GRE Reading Method Summary

The Right Way to Approach Reading

Reading is not translation! If you start in the wrong direction, no matter how hard you work, you’ll just go further down the wrong path.

Read the article first: Key words => Important information => Function of sentences

Answering principles

• Stay true to the text

• Distinguish question types

• Understand answer choices

Short Passage Question Types (First Four Types)

• although/though/even though/even if: indicate concession (intra-sentence logic)

• Any English sentence: 1. represents a thing 2. represents a state

Main Idea Questions:

• The passage is primarily concerned with

• Which of the following best states the central idea of the passage

• The primary purpose of the passage is to Approach: Article structure + opening of the article

Inference Questions (based on the original text):

• Keywords: inferred/suggest/implies

• It can be inferred from the passage that …?

• The author suggests/implies which of the following about …? Approach:

• Locate (scanning - find what’s asked, find the first occurrence)

• Read the sentence containing the location (OR 1-2 sentences before/after)

• Match options (paraphrase of the sentence containing the location OR 1-2 sentences before/after)

Author’s Intent Questions

• Keywords: The author of the passage mentions … primarily in order to Approach:

• Locate the sentence containing …

• Intra-sentence/inter-sentence logic

Factual Content Questions

• Keywords: which of the following is true of sth Approach:

• Locate sentences containing information:

• Directly look at options to find paraphrased options

• If there’s no answer, continue to the next sentence

Other Question Types

Multiple Choice Questions

Answer according to question requirements

Viewpoint and Argument Questions

Viewpoint keywords

• notion/belief/view/point/perception…

• …argue…: believe

Supplementary Knowledge: qualify

If you qualify a statement, you make it less strong or less general by adding a detail or explanation to it.

Highlighted Sentence Function Questions

• Understand the highlighted sentence

• Understand surrounding sentences

• Understand relationships between sentences

Supplementary Knowledge: Inter-sentence Relationships

English commonly uses chain connections to link article logic. End of previous sentence, beginning of current sentence

Literary Criticism

Supplementary Knowledge: wry

a wry expression or wry humor shows that you know a situation is bad, but you also think it is slightly amusing

Intensive Reading Speed Training

Response Speed Training

• Chinese (sentence by sentence) 2-3 passages daily for 5 days; check when stuck/record for review

• English (sentence by sentence) 2-3 passages daily for 5 days; check when stuck/record for review

• English (silent, pause 2 seconds to think about sentence meaning keyword and meaning) 2-3 passages daily for 5 days

Focus

Memory

Sense Group Division

• Prepositional phrase: prepositional phrase (prep)

• of individual folktales

• in the place

• Participial phrase: participial phrase (part)

• concerning the exact point

• told by aliens

• Adjective phrase: adjective phrase (adj)

• full of books

• useful for me

• Infinitive: infinitive phrase (inf)

• to do

• Subordinate clause: subordinate clause (sub)

• that/which/whose

Long Passages

Types/Approaches

• Combination of detail and overview Read in detail (Main sentences + paragraph ending summary + logical relationships) Skim read (Examples + expanded descriptions)

• Distinguish question types

Intra-paragraph Relationships

Inter-paragraph Relationships

Logic Single Question Types/Approaches/Solution Steps

Logic Single Question Types

• Assumption

• Question format

• Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

• Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument relies?

• Check conditions for logical validity of options

• Inference

• Question format

• The information given, if accurate, most strongly supports which of the following hypotheses?

• Which of the following conclusions is the best supported by the information?

• Strengthen

• Question format

• Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument given?

• Which is the following provide the most support for the argument

• Option increases conclusion credibility

• Sentence function

• Question format

• In the argument given, the two highlighted portions play which of the following roles?

• Weaken

• Question format

• Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument given?

• Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines…?

• Fill in the blank

• Question format

• Which of the following, if true, most logically complete the argument?

Logic Single Question Solution Steps

Read the question (determine type) {5 seconds}

Read the passage (understand logic) {45 seconds}

• Think about principles (anticipate questions) [think in Chinese] {20 seconds}

• Look at options (eliminate wrong answers) {60 seconds}