{"id":28466,"date":"2015-05-12T03:00:22","date_gmt":"2015-05-12T10:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2015\/05\/drive-to-gmat-reading-comprehension-success\/"},"modified":"2015-05-12T03:00:22","modified_gmt":"2015-05-12T10:00:22","slug":"drive-to-gmat-reading-comprehension-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/drive-to-gmat-reading-comprehension-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Drive to GMAT Reading Comprehension Success"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Look<\/a><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t let a daunting passage slow down your GMAT score.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Let\u2019s be honest. Most of the time, the reading comprehension<\/a> passages on the GMAT<\/a> are, well\u2026as most students would say, boring.<\/p>\n

To make a passage more difficult, the creators of the GMAT select passages with the most daunting of technical terms and obscure topic. These passages are enough to bog down most test-takers. It\u2019s possible to avoid slowing down and doing damage to your GMAT score, however, if you know which parts of the text to stop and take note of and which parts to cruise through.<\/p>\n

GMAT Reading comprehension roadmap<\/h4>\n

The key to building a good roadmap for GMAT reading comprehension is to read the signs along the way. In a GMAT<\/a> passage, those signs correspond to three types: red light, yellow light, and green light keywords. Knowing what to do when you spot one of these keywords is crucial to efficient and effective passage navigation and management.<\/p>\n

First, let\u2019s take a look at the \u201cred light\u201d areas in a passage. Just like encountering a red light when you\u2019re driving, these passage keywords tell you to stop and take notice. Note the main idea being communicated by that information.<\/p>\n

Contrast is key<\/p>\n

Red light keywords tend to show contrast, emphasis, and opinion. Look for contrast words such as \u201chowever,\u201d \u201cdespite,\u201d \u201calthough,\u201d and \u201cbut.\u201d The wording may vary, but contrasts always entail recognizing that the passage is shifting in some significant way. These places are worthy of a note because they often form the basis for questions later on.<\/p>\n

Emphasis, like contrast, appears in many different forms, but anytime you see extreme language in a passage, take note. For example, an author could point out that \u201cALL it takes for a product to be FULLY genericized is ONE court ruling,\u201d and you would want to note that information briefly in your map.<\/p>\n

Look for opinionated language<\/h4>\n

Opinion is another crucial \u201cred light\u201d area, and it is worthy of your full attention. When you see author opinion, often signaled by words such as \u201cobviously,\u201d \u201cclearly,\u201d \u201chence,\u201d etc., stop and take note. Author opinion is linked to both the purpose of the passage and the main idea of the passage, both of which appear commonly in GMAT reading comprehension<\/a> questions.<\/p>\n

When given a clear author opinion, the purpose of the passage will be biased in some way, and a question asking about purpose will have a correct answer that starts with a biased verb such as \u201cadvocates,\u201d \u201cargues,\u201d \u201crebuts,\u201d etc. If there is very little or no opinion, then the purpose will be based on a neutral verb such as \u201cexplains,\u201d \u201cdescribes,\u201d etc.<\/p>\n

In addition, the author\u2019s opinion about the scope of the passage forms the main idea of every reading. If you identify the author\u2019s opinion or the lack of author opinion in the passage, you will be in good shape for these global purpose and main idea questions.<\/p>\n

Along with author opinion, other opinions are also important to note. If you see the \u201ccritics\u201d or \u201csome believe,\u201d that information is likely to show up in some form in a question. Because other opinions are often contrasted with the author\u2019s opinion, these other opinions can also show up as incorrect choices when a question is asking for an author\u2019s opinion.<\/p>\n

Know when to stop<\/h4>\n

Red lights require your full attention, but what about those yellow lights? These keywords are intersections that require some discretion. When you come across a \u201chence\u201d or a \u201ctherefore\u201d in your drive through the passage, it\u2019s time to make a decision.<\/p>\n

If the keyword is connected with an opinion, especially an author opinion, stop and take note. However, if the keyword is connected with merely an example or minor detail, hit the gas.<\/p>\n

Cruise through detailed passages<\/h4>\n

Finally, what happens at those green lights? Green light keywords are those that indicate continuation, such as \u201cin addition,\u201d \u201cmoreover,\u201d and \u201calso,\u201d or indicate an example or illustration, such as \u201cfor example\u201d and \u201cfor instance.\u201d Green light keywords help form and indicate structure, but you shouldn\u2019t belabor those points. Keep cruising and note the location of key details in your map\u2014but you don\u2019t need to distill these down to specifics. Register only enough so that if you need those details for a question, you now know where to go to find them.<\/p>\n

Ensuring the reading comprehension section doesn\u2019t take a toll on your GMAT score<\/a> is all about seeing the patterns and taking control of the wheel. Drive your way to success on Test Day<\/a> by setting up a roadmap that points directly to the information most commonly tested in the questions.<\/p>\n

Do you have any tips for navigating your way to a winning GMAT score? Share your GMAT reading comprehension strategy in the comments.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post Drive to GMAT Reading Comprehension Success<\/a> appeared first on Kaplan GMAT Blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Don\u2019t let a daunting passage slow down your GMAT score. Let\u2019s be honest. Most of the time, the reading comprehension passages on the GMAT are, well\u2026as most students would say,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":120,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"1","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,558,243,940],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gmat","category-kaplan-blog","category-blog","category-gmat-prep-gmat","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/120"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28466"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28466\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}