Introduction:

Every verbal section of competitive exams contains Reading Comprehension/Unseen

Passages. The passages are rarely seen or read, because these passages are from some
magazines, newspapers, written by articles writers, etc. It contain about 4-5 paragraphs, may be
8-9 paragraphs. It needs to read clearly, speedily and accurately. Reading Comprehensions may
contain the topic about science, social, politics, general, financial, etc. It contains about 5-9
questions to answer and some antonyms and synonyms based on the passage having
somebold words. So, to give answer of those questions doesn't need you to be expertise in the
either field, just you have to read out the passage with meaningfully and mark the important
sentences, phrases, etc. I am providing some points to solve Reading Comprehension, may it
help you.

How to solve Reading Comprehension? 

1. Questions at last : Leave the questions to answer it last, because antonyms and synonyms
take a second to solve and questions take a minutes (approx.). Hence, read the passage and
quickly jump to the short answered questions, like antonyms, synonyms, to give title of passage,
etc.

2. Passage with familiar subject : If you are familiar to any passage related to your
knowledge and your academics, then quickly read out that one and solve the following questions
of that passage. It will take less time and you'll be accurate.

3. First passage and then questions : I have heard that many participants do it wrong that
they read the questions first and then they read the full passage to figure out the answer. May
be it takes less time, but you'll not be accurate to give answer. So, firstly read the passage two
times and then answer the questions.

4. Learn to spot : By the time you are reading the passage, figure out the
tone/idea/inference/situation of the passage, it will help to find the answer, quickly. Better to use
your pencil to underline the specific sentences and phrases/words.

5. Main Idea: There is always a question about the main idea of the passage. Then look at the
starting and end of the passage and try to summarize the paragraph to get the main idea of the
passage. It will ask about the main idea of that passage.

6. Title of the passage : When it is asked that to give a suitable title of the passage then watch
out for choices that are too specific or broad. Sometimes the title is already given in the first
paragraph of the passage. Use the narrow approach to find out the title. Don't think beyond the
passage.

7. Determining Questions : Some passage contains the questions about attitude, mood, tone,
etc. of the passage. Then look for words that convey emotion, values and expressions. I think its
not hard question to give the answer, because any passage can't be concluded by emotions,
moods, values, etc.

8. Specific Detail Question : May there be a question about to give specific detail of the
passage then spot some keywords in the question and look out for those in the passage and may
be those words are in the form of synonym or antonym.

9. Make inference: This is quite different from the inference, it asks the direct and indirect
implication of the passage in terms of the author concern. But don't take, which is directly stated
by the author, better to study the passage and answer in your own words. Use your logical
thinking as an author of that passage.

10. Put yourself : Put yourself in place of author and think, your can apply your ideas according
to the passage in the new situation. You have to find out three things from the passage, first
reason, second perceive feelings and third sense a larger structure.

11. Unfamiliar words : For this your have to be very keen about the passage saying.
Your vocabulary will be tested here. There are many unfamiliar words you will find in a passage,
for that you have to look out for the meaning by searching the nearby clues.

12. Technical Terms : Familiarize yourself with the technical terms used in describing the
passage. Some passages are from science background, so be logical in thinking and organize and
understand what author is saying. May be it will be a difficult question.

Now, how to get around this problem ? Well, I will, unfortunately, have to admit that there is no formula which
could help you in solving an RC passage completely.  There are no hard-and-fast rules for solving an RC. But
yes, there are some tips which I have been using each time I give CAT. And I have been able to maintain a 98+
percentile in verbal. The following article will contain some of the tips I use.
Tip number 1: Never keep the RCs for the last minute. RCs require calm thinking and the running timer might
lead you to mark some quick, irrelevant answers.
Tip number 2: It is NOT always necessary to read the complete passage. You are not there to increase your
reading skills. Your prime motive is to solve the questions at the end of the passage. I suggest you to read the
questions before reading the passage. They will give you a brief hint about the gist of the passage. Now, find
out the keywords from the questions and search for them in the passage. Very often, you would find the
answers easily. But when the questions are like 'Tone of the author'  or 'summary', you will have to read the
passage. This rule might seem difficult at first, but with practice, you will a good hand at it.
Tip number 3: Read the passage quickly. Anything but casual reading is requires. Be alert and keep
highlighting(or underlining in PPTs) the keywords.
Tip number 4: If you don't understand a particular word(or a phrase) in the passage, ignore the word(or
phrase) and then try to understand. If it makes sense without it, it wouldn't have mattered if the word(or phrase)
were not there.
Tip number 5: Many people say that sometimes all the choices look correct. Quite possible. The paper setter,
here, checks your decision making. You have to choose the best possible answer. First, choose the options
which are true according to you. Now, look into the passage if the content in the options is directly stated in the
passage. If the question is inferential, see if you can deduce the option from the text. Make sure you do not use
any assumptions until asked. Now try to counter the chosen options through the text. The only option remaining
would be your option.
Tip number 6: You must have heard it hundreds of times, but I will still repeat it. Read, Read, Read... You
can't do without reading.Reading would not only enhance your knowledge, but also help you language skills.
After reading enough, you will automatically start seeing the correct answers through instinct. But it requires
extensive reading and practice. And try to read the genres which repel you. If you like fiction, do not read it.
Instead, read psychology, philosophy, science, politics etc.
Start following these tips right from now and see your hit rate increase with RCs. But make sure that you are
consistent and practicing enough.

 Step 1

Read all the time. Reading is the best way to prepare for the SAT reading comprehension questions. The SAT
usually uses passages from novels and texts that are on high school reading lists.

 Step 2

Read the whole SAT reading comprehension passage. Do not skip ahead and try to answer the questions
before reading the passage. Reading the questions first will lessen your capability to focus on the reading
passage.

 Step 3

Make notes on scratch paper as you read. Write down the writing style, main topic and key points.

 Step 4

Write down the beginning words of sentences or paragraphs that contain main points. This will provide you with
quick reference points within the passage for the questions to come.

 Step 5
Refer back to the reading comprehension passage when choosing an answer. Do not rely too heavily on your
memory.

 Step 6

Answer practice reading comprehension questions or take practice SAT tests. Practice questions can be found
in SAT study guides and online. SAT practice tests will allow you to practice under test-like conditions.

Here are some tips for tackling GRE Reading Comprehension questions (the
Reading Comprehension format is one of four basic formats used for GRE
Verbal questions):

1. Read the first question before you begin reading the passage. By doing

so, you can read more actively — with an eye out for the information
you need.
2. Never confirm your answer to a question until you've read the entire
passage. Information relevant to a question can appear anywhere in
the passage.
3. Using your pencil and scratch paper, jot down a rough outline as you
read. It will help you locate relevant details quickly as you answer the
questions, and minimize vertical scrolling and re-reading.
4. Don't be overly concerned with details (dates, examples, and lists) as
you read; instead, jot down in outline form where these details are
located in the passage so you can locate them quickly as needed to
respond to the questions.
5. After reading the entire passage, take about 15 seconds to sum it up
in one sentence — in the form of a rough thesis statement. Doing so is
well worth the effort, because you'll be able to answer some Reading
Comprehension questions with nothing more than the thesis in mind.
6. No matter what type of question you're dealing with, eliminate any
answer choice that runs contrary to the passage's overall thesis.
7. Be on the lookout for answer choices that provide information
supported by the passage but not responsive to the question. This is
one of the test-makers' favorite wrong-answer ploys.
8. If the author of the passage adopts a position, or stance, on an issue,
but discusses other viewpoints as well in the passage, be on the
lookout for answer choices that confuse the author's viewpoint with
the viewpoints of others. This is another common wrong-answer ploy.
9. Be on the lookout for wrong answer choices that provide information
not mentioned in the passage — yet another common wrong-answer
ploy. These wrong answer choices can be tempting, because it's
remarkably easy to assume that you overlooked the information as
you read the passage.