Solving RC questions using Options – 6 key points

Reading Comprehension is a section that even native English speakers find difficult to master, because it tests your verbal logic more than your language itself. In addition, a lot of people are just put off when they see a very large passage with multiple questions to follow, which are seemingly unconnected to the passage. Therein lies the error people make. RCs are actually quite simple, if you stick to some basic points. Here are 6 key points that should be used while solving RC questions 1) Balanced tone: The tone of virtually everything on the verbal section is balanced, measured, and reserved.  This is the tone of most professional business writing.  Think, for example, if a business executive described a colleague or competitor in flamboyantly emotional language: that executive would probably be risking a law suit!  Even strong praise and strong criticism has to be couched in subtle, understated language.  Everything in the RC passages will reflect this balanced tone, and all the correct answers will have this balanced tone.  Any answer choice that has any emotional charge to it must be incorrect.  Examples of answer choices with this flaw: “that the sponsor of the new bill despises people who exploit the poor.” “that the factory workers’ union was elated by the new retirement package.” Without even knowing the passage or the question, we can tell these would be wrong answers.  The words “despises” and “elated” connote very strong emotions, and this is far too strong for the tone of RC. 2) Look for structural words and other text markers: Next, you should start skimming through the rest and paying attention to text markers, such as the structural words. For example, a structural word used could be “however, or “yet”. Focusing on such words will help you to understand the overall structure. In addition, you should also pay attention to the very end, as it may provide a summary, information about the author’s opinion, or a conclusion. 3)Universal Claims: Philosophers and religions throughout history have regularly made universal claims about life, the universe, and everything. The claims in the business world are far more modest.  The modern global economy is an extremely complicated system: no one thing is ever the only “cause” of a vast system of changes.  No economic rule holds in every case without exception.  Examples: “as the price of an item rises, the demand always decreases.” “every employee in the factory is opposed to management’s surveillance plan.” We need neither the passage nor the specific question to recognize these as incorrect choices.  The first seems to invoke a law of economics, but fails to account for its exceptions.  The second discusses particularly interesting: it’s easy to imagine that a surveillance plan would be unpopular, that perhaps the majority of employees didn’t like it, but we always have to be careful when talking about “everyone.” 4) Vocabulary and Terminology: One pattern of incorrect choice involves high-level vocabulary and specialized terminology.  The answer will not be correct, but it will be a potent distracter, because writers think: “candidates don’t even know what those words mean, but they certainly sound clever and assume that must be right.”  This one is less universal, but when you see an answer choice loaded with difficult words, that should certainly send up red flags.  For example: “The author inveighed against the hermeneutical underpinnings of the CEO’s assertion.” Regardless of the passage, regardless of the question, I can guarantee this choice would never be a possible correct answer in any conceivable RC context. But many candidates choose it. The word “inveigh” is not only difficult but also fails according to the first criterion discussed: it is emotionally too strong.  The word “hermeneutical” is incredibly obscure, relevant in only certain abstruse academic fields, and does not pertain to anything discussed in the modern business world.   If you see an answer choice loaded with words you don’t know, in your mind, mark it tentatively as wrong, and return to it only if every other answer choice fails miserably. 5) Related Choices: This can be a tricky one.  Sometimes, a RC answer choice will mention or discuss something that wasn’t mentioned at all in the text.  The choices will be clearly related, in some way, to what was discussed, but never explicitly mentioned. Ideally, you will read the RC passage thoroughly once, summarizing in brief notes, and thereby be familiar enough with the content to recognize immediately such an answer.  Assuming you are in the habit of reading thorough the first time, then if you read an answer it triggers a “Alas, I don’t remember that being mentioned” feeling, don’t doubt yourself and immediately accuse yourself of overlooking it.  Rather, know this is a pattern for incorrect answer choices. 6) Doesn’t answer the question: This can be the most devious type of wrong answer.  This will be a statement that is 100% consistent with the passage, completely supported by the author’s discussion.   The trouble is: it doesn’t actually answer the question posed. Suppose, the passage is about the difficulties related to GST Bill. Suppose the passage explicitly discusses the problems faced by businessmen due to acceptance of GST bill. Now, if the individual question concerns, say, the challenges resulting from disagreements GST bill concerning matters of the Lok Sabha, then an answer choice along the lines of “Businessman are highly affected by decision of GST and disagreements made in Lok Pal Bill by Lok Sabha”. Well, that issue was certainly explicitly discussed in the passage, it is a completely supported assertion, but it has absolutely nothing to do with disagreements of Lok Pal Bill.  That is a hypothetical example of this very tricky type of RC wrong answer. Use the above key points to solve the RC and find the difference between your old strategy and this strategy. Prepare Well! All The Best!!!