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Reading Comprehension Posts

Revised GRE Verbal: What to Expect

By posted January 28, 2012

The Verbal Reasoning sections of the GRE assess your reading comprehension skills and your understanding and usage of vocabulary.  About half of the Verbal questions will require you to read a passage and answer questions about it.  The other half will have you fill in the blanks of sentences or paragraphs with vocabulary.

Timing: There will be 2-3 Verbal Reasoning sections on the GRE, depending if the unidentified, unscored section is Verbal or Quantitative.  Each section will contain approximately 20 questions which you will be given 30 minutes to complete.

Format: The three types of questions that make up the Verbal sections are:

-Reading Comprehension

-Text Completion

-Sentence Equivalence

There are several different question formats, so let’s break down the formats within each question type.

Reading Comprehension: Some questions will be standard multiple choice, with 5 possible answer choices and 1 correct answer.  The letter for each answer choice will appear in a circle.

Test your GRE skills with this reading comprehension, long passage practice question.

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3 Tips to Find the “Big Idea” in GRE Reading Passages

By posted January 13, 2012

It’s important to keep in mind for all GRE Reading Comprehension questions that just because an answer choice is reasonable, true, or (and this is critical) mentioned in the passage, does NOT mean it is necessarily correct. Always ask yourself: which answer choice best addresses the specific question being asked here? Look to eliminate answer choices that are outside the scope of the question, or ones that contain extreme language such as always and never. These three tips will help you get more “Big Idea” questions correct in your GRE practice.

  1. Keep it within Scope. For “Big Idea” questions, we’re looking for the answer choice with a scope that matches that of the entire passage. For example, if the passage was about hurricanes and the necessary steps that need to be taken in order to predict and prevent hurricane damage, then perhaps one paragraph referred to one leading hurricane researcher. However, it would be incorrect to say that the main idea of the passage was to “research Mount St. Helen’s” as that is the main idea of only one paragraph. The “Big Idea” would need to be something like “to discuss ways of predicting and preventing eruptions” since that is the more general focus. For “Big Idea” questions, we need to try to see the picture that is being formed by all of the puzzle pieces, and not get distracted by the individual pieces themselves.
  2. Always find the Purpose. It’s easy to do this if you write down the Purpose of the passage BEFORE reading the first question. Remember that active reading and note-taking are essential to GRE Reading Comp success. When you see a “Big Idea” question, you can quickly refer back to your Purpose to form a prediction.
  3. The Thesis and the Conclusion count most. If you forgot to write down the Purpose, or you can’t make a strong prediction, there are a few good places in the passage to look for the “Big Idea.” Try re-reading the last few sentences of the opening paragraph. Does the author include a thesis? Does he express a strong point of view about the topic? In the final paragraph, what conclusion does the author leave the reader with? Does the author re-iterate a main purpose here? What is he summarizing? Focus especially on the first and final sentences of the conclusion.

Try this GRE Reading Comprehension practice question and put these tips to the test!.
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5 Essential Tips for GRE Reading Comprehension Passages

By posted December 29, 2011

As you study for the GRE Verbal section, you’ll be doing a lot of reading. Unlike the Sentence Equivalence or Text Completion questions, you can get a great score on the RC questions even without an impressive vocabulary. A little strategy can go a long way on the GRE Verbal section, so use these GRE strategies on your Grockit practice GRE questions to get one step closer to your graduate school admissions goal!

Give this GRE reading comprehension practice question a try!

Begin with the Topic and the Scope. The topic should be obvious within the first 1-2 sentences of the passage. Look for the noun that appears to be the focus of the sentence. Is the topic a historical figure, a scientific phenomenon, a business plan, a social theory, etc? The scope is a little more specific than the topic. What about the topic interests the author? Think of the topic as the top of an umbrella. The scope shows the parabola of the umbrella and describes what would and would not fit under it. For example if our topic is “radiocarbons” maybe our scope is “theories about how carbon dating works.”

The Tone is either Neutral or Strong/Complex. Look for the adjectives the author uses to describe the topic, and the main topics of the individual paragraphs. What does he/she like or dislike? Look for descriptive phrases, and write down a “happy face” or “sad face” symbols to track the opinions and how they change or develop. Does the author introduce other people’s opinions? In harder passages, the author will have mixed feelings. He may feel overall positively towards the topic, but have certain specific reservations. It’s also possible the author is removed from the passage, and takes on a more neutral/scholarly tone. Don’t worry if the opinion is subtle – just select answer choices that reflect that.

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Reading Comprehension—Structure of Ideas

By posted June 15, 2011

GRE Reading Comprehension tests you ability to read a passage carefully, and no question type will test you ability to read closely more than the Structure of Ideas prompts on the test.  On these questions, you will have to identify a passage’s main idea.  Although this sounds simple, the test-makers will throw in confusing “asides” and extraneous details to trick you.  The key to master GRE Reading Comprehension, then, is plenty of test prep.  Make sure to visit Grockit to gain access to hundred of sample GRE questions and get the advice of trained instructors.  For now, though, let’s examine a sample reading passage for its Structure of Ideas:

The criticism of art requires, above all else, the ability to separate one’s own taste from one’s intellectual evaluation of the work.  It is easy for the unwary critic to find her judgment swayed by subjective factors such as her emotional response to a piece of art.  This tendency must be strictly curbed so that the critic is able to judge the art with an unbiased eye.  One of the best ways to build the foundation for this objective criticism is to obtain an education in the history of art, cultivating the ability to place a given work within a social and ideological context.  Only once the critic has established this intellectual framework can she allow herself to react to the art on a visceral level, blending her subjective and objective responses into a unified critique.

What’s the main point being made in the paragraph above?  The first sentence (“The criticism of art requires…the ability to separate one’s own taste from one’s intellectual evaluation of the work”) is an important clue, as many first sentences for short passages will be.  (Beware:  Don’t rely on the first sentence to always give you the passage’s Structure of Ideas.) The important thing is to check if this idea remains constant throughout the passage.  We see that the critic cannot be “swayed by subjective factors” and that she must be “able to judge the art with an unbiased eye” and even gain professional training to help her understand important aspects of art history.  The main idea is staying the same, so let’s move to the end of the passage.  With the proper training in hand, the critic can, according to this passage, effectively critique a work of art without interjecting her own personal opinions.

Now, let’s look at a Structure of Ideas question for this reading passage:

According to the passage, which of the following is necessary to create a unified critique of a work of art?

A) The complete removal of one’s own taste from an intellectual evaluation of the work

B) An intellectual foundation in art history, as well as a visceral response to the work

C) An extended perusal of each relevant piece of art

D) The viewpoints of numerous well-educated critics who have also seen the work

E) The discipline to focus solely on the creative style of one artist

The correct answer is A) The complete removal of one’s own taste from an intellectual evaluation of the work for the reasons stated above.  The others can’t be correct because:  there’s no mention of benefiting from a visceral response to the work; nothing about observing the art piece for a long period of time, nor needing other critics to tell one what to think about the art.

Structure of Ideas questions on the GRE Verbal section can be confusing, but with practice you’ll be able to answer these questions easily.  Go to Grockit to play some interactive games, get some help from trained instructors, and chat with other people preparing for the GRE.  It’s much better than studying vocabulary flashcards by your lonesome.

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GRE Reading Comprehension—Detail Questions

By posted June 13, 2011

Reading a passage on the GRE for a specific detail can be frustrating.  Getting tons of test prep (remember to play lots of games on Grockit!) is crucial to mastering this question type.  You’ll see many types of Detail questions (on line 47 of the text, what does the word analogous mean?  Why event triggered the Mexican-American War?  All of the following were reasons Darwin gave in support of evolution in Origin of Species EXCEPT), but as long as you carefully read the text in its entirety and take notes, questions that ask you to identify details in a passage will become easier.  Let’s give a Detail question a try.  Read the passage below and try to figure out the correct answer:

In spite of much research and conjecture, the origin of the Chinese people remains undetermined. We do not know who they were nor when they came. Evidence, however, points to their immigration from elsewhere; the Chinese themselves have a tradition of a Western origin.  The first picture we have of their actual history shows us, not a people behaving as if long settled in a land which was their home and that of their forefathers, but a foreign race fighting with wild beasts, clearing dense forests, and driving back the aboriginal inhabitants.

Taking into consideration all the existing evidence, the objections to most theories of the origin of the Chinese seem to be greater than any yet raised to the theory that immigrants from the Tarim valley or beyond (i.e. from Elam or Akkadia, either direct or via Eastern Turkestan) struck the banks of the Yellow River in their eastward journey and followed its course until they reached the localities where we first find them settled, namely, in the region covered by parts of the three modern provinces of Shansi, Shensi, and Honan where their frontiers join. They were then (about 2500 or 3000 B.C.) in a relatively advanced state of civilization. The country east and south was inhabited by aboriginal tribes, with whom the Chinese fought, as they did with the wild animals and the dense vegetation, but with whom they also commingled and intermarried, and among whom they planted colonies as centers from which to spread their civilization. (Adapted from Myths and Legends of China: The Sociology of the Chinese by E.T.C. Werner)

Based on the passage, the relationship between the Chinese and aboriginal tribes was

A) contemptuous

B) peaceful

C) perfidious and incongruous

D) hostile, then orderly

E) harmonious but eventually distrustful

Where does this passage discuss the relationship between the Chinese and aboriginal tribes?  It’s in the second paragraph, close to the end of the passage.  It relays, “The country east and south was inhabited by aboriginal tribes, with whom the Chinese fought.”  So we know the relationship wasn’t peaceful, eliminating choice B.  When we continue reading, the passage states that the Chinese “also commingled and intermarried” members of the aboriginal tribes.  If they commingled and intermarried, their relationship wasn’t contemptuous, or disdainful, meaning A’s also not the correct answer.  Also, their relationship was distrustful at first and then harmonious, the opposite order than what’s in E.  We’re left with C and D.  Do you know what perfidious and incongruous mean?  The former means disloyal, whereas the latter means absurd or out of place.  This doesn’t quite make sense.  So the answer must be D) hostile and then orderly.

Reading the text carefully, using process of elimination, and knowing your GRE vocabulary will help you with Detail questions.  More important, though, will be getting plenty of test prep.  Make sure you spend plenty of time playing the interactive games and chatting with the trained instructor at Grockit.  Your score will be higher because of it.

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GRE Reading Comprehension—Definition

By posted June 9, 2011

Like the SAT, reading comprehension on the GRE will likely ask you to define a vocabulary word used in a passage.  Sometimes the question will lead you to the word, as in “What does the word ‘triptych’ describe in Line 8?”  Other times the question won’t be as helpful (an example of this is below).  The key to mastering Definition questions on the GRE is setting aside enough time for test prep.  Grockit, with its interactive games and helpful instructors, is perfect for helping you learn vocabulary words and learning strategies to “beat the test.”  Here’s a simple Definition question.  See if you can get it right.

For all her strong capitalist sympathies, Ayn Rand displayed in her fiction many indications of an ideology that had been shaped by the very communist ideals that she purported to reject.  This theory, discussed by R. Merren in his groundbreaking classic “The Marxist Beneath,” raises some interesting questions about the role of communal living in Rand’s novel “Atlas Shrugged.” In “Atlas Shrugged,” the denizens of “Galt’s Gulch” are able to work in their chosen fields, achieving great success and being rewarded for that success by financial gain.  However, the “gain” is nominal, really more symbolic than anything else.  And the freedom to pursue one’s gifts is granted, in part, by the harmony that comes from a system in which everyone’s strengths and talents are encouraged. Merren argues persuasively that, although Rand was justifiably adamant about her aversion to the Soviet Communist regime under which she grew up, her writing displays an adherence to communist ideals dressed in the clothes of capitalism.

Which of the following words might the author use to describe Merren’s “The Marxist Beneath”?

A) dismissive

B) banal

C) audacious

D) dogmatic

E) ingenious

What hints can you use in the text to answer this question?  The author writes that Merren “raises some interesting questions” about Rand’s work, and that he “argues persuasively that…her writing displays an adherence to communist ideals dressed in the clothes of capitalism.”  It appears as though the writer has a positive opinion of Merren’s findings.  Based on this, we can eliminate A (dismissive) and B (banal—commonplace, boring) because both have negative meanings.  Were Merren’s findings audacious (bold)?  There’s no indication of them being so.  Now we’re left with D (dogmatic) and E (ingenious).  Dogmatic means being fixed on a certain doctrine, or way of thinking.  By raising “interesting questions,” is one dogmatic?  No, because they need to be more assertive.  But by raising interesting questions in a “groundbreaking work,” it’s safe to say the author believes Merren’s writing was ingenious.  The correct choice, then, is E.

As you can see, GRE Definition questions aren’t always straightforward.  They may require some additional thinking, but they shouldn’t be too difficult if you make sure to set aside enough time for test prep.  Go to Grockit and make sure you play the interactive games on the website.  Also, make sure you ask plenty of questions to the trained instructors, each of whom has scored very well on the GRE.  We promise that all this test prep will pay off on test day.

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GRE Reading Comprehension—Mastering Long Passages

By posted June 7, 2011

Long passages on the GRE can be daunting for test-takers.  With all that information you may ask yourself, “How am I ever going to know the answer?”  Grockit has you covered.  Our interactive games, mixed with the help of our instructors, will help you get the hang of reading comprehension before test day.  But, knowing the following tips and strategies for tackling long passages on the GRE are important.

-  Read the entire passage before looking at the first question. Each long passage on the GRE will have anywhere between 4 and 7 questions.  In order to develop a greater understanding of the passage, it’s imperative that you focus on reading the entire passage before trying to answer any question.  Looking at the question first could distract you from the passage’s purpose, main points and/or inferences.

- Take notes while you read. That scratch paper isn’t just for the quantitative section!  It’s important to note several things when reading:

o   The main topic of each paragraph.

o   Any transition from paragraph-to-paragraph, focusing on whether these transitions are contrary or complementary to each other.

o   The points and conclusions the author draws in the passage.

o   Hints or clues that will help you answer less explicit aspects of the passage.

-  Do not try to memorize details. Do not get bogged down by trying to remember the passage’s specifics.  Read to get a general sense of the passage’s main ideas and structure.  Spending too much time on the intricacies of a 747 jet engine or the DNA structure of Ebola will slow you down.  You’ll be able to revisit any specifics, that is, if a question forces you to.

-  Once you finish reading the passage, read each question very carefully. The test-makers want to see if you’re a good reader.  Make sure you understand what the question’s asking of you.  Far too many test-takers get questions wrong because they misread the question.

-  Always refer back to the passage, no matter how sure of the answer you are. Referring back to the passage shouldn’t take too much of your time, especially if you’re positive you know the answer.  Remember that it’s better to be safe than sorry.

-  Read each and every answer choice before confirming your response. It’s always tempting to choose the first answer that seems right, especially if you’re running short on time.  It’s important to look at each answer choice, though, as there could be an even better answer for the question being asked.

-  Know the different types of reading comprehension questions and how to answer them. There are five types of questions the test will ask.  They revolve around:

o   The main point of a passage

o   What’s explicitly stated in the passage

o   Inferences based off what’s in the passage

o   Ways in which the information in the passage may be applied to other situations

o   The author’s logic, or reasoning, in the passage

Practicing these strategies while you answer questions on Grockit is an important part of preparing for test day.  If you get plenty of test prep, play lots of games and ask instructors tons of questions (and maybe even get some private tutoring?), you’ll be sure to ace the GRE reading comprehension section.

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GRE Reading Comprehension—Dominating Short Passages

By posted June 3, 2011

Short passages on the GRE may be a paragraph or two in length.  Although they’re less to read than long passages, GRE test-makers use the same tricks and types of questions to evaluate your reading ability.  Proper test prep will make it so you easily master short passages on the GRE.  And the good thing is that the same types of questions are, and similar strategies can be, used for short passages and long ones!  Look below to see the five types of questions you’ll be asked as well as the top strategies for doing well on short passages.

The five types of reading comprehension questions:

1)  The main point of a passage

2)  What’s explicitly stated in the passage

3)  Inferences based off what’s in the passage

4)  Ways in which the information in the passage may be applied to other situations

5)  The author’s logic, or reasoning, in the passage

Make sure you know how to answer each type of reading comprehension question.  Get plenty of practice at Grockit, making sure you ask instructors plenty of questions. Read more »

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3 Step Method for Reading Application Questions

By posted May 10, 2011

Application questions go one step further than GRE Inference questions, asking you to apply what you have learned from the passage to a different or hypothetical situation. Follow this three step method in your online studying and you’ll quickly master even this challenging question type!

  1. Understand the author’s argument. Some application questions will focus on the author’s point of view. Identify the author’s conclusion and the evidence provided. Put yourself in the author’s shoes and ask these questions: What is my argument? What would make my argument stronger? What might weaken it?
  2. List the verbs. Pay close attention to how a particular process is performed. For example, if the passage focuses on describing an experiment, you must clarify step-by-step how the experiment is carried out, before you can apply that same method to a different situation. Go back through the passage and list the verbs on your scratch pad. This will help you to understand the steps of the process and not confuse the sequence.

Example Question

Which of the following is most analogous to the change in the financial circumstances of the average middle-class American family from the 1970s to today, as described in the passage?

A         A company has a 60% decrease in profits over a year, due to higher staffing costs.

B          A company has a 60% decrease in profits over a year, but compensates for the losses by moving to a less-expensive office space.

C          A company has a 40% increase in net income from sales over one year, but in the same period has a 90% increase in rent on its office space, leaving it with a lower profit than in the previous year.

D         A company has a 60% increase in profits over one year, and chooses to reinvest that additional money by purchasing the office space it had previously rented.

E          A company’s profits remain roughly the same from one year to the next, because although its net income from sales was lower than expected, the proceeds of a sale of real-estate assets were an unexpected boon.

We know this is an application question because of the phrase “most analogous.” Before we can make sense of the answer choices, we must go back to the passage and find the author’s perspective on this issue, and also list the verbs that describe how family finances have changed from the 1970’s to today. Scanning back through the passage, we pull out a few key sentences that discuss a “change”:

“Skeptics of Warren’s theory point to the rise in household incomes since the 1970s, but this is in many ways an illusion.”

“…two wage earners means that their household income is about 75% higher than it would have been in the 1970s, but this is largely the result of the wife working outside the home, which also necessitates expenditures, like day care and a second car,..”

“Middle class financial anxiety isn’t the product of too many lattes and designer shoes; it is the result of increased costs for the cornerstones of modern life.”

  1. Write down a prediction. Our notes on these key sentences might look something like this:

Author’s POV:  rise in income an illusion; more $$ spent b/c of increased costs of living L

Verbs: “rise in income”, “necessitates expenditures” “increased costs”

Don’t scan the answer choices until you have notes written down! For this especially hard question type, it’s easy to be confused by the answers. Once you’ve got a prediction written down, you’ll never forget it. For this question, we must look for the answer choice that shows an increase in income but also an increase in expenses and costs, ultimately leading to financial anxiety. Answer choice C is correct.

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Reading Comprehension—Logic Questions

By posted May 6, 2011

Logic’s a method of reasoning based on inference.  The GRE has reading comprehension questions that require you to infer from the information provided in the passage.  You’ll have to read carefully to get these questions right.  Proper test prep, which includes playing free games on Grockit, is essential to mastering this difficult question type.

GRE test-makers use many different questions to set up logic questions.  They may include:

-          The passage’s primary purpose is to do which of the following?

-          According to the passage, which of the following is true…?

-          It is implied in the passage that…?

-          Which of the following, if true, would cast the most doubt…?

Let’s examine a specific example so you can how logic works for GRE reading comprehension:

The origin of the moon remains a subject of contention for some theorists.  There is one contingent that insists that the moon was formed in the same way that the planets of the inner solar-system were.
According to this view, the moon, like the Earth, Venus, Mars, and Mercury, was the product of planet-forming materials in the pre-solar nebula.  However, the cores of those inner solar-system planets contain iron, and the materials from which they were formed were iron-rich.  By contrast, the moon’s core contains barely any iron.

This leads us to the second, more widely-accepted theory, known as the ‘collision hypothesis.’  Collision hypothesis advocates believe that the moon was torn from the rocky mantle of the Earth when the Earth collided with another large celestial body, probably about the size of Mars, some 4.51billion years ago.  This hypothesis is supported by the geochemical, mineralogical, and isotopic compositions of lunar samples gathered during the Apollo and Luna missions.

It is implied in the passage that the theory stating that the moon was formed from materials in the pre-solar nebula is most undermined by…

A) the idea that the Earth collided with another large celestial body.

This is not the credited response.  While this idea does support the collision hypothesis, it is not enough by itself to undermine the theory discussed in this question.

B) evidence regarding the similarities between the core materials of the inner solar-system planets.

This is not the credited response.  This is not the credited response.  The similarities between the cores of those planets is not the problem; the LACK of similarity to the moon’s core is.

C) the composition of certain lunar samples.

This is not the credited response.  The composition of the lunar samples supports the collision hypothesis, but does not by itself undermine the theory discussed in this question.

D) the lack of iron in the moon’s core.

Your answer was correct!

This is the credited response.

E) the impossibility of a satellite like the moon taking on a nearly-circular orbit after a major collision between two celestial bodies.

We’re looking for two things: 1) something that isn’t explicitly stated in the passage and 2) the best evidence to undermine, or weaken, the case that the moon formed in a pre-solar nebula.

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