Reading Comprehension

Method

1. 1

   Skim the questions first

   A quick look at the questions tells you what to read for.

2. 2

   Read for the idea

   Do not stop at every hard word. Ask what each paragraph is about and why the writer included it.

3. 3

   Go back to the cited line

   When a question names a line, read that line and the one before it. A pronoun or word is defined by its context.

4. 4

   Questions follow the text

   The answer to question three usually comes after the answer to question two. Use that to narrow your search.

Common traps

• True, but not in the text

  An option that is true in the world but not stated in the passage is wrong.

• A detail instead of the idea

  For a main-purpose question, an option that covers one paragraph is too narrow.

• not and except

  For "which is not mentioned", look for the option that is missing.

Worked examples

1. Example 1

   (11)person had his or her life saved on the operating table, only to lose it a few days later to(12)a deadly infection.(13)Lister studied this problem closely. It seemed clear that once infection had set in,

   In line 13, "this problem" refers to -

   • (1)no medicine being available to kill bacteria
   • (2)the low number of successful operations
   • (3)the inability to perform even necessary operations
   • (4)people dying from infection following surgerycorrect answer

   How we get there

   1. 1

      Line 13 opens with "Lister studied this problem closely."

   2. 2

      this points back to what was just said: patients whose operations succeeded died days later of infection.

   3. 3

      So "this problem" is people dying from infection after surgery.

   4. 4

      Answer (4).

2. Example 2

   The main purpose of the text is to describe -

   • (1)Lister's contribution to medicinecorrect answer
   • (2)the history of surgery before and after Lister
   • (3)some important surgical techniques
   • (4)the life of a great teacher and doctor

   How we get there

   1. 1

      Every paragraph is about Lister: his impact, his observations, his thesis, and how he applied it.

   2. 2

      (2) is broader than the text; (3) and (4) are partial.

   3. 3

      Answer (1).