GMAT Reading Comprehension

Reading Comprehension (RC) is the most common type of question found on standardized tests. RC questions test your ability to understand and evaluate complex reading material. On the GMAT, you can expect three or four RC passages with three or four questions on any given passage.
 

Passages are based on material from one of three broad subject areas: business / economics, history / humanities, and science. Passages are purposely written in a dry, boring manner and often use difficult vocabulary. All the information needed to answer questions is contained within the passages; no outside knowledge is required. Passages typically range from 200 to 350 words in length. RC passages were longer in the past, up to 480 words. Since the GMAT Official Guides use retired GMAT questions, you may find some such lengthy passages in those books that are not representative of current passage length.

The passage remains on the left-hand side of the computer screen while questions related to the passage appear one-at-a-time on the right-hand side of the screen. A few questions make reference to a specific part of the passage (which will typically be highlighted in yellow). In the GMAT Genius methodology, there are seven types of RC questions:

1. Primary Purpose – find the primary purpose or main idea of the passage, or choose an appropriate passage title.
2. Author's Tone – detect the author’s opinion or what the author would agree with.
3. Organization – identify the structure of the passage or how one paragraph relates to the whole passage.
4. Function – describe the intended purpose of a certain word, phrase, sentence, or quote.
5. Specific Reference – identify what is factually valid in a certain context, as explicitly stated in the passage.
6. Inference – choose what can be reasonably implied from the passage, even though not explicitly stated.
7. Critical Reasoning – similar to a CR question, weaken or strengthen an argument as described in the passage.

Begin by carefully reading the passage. You do not need to understand and remember everything. You should, however, understand the scope and purpose of each paragraph. You should also recognize what seems to be important and remember where such references are located. We strongly recommend taking brief notes while reading the passage. Your objective is to jot down a few key words (or abbreviations) that will help you recall important points, not to create a detailed outline. We suggest spending three to four minutes upfront on reading the passage and taking notes.

Next, dive into the questions. For primary purpose questions, you must find an answer that relates to the passage as a whole, not just to a subset. Other questions require you to find one or more specific statements within the passage relevant to the context of the question. The biggest trap is to pick an answer simply because it uses words that you recall from the passage. Unless those words address the specific context that the question asks about, the answer choice is irrelevant.

As with Critical Reasoning questions, take a first quick pass through all five answers to familiarize yourself with the options and to eliminate answers that are definitely wrong. Do not spend much time evaluating answers in the first pass, because you may identify a subsequent answer as the correct choice. Only after the first pass, take a second pass at the worthwhile answers, referring back to the passage as necessary to choose the correct answer.

Let’s try a sample passage and question. Attempt the problem on your own before viewing the answer and explanation.

Under Danish control since 1388, the Faroe Islands have long been governed by the Danish Amtmand (administrative overseer), with the unicameral Faroese Løgting (parliament) serving as an advisory body. Niels Winther was among those who sought a greater role for the Løgting. In July 1851, the Faroese narrowly rejected the “official” candidate and instead chose Winther to represent them in the Danish Folketing (parliament). Winther introduced a bill for Faroese home rule, but was out-maneuvered by Danish Interior Minister Frederik Tillisch. In 1852, Winther started a newspaper in which he criticized the Danish monopoly over Faroese trade in a way the officials found defamatory. He was fined heavily and the newspaper ceased publication. Embittered by the difficulty of getting anything done for the Faroese, he retired from the Folketing.

Despite its limited political authority, the Løgting became the political platform for the Faroese secession movement in the next century. The secession movement was not so much a reaction to Danish hegemony as to the threatened demise of Faroese traditions and the rise of a native intelligentsia. A consultative referendum was held in September 1946 on the question of secession. The result of the vote was a narrow majority in favor of secession, but the coalition in the Løgting could not reach agreement on how this outcome should be interpreted and implemented. Because of these irresoluble differences, the coalition fell apart. A compromise was ultimately reached, however, and the Folketing passed a home-rule law that went into effect in March 1948.

Which of the following would the author of the passage most likely agree with?

(A)	The Faroese felt oppressed by the Danish.
(B)	Some Faroese believed that the home-rule law passed by the Folketing did not go far enough.
(C)	A unicameral parliament is a preferred form of government.
(D)	Based on the results of the 1946 referendum, the Faroese should have been granted the right of secession.
(E)	Niels Winther was an unappreciated hero of the Faroese.