Techniques to Ace the GMAT Reading Comprehension Section and Tips to Answer Questions

Share this post

Think you need a superpower to crush GMAT Reading Comprehension? Whether reading the passages of GMAT Practice Questions drain your energy, tricky answer choices blur your vision, or inference questions leave you puzzled, your GMAT exam prep requires developing a solid strategy based on simple, practical skills.

Let’s break down these RC roadblocks into simple, actionable steps. More so, let’s implement the same in an official RC passage.

In this blog we will demonstrate the balanced approach taught in Jamboree’s GMAT coaching and also cover:

• Overview of GMAT Verbal Test structure
• Understanding GMAT Reading Comprehension
• Challenges Encountered in GMAT Reading Comprehension
• Implementing a Balanced Active Reading Method
• Demonstration: Reading an Official GMAT RC Passage and Summarizing
• Solving Various GMAT RC Questions
• Common GMAT Prep Mistakes and Traps to Watch in GMAT RC
• FAQs

Overview of GMAT Verbal Test Structure

In your GMAT online prep, you might have been informed that the GMAT Verbal Reasoning Section consists of Questions of:

• Reading Comprehension – The test has either 3 or 4 passages in the verbal section, with 3-4 questions following each passage. Hence a total of 10-14 questions of RC are usually encountered.

• Critical Reasoning – Usually the number of CR questions expected are 9-11, although it may vary depending on the number of RC passages encountered in the test.

Understanding GMAT Reading Comprehension

Your GMAT Verbal Prep for RC primarily constitutes two tasks:

1. Reading GMAT RC Passages

   Spoiler Alert !!! Perhaps you’d feel comfortable knowing that the way to tackle all RC passages is based on simple skills covered in a practical strategy demonstrated in your GMAT Prep, although you are not alone in thinking that such classification can look confusing.

   RC passages can be categorised as per the following criteria:

   1. Subject Matter

      • Science & Technology – Discussing scientific theories, philosophical discussions, technological advancements, or discoveries.
      • Social Sciences – Covering psychology, sociology, and anthropology.
      • Business & Economics – Focusing on market trends, economic principles, and business strategies.
      • History & Humanities – Including historical events, art, cultural analyses, and possibly even literature.

   2. Passage Length:

      • Short Passages – Around 200-250 words, usually with 1-2 paragraphs.
      • Long Passages – Around 300-350 words, with 3-4 paragraphs.

   3. Writing Style:

      • Expository Passages – Presents factual information or explains concepts.
      • Analytical Passages – Evaluates ideas, theories, or data with comparisons and different opinions.
      • Argumentative Passages – Defends or critiques a view with evidence to convince the reader.

      In the GMAT preparation you’ll discover that the complexity level of passage content can, as expected, range from Easy, and Medium, to Difficult.

2. Solving RC Questions

   RC passages are followed by multiple-choice questions with one correct answer each. Broad categories of Question types are:

   1. Primary Purpose/Main Idea questions
   2. Location based questions
   3. Inference questions
   4. Miscellaneous questions

   Recognizing the question type is crucial for selecting the correct answer and avoiding traps.

Challenges Encountered in GMAT Reading Comprehension

What is the biggest enemy you find in your GMAT Exam Preparation? The answer is ‘Anxiety!!’

The GMAT practice questions, when encountered will reveal the following challenges that can give birth to anxiety:

1. Comprehension – Dense, technical passages can be intimidating and time-consuming to understand.
2. Passage Structure and Inferences – Grasping sentence connections, transitions, and counterarguments requires active reading.
3. Fatigue and Time Pressure – Maintaining focus while reading complex passages under strict time constraints is mentally exhausting.
4. Tricky Answer Choices – Some options distort meaning subtly, while others seem irrelevant but turn out correct.
5. Language Subtlety – Small words like “some,” “always,” or “if” can change meaning but are easy to overlook. Sometimes rare vocabulary or technical jargon can seem intimidating.
6. Treacherous Questions – EXCEPT questions test memory, and role-based questions often tempt with direct but misleading answer choices.

Understanding these challenges helps in developing targeted strategies to overcome them. Here is a GMAT sample test which allows you to practice more such GMAT quantitative and GMAT verbal practice questions.

Implementing a Balanced Reading Method

GMAT coaching is guided to help you get rid of the struggle with RC: you might be either reading RC Passages too thoroughly and running out of time, or skimming too much too fast and thus missing key details. Both extremes hurt accuracy.

Instead, your GMAT Verbal Prep must adopt an active but time-efficient reading strategy for RC.

1. Key Considerations:

   • Time Limit – No matter how complex the passage is, aim to finish reading within 3 minutes—it’s challenging but doable.
   • Right Mindset – Reading and answering are separate tasks. Focus on understanding the passage, then use the questions to guide deeper analysis.
   • Skim for Structure not the Words – Read every sentence but differentiate between key points that shape the passage’s main idea and details that can be skimmed for their role.
   • GMAT is not a knowledge test – Rare english words or technical words are less important. Their meanings can either be contextually derived or may not be that important to learn at all.

2. Actively Reading the Passage:

   In GMAT Practice Questions, hypothetically, is a researcher’s opinion in a science passage more important than an example stated to support that? Which sentence needs to be read more carefully?

   You might agree that the importance of a sentence depends on whether it helps answer any question? Is the question about the example? If yes, then it matters. But what if no such question appears? In that case, would spending time on example’s details be smart?

   The following indicators are key to distinguish which sentences are crucial and need to be read in details and how to identify them:

   • Focus on Sentence Roles – Identify if a sentence presents a fact, opinion, support, challenge, exception, or example.
   • Pieces of the Puzzle fit together – Each paragraph contributes to the passage’s main idea; assess how each sentence fits into its paragraph.
   • Introductory Sentences Matter Most – Read the first two sentences of the passage slowly and very carefully to grasp its direction.
   • First Sentence of Each Paragraph – Since new paragraphs shift ideas, their opening lines help anticipate what follows.
   • Concluding Sentences of the Passage – If the author presents a final conclusion, understanding it is crucial.
   • Transition Words – Words like but, however, nonetheless indicate shifts in argument and must be noted.
   • Examples and Elaborations – Words which demarcate the same tone such as “Furthermore, Also, Moreover,” etc.
   • Opinion Markers – Phrases like thus, therefore, believe, commonly held signal opinions that might be tested.
   • Timeline Clues – Words like recently, once, by then, dates, or tenses help organize events in chronological order.

Demonstration: Reading an Official GMAT RC Passage and Summarizing.

• Consider Reading the following passage:

  Virtually everything astronomers know about objects outside the solar system is based on the detection of Photons – quanta of electromagnetic radiation. Yet there is another form of radiation that permeates the universe: neutrinos. With (as its name implies) no electric charge, and negligible mass, the neutrino interacts with other particles so rarely that a neutrino can cross the entire universe, even traversing substantial aggregations of matter, without being absorbed or even deflected. Neutrinos can thus escape from regions of space where light and other kinds of electromagnetic radiation are blocked by matter. Furthermore, neutrinos carry with them information about the site and circumstances of their production; therefore, the detection of cosmic neutrinos could provide new information about a wide variety of cosmic phenomena and about the history of the universe.

  But how can scientists detect a particle that interacts so infrequently with other matter? Twenty-five years passed between Pauli’s hypothesis that the neutrino existed and its actual detection; since then virtually all research with neutrinos has been with neutrinos created artificially in large particle accelerators and studied under neutrino microscopes. But a neutrino telescope, capable of detecting cosmic neutrinos, is difficult to construct. No apparatus can detect neutrinos unless it is extremely massive, because great mass is synonymous with huge numbers of nucleons (neutrons and protons), and the more massive the detector, the greater the probability of one of its nucleons reacting with a neutrino. In addition, the apparatus must be sufficiently shielded from the interfering effects of other particles.

  Fortunately, a group of astrophysicists has proposed a means of detecting cosmic neutrinos by harnessing the mass of the ocean. Named DUMAND, for Deep Under-water Muon and Neutrino Detector, the project calls for placing an array of light sensors at a depth of five kilometers under the ocean surface. The detecting medium is the seawater itself: when a neutrino interacts with a particle in an atom of seawater, the result is a cascade of electrically charged particles and a flash of light that can be detected by the sensors. The five kilometers of seawater above the sensors will shield them from the interfering effects of other high-energy particles raining down through the atmosphere.

  The strongest motivation for the DUMAND project is that it will exploit an important source of information about the universe. The extension of astronomy from visible light to radio waves to x-rays and gamma rays never failed to lead to the discovery of unusual objects such as radio galaxies, quasars, and pulsars. Each of these discoveries came as a surprise. Neutrino astronomy will doubtless bring its own share of surprises.

• Summary of the Passage:

  Next steps to your RC GMAT Verbal Prep, if you are done reading, are to create an effective summary of the same passage. Try to make a note of the summary that you would have understood. You may not make extensive notes at all. But you can compare your thoughts whether they match with everything mentioned in the following summary.

Notice the original keywords from the passage marked in the summary which help us decide what to and how to read:

The first paragraph informs that virtually all our knowledge of the universe is based on photons which are the quanta of radiation. Yet it introduces neutrinos, describing them as uncharged and nearly massless particles. Furthermore, unlike photons, neutrinos can pass through dense matter and carry information of their source. Therefore neutrinos could potentially provide new information on astronomical insights.

The second paragraph describes the challenges of how scientists can detect neutrinos. It has been a long time since neutrinos were first detected. Yet till date we have worked only with artificially produced neutrinos. The challenge to detect cosmic neutrinos is that it is difficult to make a massive telescope. In addition the telescope must be shielded from other interfering particles.

Paragraph three says that fortunately, some scientists have proposed a solution. The DUMAND project could use the mass of the ocean to detect cosmic neutrinos. Using underwater light sensors, light flashes can be recorded when a neutrino interacts with seawater. The deep ocean acts as a shield against interference from other particles.

Paragraph four concludes that the strongest reason to appreciate the DUMAND is its ability to use neutrinos – an important source of knowledge. It gives the analogy of the past how new extensions of technology in astronomy have led to unexpected valuable discoveries. Similarly the extension from the study of photons to that of neutrino astronomy is expected to continue this trend.

Solving Various GMAT RC Question Types

The GMAT practice Questions in RC will have a variety of questions possibly within the trail of a single passage. Each question has it’s own ask, approach, and traps to be cautious.

(i). Type of Question: Primary Purpose/Main Idea

The right answer choice should give a basic overview of the passage. You can have a question for the primary purpose of the entire passage or possibly for any one paragraph within the passage.

Precautions:

• Re-Read – For such questions it is wise to refresh your memory of the opening and closing sentences of the passage (or concerned paragraph).
• Majority of information – The primary purpose cannot be a minor fact from the passage but must address the broad idea of the entirety.
• Tone – The tone of the primary purpose should reflect the tone of the passage.

Sample Question:

Which of the following titles best summarizes the passage as a whole?

1. At the Threshold of Neutrino Astronomy
2. Neutrinos and the History of the Universe
3. The Creation and Study of Neutrinos
4. The DUMAND System and How It Works
5. The Properties of the Neutrino

Analysis:

The main idea of the passage is that neutrinos offer a new way to study the universe, and neutrino astronomy is an emerging field with great potential. The discussion covers neutrinos’ unique properties, the challenges of detecting them, and the role of the DUMAND project in overcoming these challenges. The passage concludes by emphasizing the importance of neutrino astronomy as a new frontier in astrophysics.

1. Correct. The passage highlights that neutrino astronomy is a developing field that could provide new insights into the universe. The phrase “At the Threshold” effectively captures the idea that this field is in its early stages but holds significant promise.
2. While neutrinos are discussed in the context of astronomy, the passage has not mentioned the history of the universe.
3. The passage has not mentioned the formation of neutrinos but rather on their role in astronomy.
4. This is partially true and partially false because the DUMAND project is mentioned as a way to detect neutrinos, but its functioning is not the main focus of the passage, which rather focuses on its benefits.
5. This is partially true and partially false because while neutrino properties are mentioned, the passage primarily explores their potential in astronomy, making this choice too narrow.

(ii). Question Type – Location Based

In such types of questions, the answer will be very direct. We must identify and read the relevant section of the passage to answer the questions.

Precautions:

• The context of the concerned sentence is captured if you ensure to read a sentence above and possibly a sentence after as well. This will ensure you do not miss details required for the tougher questions in this category.
• Also the question stem can be identified by phrases such as “According to the passage,” “as described,” or “as stated.”

Sample Question.

According to the passage, one advantage that neutrinos have for studies in astronomy is that they

1. have been detected for the last twenty-five years
2. possess a variable electric charge
3. are usually extremely massive
4. carry information about their history with them
5. are very similar to other electromagnetic particles

Analysis:

The first paragraph mentions that neutrinos interact very weakly with matter, allowing them to travel vast distances without interference. They also retain information about their origins, making them valuable for knowledge. The following lines support this: “Neutrinos interact very weakly with matter and therefore carry unaltered information about the conditions in which they were created.”

1. This is partially true and partially false because while the passage mentions neutrinos being detected in past experiments, the focus of this question is on their usefulness in astronomy.
2. This is factually incorrect. The passage does not mention neutrinos possessing a variable electric charge, rather they have no charge.
3. This too is factually incorrect. Neutrinos are actually described as having an extremely small mass, not being extremely massive.
4. Correct. The passage explicitly states that neutrinos “carry unaltered information about the conditions in which they were created,” making this the best choice.
5. The passage has not mentioned that neutrinos are similar to other electromagnetic particles.

(iii). Question Type – Inference Based

In such questions, the right answer will be either from one specific location or will be based on the whole passage or multiple locations. The right answer choice must be true as per the given information.

The best way to approach such questions is by eliminating the obviously wrong ones.

Precautions:

• Inference questions based on a location requires that we read the concerned sentences of the location in detail before we read the options.
• The question stem of the inference questions can be tricky as it may not directly ask you to infer or conclude, rather use other keywords such as support, strengthen, which resemble other types of reasoning questions.
• Subject knowledge can mislead you to choose the wrong answers. Decide your elimination on the basis of given evidence only.

Sample Question

With which of the following statements regarding neutrino astronomy would the author be most likely to agree?

1. Neutrino astronomy will supersede all present forms of astronomy.
2. Neutrino astronomy will be abandoned if the DUMAND project fails.
3. Neutrino astronomy can be expected to lead to major breakthroughs in astronomy.
4. Neutrino astronomy will disclose phenomena that will be more surprising than past discoveries.
5. Neutrino astronomy will always be characterized by a large time lag between hypothesis and experimental confirmation.

Analysis:

In such questions, the right answer will not be from one specific location but will be based on the whole passage or multiple locations. The best way to approach such questions is by eliminating the obviously wrong ones.

The last paragraph discusses how neutrino astronomy has the potential to provide groundbreaking insights into the universe. It highlights the DUMAND project as a key step in this field and suggests that, if successful, it could lead to significant advancements. The following lines from the passage support this: “If the DUMAND project succeeds, neutrino astronomy may well provide fresh insights into the nature of the universe, just as radio astronomy has done.”

1. This is factually incorrect. The passage does not suggest that neutrino astronomy will replace all other forms of astronomy. Instead, it presents it as an additional tool.
2. This too is factually incorrect. The passage does not state that the failure of the DUMAND project would lead to the abandonment of neutrino astronomy. Other detection methods might still emerge.
3. Correct. The passage explicitly states that neutrino astronomy could bring “fresh insights into the nature of the universe,” confirming that it is expected to lead to major breakthroughs.
4. Such comparison has not been mentioned. The passage does not compare future neutrino discoveries with past astronomical discoveries in terms of surprise or impact.
5. This is partially true and partially false. While there is mention of challenges in confirming neutrino-based hypotheses, the passage does not claim that a long time lag will always characterize neutrino astronomy.

(iv). Question Type – Miscellaneous

The following question categories can be included. Remember each of these questions would have a different expectation from the answer choices and individually different precautions to take in order to avoid Trap.:

• Author’s Intention

  • Questions ending with “in order to”- read the location and understand the context in which the information is provided by the author.
  • These questions need us to determine why the author included specific information or wrote the passage in a particular way.

• Tone /Attitude

  • These questions demand the author’s tone toward the subject, typically ranging from neutral to strongly opinionated.
  • The tone of the passage depends on the judgment of both positive and negative elements mentioned by the author, probable or certain opinions, extreme or moderate tone of language.

• EXCEPT/LEAST

  • EXCEPT questions in GMAT Reading Comprehension require identifying the one option that does not fit a given criterion, while the other four answer choices align with it.
  • These questions test careful reading and process of elimination.
  • A precaution to take would be to make a brief note of what to expect in options that need to be eliminated and cross check the logic of each option with such a note.

• Reasoning Based

  • Such questions require that we evaluate the logic of the passage, often requiring inference or identifying assumptions in the argument.
  • The right answer is most probably not directly stated in the passage.

Sample Question:

In the last paragraph, the author describes the development of astronomy in order to

1. suggest that the potential findings of neutrino astronomy can be seen as part of a series of astronomical successes
2. illustrate the role of surprise in scientific discovery
3. demonstrate the effectiveness of the DUMAND apparatus in detecting neutrinos
4. name some cosmic phenomena that neutrino astronomy will illuminate
5. contrast the motivation of earlier astronomers with that of the astrophysicists working on the DUMAND project

Type of Question: Author’s Intention

In this type of question, one must read the location and understand the context in which the information is provided by the author.

Precautions:

• This question concerning the author’s intention can be identified by words such as “in order to,” “mentioned to,” “role of the phrase/sentence,” or “why is it stated.”
• As is obvious, we must comment on the function of the selected portion – its relationship with the rest of the passage.
• A common trap in such questions is an option that states a fact from the passage, but that doesn’t describe the role of the concerned sentence.

Analysis:

The last paragraph discusses how past developments in astronomy (such as the transition from optical to radio astronomy) have led to significant discoveries. The author uses this historical perspective to suggest that neutrino astronomy is a natural continuation of these advancements. This is in line with the discussion in the passage which suggests how our knowledge base can be enhanced if we upgrade our study of photons to the study of neutrinos. The following lines support this: “Just as radio astronomy has opened up a new range of phenomena never before possible to observe, so too will neutrino astronomy.”

(A) Correct. The author draws a parallel between past astronomical breakthroughs and the potential of neutrino astronomy, framing it as the next step in a series of successes.

(B) This is partially true and partially false because while it repeats the fact that the passage discusses surprises of past discoveries, it does not emphasize the role of surprise in scientific progress.

(C) This is information from a wrong location. This paragraph does not focus on the DUMAND apparatus itself but rather on the broader context of astronomical advancements.

(D) This is factually incorrect. The paragraph does not list specific cosmic phenomena that neutrino astronomy will illuminate.

(E) This is factually incorrect. The passage does not contrast the motivations of past and present astronomers but rather presents them as part of a continuous scientific endeavor.

Attempt more GMAT Practice Questions

Take Free GMAT Sample Test

Common Mistakes and Traps to Watch in GMAT RC

Your GMAT Verbal Prep must distinguish the difference between Selection and the process of “Elimination” of options. While solving the questions, if you get attracted to certain words in the answer choice, you may end up liking that option so much that you become illogically defensive about it. This may lead to irrational elimination of the correct answers. Watch your behavior for following mistakes:

1. Extreme language in answer choices – Words like only, rarely, primarily, oldest, largest or strong emotions like anger are often traps. Avoid such choices unless the passage explicitly supports the extreme tone.
2. Focusing on Details Too Early – Worrying about upcoming questions can lead to reading for facts instead of grasping the main idea first.
3. Over-Reliance on Memory – Anxiety may cause reliance on recall rather than verifying details in the passage. Always recheck relevant sections.
4. Selecting rather than Eliminating answers – Matching keywords instead of meaning can create bias. Ensure the option aligns with the passage’s context, not just familiar words.
5. Dismissing options as ‘Not mentioned in the Passage’ – Some options may lack direct word matches but can still be inferred. Avoid ruling out choices too quickly.

Planning to Start your GMAT Preparation?

Take a Free Demo Class

Share this post

• Share
• Tweet
• LinkedIn
0shares