Passage structure, question types such as inference and author's purpose, and how to avoid common traps.
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- What is the primary purpose of a main idea question on the GRE?
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To test whether you understand the passage's central focus, not its supporting details.- What is an inference question?
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A question asking you to draw a conclusion based on information in the passage, not explicitly stated.- How do inference questions differ from detail questions?
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Detail questions ask for information explicitly in the passage; inference asks you to combine facts and reach an unstated conclusion.- What does 'author's purpose' mean in reading comprehension?
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The reason the author wrote the passage, such as to argue, explain, refute, or persuade.- What is a common trap in detail questions?
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Choosing an answer that contains words from the passage but does not actually answer what was asked.- How should you identify passage structure before answering questions?
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Skim for the main claim first, then locate supporting evidence and any counterargument or opposing view.- What is a 'scope trap' in main idea questions?
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An answer choice that is accurate but addresses only part of the passage rather than the main idea as a whole.- Why might confusing the tone of a quoted person with the author's tone be a trap?
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The author may quote someone whose views the author disagrees with, so the quoted person's tone differs from the author's stance.- What does a counterargument signal in a passage?
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The author is presenting an opposing viewpoint, typically in order to address, refute, or respond to it.- Why is predicting your answer before reading the choices important?
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It prevents you from being swayed by plausible but incorrect distractors that may match the passage language.- How should you handle a 'vocabulary in context' question?
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Find where the word appears, read the surrounding sentences, and choose the meaning that fits that context, not a common dictionary definition.- What is an 'author's stance'?
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The author's position or perspective on the topic being discussed, often revealed through which claims the author supports or refutes.- Why can an answer choice containing many passage words still be wrong?
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Because it may address a different part of the passage, misapply the information, or answer a different question than what was asked.- What is a 'beyond the passage' trap?
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An answer choice that requires knowledge outside the passage or makes assumptions not supported by the passage text.- When a passage says 'some scholars argue' then refutes it, whose view does the author support?
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The author's opposing view, not the scholars' position being refuted.
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