Verbal section contains about four Reading Comprehension passages, each having one to four questions. The computer screen is split, with the passage on the left and a question on the right. You get the questions one at a time while the passage stays in place.
This chapter introduces the three Reading Comprehension question formats, presents strategies for identifying the correct answers quickly, and provides some sample passages along with questions and their answers so you know what to expect on the test.
Recognizing the Three Reading Comprehension Question Formats
Being familiar with the question formats for the Reading Comprehension section helps you field the questions more confidently, because you know what to expect. The GRE presents each question in one of the following three formats:
Multiple-choice: Choose one answer.
Multiple-choice: Choose two or more answers.
Sentence-selection: Choose a sentence from the passage.
The following sections describe each question format in greater detail and provide an example of each format based on the following short passage from Food Allergies For Dummies by Robert A. Wood, MD, with Joe Kraynak (Wiley):
Anaphylaxis resulting in death is relatively uncommon among children and young adults, because their cardiovascular systems are so resilient. This does not mean, however, that younger people are immune to severe anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis in younger people typically results in breathing difficulty — a constricted or blocked airway that causes a fatal or near fatal reaction.
Multiple-choice questions: Choose one answer
The following format is the traditional multiple-choice question. You get five answers to choose from, and only one is correct.
You pick one and only one answer. In this case, the correct answer is Choice (B), because the first sentence directly answers the question.
Multiple-choice questions: Choose one or more answers
The next question format is a spin on the traditional multiple-choice question. Three choices follow the question, and one, two, or all three of them are correct. You must pick all of the correct choices and no incorrect choices to receive credit for your answer. You don’t receive partial credit for picking only some of the correct answers. The GRE treats a partially answered question as a wrong answer.
You pick all answers that are correct. In this case, Choices (A) and (B) are correct.
Sentence-selection questions: Choose a sentence from the passage
In sentence-selection questions, the GRE presents a description or question followed by instructions to click the sentence in the passage that most closely matches the description or answers the question. Clicking any part of the sentence selects the entire sentence.
In the passage, you click the answer sentence, and it highlights on the screen, like this:
The other sentences in the passage may not be so reassuring to parents of young children.
Developing Strategies for Success
Reading Comprehension questions can be the most time-consuming questions of the Verbal section. The best way to ace these questions is to master and use strategies for quickly reading the passages, identifying key facts called for in the questions, and drawing inferences based on subtle implications. Ask yourself the purpose of the passage: Why is the author writing this? The following sections explain four useful strategies for effectively and efficiently arriving at the correct answers (and avoiding incorrect answers).
Using
