negatively charged (look for words and tone and other peoples attitudes )

• after you finish reading, ask on a scale of 1 (negative) to 5 (positive), where does the author fall

The authors' attitudes toward _____ can most accurately be described in which one of the following ways?

Inference about attitude (comparative)

Which of the following best describes the difference between the authors’ attitudes towards _____?

Inference about attitude (comparative)

Which one of the following most accurately identifies the attitude shown by the author in the passage toward _____

Inference about attitude (comparative)

The author would be most likely to characterize _____ as...

Inference about attitude (comparative)

Applying to new contexts question

Asks what scenario matches the principle in the passage

• these questions test how well you understand a concept by testing your ability to apply it to a situation that didn’t come up in the passage

• sometimes they ask about conditional scenarios (e.g. what would occur if a recommended plan in the passage were put into action)

• other times you have to pick illustrations or examples of the concept presented

Strategy:

• rephrase the plan, thesis, or concept and make it more vague (put it in your own words)- then look for matches

• comparative questions ask about the perspective of one or both authors (presumes common ground)- so find comon ground and then apply it too the answer choices like you would for a single passage question

It can be inferred that both authors would be most likely to regard which one of the following as exemplifying Baldwin's narrative technique?

Applying new contexts (comparative)

Which one of the following would the author be most likely to characterize as an example of schadenfreude?

Applying new contexts

The passage most strongly suggests that which one of the following would occur if pandas were to become extinct?

Applying new contexts

Each of the following conforms to the kinds of results that the author would expect from the course of action proposed in the passage EXCEPT...

Applying new contexts

Analogy Questions

These questions asks you to find an argument that is structurally similar to the passage ask

• Analogy question ask you to find a situation that is analogous to the one described in the passage

Strategy:

• Rephrase the plan, idea, argument, or principle in your own words before you try to find me example

• Try to disprove the wrong choices, one by one rather than only for the correct choice (ask why isn't this an analogous or why doesn't it match the principle?)

• For comparative variance of this kind of question, they might ask you to identify a pair of passages with a relationship that is analogous to the relationship between passages A and B

Principle Questions

These questions ask you to find an argument that is structurally similar to the passage

• Principle questions ask you to identify the principle that is at work in the passage

Strategy:

• Rephrase the plan, idea, argument, or principle in your own words before you try to find an example

• Try to disprove the wrong choices, one by one, rather than only for the correct choice (ask why isn’t this analogous or why it doesn't match the principle?)

• For comparative variance of this kind of question, they might ask you to identify a pair of passages with a relationship that is analogous to the relationship between passages A and B

Which one of the following situations is most analogous to the one introduced in the second sentence of the passage?

Analogy Question

Which one of the following hypothetical situations is most analogous to the description in the passage of _____?

Analogy Question

The rationale for _____ as it is described in the passage is most consistent with which one of the following principles?

Principle question

The relationship between passage A and passage B is most analogous to the relationship between the two television programs described in which one of the following?

Analogy Question (comparative)

Additional Evidence Questions

There are two main types: strengthening and weakening evidence

• strengthen question ask you to select the choice that provides the most support to a given claim (ask “if this were true would it strengthen my argument?”

• weaken questions also give a claim from the passage but ask you to pick the choice that most undermines the claim (ask if this is true does it weaken my argument?”

Strategy:

• rephrase the idea you are strengthening or weakening in your own words

• remember these are like powerful LR questions and don’t need to be established conclusively in the stimulus

Common Wrong Answers:

• answers that do the opposite of whats asked (pay attention to question stem)

• answers that are too weak or not powerful enough (watch out for some, might, may, can, etc.)

• watch for nonsense and unrelated or un-impactful answers

Primary Point Questions

Asks what is the point?

• these questions ask you to identify why the author may have written the passage (ask yourself, “so what, what’s the point?”)

Strategy:

• try rephrasing the question by asking “the purpose of the passage is to…” and then fill in the blank before looking at the answer choices

Common Wrong answer types:

• too narrow (does not reflect the primary purpose)

• too strong (be wary of powerful language)

• mischaracterizations- sometimes a single word mischaracterizes the intention of the passage, invalidating the answer choice

• not directly answering the question- enticing words, but doesn’t answer the fundamental question of what is the point

The passage is primarily concerned with…

Primary purpose question

The author's primary purpose in writing the passage is to…

Primary purpose question

Which one of the following would, if true, most weaken the author's argument as expressed in the passage?

Additional evidence question- weaken

Which one of the following, if true, would bolster the claim that _____?

Additional evidence question- strengthen

Which one of the following, if true, would most seriously undermine the explanation proposed by the author in lines _____?

Additional evidence question- weaken