Reading Comprehension Types and Strategies

Question 1

Step 1: Preparing the Readings

Answer 1

Find a main point of each paragraph; find bottom line; identify passage type; highlight

Question 2

Passage Types

Answer 2

Telling a Story, Compare/Contrast, Defend/Advocate, Criticize

Question 3

Telling a Story Passages

Answer 3

Author has neutral tone

Pay attention to transitions and look out for answers that misrepresent the sequence of events or tone of author

Question 4

Compare/Contrast Passages

Answer 4

Author will not take a side

Pay attention to transitions and eliminate answers that wrongly describe position/side or mistake a similarity w/ a difference

Question 5

Defend/Advocate Passages

Answer 5

Author will take a side or make a recommendation

Pay attention to words that indicate strength of position and distinguish author’s position. Eliminate answers that inaccurately describe tone or confuse author’s POV

Question 6

Criticize Passages

Answer 6

Author criticize an idea and do not suggest an alternative

Pay attention to what is being being criticize and strength of the argument made. Eliminate choices that describe recommendations the author did not make, mix up what is/isn’t being criticized, that are inappropriate to the strength of the argument in the passage

Question 7

Highlighting tool

Answer 7

Main points, opinions, question topics

Question 8

Underline tool

Answer 8

Conclusions, attitude indicators, changes in direction, continuations, list and example indicators

Question 9

Big Picture Questions Types

Answer 9

Main Point, Primary Purpose, Overall Attitude

Question 10

Big Picture Question Strategies

Answer 10

Rely on the bottom line notes and watch out for single words that could invalidate an answer choice

Question 11

Extract Question Types and General Strategy

Answer 11

Fact and Inference

Read +/- 5 lines around quotes, generate a paraphrase of an answer,

Question 12

Extract: Inference Question Type and Strategy

Answer 12

It can be reasonably inferred that, it is implied that, which of the following conclusions is best supported, which of the following would the author be most likely to agree, X refers most specifically to, which of the following does the author appear to value the most

Correct answers will be directly supported by one or more statements in the passage but may not be stated outright in the text

Question 12

Extract: Fact Question Types and Strategy

Answer 12

According to the passage, the author states that, which of the following is mentioned in the passage

Correct answers will be close paraphrases of something in the passage

Question 13

Structure Question Types and Strategy

Answer 13

Organization and Function

Use annotation actively and look for words like therefore, for example, and in contrast to tell you about the purpose and function of that part of the passage

Question 14

Strucutre: Organization Question Types and Strategy

Answer 14

Which one fo the following most accurately states the organization of the passage?

Think about describing the passage as a whole, rather than summarizing the content. Break down each choice into pieces and check against the text. Should follow progression of text

Question 15

Strategy: Function Question Types and Strategy

Answer 15

The primary function of paragraph X is to; the main fucntion of the reference is to; the author mentions X in order to

Go to that part of the passage, use your notes and think and about what the author said and WHY they said it

Question 16

Application Question Types and Strategy

Answer 16

Strengthen/Weaken and Analogy

Question 17

Application: Strengthen/Weaken Question Types and Strategy

Answer 17

Which of thej following would most clearly support the author’s contention that; which of the following would most undermine the author’s claim

Assume each choice to be true and find the one that most strengthens or weakens the claim. Go back to the passage and find and paraphrase the relevant phrase

Question 18

Application: Analogy Question Types and Strategy

Answer 18

Which of the following is most similar in its approach to the authors approach described in the passage, which of the followis is most analogous/similar to the situation

Find an answer choice that is most similar in its theme or logic to the passage. Define what theme or logical relationship the correct answer needs to portray

Question 19

Answer Steps

Answer 19

Reach each choice word for word, use POE aggresively, watch out for attractive distractorsA

Question 20

Attractive Distractors

Answer 20

Wrong part of the passage, extreme language, narrowness/broadness, partially wrong, not supported by the passage