MCAT Verbal Reasoning tips Flashcards
Six main question types
Main idea, Detail, Inference, Application, Tone, Logic
Good mental outline
Read opening lines of each paragraph slowly to orient yourself; Write down main points of each paragraph (easier to find later)
Main idea keywords
purpose, theme
Detail keywords
“according to the passage”, “based on info in the passage”
Inference keywords
“it can be inferred that”, “the author suggests that”
Application keywords
“passage was probably written by”, “example in paragraph 2 would be most similar to”
Tone keywords
“author’s attitude”, “author would agree with”, “tone of passage is best described as…”
Logic keywords
“this paragraph serves to…”, “which of the following would strengthen the author’s point?”, “the author raises this point in order to”
Main idea tips
usually in first and last paragraphs; becomes clearer as you go through it - write down and redefine; wrong answers will be too narrow or too broad
Detail tips
specific fact from passage; can be scattered; use mental outline
Inference tips
logical leap to a similar idea, not too detailed but not to illogical
Application tips
take an idea from text and apply to new context, may be analogies or metaphors; how do they relate?, best answer “translates” idea properly
Tone tips
identify attitude or opinion; might be on one detail or whole passage
Logic tips
analyze function of a portion of text; why did they say that? about a detail’s purpose, or the general structure; come from your mental map and passage outline
Application about author
Look at citation for clues; consider how each option would write this if they did, what would they focus on?
Direction arrows to highlight
accordingly, but, consequently, conversely, despite, hence, however, in this connection, in spite of, ironically, nonetheless, notwithstanding, on the contrary, on the other hand, rather, regardless, still, therefore, thus, unfortunately, yet
Mapping passage
ignore most of details! Write down main points, cause/effect pairs, conclusions of each; highlight directional arrows and key statements; write down main theme at end
Preview questions
guides you a bit; gives some context, sticks better; highlight things related to the questions so you can go back and double check
Choosing the right answer
read question word for word; rephrase it; go back to passage, read all about that “issue”; answer question in your own words; eliminate wrong choices - remember the main theme, read word for word, reread the question; watch for distractors
