Reading Comprehension Flashcards
Global Question: Definition
Determining main ideas (i.e. summarizing a passage).
Global Question: Location in Paragraph
First and last sentence of the paragraph. Keywords: “primary purpose of the passage” and “author’s tone”
Detail Question: Definition
Understanding details/facts (i.e. distinguishing between minor and major points).
Detail Question: Location in Paragraph
Middle of a paragraph and scan for key words. Keywords: “according to the author/passage” and “mentioned in the passage”
Inference Question: Definition
Making inferences/conclusions (i.e. drawing conclusions from the information provided or reasoning from incomplete data to infer missing information).
Inference Question: Location in Paragraph
non-specific - read the first and last sentence of the paragraph or each paragraph of the passage, specific - find the relevant part of the passage based on clues and look in the middle. Keywords: “suggests,” “implies,” and “most likely agrees”
Logic/Function Question: Definition
Identifying the author’s logic or the function of a certain word or phrase the author included (i.e. why did the author include a certain word, phrase, or statement).
Logic/Function Question: Location in Paragraph
At the minimum read before and after the referenced text. Keywords: “in order to” and “primarily serves to”
Reasoning Question: Definition
Analyzing the author’s reasoning in an argument (i.e. identifying the author’s assumptions and perspective and identifying strengths and weaknesses of a position).
Reasoning Question: Location in Paragraph
Whole paragraph or section referenced. Keywords: “requires the assumption,” “cast the most doubt on the conclusion”, and “author’s argument”
Vocab in Context Question: Definition
Vocabulary in context (i.e. understanding the meaning of individual words and sentences).
Vocab in Context Question: Location in Paragraph
Sentence that contains the word in question, sometimes sentences above and below. Keywords: “as it is used in line” and “most closely corresponds to the meaning of the word”
Topic
What the passage is about, a very broad statement
Scope
The specific aspect of the topic that interests the author
Purpose
The author’s reason for writing
Author’s Purpose Themes: Explain
The author wants to explain a phenomenon — specifically, why that phenomenon occurred.
Author’s Purpose Themes: Advocate
The author wants to argue for, to recommend, a particular proposal or approach or idea.
Author’s Purpose Themes: Rebut
The author wants to rebut or challenge someone else’s idea or theory.
Author’s Purpose Themes: Compare or Contrast
The author wants to examine the similarities and differences between two ideas, theories, proposals, or schools of thought.
Author’s Purpose Themes: Critique
The author wants to evaluate the success or failure, the quality or deficiency, of a policy, organization, philosophy, or work of art or literature.
Author’s Purpose Themes: Describe
The author wants to present the salient facts and features, but deliberately takes no positions and makes no judgments. Such a passage is totally objective.
Distractors: Outside the Scope
These choices are outside the scope of the passage and are commonly found in Inference questions. Looking back at your map can help detect these wrong answers.
Distractors: Extreme
These answer choices include extreme language like always, never, rarely, etc. and are commonly found in Inference questions. If you see this extreme language make sure the passage actually supports such a strong view.
Distractors: Distortion
These choices use specific language from the passage but distort the meaning of details from the passage and are commonly found in Detail and Logic questions. Again check your map to make sure the concept in the choice matches the details in the passage.
Distractors: 180
These answer choices are 180 degrees different from statements made in the passage. Again looking at the evidence in your map can help detect these contradictory answer choices.
Distractors: Half-right/Half-wrong
These wrong answers are usually easy to spot because they are typically longer. The first part of the statement is usually correct, but then the second half is incorrect. Remember that if part of it is wrong, it is all wrong. An answer cannot be half-right.
Evidence
The author’s reasons or proof for that point, why they believes their conclusion is correct.
Conclusion
The author’s main point, what they’re trying to prove.
Assumption
An assumption is an unstated, necessary premise. It is something that must be true in order for the argument’s evidence to flow logically to the conclusion.
Evidence + Assumption → Conclusion
Common Arguments and Flaws: Scope Shift
The scope of the argument will shift from the evidence to conclusion
Common Arguments and Flaws: Representativeness
Conclusion is made about a different population from the evidence
Common Arguments and Flaws: Causal
Conclusion made essentially says one thing makes another thing happen
Difficult RC Questions: Explain
Present you with a paradox or discrepancy in the passage. A paradox or discrepancy exists when a passage contains two or more seemingly inconsistent statements. It’s your job to find the answer choice that explains the paradox.
Difficult RC Questions: Parallelism
Require you to make a connection between something in the passage and a different, specific, hypothetical situation. It is structure that is important on these questions! The subject matter of the correct choice is almost always very different from the content of the passage.
Difficult RC Questions: Bolded Statement
Akin to Logic questions. The difference is that TWO portions of the passage will be highlighted, and it will be your job to determine the role each highlighted portion plays in the passage or in relationship to each other. The answer choices can be abstract and wordy on these questions, but predicting your answer will help you make quick work of the choices.
Keywords: Emphasis
Clues to key pieces of information.
Examples: most of all, especially, above all, best/worst
Keywords: Continuation
These indicate no change in the author’s line of reasoning — the opinion or viewpoint previously mentioned is simply expanded upon.
Examples: and, moreover, also, furthermore
Keywords: Conclusion
Provide a quick and easy way to locate the main point of the passage.
Examples: therefore, thus, hence, so, clearly
Keywords: Contrast
Signal a change in the passage’s direction, and therefore are strong indicators of passage structure.
Examples: but, however, on the other hand, not, by contrast, alternatively
Keywords: Sequence
Allow the reader to locate a string of relevant details quickly.
Examples: first of all, next, secondly, finally
Keywords: Evidence
Indicate that specific support for the author’s point is forthcoming.
Examples: because, since, for example, due to
