The purpose of reading a GMAT passage
Most of the reading you currently do is likely for one of two reasons. First, you may be reading for pleasure, in which case you probably want to absorb as much of the material as possible for your own enjoyment. Second, you may be reading for school or work, so you need to make sure you understand the material thoroughly.
When reading for the GMAT, you are reading for an entirely new reason: to answer the questions correctly. As we only see one question at a time on test day, this means we must read the whole passage before seeing all of questions. However, we do not want to get bogged down in the passage, since the only reason we are even looking at it is to answer the given questions.
Your goals when reading a passage
The key, therefore, is to read strategically. As you work your way through the passage, do not get stuck on the details. Instead, focus on the big picture. This means you should read the passage with two goals in mind. Your first goal is to determine what the author is focused on and why the author has chosen to focus on this particular topic. Your second goal is to determine the structure of the passage, so that when you do see a question about a specific detail you can quickly find where the answer is in the passage.
By following these steps, you will be well on your way to both answering almost all of your Reading Comprehension questions correctly, and also finishing your test on time.
Content
To start, you might read articles that cover all kinds of content. GMAT Reading Comp passages come in one of four main categories: Physical Sciences, Biological Sciences, Social Sciences, and Business. As you study, ask yourself: is your RC ability the same regardless of the type of content? Or do you tend to struggle more with certain kinds of content? If the latter is true, then start doing some more non-GMAT reading in those areas.
What do you do when you hit a particular sentence that makes you think, “What in the world does that mean?” You “unpack” the sentence into multiple simpler sentences. Use your grammar knowledge and find a noun that you understand. Look for actions that describe that noun (don’t worry about what parts of speech are used – just articulate the action). Make a short sentence: that noun plus that action (in the form of a verb).
Then, create a second sentence that uses some new piece of info from the original and that relates to your first new sentence. Keep the sentence simple: one subject, one verb. Often, you can start these sentences with this or these: for example, “this caused …” or “these theories were tested…” If there are technical terms that you don’t understand, abbreviate them to a single letter and don’t worry about the meaning; use the rest of the sentence to understand what’s going on. Keep going until you have “unpacked” the original sentence.
When studying, you may want to write out your “unpacking” of a sentence, but your goal is to get good enough that you don’t need to write it all out (because you certainly won’t have time to do that during the test!).
Take-Aways
1. If you are struggling with reading speed or comprehension, practice reading from non-GMAT sources. If necessary, build up from “lighter” sources, such as The Wall Street Journal and The Economist, to more GMAT-like material, such as scientific and university magazines.
2. Answer certain questions about the material that you read: what’s the overall point? What’s the purpose of each paragraph? What are the main pieces of content and the judgments made? What changes of direction exist?
3. If any specific content gives you trouble, practice that type more. Learn to “unpack” difficult sentences efficiently and effectively.
Take-Aways
1. Know how to read the passage efficiently and effectively, and know how to pick out The Point.
2. Know how to recognize immediately which specific type of question you were given. If it’s a Main Idea question, make sure you can articulate The Point in your own wordsbefore you look at the answers.
3. Know what to expect from correct and incorrect answers on Main Idea questions.
How To Tackle Main Idea Questions on Reading Comprehension
We’re continuing our recent RC theme and I have another student question for you: what’s the best way to tackle Main Idea or Primary Purpose questions?
Reading the passage
In order to answer Main Idea or Primary Purpose questions correctly, we need to understand the overall Point of the passage, and in order to find The Point, we need to know how to read the passage in general. Luckily, we already have articles for both of those tasks!
First, read How to Read a Reading Comp Passage. Then, read How to Find the Point in a Reading Comp Passage. Once you’ve read those two articles (and practiced the material a bit), come back here and continue with this article.
Note: if you are struggling to read and comprehend effectively and efficiently, you may also want to review this article: How to Improve your Reading Skills for RC.
A question can also be limited to only part of the passage: you might be asked, for example, to find the primary purpose of the second paragraph. If the question limits the scope to something more narrow than the entire passage, be very careful as you review the answers. There will almost certainly be a trap answer that will talk about the entire passage, or include information that is not in the specified paragraph.
Recognizing the question
Before we can answer a Main Idea question, we have to recognize that we have a Main Idea-type question in the first place! Below is a list of sample language that allows us to recognize a Main Idea question. Words in quotes are taken from The Official Guide for GMAT Review 12th Edition (OG12), The Official Guide for GMAT Review 11th Edition(OG11), or GMATPrep. (Note: this list does not represent a comprehensive list of all of the ways in which the test might word a Main Idea question, though the first two on the list represent the majority of the Main Idea-type questions).
· what is the “primary purpose?”
· the passage or the author is “primarily concerned with” what?
· which answer “best summarizes the central idea?”
· which answer “states the main idea?”
· what is the “central purpose?”
Reading Comp: How to Find the “Main Idea”
It’s important to keep in mind for all Reading Comprehension questions that just because an answer choice is reasonable, true, or mentioned in the passage, does not mean it is necessarily correct. Always ask yourself: which answer choice best addresses the specific question being asked? Look to eliminate answer choices that are outside the scope of the question, or ones that contain extreme language such as always and never.
Find the Main Idea for the entire passage
For “Main 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 volcanoes and the necessary steps that need to be taken in order to predict and prevent volcano eruptions, then perhaps one paragraph referred to Mount St. Helen’s. However, it would be incorrect to say that the main idea of the passage was to “discuss Mount St. Helen’s” as that is the main idea of only one paragraph. The “Main Idea” would need to be something like “to discuss ways of predicting and preventing eruptions” since that is the more general focus.
For “Main 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.
Read actively and take notes
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 GMAT Reading Comp success. When you see a “Main Idea” question, you can quickly refer back to your Purpose to form a prediction.
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 “Main 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?
Another good place to look is the concluding paragraph. Does the author re-iterate a main purpose here? What is he summarizing? Focus especially on the first and final sentences.
For many test-takers, the Reading Comprehension section is one of the trickiest parts of the GMAT. The passages are long, convoluted, and often boring — more likely to put you to sleep than to pique your interest in the midst of a 3.5 hour exam.
Lucky for you, we’ve put together a list of 10 concrete tips to help you conquer the beast that is GMAT Reading Comprehension. With these strategies in hand, you’ll whiz through those passages without losing focus – and answer the accompanying questions correctly to boot!
1. Don’t draw on outside knowledge
Every answer can, and should, be found or inferred directly from the passage. If the subject of the passage seems obscure, don’t panic! Test-takers are not expected to know anything ahead of time about the topics covered on RC passages.
2. Look out for logical keywords
Logical keywords, or direction indicators, are words that indicate to the reader what direction the author’s argument is taking. Keep an eye out for these as you read. Many of these keywords fall into two groups: those that indicate continuity (e.g. furthermore, in addition, also), and those that indicate contrast (e.g. despite, but, nevertheless).
3. Learn how to recognize question types
Nearly all RC questions fall into three distinct categories. Global questions ask about the passage as a whole, detail questions require test-takers to locate and paraphrase a specific claim, and inference questions require test-takers to note implications not explicitly stated. Knowing what type of question you’re looking at will help you identify the most effective strategy to use.
4. Keep your perspectives straight!
As you read through GMAT passages, remember that many passages will provide multiple perspectives: One person will suggest a theory, and another will disagree with it in certain cases for a specific reason. Be sure to keep track of which side of the argument theauthor is on.
5. Start reading GMAT-like texts now
Reading comprehension passages on the GMAT tend to be dry (read: boring), even by standardized test standards. Reading similarly convoluted and/or jargon-heavy texts prior to test day will help your brain prepare. For suggestions, check out our tips on what to read to help your Reading Comprehension.
6. Practice RC skills in everyday reading
Occasionally, you will see questions on Reading Comprehension that ask you to identify the author’s tone, extend passage information to new situations, and/or determine how and why the passage is structured a certain way. Practice identifying the author’s tone when you’re reading newspaper articles, magazines, books, or blogs, and think about the author’s reasoning for using the structure s/he did.
7. Pay attention to context
This is especially important when dealing with detail questions. Before answering, read the sentence or lines referenced, as well as a few sentences before and after. In certain situations, context can make all the different between a right and wrong answer choice.
8. Use your scrap pad!
Write (brief) notes on the main idea of each paragraph to help you keep track of the paragraph’s progression, arguments, and main point. This strategy may seem to slow you down, but trust us: it will save you time in the end!
9. Don’t let “glazed eye syndrome” get you down
Find yourself losing focus? Take a deep breath and look away from the passage for a few seconds. When you go back to the passage, start from the last sentence where you felt engaged by the material.
10. Don’t panic!
If you start to feel overwhelmed, don’t let fear take over! Take a deep breath and be patient with your brain; it’s working hard, and often a quick mental break is all you need to get back on track.
One question type you are bound to encounter on the GMAT Reading Comprehension is a style or tone question. Style and tone questions are particularly rare because most of the passages will be informational articles with neutral tones. For example, it would not be very challenging if you were asked to identify the tone of a passage about the many types of metamorphic rock – such a passage would surely be neutral.
The tone of any given passage is the author’s emotion or feeling, usually towards his subject. An author’s style is the particular way he uses language to reflect his unique authorial voice. Most style or tone questions will include the words “attitude,” “tone,” “style,” “feeling,” etc. A typical question of this type might look like this:
· The author’s attitude toward global warming might best be described as which of the following?
· Which of the following best describes the tone of the passage?
· Based on the statements in lines 43-46, which of the following could be inferred about the author’s attitude toward socialism?
Five Errors in Reading Comprehension Strategy
Reading Comprehension questions are more familiar to most people than the other verbal questions on the GMAT. Part of it is that most people have encountered them before on the SAT or ACT, and part of it is that the task of reading a passage and answering questions about it is more familiar than the tasks of fixing the grammar of sentences and analyzing the logic of arguments. But there are still plenty of ways to go wrong in Reading Comprehension. The following are five common mistakes people make that prevent them from maximizing their performance on Reading Comprehension.
1) Reading the passage in too much detail the first time
Clearly, you need to know something about the passage before you tackle the questions. You don’t need to know everything, though. One of the biggest mistakes people make with Reading Comprehension is reading the passage slowly and in great detail the first time through. These passages are dense with information and most of it is not important, because the test will only ask 3 or 4 questions about each passage. Trying to absorb everything is a waste of time. You get no points for reading; you only get points for answering questions correctly. Therefore, the first time through the passage you want to read quickly, paying attention to the following two questions: 1) What is the general idea (topic, purpose, author’s tone)? 2) What is the structure of the passage (organization, location of details)?
2) Not clarifying the question
After reading the question you’re ready to go back and find the answer, right? Well, hold on. Are you certain you know what you’re looking for? Be sure to take a moment to clarify what the question is asking. What is the actual task? For example, some questions more or less ask you to retrieve information from the passage. “According to the passage, which of the following is one of the mating rituals of the moth?” That’s a straightforward question that requires you to find out what the passage said. But what about, “The author mentions the mating rituals of the moth in order to”? That’s a little different. That’s a question that isn’t interested in what was said, but rather why it was said. It’s a question about purpose and intention, and you have to think about the context of the passage to answer it. Or how about, “Which of the following can be inferred about the mating rituals of the moth?” Here we’re looking for something that wasn’t explicitly stated, but must still be true based on the text of the passage. In order to answer questions successfully, you need to know what information you’re reading for in the first place, which means you need to know exactly what the question is asking.
3) Failing to go back to the text to prove your answer
One consequence of spending too much time initially reading the passage (see point 1) is that you’re tempted to answer questions from memory rather than go back to the passage and read closely to find the necessary information. Reading Comprehension is like an open-book test. Everything you need is there in the passage — it’s just a matter of finding it. One of the main reasons you don’t need to read the whole passage carefully the first time is that you should be going back to the passage later anyway to read the important sections when it’s time to answer specific questions. Reading Comprehension answer choices can turn on tiny details in the passage, and it’s unlikely you’ll know them by heart. Train yourself to find the text in the passage that proves the answer choice you pick.
4) Turning to the answer choices too soon
You’ve read the paragraph that the question asked about. Time to hit the answer choices, right? Not so fast. There’s a big difference between reading and understanding. Reading is a mechanical skill, but comprehension is not. Everyone has experienced this at some time. You’re reading something, reading along, reading along, and it suddenly occurs to you that you have no idea what you’re reading anymore. Your eyes are still processing the words but the part of your brain that actually understands the words checked out a few paragraphs back. The point is that after you read the relevant text from the passage, you need to give yourself a moment to process that information before you turn to the answer choices. Think about what you’ve just read and what it means, especially in light of the question you’re trying to answer. The clearer of an idea you have about what you’re looking for, the easier it will be to work with the answer choices.
5) Looking only for good stuff in the answer choices
Most people examine answer choices with one question in mind: Is there anything here that I like? If there’s something about an answer choice that you like, it stays. If you don’t like anything about it, it goes. Ideally, you find one that you like the best and pick it. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, and sometimes it’s all you need. But too often it’s not enough, particularly when you like more than one answer choice or you don’t like any of them. What too many people never develop is the ability to spin their perspective 180 degrees and look for flaws in answer choices. You need to think like a prosecutor. “What is the strongest case I can make against this answer choice?” The human brain is wired in many ways to focus on one thing at a time. If I’m looking for reasons to choose an answer, it’s harder for me to see reasons to eliminate it. There are parts of answer choices that you literally will not even notice unless you are specifically looking for flaws. Ultimately, this is just one example of a larger principle that has resonance across the whole GMAT — it’s very hard to find certain things unless you are specifically looking for them.
Predict before reading the answer choices
A final tip: always write down your prediction before you read the answer choices. Even if your prediction seems incredibly obvious and you are someone with a perfect memory, you don’t want the wrong answer choices to sway you, and unless you write it down you risk forgetting or distorting your prediction as you read. As you write it down, trust that you’ve read the passage carefully and instinctively know what the correct answer should be.
How To Improve Your Reading Skills for Reading Comp
Students often ask for non-GMAT reading sources that they can use to improve their reading skills in general, for comprehension and for speed. Recently, some students have asked for more:how should they read such material? Is it the same as reading for work or for pleasure? (Not entirely, no.)
Reading Passages on the GMAT
Several circumstances separate GMAT reading from real-world reading (whether for business or pleasure). First, we’re severely time-constrained on the GMAT. It’s rare that your boss will toss some reading material at you, instruct you to read it and report back to her, and then add, “By the way, I want your report in 3 minutes.” (If this happens to you… maybe you need to find a new boss!)
Second, the material is often more dense than the kinds of things that we read in the real world. Third, the material is often excerpted or edited down from a longer work, so some of the transitions may be disjointed and the material may provide only bare-bones context.
Non-GMAT Reading Sources
For those who are learning English, and aren’t planning to take the GMAT for at least six months to a year, you may want to begin with business and science articles in newspapers such as The Wall Street Journal or magazines such as The Economist. These sources are a bit too “casual” and easy to read compared to most GMAT material, but they can provide you with a good starting point if you feel you need it.
Sources that are closer to “GMAT-speak” include:
But it’s not enough just to read these the way that you read your regular news material.
How to Read from non-GMAT Sources
So what do we need to do to learn GMAT lessons from these non-GMAT reading sources? (Note: the things I’m going to recommend below are geared toward helping you prepare for the GMAT; I would recommend different strategies if you were looking for pure comprehension without artificial time limits.)
First, GMAT reading material rarely provides a long introductory section or much of a conclusion, but those features are quite common in news and magazine articles. Skip the first paragraph or two (possibly several) and dive in somewhere in the middle. Read approximately three to five paragraphs (depending upon the length: you want about 200 to 400 words), and give yourself a time limit. Give yourself 2 minutes for a shorter length and 3 minutes for a longer one.
Don’t expect to get 100% comprehension from the three to five paragraphs you read initially; after all, you aren’t actually reading the full text. Don’t give yourself extra time; stop when that buzzer buzzes. Part of your task is to become comfortable with reading quickly and actually not fully comprehending what you just read.
Then, try to articulate:
· the main point of each individual paragraph
· the main idea of the entire article (or at least of this section of the article) without having to go back to the introductory paragraph; don’t expect to get it exactly right, since you aren’t actually reading the entire article
· “content” language (facts, historical information, processes, categories) and “judgment” language (opinions, hypotheses, comparisons)
· any “changes in direction” in the text that you read: “however” language, two differing points of view, etc.
Then, go read more and gauge your accuracy. Read a couple of additional paragraphs. Does that change your answers to the above? How? Why? Read a bit more and do the same. Finally, read the entire article.
When you start to feel more comfortable with this type of reading, add another layer of complexity: what might they ask you about the details of the article? What can you infer for GMAT purposes? (That is, what is not stated but must be true based upon information given in the article?) Do you understand the detail well enough that you could summarize it for someone else, possibly using easier language?
No comments:
Post a Comment