Reading Comprehension Questions Type

Main Point

What is the point?

This will ask you to sum up all the content in the passage.

• Predict the answer choice, and match it.

• Look at the first and last sentences of each paragraph.

• Contrasting words such as however, but, yet, whereas, nevertheless, in contrast, rather, even though, although, through, despite this, conversely can all demonstrate a shift in attitude that shows the author’s real opinion on the subject at hand.

• Wrong choices will be:

  • Too narrow (only describe one part of the passage);

  • Be too strong or extreme

  • Go beyond the scope

  • Choices that have language that goes against what is in the passage.

Recognition

What does it say?

Recognizing things that the passage text states in a literal or explicit sense.

• Usually a paraphrase of some part of the passage. 

• Identify the idea (not exact wording).

  • Will be more of the concept illustrated by the author.

• Try finding matching keywords (predict and underline or circle key claims or unusual words), this maybe useful later when they come up.

Recognition EXCEPT

Information not present in the passage

Only one choice should not be in the passage, which is the answer.

• Pay attention to the stems and words like NOT and EXCEPT.

• Looking for the one thing that does not appear.

Clarifying Meaning: Find a Synonym 

What does it mean?

This will be asking what the author means by this. Will need to be able to interpret words and ambiguity, and define their context. 

1. Cover and predict another meaning for the word or phrase.

2. Or reread the sentence with each choice and see what plugs in.

Synonym means one of two or more words or expressions of the same language that have the same or nearly the same meaning in some or all senses.

1. Make sure the word works within the context of the passage.

2. Be careful with obvious meanings, as it may be used in a different context in the question.

Clarifying the Meaning: Find the Referent

What does it mean?

The phrase X can best be interpreted as referring to which one of the following?

Task is either to:

1. Clarify the ambiguous

2. Narrow the vague reference, or:

3. Supply a definition for an unusual use of an expression.

• Test your ability to identify what earlier part of the passage phrase is referring to.

• Do not assume that the answer can be found around the lines. It could have been introduced earlier.

Clarifying the Meaning: Comparative Reading Passage Pairs Variation

What does it mean?

“The author of passage A used the phrase X to refer to which one of the following ideas / concepts mentioned in passage B?”

1. Predict the possible correct answer. This can save time.

2. Identify what the author is getting at and pick a match for that.

3. Have an understanding of the argument (premises and conclusions) to pick the applicable match.

Purpose of Reference

What is the function?

Identify why the author included something in a certain part of the text.

1. Predict why it was used and try to match an answer.

2. Read around the reference (reread immediate context around it for clues).

3. Read the first and last sentence in the paragraph.

4. Can be evidence that supports the main claim (e.g. studies, other forms of evidence used to prove a point).

5. Wrong choices: May accurately reflect information in the passage, but not exactly what is being asked (do not address the specific purpose).

Organizing Information

How does the passage or paragraph make its point?

Asks you to understand and analyze how a passage works to make an argument. How does the author order information?

What is the progression of ideas in the passage? Or:

What is the purpose of a specific paragraph?

• Read the first and last sentence of each paragraph.

  • Natural breaks and shifts can help understand the progression.

• Broad characterizations of how the main point is developed.

  • These questions will not track every twist and turn, just broad.

• Wrong choices will:

  • Include right elements but wrong order

    • Mischaracterize the role a paragraph plays

    • Does not answer exactly what is being asked in the stem.

Organizing Information: Both passages

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

Have to identify a specific strategy used by both passages.

• Rights answer will be an approach used by both passages.

• Eliminate choices that at least one passage does not use.

Organizing Information: Relationship Between Passages

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

Asking you to pick a choice that sums up the relationship between the two passages. Understand how the passages relate to one and other.

Identify how the passages relate to one and other.

• Is one narrower?

• Does one make a recommendation, or argument while the other sums up background info?

  • Try to come up with a general answer on what the information is doing on each side, and the purpose of the author in including it.

Inferences About Views: Agree & Disagree

What would they agree with?

Ask you to make an inference about the views of the author or people in the passage. Viewpoint supported or justified by something that is explicitly stated in the passage.

1. Get rid of inferences that are not supported.

2. Find the support you need one part of the passage.

   1. One choice that has the most support in the passage.

3. Wrong choices will: Be the wrong viewpoint that is being asked.

   1. Take it further than what is supported by the passage;

   2. Use extreme language (all, never, always).

      1. Do not make broad unilateral points since they do not want to claim something they maybe will not be able to support.

Inferences About Views: Comparative Readings

“If the author of passage A were to read passage B, he or she would most likely agree to which one of the following?”

Passages are paired for a reason, they deal with the same or closely related topics with different viewpoints. They may have the different conclusions, with the same evidence, vice versa.

• Task is to find common ground on viewpoints.

  1. Is the conclusion the same? Or their recommendations?

• Look to see what information overlaps and is similar that both arguers would agree with.

Inferences About Information

What is implied? Or: What else is likely to be true?

Choosing an answer that may not be directly stated in the passage but that is supported by the content of the passage.

• Use the process of elimination; Get rid of inferences that cannot be supported.

• Might be similar to a restating of an idea that is made in the passage.

  1. Implication is often just under the surface.

  2. Choice with most support in the passage.

Wrong choices:

1. Will be out of scope (unrelated);

   1. Goes beyond what can be reasonably inferred. May contain the same wording and information.

2. Use language that is too extreme (always, all, never, every).

Inferences About Information: Comparative Reading

Find an inference that is supported by both passages

“Which one of the following statements is strongly supported by both passages.”

1. Same strategies as other inference questions, just additionally, that both passages must support the choice.

2. Even if the two passages have contrasting points, there will be some basic common ground that they both acknowledge.

Inferences About Attitudes:" How does the author feel about this? 

Attitudes can be found in the way that the author writes the paragraphs about their attitude, people or groups mentioned. Can be found from language and the content of the passage.

1. Determine is the language positively or negatively charged?

2. What words, tone and attitude are used? 

3. Tone can change as they discuss different topics, so monitor that tone. 

4. Wrong choices: Inaccurately reflect the author’s tone (too positive, negative, etc). 

Applying to New Contexts

What Scenario Matches the Principle in the Passage?

Asks you to apply a principle or idea presented in the passage in a new context in the choices. This can include illustrations, examples and conditional scenarios.

• Rephrase the plan, thesis or concept in your own words.

• Look for matches: Ask does the choice match the concept, plan or thesis summarized?

Common wrong choices:

• Sounds true, but wrong: Do not represent a correct application of the principle.

• Opposites: You can eliminate choices that are clearly opposite from the context.

Inferences About Attitudes: Comparative Readings

Ask about a shared attitude by two authors. The authors share the same attitude toward the topic at hand.

• So you already know there is a point of agreement somewhere.

• Task is to pick the choice that best reflects what it is.

Applying to New Contexts: Comparative Reading Variant

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

Ask you to apply the perspectives of one or both authors.

• Find common ground between the authors.

• What do they at least agree about?

Principles and Analogies: Principles

Which choice is analogous (comparable)?

Will direct you to find something specific in the test and ask you to find something similar to it in the choices.

Principle questions ask you to identify the principle at work.

1. Disprove the choices: Have a good grasp of the idea itself, then sort through the choices.

2. Ask yourself, why does this not match? Does it make a logical leap that is not in the passage?

   1. The correct choice will be one that you cannot disprove.

3. Wrong choices: Will not be the right principle at work in the passage.

Principles and Analogies: Analogies

Ask you to identify a situation that is analogous to the one described in the passage.

same strategy as principle.

Principles and Analogies: Comparative Reading Variants

Ask you to identity a pair of passages with a relationship that is not analogous to the relationship between passage A and B.

• Helpful to describe the original situation in general terms before considering the choices.

• What is the essential nature of the relationship between the passages?

• Use a simplified general version to find the most analogous.

Additional Evidence: Strengthening Evidence

Ask you to select the choice that provides the best additional evidence to support a given claim. Have to evaluate new information provided in each choice and pick the one that if true would strengthen an argument.

• Looking for information that impacts what is being asked the most.

  • Information that is found in the passage is not enough.

• Proof is not required: Do not have to definitively refute the claim. Just must strengthen the claim (increase the likelihood).

  • Choice that would most undermine the claim (conclusion).

Additional Evidence: Strengthening Evidence Variant

The additional info might suggest that something is true and that would have been predicted given what the passage says, and thereby strengthen the case made in the passage.

• New info might suggest a generalization that the passage relied on does not hold up in the case mentioned.

• Might suggest that ta claim in the passage is unlikely to be true.

Additional Evidence: Weakening Evidence

Give you a claim or position from the passage, but you have to pick a choice that if true would weaken the claim.

New evidence has to be clear, have the right effect on the claim (and the conclusion trying to be proven).

• Must decrease the likelihood of something happening.

• A word might be too weak (some, might, may, can) to have the impact required on an argument.

• What choice would most undermine the argument?

• Wrong choices will have:

  • No impact, unrelated to the claim.

  • Supports instead of weakens.

Primary Purpose: What is the Point

Asks us to identify why the author may have written the passage.

• Ask yourself when reading: What is the point? So What?

• Ask yourself: What is the purpose of the passage?

  • Brainstorm yourself and see if there is a point that matches.

• Wrong choices will:

  • Be too strong: Use extreme words like always and never.

  • Mischaracterize: A single word can confuse what their point is.

  • Not directly answer the question: May contain true information but not the right information.

Primary Purpose: What is the Point

Comparative Reading

Passages will never have the same main point, however, they can have a shared purpose. May ask “A central purpose of each passage is to.”

• Ask yourself: What are both authors attempting to do with their passage? What is shared and why?

• Even though arguments will look different, the why may still be the same.

Recognition Question Stems

• Which one of the following does the author explicitly identify as a characteristic of Adam Sandler movies?”*

• “The author says which one of the following about My Little Pony?”

• “The passage asserts which one of the following regarding college students?”

• “According to the passage, what is true about fantasy baseball leagues?”

Clarifying Meaning Stems

• Which one of the following phrases, if substituted for the word ‘_____’ in line ____, would LEAST change the meaning of the sentence?

• If substituted for the word "___" in line ___, which one of the following words would convey the same meaning in the context of the passage?

• The phrase “____” (lines ____) can best be interpreted as referring to which one of the following?

• In writing ‘____’ (lines ____) the author of passage B most likely means that..

• The author of passage A uses the phrase ‘X’ to refer to which one of the following ideas/concepts mentioned in passage B?

Inference About Views Stems

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

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

• “It can be inferred from the passage that Ellison most clearly holds which one of the following views regarding _____?”

• “It can be inferred from the passage that the author’s view of Justin’s work differs most significantly from that of most Justin admirers in which one of the following ways?”

Purpose of Reference Stems

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

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

Applying to New Context Stems

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

• “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...”

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

• “According to the description in the passage, each of the following illustrates the concept of millennial angst EXCEPT...”

Inferences About Attitudes Stems

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

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

• “The author would be most likely to characterize _____ as...”

• “The attitude of the author of passage A toward _____ differs from that of the author of passage B in that author A is more”

• “The author’s attitude toward the ‘thesis’ mentioned in line 56 is revealed in which one of the following pairs of words?”