Reading Comprehension - Primary Purpose, Structure, Tone, and Specific Purpose

Question 1

Explain the “Myth” Passage Structure.

Answer 1

The ‘myth’ passage structure is where a group of people (scientists, historians, psychologists, researchers, etc.) believe something. At the same time, the author does not quit agree with with these people. The author develops the passage by highlighting why the viewpoint mentioned is not correct.

Question 2

What are 3 questions to ask, in relation to the author’s passage, that helps in understanding the big picture?

Answer 2

We ask:

What evidence does the author provide to support his/her viewpoints?

What evidence is offered in support of any opposing viewpoints?

Is the evidence strong (eg a scientific experiment) or weak (someone’s observation)

Question 3

What is the aim while reading, in understanding the big picture of Explanatory passages (passages explaining in detail how a certain experiment was set up or how a technology works)?

Answer 3

In reading such a passage, our job will be to understand the LOGIC of what’s explained while avoiding getting bogged down in details.

Question 4

Critically engaging with the passage improves understanding, what are some key questions to ask while reading the passage?

Answer 4

Does the passage present any viewpoints?
Does it provide support for any viewpoints?
Does it describe anything in detail?
Does it explain how something works or worked?
What does the passage accomplish?
How could I explain the passage to a 5 yr old?
How could we summarize the passage in a few sentences?

Question 5

Our understanding of the passage is based on our ability to summarize a simple story. What are helpful questions to ask in understanding the Simple Story

Answer 5

Why did the author take the time to write this passage?
What is the simple story in this passage?
What is the big picture of this passage?
What is the author’s main conclusion in this passage?
What is the main point of this passage?
What is the central idea of this passage?
How can I summarize this passage?
What is the author attempting to convey in this passage?
What is the primary purpose of this passage?
What is this passage primarily concerned with?
What is the author’s overall message?
What would be the most accurate title for this passage?

Question 6

Since opinions of the author or others are generally strongly connected to the passage’s main point, how can we often identify the main points of a passage?

Answer 6

By finding opinions.

Question 7

Opinon markers are statements that include words of a certain kind. What are some of these words?

Answer 7

Argue that, assert, believe, claim, contented, opinion, propose, clearly, should.

Question 8

Recall that passages often indicate contrasts of opinions or viewpoints. For markers which indicate contrasts of opinions (recall these opinions link to the main point), what are key words indicating that they exist?

Answer 8

However, although, but.

Question 9

Strong language in a passage. What is a key clue strong language provides us with?

Answer 9

Strong language provides us with valuable clues as to what the main point of a passage is.

Question 10

The primary purpose of the passage is often alerted by conclusions made by the author. What are key words indicating conclusion markers?

Answer 10

Therefore, thus, in summary, in conclusion, in closing, in essence, in short, in any event, all things considered, all in all, by and large, for this reason.

Question 11

What signal does a conclusion stated by the last sentence of the passage send?

Answer 11

A conclusion stated by the last sentence of the passage will either be the main point of the entire passage or be strongly connected to the primary purpose of the passage.

Question 12

The passages’ authors often introduce cause and effects relationships, how does this relate to the Primary Purpose of the passage?

Answer 12

By noticing discussions of causes and effects, we can identify important points of a passage and thus provide ourselves with strong clues about the primary purpose of a passage.

Question 13

What are come words or phrases which help to spot causation markers?

Answer 13

Caused by, Because, Due to, Attributed to, Explanation, Explained by, Resulted from, As a result of, Consequently, Reason, Thus

Question 14

When an author asks a rhetorical question then proceeds to answer it in the passage, how do we use this information?

Answer 14

Generally, when an author asks a rhetorical question, that question is strongly connected to the primary purpose of the passage.

Question 15

If we identify the simple story and how the passage twists and turns, must we expect to see an answer choice represented in a similar manner as how we would explicitly describe the simple story or its twists and turns?

Answer 15

No. The answer will likely be different from what we are expected to see in explicit terms, yet accurately depict a passage’s primary purpose.

Question 16

If you can’t be absolutely clear about the main idea or primary purpose of the passage, what technique can you employ in identifying the main idea?

Answer 16

If we’re not sure what the primary purpose of the passage is, we can at least find the important points of the passage. Then armed with this information, we can go to the answer choices and find the one that best fits the important points of the passage.

Question 17

How would you describe incorrect Primary Purpose answer choices that does not summarize ALL of the simple story?

Answer 17

These answer choices describe only a portion of the passage and can be very tempting because they also accurately describe part of the passage. Thus, they may seem to be correct if you aren’t paying close attention.

Question 18

Does the fact that a concept or idea is mentioned frequently in the passage mean that the Primary Purpose of the Passage is to discuss that concept or idea? Y/N?

Answer 18

No.
A passage whose primary purpose is to discuss the evolution of organized labour could mention working conditions several times to illustrate what occurred. In that case, working conditions would be mentioned frequently even though the primary purpose of the passage is not to describe working conditions.

When something is mentioned frequently, the “Mentioned Frequently” trap choices can be seductive because when something is mentioned frequently in a passage, it can be easy to get the impression that the point of the passage is that thing.

Question 19

Explain one way in which we can determine whether a Primary Purpose choice is correct by observing one of the two primary verb types used?

Answer 19

One key way in which we can determine whether a Primary Purpose choice is correct is by noticing whether it uses an argumentative verb or a descriptive verb, since passages also are often either clearly argumentative or clearly descriptive.

Question 20

Name at least 7 Argumentative Verbs.

Answer 20

Argue, Contend, Demonstrate, Suggest, Advocate, Propose, Support, Challenge, Question, Refute, Correct.

Question 21

Name at least 7 Descriptive Verbs.

Answer 21

Discuss, Present, Describe, Illustrate, Explain, Examine, Identify, Explore.

Question 22

What is the most important factor when deciding between Argumentative and Descriptive verbs?

Answer 22

We have to consider Argumentative Verbs and Descriptive Verbs in the contexts of the choices in which they appear, because sometimes a descriptive verb can be used in an argumentative choice.

Question 23

We are aware that we should be on the lookout for verbs in the answer choices which do not indicate what the Primary Purpose does, however, the answer choices may present a Distortion trap. For e.g., the main idea of a passage might say that economic policy in the United States during the Civil War was misguided, but the distorted answer choice may say that economic policy in the United States was “controversial”. How do you pick up on the Distortion trap choice?

Answer 23

To avoid choosing the Distortion choice, we must also check whether noun or modifiers in choices match the passage.

Question 24

Stretch answer choices are usually wrong and usually places an extreme twist on the correct answer choice. For eg, the primary purpose of a passage could be to demonstrate that a method for generating power is not the best method. Then a Stretch choice in a Primary Purpose question could say that the method used for generating power is useless. How do you spot Stretch answer choices.

Answer 24

To avoid choosing a Stretch choice, we can notice extreme markers, such as “always”, “never”, “best”, “worst”, or “impossible”, or other strong language in a choice. Since Stretched answer choices often use extreme markers or strong language, the presence of an extreme marker or strong language in a choice can serve as a yellow flag warning us that we may be dealing with a Stretch trap choice.

Question 25

Opposite Trap answer choices.
An Opposite trap answer choice may state that the primary purpose of a passage is to challenge a certain assertion when, in actuality, the primary purpose is to support that assertion. The Opposite answer choice does capture the fact that the primary purpose of the passage is to do something to that assertion. How do you spot an Opposite answer choice, since you will be doing the exam under pressure?

Answer 25

Since Opposite answer choices take things in a direction that is an opposite direction in which the passage take them, to avoid choosing an Opposite choice when answering a Primary Purpose question, compare the direction in which the choice takes things with the direction in which the passage takes things.

Question 26

Incorrect Primary Purpose answer choices are oftentimes designed to be half-right: part of the answer choice is correct or close to correct. For eg, a passage may explain why a government’s approach to handling a crisis was not effective, but the answer choice states: “to provide an explanation for the lack of popularity of an approach”. How can you spot these answer choices?

Answer 26

To avoid choosing Half-Right trap Primary Purpose choices, we can read choices in their entirety. This idea may seem obvious, but it’s very common for a test-taker to choose a Half-Right choice simply because the test-taker didn’t read the entire choice.

We can check the entire choice against the passage before selecting it as correct. By making sure that the entire choice - every verb, noun, and modifier - and not just part of the choice, matches the passage, we can avoid being tempted into choosing a Half=-Right trap choice.

Question 27

How would you explain the function of Structural markers?

Answer 27

Structural markers can help us understand the logic of the passage, the function of different elements of the passage, the relationships between ideas and facts, and the intention or viewpoint of the author.

Question 28

Structural Markers can help us to navigate and understand both simple and complicated passages. What do these words tell us?

Answer 28

These words tell us what the author is writing, why the author is writing it, what her opinions are, and where she’s headed next.

Question 29

What are the most important types of markers to look out for?

Answer 29

Contrast, Agreement, Opinion, Conclusion, Support, Additional Point, Look Above, Causation, Rhetorical, Myth, Extreme, Qualifier.

Question 30

Contrast markers indicate a contrast or disagreement. What are some common contrast markers?

Answer 30

However, but, although, yet, conversely, regardless, despite, in contrast, on the other hand, on the contrary, then again, nevertheless, instead.

Question 31

Authors typically use contrast markers when they are stating main points. Y/N?

Answer 31

Yes.

Question 32

What’s the most useful purpose of contrast markers, and why?

Answer 32

Since contrast markers often mark transitions between views or ideas, contrast markers are often extremely useful when we’re seeking to analyze the structure of a passage.

Question 33

What are examples of agreement markers - markers indicating agreement?

Answer 33

Similarly, Likewise, Not Only…but also, in fact.

Question 34

Examples of Opinion Markers - indicates that an opinion of the author or someone else is being presented?

Answer 34

Argue that, Assert, Believe, Claim, Contend, Opinion, Propose, Clearly, Should.

Question 35

Since Conclusion markers introduce conclusions, noticing conclusion markers can be very helpful to us as we seek to understand a passage, its primary purpose, and its structure. Examples of these markers are?

Answer 35

Therefore, In summary, In essence, All things considered, In any event, By and large.

Question 36

Support markers help us to discern relationships between sentences. A sentence that uses a support marker will generally provide support for or expand upon something stated by another sentence that appears before or after the sentence that uses a support marker. What are examples of support markers?

Answer 36

For instance, In particular, In fact, For example, From the fact that, After all, Because, Since, As indicated by, Due to, For the reason that, Given that, this can be seen from, we know this by, the reason is that, as evidenced by, justified by, assuming.

Question 37

Additional Point Markers indicate that the purpose of a sentence is to support a conclusion stated by a sentence probably located more than one sentence above. What are examples of conclusion markers?

Answer 37

Furthermore, Additionally, In addition, Likewise, Moreover, As well, Similarly.

Question 38

Look Above Markers indicate that a sentence is referring to something mentioned previously in the passage. What are some examples of these markers?

Answer 38

this X, these X, those X, such X, for example, also.

Question 39

Often, RC questions will ask us about something mentioned in a certain sentence in the passage - target sentence. However, what do we do when the information does not lie in the target sentence, but in a sentence that precedes the target sentence?

Answer 39

In these cases we look above, using the Look Above Markers. These cases occur quite often.

Question 40

Causation Markers indicate that a cause-and-effect relationship is being discussed or mentioned. What are examples of these markers?

Answer 40

Caused by, Because, Due to, Attributed to, Explanation, Explained by, Resulted from, As a result of, Consequently, Reason, Thus.

Question 41

When the author presents a rhetorical question, the answer will usually follow in the passage. What can we usually determine for rhetorical questions and the answers provided?

Answer 41

The answers provided to rhetorical questions asked will be strongly connected to the main idea of the passage.

Question 42

Myth Markers introduce a widely held view that will be discussed, called into question, or disputed. What are some examples of Myth Markers?

Answer 42

Widely held view, common belief, common perception, prevalent perception, many believe.

Question 43

Extreme Markers indicate that an extreme statement is being made. What are some examples of these markers?

Answer 43

All, Every, Only, None, Always, Never, Most, Least, Best, Worst, Impossible.

Question 44

What’s a handy reason for noticing Extreme Markers?

Answer 44

A handy reason for noticing extreme markers is that they can help us to determine whether RC answer choices match what passages say.

Question 45

Qualifier Markers qualify a fact stated in a passage. What are examples of qualifier markers?

Answer 45

May, Can, Could, Possibly, Probably, Likely, Some, Sometimes, Typically, Generally, Normally, Usually, Often, Perhaps.

Question 46

How do we use Qualifier Markers to our advantage?

Answer 46

Since the use of qualifier markers cause a sentence to express a specific meaning, noticing qualifier markers can help us to choose RC correct answers.

Question 47

If a != 0, 1, or -1, and a^x = a^y, then x=y. Also, if a^x*a^y = a^z, z=?

Answer 47

z = x+y

Question 48

a^x / a^y = a^z, z=?

Answer 48

z = x-y

Question 49

(x^a)^b = ?

Answer 49

x^(a*b)

Question 50

x^a * y^a = ?

Answer 50

(xy)^a

Question 51

x^a / y^a = ?

Answer 51

(x/y)^a

Question 52

a^(x) * b^(w) = a^(y) * b^(z), where the bases a and b are both prime and the exponents w,x,y, and z are integers or fractions. x =? and w = ?

Answer 52

x = y and w = z.

Question 53

If x, y and m are positive, then x>y if and only if?

Answer 53

x^m > y^m.