tips for reading comprehension

8/13/2019 Tips for Reading Comprehension

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4hat is the %est method to detect the author#s point5 The author will frequentlychange his tone when descri%ing the main point of the passage 6otice when theauthor shifts his "oice from an o%7ecti"e, factual description to his su%7ecti"e"iewpoint

Attac&ing a passage is what critical reading is all a%out' stepping %ac& from thefactual content, figuring out the author#s "iews on a topic and how he arri"ed atthem, and loo&ing for the e"idence that must %e pro"ided Always %e on theloo&out for sentences in which the author#s "oice is coming through and try tos&ip past the sentences that are purely factual or simply there for support

Try to find the author#s purpose and "oice in the following passage'

One of the most persistently trou%ling parts of national domesticpolicy is the de"elopment and use of water resources 0ecausethe technology of water management in"ol"es similarconstruction s&ills, whether the tas& is the %uilding of an ocean

7etty for protection of shipping or the construction of a ri"er damfor flood control and irrigation, the issues of water policy ha"emingled pro%lems of na"igation and agriculture A furtherinherent complexity of water policy is the frequent conflict%etween flood control and irrigation and %etween requirementsfor a%undance and those for scarcity of water 0oth pro%lemsexist in America, often in the same ri"er %asins8 the one is mosttypically the pro%lem of the lower part of the %asin and the otherthe pro%lem of the upper part

6e"ertheless, the most startling fact a%out the history of waterpro7ects in the 9nited .tates is the degree to which theirshortcomings ha"e %een associated with administrati"e failures

Again and again these shortcomings ha"e pro"ed to %e theconsequences of inadequate study of water flow, of soil, offactors other than construction technology, and of faultyorgani)ation $n :;


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pro%lems and see&ing solutions had emphasi)ed with remar&a%le consistencythe need for coordination among agencies dealing with water= The %ottom line'the author wants =coordination among agencies dealing with water= That is hispurpose, and that is why his "oice changes the way it does through the passage

.trategy' As you identify the author#s "iewpoints, %e sure not to

=argue with= the author $f your personal understanding or "iew ofthe issue happens to contradict that of the author, &eep yourtheories to yourself The >er%al section is not the place 2sa"eyour analysis for the A4A /ssay section? Analysis of $ssuequestion3 The questions test your command of the author#s"iews and how he structures them, not your own Occasionally,you will %e as&ed a%out a flaw in the author#s reasoning, %utthose questions are rare

0 Finding the essay#s main point $f you can find the author#s "oice and purpose, you are in excellent shape tofind the essay#s main point The author has a personal point of "iew that is nearlyalways in7ected into the essay The purpose of the essay is to persuade you of

the author#s point of "iew .ometimes the author ma&es it easy to identify hispoint of "iew %y tagging it with strong ad7ecti"es@ad"er%s 2vital, remarkable,spectacular, etc3 4atch the author#s "oice !owe"er, often the essay writers areless straightforward in expressing their "iewpoints Main points are arguments and not o%7ecti"ely factual The main point of anessay would not %e World War I was fought from 1914 to 19198 that is merely afact $nstead, the claim World War I was extended b !ritain's needless and

poorl conceived interventionwould %e a main idea of an essay 2note the strongwords3 That is a contro"ersial position that a +


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C Finding the purpose of each paragraph

The paragraph is the main structural unit of any passage To find aparagraph#s purpose, as& yourself

o 4hy did the author include this paragraph5

o

4hat shift did the author ha"e in mind when mo"ing on to this paragraph5

o 4hat %earing does this paragraph ha"e on the author#s main idea5

This process allows you to create a =mental road map= of the passage Bouare ta&ing the test on a computer screen Bou cannot la%el the paragraphs$nstead, remem%er the structure as you proceed and@or use scrap paper to drawa rough diagram of the essay as you go .ome students feel comforta%le drawingthe diagram There are two purposes to creating a map of the essay' :3 it willhelp you %etter understand the essay and 3 it will help you locate specific detailslater if you get a specific detail question

Det#s loo& at the earlier essay'

One of the most persistently trou%ling parts of nationaldomestic policy is the de"elopment and use of water resources0ecause the technology of water management in"ol"es similarconstruction s&ills, whether the tas& is the %uilding of an ocean

7etty for protection of shipping or the construction of a ri"er damfor flood control and irrigation, the issues of water policy ha"emingled pro%lems of na"igation and agriculture A furtherinherent complexity of water policy is the frequent conflict%etween flood control and irrigation, %etween requirements fora%undance and those for scarcity of water 0oth pro%lems existin America, often in the same ri"er %asins8 the one is mosttypically the pro%lem of the lower part of the %asin and the otherthe pro%lem of the upper part

EEThis paragraph is a discussion of the conflicts o"er scarcewater resources 2flood control "s irrigation, lower part "s higherpart of %asin3

Then there are the pro%lems of cities located along the ma7orAmerican ri"ers, not infrequently directly on the "ery flood plainsof highly erratic streams $n the arid parts of the land, it hasrecently %ecome clear that climate "aries o"er time, with irregularperiods of serious drought followed %y wet periods mar&ed %yoccasional floods The pro%lems of land and water, then, areinherently difficult For this reason alone, shortcomings andfailures ha"e pro%a%ly %een ine"ita%le Moreo"er, in the scale of

the underta&ings that ha"e %een attempted in"ol"ing on occasionno less than the re"ersal of stream flow and the altering of thenatural features of whole ri"er %asins, it is ine"ita%le

EEClimate "aries creating inherent conflict in how to use a watersupply that constantly changes

6e"ertheless, the most startling fact a%out the history of waterpro7ects in the 9nited .tates is the degree to which theirshortcomings ha"e %een associated with administrati"e failures


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Again and again these shortcomings ha"e pro"ed to %e theconsequences of inadequate study of water flow, of soils, offactors other than construction technology and of faultyorgani)ation $n :;


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words that signal answers that are too strong and therefore usually outsidethe scope of an argument

Example:

$ome scientists believe that carbon dioxide%induced global warming ma increase thenumber of hurricanes in the future and theirseverit#

4hat if someone inferred from that statement that

Allof this season's severe hurricanes werecaused b global warming#

That statement would %e outside of the scope of the originalargument The inference made is outside the scope of the

argument The argument is not that strong 4hat a%out thisstatement'

Someof this season's storms ma have beencaused and exacerbated b global warming#

This statement is more measured and is within the scope of theoriginal argument

o $n general, these phrases indicate statements that are outside of

the scope of an argument' always, never, none. 9sually,arguments aren#t that strong, so answers with extreme languageare usually outside the scope of the argument

o These phrases tend to indicate that a phrase is within the scope

of an argument' usually, sometimes, probably

.trategy:$f the question as&s =which of the following is 6OT an assumption ofthe argument= or =which of the following does 6OT descri%e an argument madein the passage a%o"e=, the answer will often %e the one with extreme language

!ere is a critical reasoning question that illustrates scope

&partment building owners argue that rent control should beabolished# &lthough the acknowledge that the would increaserents in the short term, owners argue that in the long term therent increases would lead to greater profitabilit# igher profitswould lead to increased apartment construction# Increasedapartment construction would then lead to a greater suppl ofresidences and lower prices as the potential apartment residentshave a better selection# (hus, abolishing rent control wouldultimatel reduce prices#

Name an assumption mae by the owners. 2!int' this is adifficult question, %ut you may eliminate - of the < answers asoutside the scope of the argument3


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a3 Current residents of rent?controlled apartments would %e a%leto find new apartments once their rents increased%3 The fundamental "alue of any society is to house its citi)ensc3 Only current apartment owners would profit significantly frommar&et deregulationd3 6ew apartment construction will generate a great num%er of

7o%se3 The increase in the num%er of apartments a"aila%le wouldexceed the num%er of new potential apartment residents

4hich possi%le answers are outside of the scope5 The scope isthe argument that deregulation will increase supply and lowerprices =6ame an assumption= means find a direct assumption ofthat supply@demand argument

a3 )urrent residents of rent control apartments would be able tofind new apartments once their rent increased??is this outside ofthe scope54ell, this sentence expresses a nice sentiment for the welfare of

renters, %ut it has nothing to do with our argument, which isa%out a supply@demand dynamic

%3(he fundamental value of an societ is to house its citi"ens#$s this outside of the scope5 Again, nice sentiment, %ut this doesnot directly tie into the argument

c3 *nl current apartment owners would profit significantl frommarket deregulation $s this outside of the scope5 Theprofita%ility of the apartment owners is not directly rele"ant $f theprofita%ility of the apartments increases, it would help increasesupply %ecause other companies would %e drawn into themar&et, thus increasing supply $ndeed this loo&s good and as if

it is an assumption, %ut =Only current apartment owners= is toolimiting !ow a%out newer apartment owners5 The profits made%y =only current owners= is not the issue at hand8 it is the price ofapartments Again, as pre"iously mentioned, answer choicesthat use words such as =only= tend to %e outside the scope of thequestion !ere =only= is too restricti"e and allows you toeliminate this answer choice

d3 +ew apartment construction will generate a great number ofobs This is clearly outside of the scope

e3 (he increase in the number of apartments available wouldexceed the number of new potential apartment residents Aha

This is an argument a%out supply and demand, and this is ananswer a%out supply and demand This is clearly within thescope of the argument, and it is the correct answer $f demandrose with new apartment construction, then prices would notdecline, in"alidating their argument

/ 1etermining structure 2this is a difficult and in?depth section $f youha"e limited time to prepare, s&ip to.ection (' 1on#t read, s&im3
https://www.800score.com/#anchor90979https://www.800score.com/#anchor90979https://www.800score.com/#anchor90979


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The essays on the are organi)ed using a "ariety of structures $f you identifythe structures, you can more easily identify the author#s point $n this section, wego through fi"e forms of essay structure that you are li&ely to encounter

!. "hronological #attern 4hen the focus of a text is a change, a transformation, or a sequence ofactions unfolding o"er time, then chronological order is the pattern of choice forthat text Consider the following sentence'

When the plague entered northern -rance in .ul, 1/40, itsettled first in +ormand and, checked b winter, gave icard adeceptive interim until the next summer#

The sentence emphasi)es the interruption in the spread of plague, a conceptlin&ed to chronology The plague entered 6orthern France in Huly, :+-I, settledfirst in 6ormandy, was chec&ed %y winter, and ga"e *icardy a decepti"e interimuntil the next summer

$. %patial #atternThis pattern organi)es information %y location, orientation or configuration

Consider the following passage'

!ut if the 2omans couldn't, or didn't care to, con3uer theermans, the latter e3uall could not then con3uer the 2omans#(he standoff deflected erman expansion toward the east5 bthe third centur it had pushed as far as the 6nieper# $tretchingnow from the +orth $ea to southern 2ussia and from$candinavia to the 2oman frontier, )ommon ermanicinevitabl evolved from a fairl uniform tongue into three distinct,though still closel related, languages#

+orth ermanic 7ancestor of the $candinavian tongues8covered most of +orwa and $weden5 ast ermanic 7whichincluded othic and several other extinct dialects8 coveredastern urope and southern 2ussia# West ermanic, ancestorof all the other modern ermanic tongues, including nglish,was spoken from the coasts of the +orth $ea and western !alticsouth to the 2oman frontier#

6ote the pre"alence of phrases that denote geographic expansion of theGermans or their containment in territories held %y the Romans 6ote also thepredicta%ility of this passage' it descri%es the north?south and the east?west%oundaries of the spread of the German languages 2the geographic whole3 andthen differentiates three parts of the whole according to directions' the Far 6orth,the east, and the west !ere, the spatial pattern is in ser"ice' the author states arelationship, in this case, a correspondence %etween geographic and linguisticexpansion

3. &ierarchical #attern

*assages organi)ed %y hierarchy, a ran&ed series, create an order where nonatural relationship 2such as chronological or spatial relationship3 exists Forexample, if no natural chronological or spatial characteristic is a critical aspect ofthe matter descri%ed, then the text may designate a grouping according to a


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system of some sort Di&e chronological and spatial order, a hierarchical pattern mo"es in a lineardirection, and for this reason, it creates a pattern of expectation for the readerOnce you ha"e identified the principle of order 2for example, lesser to greater,least familiar to most familiar, colder to hotter3, you can anticipate and assimilatelater information and understand the general framewor& Consider the wor&ingout of a hierarchy in support of a thesis in this passage'

0ecause of their extra"agance, "iolence, and "ainglory,tournaments were continually %eing denounced %y popes and&ings, from whom they drained money This was in "ain 4henthe 1ominicans denounced them as a pagan circus, no onelistened 4hen the formida%le .t 0ernard thundered thatanyone &illed in a tournament would go to !ell, he spo&e foronce to deaf ears 1eath in a tournament was officiallyconsidered the sin of suicide %y the Church, %esides 7eopardi)ingfamily and tenantry without cause, %ut e"en threats ofexcommunication had no effect

According to the thesis, the denunciation of tournaments %y popes and &ingsfailedThe 1ominicans denounced them, %ut no one listened8 .t 0ernard thundered%ut spo&e to deaf ears8 the Church threatened excommunication, to no effectBou percei"e a hierarchical order in the increasing degree of se"erity of thesedenunciations, and that regularity gi"es pattern to the passage

'. (eneral)to)%pecific #attern

This pattern is especially useful in argumentation Argumentati"e writingma&es a general argument, de"elops it %y a grouping of specific examples thatgi"e e"idence for the claim, and concludes %y restating the general argument

!ere is the pattern'

o (eneral %tatement, followed %y

o e"idence

o e"idence

o more e"idence

Consider the following passage'

Throughout the se"enteenth century, the French medicalprofession had what we should call a thoroughly %ad press8Moliere Ja satiric dramatistK conferred upon its mem%ers aninglorious morality, the satirists did their worst with them, and, inpri"ate correspondence, the physician was almost alwayspresented as a cross %etween a murderer and a %uffoon

This passage starts with a general claim of the widespread negati"e "iew ofthe medical profession in France in the :Lth century The general claim rests onthree factual pieces of e"idence that are stated after the initial claim' Moliereattac&ed the profession in his farces8 satirists sa"agely attac&ed it8 persons inpri"ate life attac&ed it


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*. %pecific)to)(eneral #attern The specific?to?general pattern presents a series of related examples whoserelationship is unclear until the passage draws them to a conclusion or generalclaim

!ere is the pattern'

o example

o example

o example

o (eneral statement

Consider this passage'

Frogs react quic&ly and effecti"ely to %ugs that fly past themThis %y no means implies that they ha"e a concept of %ug$ndeed, we can %e pretty sure that they do not, or at %est, that

their concept of %ug %oth under? and o"er?generali)es to a rathergross extent For instance, they will o"ergenerali)e %y snappingat %ug?si)ed pellets that are f lipped past them, %ut willundergenerali)e %y totally ignoring motionless %ugs e"en whenno other food source is a"aila%le The most parsimoniousexplanation of their %eha"ior is that networ&s of cells thatrespond to rapid mo"ement and small rounded o%7ects aredirectly lin&ed to the snapping reflex and that there is nothingmore sophisticated than this inside the frog#s %rain

$n this passage, statements that descri%e %eha"ior of frogs in certaininstances are the categories' frogs react quic&ly and effecti"ely to %ugs, theysnap at %ug?si)e pellets, they totally ignore motionless %ugs The general claim

that accounts for all these specific %eha"iors is phrased at the end of theparagraph

F 1on#t read, s&im The test grades you on the a%ility to answer questions, not whether or not youunderstand e"ery nuance in the text 1o not try to memori)e information Ma&e aslight mental note of something that seems important Focus instead on thestructure, the argument, and what the writer is trying to say 1raw a mental roadmap so that if you are as&ed a question on the detail later, you may quic&lylocate the information

+TE-N+T/E %T-+TE(0) %#EE1 -E+1N(: A common strategy to read quic&er is to focus on the first sentence ofparagraphs Thin& a%out it, each essay is well written and well written paragraphs

are usually summari)ed in the first sentence Thus, you can theoretically O6DBread the first sentence and ignore the %alance of each paragraph .ince youaren#t graded on reading the essay 27ust getting the questions right3 there is noreason that you ha"e to read the entire essay

Bou can construct a mental road map of the essay %y simply reading the firstsentence of each paragraph This will sa"e you time and gi"e you more time tofocus on the questions themsel"es$n sum, there are six different strategies to analy)ing reading comprehensionsections


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A $dentify the writer#s purpose and "oice0 Find the essay#s main pointC Find the purpose of each paragraph1 1etermine the scope of the argument/ 1etermine the structureF 1on#t Read, .&im

$$ Three Most Common uestion Types

A Recall questions0 .ynthesisC Comprehension

A Recall uestions Recall questions as& you to recall %y name &ey organi)ing terms 2features,causes, and characteristics3, special disciplinary terms, technical terms,metaphors and similes, sym%ols, and@or quantities $t#s fairly simple to identify arecall question from its stem'

o According to the passage@author

o The author states that

o The author mentions which one of the following as

Often, these questions pro"ide "ery direct clues a%out where an answer may %efound, such as line references or some text that lin&s up with the passagestructure

Bou may recall that we ad"ised you to s&im o"er details in ReadingComprehension passages and to focus on the topic, scope, and purpose Thisappears to %e a contradiction with these highly specific detail questions The factis most of the details that appear in a typical passage aren#t tested in thequestions Of the few that are, you#ll either

o Remem%er them from your reading8

o 0e gi"en a line reference to %ring you right to them8 or

o .imply ha"e to find them on your own in order to trac& down the answer

$f your mental road map and understanding of the purpose of each paragraphare %oth clear in your mind, it shouldn#t ta&e long to locate the rele"ant detail andthen choose an answer 1espite this question type, the winning strategy is still tonote the purpose of details in each paragraph#s argument, %ut not to attempt tomemori)e the details themsel"es Consider the following passage'


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/ntire disciplines contain scientists who participate incommunities of colleagues Crudely stated, what enli"ens thissystem is recognition?incenti"es from within the disciplineRecognition facilitates access to funding, %ut the primarycurrency is said to %e social and intellectual rather than financial.cientists are fa"ored with honors and awards, which areem%lematic affirmations and increments of status within theirspecialties Of these, eponymy??ie, the designation, in this caseof an entire science or a particular inno"ation %y reference to thedisco"erer#s name??is the most enduring, the most distinguished,and therefore, the most co"eted form of recognition

The recall 2uestion asks:4hich of the following %est descri%es what animates the systemof rewards in scientific research5

A3 financial rewards03 honors and awards specific to excellence in the scienceC3 social and intellectual recognition13 competition for original disco"ery/3 exchange of original information

The recall question as&s only that you retrie"e factual data statedflatly in the passage $n this case, the correct answer is 2C3Recall questions can almost always %e answered %y a directquote' =Recognition facilitates access to funding, %ut the primarycurrency is said to %e social and intellectual rather thanfinancial= The primary currency is =social and intellectual= Thatis the answer

.trategy :' Recall questions tend to occur more at the lower s&illle"els 0ecause the test is a CAT, lower s&ill le"el students will

tend to encounter them more

.trategy ' $f the passage puts a highly unusual phrase in quotesor emphasi)es some unusual 7argon, ma&e a mental note of it%ecause there is a good chance that an important piece of 7argonor new phrase may %e used in a question $n this case, when youare reading the essay, you can expect a question a%out=eponymy=

0 .ynthesis uestions

.ynthesis questions as& that you identify the whole o%7ect, system, organism,process, or idea and@or esta%lish the relationship of the whole to its partsConsider the following passage'

These stages reflect the system of color discrimination commonto all primates Roughly, four paired sets of neurons respond tolight of different wa"elengths, the pair that responds to light@dar&distinctions %eing phylogenetically the oldest The pair thatresponds to red@green is perhaps the second oldest, and so on


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$n other words, the distinctions that ha"e %een longest within thepower of our remote ancestors to ma&e are the most li&ely to %erepresented in language, while more recent ones areprogressi"ely less li&ely, and those that depend on cultural ratherthan %iological factors 2the %rowns, pin&s, and so on3 are rarerstill

The synthesis question as&s the following'$n this passage, color discrimination is descri%ed as'

A3 deri"ing from the "isual properties of o%7ects03 deri"ing from cultural factors to a lesser extent than from %iological factorsC3 occurring in fixed order corresponding to phylogenetic order of de"elopment ofsets of neurons13 deri"ing from %iological factors to a lesser extent than from cultural factors/3 occurring first at random in response to en"ironmental circumstances, then inincreasingly predicta%le stages

Although 203 may %e deri"ed from the passage, the most %roadly correct answeris 2C3 2C3 ma&es a general claim a%out the whole' that the system of colordiscrimination 2whole3 proceeds in stages 2parts3 according to a particular order2phylogeneticage3 2A3 is incorrect The passage flatly declares that colordiscrimination does not deri"e from specific o%7ects 203 is correct %ut too narrow213 is flatly contradicted %y the information in the passage The conditions of 2/3are not mentioned at all in the passage

". "omprehension uestions

Comprehension questions deri"e from the full factual, organi)ational, andargumentati"e field of the passage These questions draw on all your resourcesof analysis and understanding and as& that you restate, interpret, or deducelogically consistent statements from the thesis or general claim of a passage

They typically loo& li&e this'o $t can %e inferred from the passage that

o The passage@author suggests that

o The passage@author implies that

o The passage supports which one of the following statements regarding

$n answering the comprehension question, you must determine the thesis orgeneral claim of the passage Frequently, %ut not always, this will %e the first orthe last sentence of the passage $t will ad"ance a %road claim relati"e to theparts@whole or reasons gi"en as e"idence in the passage Bou must also loo&closely at the conditions expressed in the word choice of the thesis or generalclaim /xtracting "alid inferences from Reading Comprehension passagesrequires the a%ility to recogni)e that information in the passage can %e expressedin different ways The a%ility to %ridge the gap %etween the way information ispresented in the passage and the way it#s presented in the correct answer choiceis "ital $n fact, comprehension questions often %oil down to an exercise in=translation= Consider the general claim of this passage'

This is the no%le lie, which *lato %roaches through the mouth of.ocrates in the third %oo& of the 2epublic =!ow, then,= .ocratesas&s, =might we contri"e one of those opportune falsehoods ofwhich we were 7ust now spea&ing, so as %y one no%le lie to


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persuade the rulers themsel"es, %ut failing that the rest of thecity5= *lato assumes that the rulers, %eing philosophers, maygulp at their own propaganda %ut that the masses mighte"entually %e %rought to swallow it

May we infer that *lato appro"es of .ocrates# proposal5 May we infer that

.ocrates %ears male"olence toward the populace5 May we infer that .ocrateswas extremely reluctant to use terror as an instrument of persuasion5 6one ofthese inferences is supported %y the statements gi"en !owe"er, we may inferthat .ocrates has spo&en of se"eral opportune falsehoods %efore the time of thistelling 4e may infer, on the %asis of *lato#s inference, that %ecause the rulersare philosophers, they may gulp at their own propaganda A close reading willsupport each of these inferences

.trategy :'Comprehension questions don#t focus on indi"idual issues 4hen aquestion as&s, =4hat is the main point of the passage5=, the answer will not %e asmall detail

.trategy '0e alert for partially correct answers Occasionally you will encounteran instance in which two or more answers to a question are correct 4hen youdo, loo& for the most %roadly and comprehensi"ely accurate answer, the one thataccounts correctly for the greatest num%er of aspects or features or parts orqualities named in the reading passage For example, an answer may %e correct%ut too narrow8 the %est answer will %e %oth correct and %roadly inclusi"e withinthe scope of the question

$$$- .tep Method of Attac&ing ReadingComprehension *assages and .ample /ssay

$n the a%o"e section we ga"e you the six strategies to analy)e a Reading

Comprehension text and what the common questions are 6ow you need to&now how to apply them when you get to a passage'

1. 1issect the introductory paragraph

2. Create a mental road map

3. Once you finish the essay, stop to summari)e the entire passage

4. Tac&le the questions

!. 1issect the introuctory paragraph.Read the introductory paragraph in an acti"e manner Thin&through the concepts while you are reading the text 4hat is theauthor#s point5 4hat is he trying to pro"e5

$. "reate a mental roa map.1iagram the organi)ation of the passage 4hat are the purposesof the different paragraphs5 4hat is the content of the differentparagraphs5 Bou are not graded on reading the essay, %utanswering the questions Bour goal here is to simply get an ideaof roughly how the essay wor&s Bou do not need a perfectunderstanding of the essay and do not ha"e enough time to readit completely $nstead, attac& each paragraph %y reading the first


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sentence and quic&ly s&imming the rest 4hen you#"e read all ofthe paragraphs, you can get an idea a%out the essay#sorgani)ation

3. %top to summari4e the essay.0efore answering the questions, ta&e a few seconds tosummari)e your mental road map and the point of the essay

'. Tackle the 2uestions.Answer the questions %ased on your mental road map of thepassage Docate the answer to each question within theparagraph that relates to the question !ere you may ha"e toread more thoroughly than when you were s&imming in step a%o"e

To see how these techni2ues work, try the sample essay below:

One of the most persistently trou%ling parts of national domestic policy is thede"elopment and use of water resources 0ecause the technology of watermanagement in"ol"es similar construction s&ills, whether the tas& is the %uildingof an ocean 7etty for protection of shipping or the construction of a ri"er dam forflood control and irrigation, the issues of water policy ha"e mingled pro%lems ofna"igation and agriculture A further inherent complexity of water policy is thefrequent conflict %etween flood control and irrigation and %etween requirementsfor a%undance and those for scarcity of water 0oth pro%lems exist in America,often in the same ri"er %asins8 the one is most typically the pro%lem of the lowerpart of the %asin and the other the pro%lem of the upper part

Then there are the pro%lems of cities located along the ma7or American ri"ers,

not infrequently directly on the "ery flood plains of highly erratic streams $n thearid parts of the land it has recently %ecome clear that climate "aries o"er time,with irregular periods of serious drought followed %y wet periods mar&ed %yoccasional floods The pro%lems of land and water, then, are inherently difficultFor this reason alone, shortcomings and failures ha"e pro%a%ly %een ine"ita%leMoreo"er, in the scale of the underta&ings that ha"e %een attempted in"ol"ing onoccasion no less than the re"ersal of stream flow and the altering of the naturalfeatures of whole ri"er %asins, it is ine"ita%le

6e"ertheless, the most startling fact a%out the history of water pro7ects in the9nited .tates is the degree to which their shortcomings ha"e %een associatedwith administrati"e failures Again and again these shortcomings ha"e pro"ed to%e the consequences of inadequate study of water flow' of soil, of factors other

than construction technology and of faulty organi)ation $n :;


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!. 1issect the first paragraph.

One of the most persistently trou%ling parts of national domesticpolicy is the de"elopment and use of water resources 0ecausethe technology of water management in"ol"es similarconstruction s&ills, whether the tas& is the %uilding of an ocean

7etty for protection of shipping or the construction of a ri"er damfor flood control and irrigation, the issues of water policy ha"emingled pro%lems of na"igation and agriculture A furtherinherent complexity of water policy is the frequent conflict%etween flood control and irrigation %etween requirements fora%undance and those for scarcity of water 0oth pro%lems existin America, often in the same ri"er %asins8 the one is mosttypically the pro%lem of the lower part of the %asin and the otherthe pro%lem of the upper part

The main point is that there are pro%lems with water management that resultfrom conflicts of interest %etween flood control, irrigation, na"igation and the

upper@lower parts of the %asin

$. "reate a mental roa map.*aragraph : is a%out the pro%lems with water management that result fromconflicts of interest %etween flood control, irrigation, na"igation and theupper@lower parts of the %asin*aragraph descri%es the effects of floods, streams and other natural "ariancesthat add another le"el of complexity to the issue*aragraph + descri%es how the attempts to deal with these conflicts ha"e %eenincompetently managed 6ote the use of strong phrase =startling= $t appears thatthe author#s main point is in paragraph +

3. %top to summari4e the essay

Clearly, the author#s main intention of writing this essay is to re"eal theincompetence of agencies managing water The first two paragraphs descri%ethe scale of the pro%lem8 the final paragraph descri%es the pro%lems faced inattempting to sol"e it

'. Tackle the 2uestions.

!. +ccoring to the passage, the shortcomings of waterpro5ects in the 6.%. are primarily the conse2uences of7a3 conflict %etween flood control and irrigation%3 inadequate study and faulty coordination among agencies

c3 *ro%lems of land and waterd3 inadequate construction technologye3 the scale of the pro7ects

/xplanation' The passage ma&es it clear that the primary causeof the shortcomings of water pro7ects in the 9. is 203inadequate study and faulty coordination among agencies The


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passage does not refer to conflicts %etween flood control,pro%lems of land and water, inadequate construction technology,or the scale of pro7ects The correct answer is 203!a"ing the discipline to stic& to the - point strategy pays off here4e identified that the main point of the passage wasincompetent agencies in step + 4e used our &nowledge that theauthor will use strong language =startling incompetence= toidentify his main point The author#s purpose here is to point out%ad management

$. 8f the issues name below, which is more typically theproblem of the upper part of a river basin7a3 na"igation%3 shippingc3 flood control

d3 drought followed %y wet periode3 scarcity

This is a simple recall question The passage ma&es it clear thatin the lower part of the %asin, flooding is the pro%lem8 in theupper part, scarcity is the pro%lem .carcity is the only pro%lemidentified with the upper part of a %asin 2A3, 203, 2C3, and 213 areirrele"ant to this question and, as a result, are incorrect 2/3 isthe correct answer

3. 9hich of the following is not a problem associate withthe evelopment of water resources7a3 a conflict %etween flood control and irrigation%3 pro%lems of na"igation and agriculturec3 location of cities on flood plainsd3 inadequate design technologye3 "ariations in climate

The passage ma&es it plain that 2A3, conflict of purpose8 203,

practical pro%lems of use8 2C3, "ulnera%ility of cities on floodplains8 and 2/3, climatic "ariations, impede the de"elopment ofwater resources 1esign technology is not one of theimpediments identified %y this passage The correct answer is213

'. 9hich statement below may be inferre from theinformation given in this passage7a3 The intersection of pro%lems of climate, geography, purpose,


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technology, and administration complicates the de"elopment ofwater pro7ects%3 $nno"ati"e design and construction technology eliminateconflict in demand for flood control and for irrigationc3 $n the design of a water pro7ect, upper and lower parts of ari"er %asin must %e regarded as identical entitiesd3 $n the design of a water pro7ect, predominant pro%lems deri"efrom the presence of erratic streamse3 $rregularity of climate is the most critical impediment to thede"elopment of water pro7ects

The passage ma&es it clear that pro%lems of climate, geography,purpose, and technology complicate the de"elopment of waterpro7ects, %ut the most serious impediment is inadequate studyand faulty coordination The inference in 203 is whollyunsupported %y the passage 2C3 directly contradicts the ma7orscientific argument of the passage The inferences in 213 and 2/3are not supported %y information in the passage This question iseasy to get %ecause all of the concepts are co"ered in the roadmap The correct answer is 2A3

Re"iew!. 1issect the introuctory paragraph.Read the introductory paragraph in an acti"e manner Thin& through theconcepts while you are reading the text 4hat is the author#s point5 4hat is hetrying to pro"e5$. "reate a mental roa map.1iagram the organi)ation of the passage3. %top to summari4e the essay.0efore answering the questions, ta&e a few seconds to summari)e your mentalroad map

'. Tackle the 2uestions.Answer the questions %ased on your mental road map of the passage

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