GRE Reading Comprehension Passages 2

Question 1

In GRE reading comprehension, what does it mean when a question asks for the 'primary purpose' of a passage?

Accepted Answer

The author's overall reason for writing the entire passage

Answer

Primary purpose questions ask about the author's main goal across the whole passage, not isolated details.

Question 2

A passage argues that a long-held theory is flawed, then proposes a revised model. The author's tone is best described as:

Accepted Answer

Critical yet constructive

Answer

Challenging a theory while offering an improvement signals critical but constructive intent.

Question 3

If a GRE question asks which statement the author would 'most likely agree with,' you should:

Accepted Answer

Infer from the author's stated views and reasoning

Answer

Inference questions require reasoning from the author's expressed positions, not surface features.

Question 4

The word 'consequently' appearing between two sentences in a passage signals what relationship?

Accepted Answer

Cause and effect

Answer

'Consequently' indicates the second statement results from the first.

Question 5

In a 'select-in-passage' question type, you must:

Accepted Answer

Click the sentence that meets the described criteria

Answer

Select-in-passage questions require highlighting the single sentence matching the prompt.

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