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75 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What are the steps for answering reading comprehension questions?
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Steps for answering reading comprehension questions
a. Preview key sentences i. First sentence is often the topic sentence ii. The very last sentence often contains the main conclusion of the passage b. Read for structure; ignore details i. As you read, consciously ask yourself “what is the main point of this passage?” and “Why is the author introducing this idea?” ii. Do not dwell on the particulars c. Do a mental wrap-up: pause before moving on to the questions and review what you have just read. Try to summarize the main point in your own words 1. Reading comprehension questions call for different levels of understanding a. Be able to grasp the overall idea or main point of the selection along with its organization d. Be able to subject the specific detail to greater scrutiny and explain what something means and why it was introduced. e. Be able to evaluate what the author has written and determine what further conclusions might be drawn and judging whether the argument is good or bad |
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What are two goals that you should have upon reading the passage?
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a. Be able to grasp the overall idea or main point of the selection along with its organization
b. Be able to evaluate what the author has written and determine what further conclusions might be drawn and judging whether the argument is good or bad |
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Can you skip a passage if it bogs you down?
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Skip parts of a passage if it bogs you down
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What are the 6 types of questions?
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3. All questions fall into six categories:
a. Main idea b. Specific detail c. Attitude or tone d. Logical structure e. Inference f. Application: |
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In main idea questions, what must the answer cover and what must it not?
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choose an answer that refers to all of the important elements of the passage without going beyond the scope of the passage.
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What is the goldilocks principle and how do you use it?
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Use the goldilocks principle: the wrong answers are too broad or too narrow choose the one that feels just right.
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What may be a shortcut to use when answering main idea questions?
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In some main idea questions, the answer lies in the first word of each choice. If the question is phrased as a sentence completion, the first word may be all you need to answer the question.
These questions can also be common trick questions which you will guess wrong if you didnt read the passage carefully |
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What is an indicator to finding specific detail in the passage?
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Locator words point the way. Find the relevant information and answer the question
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.What is one characteristic of wrong answers in specific detail questions?
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“So What” answers are wrong. Make sure the choice is an answer to the question asked and not just present in the passage. Your reaction should be: “Yeah this is mentioned, but so what?”
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What answers can you eliminate in specific detail questions?
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Way out answers are wrong. Eliminate answer choices referring to something not mentioned in the passage or anything going beyond the scope of the passage. Don’t be fooled by things related to the general topic of the selection but not specifically discussed there
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What must you be careful of when doing thought reverser questions? i.e all of the answers do this EXCEPT this one?…. Which answer least supports the main point?…etc.
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iv. Thought reversers turn a question inside out. You must find what is NOT mentioned in the passage rather than what is.
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When answering attitude or tone questions, what is a good method to arrange the answer in?
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Try to arrange the attitudes in a line, from the most negative to the most positive
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When answering questions regarding logical structure, what should you be concentrating on?
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Are all about organization. The correct answer should describe in general terms the overall development of the selection
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In logical structure questions, what must you know about the specific details?
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Another type asks about the logical structure of specific details. Find the appropriate reference and determine why the author introduced the detail at just that point
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When answering inference questions, how deep will the inference go?
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Inference: Should not require a long chain of deductive reasoning. It should be a one-step inference
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On Application questions, what should you match the answer with?
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Application: Most abstract of the questions. Evaluate each answer on its parallelism with the passage
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When reading the passage, what two items should you look for?
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Read for the author’s purpose and main idea
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What is a good note taking method to use when doing reading comprehension questions?
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paraphrase the text
Create an outline or “roadmap” of the passage. You can use this roadmap or outline to find where to look for for specifc detail questions. This will prevent you from reading the passage again and wasting precious time |
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What should you mindful of when reading?
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Don’t overinvest in any one question. Be mindful of the time.
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What three questions should you ask yourself when you are reading the passage?
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WHY is the author writing?
WHAT is being said? HOW does the author accomplish his goal? |
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What can change the direction of a passage that you should look out for?
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Watch for trigger words.
- however, but, etc. - Trigger words change tone, direction of a passage. |
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Inferences in reading comprehension questions generally do what with respect to the passage?
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GMAT inferences go only a tiny bit further than
what is said in the passage. - Eliminate exaggerations, offensive words, extreme words. |
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What should you be wary of when you see answers that are highly specific and inequivocal?
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The answer choice that is high specific and
unequivocal is usually wrong. - VAGUE AND GENERAL answers are better. - Words like perhaps and may. |
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How do you handle answers that have strong emotions?
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Avoid strong emotions.
- Avoid words like: scornful, envious, overly enthusiastic, resolve, etc. |
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What five things should you be mindful of when reading the passage?
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Be mindful of:
- Topic - Scope—narrowing of topic - Author’s purpose - Structure - Author’s voice—fact from opinion |
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How is the main idea usually supported?
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personal interpretation bolstered by
evidence. |
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Making this will help you form the structure of the passage.
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Make mental roadmap of passage.
- Get a sense of the paragraph, argument structure. |
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What is a common error when trying to determine the scope of the entire passage?
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Scope is the entire passage. Not just the scope one or more of the paragraphs
- Nouns and verbs must be consistent with tone/scope. |
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For what 3 occurrences in the passage should you try to determine the logic or the reasoning behind it (ask why)?
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Why the author does something:
- Cites a source - Brings up detail - Structure |
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What should you focus on in lieu of details of the passage?
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Focus on ideas, not facts.
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For inference questions, what 4 things do typical wrong answers do?
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Wrong answers:
- Distort ideas - Superfluous - Contradictory - Outside of scope |
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How do you anticipate while reading the passage?
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Anticipate what’s next by looking for key words.
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What happens when a claim is qualified by something?
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To qualify a claim is to weaken or soften it.
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For inference questions, what should you look out for with respect to the author's tone?
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With inference questions, be sure to see whether the
attitude of passage is positive, negative, or neutral. |
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Give some common keywords that imply Additional points
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Additional points: furthermore, in addition, also,
to. |
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Give some common keywords that show the following Additional examples
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Additional examples: similarly, likewise, for
example. |
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Give some common keywords that show the structure of examples/evidence
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Structure: firstly, secondly, thirdly.
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Give some common keywords that show the following Conclusions
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Conclusions: thus, therefore, in conclusion.
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Give some common keywords that imply Contradiction
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Contradictions:
- although, though, even though - but - despite, in spite of - except - however, nevertheless - unless - while |
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How much time should typically be spent on the passage?
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Don’t over invest.
- 4 min. on reading, 1-1.5 mins on questions |
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What are typical decoy answers for general questions? (4 types)
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Decoy answers for general RC questions are:
- Too specific - Too broad - Too extreme - Not relevant |
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Typical decoy answers in specific detail questions? (4 types)
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Decoy answers for specific RC questions:
- Refer to wrong part of passage - Make sense but are not mentioned in passage - Refute passage directly - Stray away from passage |
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Typical decoy answers for strengthen/weaken questions? (3 types)
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Decoy answers for strengthen/weaken questions:
- Out of scope - Weaken instead of strengthen, vice versa - Logical answer but not mentioned or supported in passage |
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Typical characteristics of a good answer? (3 )
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A good answer:
- Paraphrases text - Nice, respectful - Not extreme |
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Some keywords that the correct answer usually has?
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It's rare to have a correct answer that is extreme, more likely to have an qualified answer:
- some, many - often - sometimes, rarely usually - can, could, may, might - some people - few people - more, less - likely, possibly - doubtful, unlikely |
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Some keywords that the wrong answer usually has?
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- all
- always - never - will - everyone, everybody - no one, nobody - most, least - absolutely - impossible |
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What two things should you jot down as you discover them in the reading?
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Always be mindful of TOPIC and SCOPE.
- Topic and scope can often be determined in the first paragraph of a passage. Write them down as soon as you find them on your scrap paper. - Topic - General subject - Examples: stars, industrial safety - Scope - Narrowing of topic - Examples: logistics of space travel to Mars; analysis of industrial regulations in different historical eras |
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When you come upon intricate details in the passage, how should you handle them?
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Note the location and purpose of intricate details,
but do not attempt to memorize or even fully understand those details unless a question specifically asks about them. |
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What two things should you be mindful of with respect to the author?
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Be mindful of author’s PURPOSE and MAIN IDEA.
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Should you prephrase inference questions?
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With inference questions, do not prephrase.
- Go right to answer choices and make your judgment. |
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When a passage compares two or more things, what should you look out for?
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Pay attention to a distinction in a passage that compares
two or more people, theories or phenomena. |
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What is the method of reading a long passage? (50+ lines)
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Read the first paragraph and take notes. Then jot down the topic sentences of the subsequent paragraphs, along with key words.
Do not read any entire paragraph other than the first. |
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How should you read a short passage? (less than 50 lines)
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Read entire passage and take notes. Make a detail map of the passage. Read each paragraph and incorporate it in your detail map.
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what are the two main types of RC questions?
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General and Specific.
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What is a good strategy to use when you are stuck between 2 answer choices in General (not specific) questions in RC?
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Use the point system:
Assign the answer choice 2 points if it relates to the first paragraph, if the answer choice relates to other paragraphs, assign it 1 point for each of these paragraphs. The answer choice with more points is usually the correct one. In the event of a tie, select the answer choice that relates to the first paragraph over any choices that do not. |
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What is one trick that test makers use in General questions?
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at least one of the answer choices will deal with specific details contained in only one of the body paragraphs.
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What is a good strategy to use when dealing with the Specific question type in RC?
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Identify the words in the question that you are most likely to find in the passage. Then, go back to the passage and find those key words.
From this you should be able to find ONE or TWO sentences in this paragraph to defend the correct answer choice. |
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what are good strategies to use for all RC question types?
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JAIP:
1. JUSTIFY every word in the answer choice 2. AVOID extreme words 3. INFER as little as possible 4. PREVIEW the first question |
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What are the 7 strategies to use for RC questions?
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for General questions:
1. Use a point system for Specific questions: 2. Match key words in specific questions to key words (or synonyms) in the passage. 3. Defend your answer choice with 1-2 sentences For ALL questions: JAIP 4. Justify every word in your answer choice 5. Avoid answers that contain extreme words 6. Choose an answer choice that infers as little as possible 7. Preview the first question before reading the passage. |
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Whats the difference between the main idea and the topic of a passage?
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the topic of a passage is what the passage is about while the main idea is what the author wants to say about that topic.
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what questions can you ask yourself when looking for the main idea of a passage?
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Which option states an idea that sums up all of the ideas in the passage?
Which idea can serve as a net or umbrella for the passage, including all of the ideas that are discussed? What do all of the sentences in the passages add up to? |
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what questions can you ask yourself to distinguish fact from opinion?
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Can this statement be debated? --> if yes, it's an opinion
Is this statement something that is know to be true? --> if yes, it is a fact |
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When you see a statement that is prescriptive, will that statement be a fact or opinion?
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If it is describing what something should or ought to do then it is an opinion.
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If a statement shows a judgment or evaluation, it is an opinion or a fact?
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opinion
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What are five general categories for the purpose of a passage?
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■Classification. The goal of this type of passage is to describe different kinds or types of a certain something.
For example, a passage might describe the three types of flora found in the Everglades. ■ Illustration. The goal of this type of passage is to present specific facts, details, and examples that illustrate a particular theory, idea, or phenomenon. For example, the utilitarian passage in the pretest uses LeGuin’s story to illustrate the central moral dilemma of a utilitarian society. ■ Persuasion. This type of text argues a specific position or point of view and aims to convince readers that this position or point of view is valid. For example, a passage may argue that all high school curricula should include mandatory community service. ■ Analysis. This type of text takes an idea or issue and breaks it down into its parts so that readers can better understand and evaluate the subject. For example, a passage analyzing a proposed development project might discuss the scope of the project, the different stages of development, and the costs and benefits of the project. ■ Evaluation. The goal of this type of passage is to assess the effectiveness of something. For example, a passage might evaluate the success of a recent merger. |
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what are the four general patterns of organization for a passage?
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■ chronological order
■ order of importance ■ comparison and contrast ■ cause and effect |
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discount
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не принимать в расчет
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inconsistent
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непоследовательный, непостоянный
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nebulous
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туманный, неясный
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to gloss
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приукрасить, превратно истольковывать
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preclude
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препятствовать
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acquiesce
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уступать, нехотно соглашаться
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repent
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сожалеть, раскаиваться
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denote
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обозначать
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equidistant
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равноудаленный
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