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GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are often challenging because they are written to reward careful reasoning rather than surface-level reading. Many answer choices are designed to mislead test-takers by sounding familiar or by echoing language from the passage. One of the most common mistakes students make is focusing too heavily on whether the wording in an answer choice matches the passage exactly. This focus can cause you to miss the correct answer, which may be phrased differently but still accurately reflects the intended meaning.
A better approach is to evaluate answer choices based on meaning and logic. Ask yourself whether an answer is consistent with the passage as a whole and whether it logically follows from what the author has written. Often, the correct answer is a paraphrase of the passage. It may use words you did not see in the text, but it still communicates the right idea. By contrast, wrong answers frequently include familiar words or phrases that seem to connect with the passage but distort or misrepresent the underlying meaning.
For example, imagine a passage mentions “an atomic clock located in Colorado.” An incorrect answer might repeat those exact words but add details that make the statement inaccurate. Meanwhile, the correct answer might describe the same clock as “an advanced timepiece placed at a great distance from the researchers.” Even though this wording is different, it is a faithful restatement of the idea. The error occurs when test-takers assume that repetition of words equals correctness.
To avoid this trap, remind yourself of three principles. First, focus on the main idea of the passage and use it as your guide when reviewing answer choices. Second, practice paraphrasing passages in your own words before looking at the answers, so you stay grounded in meaning rather than phrasing. Third, remain open to answers that use different wording. What matters is whether the answer reflects the substance of the passage, not whether it matches the vocabulary.
By training yourself to think in terms of logic and meaning rather than word-for-word alignment, you will be better equipped to recognize correct answers and avoid traps. This habit takes time to develop, but it is one of the most reliable ways to improve performance on GMAT Reading Comprehension.
Warmest regards,
Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep
GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are often challenging because they are written to reward careful reasoning rather than surface-level reading. Many answer choices are designed to mislead test-takers by sounding familiar or by echoing language from the passage. One of the most common mistakes students make is focusing too heavily on whether the wording in an answer choice matches the passage exactly. This focus can cause you to miss the correct answer, which may be phrased differently but still accurately reflects the intended meaning.
A better approach is to evaluate answer choices based on meaning and logic. Ask yourself whether an answer is consistent with the passage as a whole and whether it logically follows from what the author has written. Often, the correct answer is a paraphrase of the passage. It may use words you did not see in the text, but it still communicates the right idea. By contrast, wrong answers frequently include familiar words or phrases that seem to connect with the passage but distort or misrepresent the underlying meaning.
For example, imagine a passage mentions “an atomic clock located in Colorado.” An incorrect answer might repeat those exact words but add details that make the statement inaccurate. Meanwhile, the correct answer might describe the same clock as “an advanced timepiece placed at a great distance from the researchers.” Even though this wording is different, it is a faithful restatement of the idea. The error occurs when test-takers assume that repetition of words equals correctness.
To avoid this trap, remind yourself of three principles. First, focus on the main idea of the passage and use it as your guide when reviewing answer choices. Second, practice paraphrasing passages in your own words before looking at the answers, so you stay grounded in meaning rather than phrasing. Third, remain open to answers that use different wording. What matters is whether the answer reflects the substance of the passage, not whether it matches the vocabulary.
By training yourself to think in terms of logic and meaning rather than word-for-word alignment, you will be better equipped to recognize correct answers and avoid traps. This habit takes time to develop, but it is one of the most reliable ways to improve performance on GMAT Reading Comprehension.
Warmest regards,
Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep
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