GMAT—VERBAL  SECTION—Reading  Comprehension    Reading  comprehension  questions  measure  your  ability  to  understand,  analyze,  and  apply  information  and  concepts  in  written  form.      READING  COMPREHENSION  TESTING  POINTS    �  Ability  to  understand  words  and  statements  in  the  reading  passages,  as  well  as  overall  comprehension.  �  Ability  to  understand  logical  relationships  between  particular  points  and  concepts  in  the  passages.  �  Ability  to  draw  inferences  from  facts  and  statements  in  reading  passages.  �  Ability  to  understand  and  follow  the  development  of  quantitative  concepts  that  are  presented  in  verbal  material.    FACTS  ABOUT  READING  COMPREHENSION  PASSAGES    

1. Passages  can  treat  any  subject  (no  prior  knowledge  necessary,  standardization).  2. Material  is  taken  out  of  context.  3. Passages  are  edited  (deliberately,  professionally  to  serve  test’s  purposes).  4. Passages  test  comprehension,  not  “speed  reading”  (they’re  deliberately  dense,  rendering  

“speed-­‐reading”  ineffective).  5. Careful  reading  is  required  (“mental  magnifying  glass”)  

 

     WHAT  YOU  CAN  EXPECT    �  Passages  from  200-­‐350  words  +/-­‐  �  Two-­‐column  format:  scrollable  passage  on  left,  question  on  right    

   �  Timing:  roughly  5  minutes  per  “passage  +  questions”  section,  less  than  90  seconds  each  question  �  Unanswered  questions  are  more  detrimental  than  wrong  answers    3  LEVELS  OF  READING    EASY  QUESTIONS  TEST  FIRST  LEVEL  OF  COMPREHENSION—“ON  THE  LINES”    •  Main  Idea  questions  require  only  a  superficial  reading  of  the  passage.  •  Appreciation  of  general  theme.    •  When  answering  questions  at  this  level,  skim  the  passage  by  reading  the  first  and  last  sentences  of  each  paragraph.      INTERMEDIATE  QUESTIONS  TESTS  SECOND  LEVEL  OF  COMPREHENSION—“BETWEEN  THE  LINES”    •  Specific  Detail  and  Logical  Structure  questions  require  an  intermediate  level  of  reading.  •  Understanding  of  specific  points.    •  You  should  read  the  entire  passage,  but  don’t  waste  time  on  specific  points  unless  answering  specific  questions.    For  these  types  of  items,  it’s  best  to  refer  back  to  the  passage.    DIFFICULT  QUESTIONS  TEST  THIRD  LEVEL  OF  COMPREHENSION—“BEYOND  THE  LINES”    •  Implied  Idea,  Further  Application,  and  Attitude/Tone  questions  require  the  deepest  level  of  reading  and  comprehension.    •  Evaluation  of,  or  judgment  on,  the  text.  •  When  answering  questions  at  this  level,  read  the  passage  very  carefully—scour.            

6  READING  COMPREHENSION  QUESTION  CATEGORIES    

1. Main  idea  questions  2. Specific  detail  questions  3. Logical  structure  questions  4. Implied  idea  questions  5. Further  application  questions  6. Attitude/Tone  questions  

 1.  MAIN  IDEA  QUESTIONS—CENTRAL  THEME  THAT  UNIFIES  PASSAGE    Look  for  words/phrases  such  as  “main  point,”  “primary,”  or  “central.”    •  Which  of  the  following  is  the  main  point  of  the  passage?  •  The  primary  purpose  of  the  passage  is  to  .  .  .  •  The  author  is  primarily  concerned  with  .  .  .  •  Which  of  the  following  titles  best  describes  the  content  of  the  passage?    MAIN  IDEA  ANSWERS  SUMMARIZE—Whatever  the  form  of  a  Main  Idea  question,  the  answer  will  summarize  the  main  theme  of  the  selection  without  going  beyond  the  scope  of  the  passage.        Hint:  Incorrect  Main  Idea  answer  choices  are  either  too  broad  or  too  limited.    2.  SPECIFIC  DETAIL  QUESTION—POINT  MENTIONED  BY  THE  AUTHOR  AS  PART  OF  OVERALL  DEVELOPMENT  OF  PASSAGE’S  MAIN  THEME    Look  for  phrases  such  as  “stated  in  the  passage”  or  “mentioned  in  the  passage.”    •  The  author  mentions  which  of  the  following?  •  According  to  the  author  (or  passage)  .  .  .  •  The  author  provides  information  that  would  answer  which  of  the  following  questions?    SPECIFIC  DETAIL  ANSWERS  ARE  EXPLICIT—The  correct  choice  for  a  Specific  Detail  question  must  both  be  explicitly  mentioned  in  the  passage  and  answer  the  question  asked.    Hint:  Often,  Specific  Detail  questions  refer  to  specific  line  numbers,  paragraphs,  specific  names,  dates  or  times,  capitalized  phrases,  and  unusual  words  or  terminology.  When  a  question  stem  mentions  these  “locator  words,”  waste  no  time!  Go  directly  to  the  passage  and  find  the  locator  words.  That  is  typically  where  you  will  find  the  answer  for  which  you  are  looking.                

3.  LOGICAL  STRUCTURE  QUESTIONS—OVERALL  PASSAGE  DEVELOPMENT/ROLE  PLAYED  BY  SPECIFIC  DETAIL    Look  for  phrases  such  as  “in  order  to”  or  “proceeds  by.”    •  The  author  develops  the  passage  primarily  by  .  .  .  •  The  author  proceeds  primarily  by  .  .  .  •  The  author  mentions  .  .  .  in  order  to  .  .  .  •  Which  of  the  following  best  describes  why  the  author  introduces  .  .  .  ?    LOGICAL  STRUCTURE  QUESTIONS  ARE  BASED  ON  WHOLE  PICTURE—A  Logical  Structure  question  that  asks  about  the  overall  development  of  the  passage  should  be  treated  like  a  Main  Idea  question.    Hint:  The  key  to  answering  a  Logical  Structure  question  is  to  locate  the  needed  reference  and  ask  why:  Why  did  the  author  do  this?    The  answer  will  best  describe  the  structure  of  the  selection.        4.  IMPLIED  IDEA  QUESTIONS—WHAT  CAN  BE  LOGICALLY  INFERRED  FROM  PASSAGE    Look  for  phrases  such  as  “inferred  from”  or  “implies  that.”    •  The  passage  implies  that  .  .  .  •  The  author  uses  the  phrase  ‘_____’  to  mean  .  .  .  •  It  can  be  inferred  from  the  passage  that  .  .  .  •  Which  of  the  following  can  be  inferred  from  the  passage?    IMPLIED  IDEA  ANSWERS  ARE  INFERRED,  NOT  STATED—To  answer  an  Implied  Idea  question,  look  for  a  choice  that  is  logically  supported  by  the  passage;  it  will  not  be  specifically  mentioned  in  the  passage—the  reader  must  infer  the  answer.      Hint:     Implied—suggested,  hinted  at,  indirectly/obscurely  stated     Inferred—concluded,  deduced,  assumed,  surmised,  supposed        5.  FURTHER  APPLICATION  QUESTIONS—TAKE  TO  NEXT  STEP,  APPLY  TO  NEW  SITUATION    Look  for  phrases  such  as  “most  likely,”  “least  likely,”  or  “best  supported.”    •  With  which  of  the  following  statements  would  the  author  most  likely  agree?  •  The  author  would  probably  consider  which  of  the  following  a  good  example  of  his  theory?  •  The  passage  is  most  probably  taken  from  which  of  the  following  sources?    FURTHER  APPLICATION  ANSWERS  GO  BEYOND  THE  PASSAGE—To  answer  a  Further  Application  question,  find  the  answer  choice  that  is  best  supported  by  the  information  provided  in  the  passage;  the  answer  will  apply  the  supplied  information  to  a  new  situation.          

6.  TONE  QUESTIONS—AUTHORIAL  ATTITUDE    

       •  The  tone  of  the  passage  can  best  be  described  as  .  .  .  •  The  author  regards  .  .  .  as  .  .  .  •  Which  of  the  following  best  describes  the  author’s  attitude  toward  .  .  .  ?    ATTITUDE/TONE  ANSWERS  CAN  BE  ORDERED—Finding  answers  to  Attitude/Tone  questions  is  easiest  after  the  answer  choices  have  been  arranged  in  some  kind  of  order  (positive  to  negative  or  vice  versa).