SOLVING READING COMPREHENSION (RC) IS AN EXACT SCIENCE Perhaps the first thing that you should realize, as you set ‘ut to go about improving your Reading Comprehension skills, is that RC isan enact science, Wha we mean to say is that there is exactness anda precision to RC and the way fis questions are answered. We would go as far as saying that te degree of precision in RC is close to that found in ‘Mathematics. ‘The reason forthe exactness not hardto find. Consiter ‘what an examiner trying w create RC questions based on 2 passage will be trying to achieve through his question. His objective is to test your understanding of the ideas contained in the possage, At the same time, he has to create questions that should stand the tet of logic and reason. Especially, if the passage happeas tobe fora paper of CAT. ‘or XLRI or similar level exams. The examiner definitely realizes that his questions are going ta become a subject of iby lathe of students ard dozens of taining. tex and their trainers across the country. Hence, any scope for doubt or ambiguity about the corect answer in a ‘question is something that a question seter cannot afford to leave. Hence, even though his primary objective will be to feonfise an imperfecly trained mind, the examiner will efinitely focus on keeping the correct answer ‘unambiguous. The logic supporting the correst answer thence, is always so strong, that it can be defended sgainst the screiny of the entire community of studen's and analysts. From the CAT /MBA/aptitude test aspirants’ point of view, this translates into the fact that solving reading compretension is an exact skies exact as mathematics is, All you need to dois to be able to think straight and remove self-created confusion in your mind. he Cramof the ee [onties noooy wna bo omen fr scng incorrect optone, your abit fo te etragh al ‘vainly heb you develop your abity for spting the conect answer. In this context, working on the seven i approach to develop reading skis (explained the previous section of this book) becomes extremely crucial for you as a student. The more you practice and develop those skill inside your mind, the higher will be your ability to gets corect pictur ofthe author's idea. The ‘more qualitatively superior your picture of the auther’s ‘dea, the better your silty to prephrate te answer to the question asked. [As will be explained subsequenily, prephiasing your answer is an extremely crucial skill for solving RC well) ‘TACKLING READING COMPREHENSION ON THE BASIS OF EVALUATION OF SUPPORTS ‘There is another weful process of solving RC questions— Consider cach option of the RC question as a building supported by the foundation—the option being the building and the logic that suppor the option being its foundation. ‘As a student trying to solve the question, your objective is ‘to spot the foundation which is the srongest. An analysis of typical questions set in RC, yields that normally two out of the 4 options fall by the weysie prety easily since they hhave weak or “false” logical supports. Getting 10 the correct answer then depends upon your ability to evaluate the strength ofthe logic that supperts each of the options,142_ How t0 Prepare for Verbal Ability ant Rendoyg Compretension for the CAT ALL PASSAGES HAVE A TOPIC, A PURPOSE AND A PLAN [As already seen in the previcus section on reading stills, Every wniten piece that you will come acros is writen ‘with a parpese. The autho: decides what his message about te topic is, atthe very cutset—before he writes his frst words. Closely related 10 the topic of the passage is the ‘scope of the passige—which can be looked at as the ‘boundary ofthe passage. Concentrate 09 not jast what the ‘topic ofthe passage is but also on the scope ofthe passage. By scope, we mean the specifi components of he opie that the author warts 1 talk about. are created by Next, again before putting down his fist words, the anther creates a plan of how he/she it going to achiewe his! ofthis plan, the author ereates a In the context of an exam like CAT and other aptitude tests, passages contain atout, 800-1200 words and have about five-six paragraphs in them. As a reader, you need 10 recognize that contained within each paragraph, will bean idea with its relevant supporting details. ‘Your first task i to discover the topic ofthe passage— ‘something, which is usually evealed by the time you finish the first paragraph. Asa reader your objective shouldbe to decode each paragraph, as it comes in freat of you. The decoding of each additional idea will help you in éeceding ‘out the author's structure, bit by bit. While reading, remember to consciously teview at the ead of each peragraph, How the same adéed to your understanding of the idea strctre, By the time you finish reading your mind should be clear about — The purpose of the passage — And the plan of organisauon of the passage. You nced to remember that as a reader, you need 0 manage each passage strategically. Mos often, the purpose ‘of the paragraph will be clear by the time you are though reading one-third of the passage. Getting 10 this point should be the primary purpose of your reading. If by the end of your reading, you have not Identified the purpose, the plan and the idea comained in ‘exch paragraph ofthe passnge, itis unlikely tha: you willbe able to enswer questions based on the passage accurately ‘You are liely to get coafused by options that are meant to confuse students who do aot have a clear picture of the The nm fe ce [ ter te okay tee wae whch eotng bat inconet ope seated 1. Creating Options that are inconsistent withthe passogas pt ef vow 2. Creag Optons that 9 ost he scope of he posse. 2. Createg eyewash eptens—optons at contain wrouapivssevtenotoer agin to pasape, bt ‘re woy Bats notte to post question Doing ht 4. Creating an option by using a superunus or ierel- evant éetal OTHER THINGS YOU NEED TO PICK UP WHILE READING THE PASSAGE and other ‘Software’ Related to Viewpoint in the Pastage ‘Apart from the idea structure (plan) and the purpose of the ‘writing, there are several other things that shouldbe picked vp during you reading of the passage. These inciude—keeping aa outlook of the author's choice of words, hisiher use of adverbs and adjectives, the strength and quality of hisher argumentation, the tonality Of the author, the degree of the force with which be is Sonatunicating the idea the witng style of the author, the ‘use of anslogics and comparisons/contrats by the author, These aspects can be described as the software in the passage since most of itis intangible—something not very easily desritabe Grasping the intangibles is crucial since there area lot of, ‘questions that are asked on these—and theres no way you ‘can go back to apat ofthe passage and find an answer to such questions without reading the whole passege again Specific Details and thelr Use In the Passage Specific details are always ued to support the euthor’s ‘view point about the topic. They are never used fivalousy, since they have an itherent connection with the pla ofthe passage. As areader, during your reading, you should skim‘over the deuils of the passage. The idea isto only catch ‘what specific detail is mentioned and whereit is mentioned. ‘You really do not need to go into the details of the specific details by themselves. What you need todo on the ‘other hand, is to look forthe logic of why a paricular detail thas been used in the passage and with which specific idea is thedeuil connected and how the éetal is connected with this idea. The answer to the ‘How" might be: to support! strengthen the idea's credbilty of © attack/weaken it Getting this perspective will help you, since the questions asking abou the specific detail in the passage, are invaviably phrased so as to see whether you have connected “correctly” with the ‘correct idea. Getting a view of the euthors purpose in mentioning a specific detail will help you prephrase answers to questions the pastage pute forth. Arother point is that while reading the passage you should beable to distinguish between facts and interpretations thatthe author makes onthe basis ofthe facts. Interpretations of fats signal idea transitions and the unfolding of fiesh ideas from the author's viewpoist. Hence, you need to slow down while reading the same. In terms of where the idea of a paragraph is placed Within the paragraph, mest authors stick to one way of ‘writing throughout the passage. When you start reading a passage, ir to identify the authors specific choice of where he is placing his ideas in the pargraph, The most convenient readings are ones in which the author states the {dea within a paragraph in ctber the fstor te last sentence ofthe paragiaph, These we also the most consmonly usd. Howeves, many atime, the auther will write his idea inthe ‘middle of the paragraph. The point is, whichever style the ‘author uct, he it most likely to be comsistent through a the paragraphs of the pastage. Ifyou Ippen to identify a consistent patter inthe first two paragraphs. you can 2ip through the passage because you will know exactly where to slow down while reading the remainder of the passage. ‘The following flowchart could be used as a reference point for improving RC skills Identity tpi, eeop0, puree and pan of ho rossage oc youread ach for the idea stuctra volition tough the cero paregephs ofthe passage atch fr sgifeant sits fom ‘one parograph tothe nest. Read maby to get te gat of ach parzarech. Remember evey earaarach contains an ‘ea wht is eéferent from he oer ies contained he passage, ‘Theory of Reading Comprehension 1.43 ¥ {Geta ough sense ofthe purpose of th dais and facts sed the passage and ow thay rote to the 1a of he paragriph oy oe In ¥ Donotacry about space cortent Raed fovgh he dots ‘ls epeod sopra ve mes tho sfood at which you ‘oad the waas. Wmqured, come back toa Getalit ter ‘spect qveston about Fig. 3.4 ‘TYPES OF QUESTIONS ASKED FROM READING COMPREHENSION PASSAGE Global Questions (Main Idea, Overall Organi- zatlon/Structure of the Passage) ‘The anewersto global quetions are tobe found throughout the length of the passage. These include questions about: + The Main Idea about the Passage; + Logical Structure of the Passage; and + Questions that ask about the style and Tonality ofthe Pasage (2) The Main Idea of the Passage Here, you might bbeasked to reognize « corect restatement ora paraphrase ‘ofthe msin dea ofa passage. Besides, main idea questions lo include questions about the author's purpose and ‘objectives in writing the passage, as also to guess tite for the passage—one which summarizes brefy, the main idea veloped inthe passage. “he following is an example ofthis question: © re central treme ofthe passage can be best sun- iiaraed 2. Our gasroos development at the panchayat evel fs now diven by the “Yoregn al syndrome. b. Panchayati raj is firmly entrenched at the lower level of ur federal system of governance €. Atruly federal polity has not developed since PRs have not been alowed the necessary polticaspace. 4, The Union government and State-level parties are engaged in'a struggle (or the protection of thelr respective ran (b) Logical structure of the Passage These ques- ‘tons ask you to analyze and evaliate the construction, ‘organizaiion and the Togical structure of the passage.