{"id":32166,"date":"2016-02-16T15:08:59","date_gmt":"2016-02-16T22:08:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2016\/02\/land-your-score-reading-comprehension-passages-part-2\/"},"modified":"2016-02-16T15:08:59","modified_gmt":"2016-02-16T22:08:59","slug":"land-your-score-reading-comprehension-passages-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/land-your-score-reading-comprehension-passages-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Land Your Score: Reading Comprehension Passages, Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Learn<\/a><\/p>\n

Refer to your Passage Map to analyze questions and harvest points on Test Day.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Welcome to \u201cLand Your Score,\u201d a blog series in which Kaplan instructor Jennifer Land shares key insights and strategies for improving your GMAT performance on Test Day. This week, Jennifer discusses how to approach Reading Comprehension passages using the Kaplan Method.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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Hello again, and welcome to the exciting conclusion of our look at using the Kaplan Method for Reading Comprehension on a difficult passage. Today, we will answer a question using Steps 2\u20135, following our <\/span>notes from Step 1<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Using your Passage Map<\/b><\/h4>\n

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Last time we broke down a paragraph line by line and noted the paragraph\u2019s main purpose or point in our scratchwork:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Parfleche <\/span><\/i>is the French name for the Plains peoples\u2019 <\/span>hoemskot \u2018eo<\/span><\/i>\u2014an envelope-shaped rawhide container for storing clothes, food, and personal items. <\/span><\/td>\nFrench word = rawhide container<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The <\/span>parfleche <\/span><\/i>served <\/span>not only <\/b>as a practical and durable storage solution, <\/span>but also <\/b>as a decorative object of spiritual significance. <\/span><\/td>\nP was both practical and significant<\/span><\/i>[keywords show contrast: two uses]<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Among certain tribes, <\/span>most notably <\/b>the Cheyenne and Arapaho, <\/span>parfleches <\/span><\/i>were decorated by the women\u2019s painting society, whose members among the Cheyenne were known as <\/span>moneneheo<\/span><\/i>, the Selected Ones.<\/span><\/td>\nexamples of tribes that used P<\/span><\/i>
\nP painted by women<\/span><\/i>
\nthese women seem important<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Although <\/b>similar in their economic and social importance to craftsmen\u2019s guilds in medieval and Renaissance Western Europe, the painting society also had a spiritual or religious nature. <\/span><\/td>\n[keyword shows it seems similar but isn\u2019t]<\/span><\/i>
\nmore significance (compared to Europe)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The shamanistic society <\/span>required application for admission <\/b>and held its members to <\/span>high artistic and moral standards<\/b>.<\/span><\/td>\nmore significance (high standards)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The society <\/span>further <\/b>displayed its importance by defining aspects of Cheyenne wealth and status.<\/span><\/td>\neven more significance (repetition and \u201cfurther\u201d emphasize importance)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Point of paragraph 1: P was practical, but more importantly it was culturally significant. Now, let\u2019s use this Passage Map<\/span> to answer a question based on this paragraph.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Step 2: Analyze the question stem<\/b><\/h4>\n

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Here\u2019s a Reading Comprehension question you might encounter on the GMAT:<\/span><\/p>\n

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You can most reasonably conclude that the Cheyenne definition of the term<\/span><\/p>\n

moneneheo <\/span><\/i>reflects<\/span><\/p>\n

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(A) the high status some women enjoyed as artists in Cheyenne culture.<\/span><\/p>\n

(B) the shamanistic spiritual origins of the women\u2019s painting society.<\/span><\/p>\n

(C) the notion that artists were chosen by the gods to perform their tasks.<\/span><\/p>\n

(D) the self-restrictive nature of the women\u2019s painting society.<\/span><\/p>\n

(E) a woman\u2019s skill in using rawhide tools such as the \u201cflesher.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Although this question appears to be concerned with the definition of a term in context, it is actually an <\/span>Inference Question<\/b>. We will have to derive the answer from the passage, rather than actually finding it in the text.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Step 3: Research the relevant text<\/b><\/h4>\n

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On the GMAT, this question would include a line number (line 6). On Test Day you can easily begin Step 3 of the Kaplan Method by looking at the line in question. Here, the word appears in the third sentence, so we will re-read enough to be sure we understand the use of the word in question.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The author tells us that <\/span>moneneheo <\/span><\/i>refers to the members of the women\u2019s painting society and can be translated as \u201cthe Selected Ones.\u201d The passage then discusses the society\u2019s significance and the \u201chigh artistic and moral standards\u201d required for admission and membership.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Use that information to answer these questions: What does this tell us about the definition of <\/span>moneneheo<\/span><\/i>? Does the passage tell us who selected them, or anything else about these women? <\/span><\/p>\n

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Step 4: Make a prediction<\/b><\/h4>\n

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Let\u2019s take that research and turn it into a prediction. The term reflects respect for the society members\u2019 status, talent, importance, etc. You need to predict the meaning of the answer, not the actual words. The matching answer need not be an exact fit.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Step 5: Evaluate the answer choices<\/b><\/h4>\n

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(A) the high status some women enjoyed as artists in Cheyenne culture.<\/span><\/p>\n

(B) the shamanistic spiritual origins of the women\u2019s painting society.<\/span><\/p>\n

(C) the notion that artists were chosen by the gods to perform their tasks.<\/span><\/p>\n

(D) the self-restrictive nature of the women\u2019s painting society.<\/span><\/p>\n

(E) a woman\u2019s skill in using rawhide tools such as the \u201cflesher.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Now evaluate the answer choices one by one until you are satisfied you have found the correct answer.<\/span><\/p>\n

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