

If this happens, take special care to work within the context provided by the passage. Sometimes your own views or opinions may conflict with those presented in a passage. Answer each question based on the information provided in the passage and don’t rely on outside knowledge.

Read each question carefully and make sure you understand exactly what’s being asked.Does one apply the other to a particular circumstance?.Does one spell out the other in greater detail?.Are they contrasting? Are they consistent?.identify the relationship between different ideas, for example:.identify the main transitions from one idea to the next.distinguish ideas that the author is strongly committed to from those they advance as hypothetical or speculative.distinguish ideas that the author is advancing from those they’re merely reporting.distinguish main ideas from supporting ideas or evidence.Pay attention to clues that help you understand less explicit aspects of the passage.Read and analyze the passage carefully before trying to answer any of the questions.If you encounter a passage that seems particularly hard or unfamiliar, you may want to save it for last. You don’t need to try to familiarize yourself with every conceivable topic that might be included. Don’t be discouraged all the questions can be answered on the basis of the information provided in the passage and no specialized knowledge is assumed. Reading passages are drawn from many different disciplines and sources, so you may encounter unfamiliar material.Questions can cover any of the topics listed above, from the meaning of a particular word to assessing evidence that might support or weaken points made in the passage. Typically, about half of the questions on the test are based on passages each passage has anywhere from one to six questions associated with it. Passages are based on material found in books and periodicals, both academic and nonacademic, and drawn from: Most are one paragraph long, and one or two are several paragraphs long. The test contains approximately 10 passages. reflecting on the relationship of the particular text to other texts and information.Reading and understanding a piece of text requires far more than a passive understanding of the words and sentences it contains it requires: developing and considering alternative explanations.identifying strengths and weaknesses of a position.analyzing a text and reaching conclusions about it.identifying the author's assumptions and perspective.understanding the structure of a text in terms of how the parts relate to one another.reasoning from incomplete data to infer missing information.drawing conclusions from the information provided.distinguishing between minor and major points.understanding the meaning of paragraphs and larger bodies of text.understanding the meaning of individual words and sentences.Reading Comprehension questions are designed to test the wide range of abilities required to read and understand the kinds of prose commonly encountered in graduate school.
