{"id":5945,"date":"2013-08-12T09:09:32","date_gmt":"2013-08-12T13:09:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.manhattangmat.com\/blog\/?p=5945"},"modified":"2019-09-05T16:09:46","modified_gmt":"2019-09-05T16:09:46","slug":"the-master-resource-list-for-reading-comprehension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/blog\/the-master-resource-list-for-reading-comprehension\/","title":{"rendered":"The Master Resource List for Reading Comprehension"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"gmatDid you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We\u2019re not kidding!\u00a0<\/i><\/b>Check out our upcoming courses here<\/i><\/b><\/a>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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They manage to pick such interesting topics for Reading Comprehension, don\u2019t they? It\u2019s always the kind of thing you\u2019d choose to read at home in your free time!<\/p>\n

Wait. No, that\u2019s not quite right. But the topics are relevant to business school\u2026well, occasionally. Hmm.<\/p>\n

So, let me get this straight. They\u2019re going to give me somewhat obscure, very dense topics with very complicated ideas and sentence structures. I\u2019m going to have about 3 minutes to read such a passage, and then I have to start answering questions about the material. That\u2019s completely artificial; it would never happen in the real world!<\/p>\n

Actually, yes it will. You\u2019re going to do case studies in business school. You often won\u2019t<\/i> be given enough time to read through every last detail carefully; instead, you\u2019ll have to figure out what\u2019s important and concentrate on those pieces, while putting together a framework for the main ideas and the big changes in direction or opinion.<\/p>\n

At work, you\u2019re often going to have to make decisions based upon incomplete information. At times, you\u2019ll have a ton of information\u2014and not enough time to review it all before you have to take action. These situations are far from rare in the real world.<\/p>\n

So when you find yourself a bit unmotivated because you know you\u2019ve got to study boring Reading Comprehension today, remind yourself that RC will actually help you develop much-needed skills for business school and beyond!<\/p>\n

The Master Resource List for Reading Comprehension<\/h4>\n

I\u2019ve put together what I\u2019m calling the Master Resource List for Reading Comprehension. A couple of disclaimers. First, this list includes only free resources, no paid ones. There are a lot of good resources out there that cost some money\u2014they\u2019re just not on this list!<\/p>\n

Second, this list is limited to my own articles. I\u2019m not trying to claim that only my articles are good enough to make such a list\u2014far from it. I\u2019m most familiar with my own articles, so that\u2019s what I\u2019m using. And, okay, I will admit that I think the Manhattan Prep Reading Comprehension process is the best one out there. But I\u2019m biased.\u00a0?<\/p>\n

How To Read<\/h4>\n

Before you dive into individual question types, it\u2019s critical to know some overall processes for Reading Comprehension, starting with how to read! You already know how to read in general, of course. I\u2019m talking about How To Read RC<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll notice that the first article, linked above, discusses not only what to<\/i> read but also what not<\/i> to read. When you have only a few minutes, it\u2019s just as important to know what you can skip or skim (and how to make that decision). For more, check out this lesson on What to Read and What Not to Read<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If, after trying the above, you still find yourself really struggling with either reading speed or comprehension, here are some resources to help you Improve Your Reading Skills<\/a>. That article is especially important for people who don\u2019t read regularly in English, either for work or on your own; this is particularly true if your native language is also not English and you did your undergraduate studies in another language.<\/p>\n

Finally, one of our two main goals when first reading a passage is to Find the Main Point<\/a>. (The other main goal is to take some light notes on each paragraph in order to understand the organization of the information.)<\/p>\n

When you\u2019ve mastered those skills, you\u2019re ready to learn how to tackle the questions.<\/p>\n

The Reading Comprehension Question Types<\/h4>\n

I literally just said this, but I\u2019m going to repeat it: when you\u2019ve mastered the reading skills, you are then ready to tackle the questions. Don\u2019t make the mistake of thinking that you can ignore the previous section and just go straight for the questions. You will be slower and you will make more mistakes if you do that.<\/p>\n

Reading Comprehension has three main question types: Main Idea, Specific Detail, and Inference. Each of those question types can have nuances or sub-types.<\/p>\n

Main Idea<\/span><\/p>\n

Most passages will include one Main Idea category question. Most commonly, you\u2019ll be asked for the \u201cprimary purpose\u201d (i.e., the main idea) of the entire passage, though a question could also ask for the primary purpose or role of just one paragraph.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re asked for the purpose of the entire passage<\/a>, then the correct answer has to cover the overall \u201creal estate\u201d of the passage as a whole. Wrong answers will often be too narrow (e.g., something that applies primarily to just one paragraph) or too broad (something that includes the main idea but goes beyond it to encompass ideas that were not presented in the passage). Follow the link above to get some practice.<\/p>\n

Specific Detail<\/span><\/p>\n

This category refers to questions that ask about a particular detail in the passage. Most commonly, these questions will begin: \u201cAccording to the passage\u2026\u201d Your task on these is to find an answer choice that matches something stated specifically in the passage.<\/p>\n

That sounds easy\u2014if the information is stated right there in the passage, how hard can it be?<\/p>\n

As you already know very well, they can make it quite hard. First, the language in the passage is seriously complex; it\u2019s not always easy to understand what they\u2019re talking about. Second, right answers will often contain synonyms<\/i> for words that appeared in the passage while some wrong answers will often contain the exact language used in the passage. If you\u2019re not careful, you\u2019ll be tempted to cross off that right answer because the language doesn\u2019t match exactly!<\/p>\n

Specific Detail Rule: Use the question wording to figure out where to go in the passage. Then re-read that detail carefully. Do NOT rely on your memory!<\/p>\n

Why not? I was once taking a standardized test (not the GMAT, but similar) and I was about to pick a Reading Comprehension answer. Then I remembered that I should check the proof in the passage first,\u00a0 so\u2014even though I was sure<\/i> I was right!\u2014I made myself find the proof.<\/p>\n

The passage was about some mammals, one of which was the kangaroo rat<\/a>. I looked at the passage, glanced back at my answer\u2026and suddenly realized that the answer said kangaroo,<\/i> not kangaroo rat! I would have been really<\/span> mad to get a question wrong for that reason!<\/p>\n

The moral of the story: find the proof in the passage. Every single time.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a specific detail question<\/a> to get started. Want another? Here you go<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Inference<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019re going to talk about two big things here: how to handle Inference questions and how to analyze Reading Comprehension problems in general (which you can then use on any question type).<\/p>\n

Inference questions do ask about specific details in the passage, but they add a twist: we have to deduce<\/i> something that must be true given certain facts from the passage.<\/p>\n

For example, if I tell you that my favorite type of book to read is biographies, what could you deduce?<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the trap: don\u2019t use your \u201creal-world\u201d conclusion-drawing skills. In the real world, you might conclude that I like reading books in general, or perhaps I\u2019m interested in history, or maybe that I\u2019m a nerd (really? biographies<\/i> are your favorite??). These things don\u2019t have to be true, though.<\/p>\n

What has<\/i> to be true? I don\u2019t like fiction as much as I like biographies. I have read at least one book in a non-biography category (otherwise, I wouldn\u2019t be able to tell that biographies are my favorite<\/i>, which implies a comparison).<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the difference? GMAT deductions are usually things that would cause us to say, \u201cDuh!\u201d in the real world.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy favorite category of book is the biography.\u201d
\n\u201cOh, so you must not like fiction as much as you like biographies.\u201d
\n\u201cUh\u2026 well, yeah, that\u2019s what \u201cfavorite\u201d means\u2026 I don\u2019t like anything else better.\u201d<\/p>\n

A GMAT deduction should feel like a \u201cduh\u201d deduction\u2014something totally boring that must be true given the information in the passage. Here, try out an Inference question<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That article also explains how to analyze your work and the problem itself. Did you miss something in the passage? Why? How can you pick it up next time? Did you fall for a trap answer? Which one? How did they set the trap and how can you avoid it next time? And so on.<\/p>\n

Why Questions<\/span><\/p>\n

Specific questions can come in one other (not as common) flavor: the Why<\/i> question. These are sort of a cross between Specific Detail and Inference questions: you need to review some specific information in the passage, but the answer to the question is not literally right in the passage. You have to figure out the most reasonable explanation for why<\/i> the author chose to include a particular piece of information.<\/p>\n

Test out this Why question<\/a> to see what I mean.<\/p>\n

Put It All Together<\/h4>\n

All right, have you got all of the pieces? What to read and what not to read? How to find the main point? How to answer Main Idea, Specific Detail, Inference, and Why questions?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s test it out! This first article talks about how to read a tough science passage<\/a>. This passage was taken from the free set of questions that comes with GMATPrep.<\/p>\n

Wait, there\u2019s more! Test out your understanding of the passage on this Inference question<\/a> and then try out this Why question<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Timing<\/h4>\n

As I mentioned earlier, we really don\u2019t have much time to read Reading Comprehension passages. Aim for about 2 to 2.5 minutes on shorter passages and closer to 3 minutes for longer ones. Of course, that\u2019s not nearly enough time to read everything closely and carefully\u2014but that\u2019s not your goal! As discussed in the How To Read articles above, our goal is to get the big picture on that first read-through, not every last detail.<\/p>\n

Aim to answer main idea questions in about 1 minute. You can spend about 1.5 to 2 minutes on the more specific questions. In particular, if you run across an Except question, expect to spend pretty close to 2 minutes; Except questions nearly always take a while.<\/p>\n

As always, be aware of your overall time. If you\u2019re running behind, skip one question entirely; don\u2019t try to save 30 seconds each on a bunch of questions. Also, if RC is your weakest Verbal area and you also struggle with speed, consider guessing immediately on one question per passage and spreading your time over the remaining questions.<\/p>\n

Great, I\u2019ve Mastered Reading Comprehension!<\/h4>\n

Let\u2019s test that theory, shall we? Your next step is to implement all of these techniques on your next practice test\u2014and don\u2019t forget about your timing. Good luck!\u00a0?<\/p>\n

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Can\u2019t get enough of Stacey\u2019s GMAT mastery? Attend the first session of one of her upcoming GMAT courses<\/a> absolutely free, no strings attached. Seriously.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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\"stacey-koprince\"<\/a>Stacey Koprince<\/a> is a Manhattan Prep instructor based in Montreal, Canada and Los Angeles, California.<\/strong> Stacey has been teaching the GMAT, GRE, and LSAT \u00a0for more than 15 years and is one of the most well-known instructors in the industry. Stacey loves to teach and is absolutely fascinated by standardized tests. Check out Stacey\u2019s upcoming GMAT courses here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We\u2019re not kidding!\u00a0Check out our upcoming courses here. They manage to pick such interesting topics for Reading Comprehension, don\u2019t they? It\u2019s always the kind of thing you\u2019d choose to read at home in your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,25,10],"tags":[53158,631,52749],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-5945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-how-to-study","category-reading-comprehension","category-verbal-on-gmat","tag-master-resource-list","tag-rc","tag-reading-comprehension"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5945"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5945\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14732,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5945\/revisions\/14732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5945"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=5945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}