TIPS for Section 2:
-
Read the question first! See if it asks for the main ideas or specific information in the passage.
-
For main idea questions, be careful not to select an answer that is not specific enough.
-
The first sentence usually introduces the topic or summarizes the paragraph!
-
Read the answer options carefully! Wrong answers are worded similarly to sentences in the passages to trick you!
TIPS for Section 1:
-
Every sentence is relevant and provides context for the missing phrase!
-
Do not ignore the first sentence especially as it usually introduces the topic.
-
Look for key transition words that hint if the missing phrase is an opposing or supporting idea.
-
Know your vocabulary!
-
Do not get upset of you do not understand a word! Try to relate what it means from context.
Reading
There are three subsections of the Reading section. They will be further elaborated on below and accompanied by tips on approaching the specific type of question of each section. A sample question will then follow along with the correct answer and explanation of why it is so. Finally, each section ends with a link to an additional page that contains additional reading passages for practice and an answer key on the last page. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to post them on the Forum for others to answer!
Section 1:
Read the passage and choose the option that best completes the passage.
No library, no matter how extensive, can ever have all of the materials that may be needed by its users. Libraries have consequently worked out methods of cooperation in their efforts____________________. If readers cannot find the books they are looking for, then any public library can arrange for books to be loaned from another library.
(a) to raise as much funds as possible to expand the library
(b) to promote literacy among the poverty-ridden class
(c) to provide every reader with the necessary resources
(d) to make the surrounds more conducive to reading
What do you think the best option is? The correct answer is (c). This passage discusses the problem of not having all of the materials its users will need. Looking at our options, only (a) and(c) discuss the lack of enough resources. However, (c) is the best answer because it discusses the reader's need for resoureces and transitions nicely to the next sentence about readers not being able to find books.
Section 2:
Read the passage and choose the option that best answers the question.
Everyone knows what "sweet" and "sour" taste like, but what do "hot" and "cold" taste like? According to a recent study by the Yale School of Medicine, temperature has its own flavors. In other words, warming the front of the tongue induces a suggestion of sweetness; cooling it produces a salty or sour taste; and chilling the back of the tongue, creates a sour or bitter taste.
Q: What is the main idea of this passage?
(a) A specific section of our tongue senses a specific taste.
(b) Temperature affects our sense of taste in some ways.
(c) Scientists do not know whether temperature is related to taste.
(d) The taste of bitterness has nothing to do with temperature.
What do you think the best answer is? The correct answer is (b). We can eliminate (c) and (d) because they contradict the passage. (a) is too broad of a summary, while (c) specifically describes what the passage elaborated on (the tasts of "hot" and "cold").
Section 3:
Read the passage and identify the option that does not belong.
When they first enter college, many students are surprised at the liberal arts classes they must take in order to graduate. (a) They wonder why someone who wants to be an accountant or television producer should study subjects that have apparently nothing to do with those fields. (b) First-year students should take time to get used to the new environment and opportunities available at college level education. (c) Why should you study history, literature, philosophy, music, art, or any other subject outside of your major? (d) This is a reasonable question that requires clear justification.
Which sentence do you think does not belong? The correct answer is (b). The first sentence introduces the topic of liberal arts classes and student's surprise towards them. (a) explains the students' surprise while (c) presents common question students have about these classes, and (d) follows (c). (b) does not belong because it does not elaborate on the passage's topic of liberal arts classes and insteads introduces a new topic.
TIPS for Section 3:
-
Everything must relate to the first sentence or the sentence before it!
-
Two sentences that go together can be crossed off as options that do belong.
-
Be careful, the sentence that does not belong may relate to the topic introduced, but it will NOT elaborate on the topic.