Reading Comprehension — GRE General Questions

22 GRE General practice questions on Reading Comprehension, part of Verbal Reasoning. Below are 12 of them in full, each with the answer and a written explanation.

Questions & explanations

1. Strategy: Distinguish Between Main Idea and Supporting Evidence

For combined questions that ask about the relationship between a paragraph and the main thesis, first state the main thesis in your own words. Then determine whether the paragraph supports, qualifies, contrasts, or provides an example. Trap: confusing a supporting detail with the main idea, especially when the paragraph contains a counterargument that the author ultimately accepts in part.

2. Strategy: Identify the Main Idea First

Before tackling specific questions, read the entire passage to identify the main idea or primary purpose. This provides a framework for understanding the role of each paragraph and the author's attitude. For combined-concept questions, the main idea often ties together the sub-topics. Trap to avoid: jumping into questions without a clear sense of the passage's overall argument.

3. Strategy: Use Process of Elimination for Function Questions

For questions about the function of a paragraph or sentence, eliminate options that are too narrow (describe only part of the content) or too broad (apply to the whole passage). Focus on how the part relates to the author's argument. Trap: choosing an option that is factually true but does not describe the function (e.g., a detail that is not the main role).

4. Strategy: For Vocabulary in Context, Replace the Word

When asked for the meaning of a word, cover the word and read the sentence with a blank. Then substitute each answer choice to see which fits the context best. Consider the author's tone and the logical flow. Trap: choosing a common meaning of the word that does not fit the specific context (e.g., 'ameliorate' might be confused with 'accelerate').

5. Strategy: For Assumption combined with Select-in-Passage, first identify the assumption needed for the argument to hold. Then, scan the passage for the sentence that provides evidence or states the assumption. Look for cause-effect or conditional language.

This strategy is useful for multi-step items that require finding an unstated premise and then locating textual support. The assumption is often implied, and the supporting sentence may contain words like 'because' or 'since'.

6. For inference questions, avoid options that are directly stated in the passage; inferences are implied but not explicit. Also, avoid extreme language (always, never, entirely) unless the passage supports it. Look for options that must be true given the passage, not just could be true.

This helps you distinguish between explicit details and inferences. If an option is directly stated, it is not an inference. If it uses absolute terms, it is likely wrong unless the passage does the same.

7. When a question asks about the author's tone or attitude, look for words that convey emotion or judgment (e.g., critical, supportive, neutral). Pay attention to adjectives and adverbs. If the passage presents both pros and cons, the tone may be balanced or objective. If it strongly advocates, the tone may be persuasive.

This helps you identify the author's perspective. Often, one option will be clearly correct, while another might be a distractor that describes a tone present in part of the passage but not overall.

8. Strategy: For combined Main Idea and Weakening questions, first identify the author's main claim. Then, to weaken, find an option that challenges a key assumption or introduces a counterexample. Avoid options that strengthen or are irrelevant.

This strategy helps tackle multi-step items that ask both for the main idea and a weakening fact. By isolating the main claim first, you can efficiently evaluate which option undermines it.

9. For 'select all that apply' questions, treat each option as a true/false statement. Read the passage carefully and evaluate each option independently. Do not assume that only one or two are correct; all three could be correct, or only one. Use process of elimination for clearly false statements, but confirm correct ones with direct evidence from the text.

This strategy helps avoid the trap of over-selecting or under-selecting. By evaluating each option separately, you reduce the chance of missing a correct answer or including a wrong one.

10. Strategy: For Function of a Sentence combined with Main Idea, identify the role of the sentence (e.g., introduce, support, contrast, conclude) and then locate the sentence that states the main idea. Often the main idea is in the first or last sentence.

This strategy helps in questions that ask both about a sentence's function and the passage's main idea. By understanding the structure, you can pinpoint the main idea more accurately.

11. Strategy: For Vocabulary in Context combined with Author's Tone, read the sentence containing the word and determine its meaning from context. Then, assess the author's overall attitude (positive, negative, neutral) by looking at word choices and argument direction.

This approach ensures you don't rely solely on dictionary definitions. The tone often colors the meaning of the word, so understanding the author's stance helps disambiguate.

12. Strategy: For combined-concept questions, first identify each sub-skill being tested. For example, a question may ask for both the main idea and the author's attitude. Break it down: answer the main idea part, then check which option also matches the attitude. Use process of elimination on each part separately.

This technique helps avoid traps where an option is correct for one part but wrong for another. Always verify that the chosen answer satisfies all components of the question.

More Verbal Reasoning topics

This page shows 12 of 22 questions on this topic. The full set, with progress tracking and five agent perspectives per question, is in the JupiteX app — browse the exam catalogue or browse the Learn library.