Does knowing a question type matter in RC?

Question

I see I think 6 different question types in RC and 8-10 in CR. I have felt that knowing the question type in CR is really helpful as it helps plan my approach forward but it isn't as helpful in case of RC. Am I doing something wrong or do you guys feel the same?

GMATNinja  's methods usually work for me so I'd like to see what he has to say about this.

bb · Answer

I agree with you that generally RC question types don’t have much of an influence on my passage reading. Primarily, there are three or four questions per passage and I can only see one so I have to expect any and every question type while I’m reading the passage. I have to expect both a specific detail and a general question as well.

You should expect both types of questions on every RC passage. There’s no other way around it.

Can you reading comprehension, the question doesn’t really influence the reading strategy but there are ways and nuance was different questions. There are different traps the GMAC riders use to make questions more difficult. For example, in main idea questions, they will often use scope to push one of the answer choices outside of it or make it too narrow. with specific detail questions, there are often generalizations or synonyms or reversing that will be used to trick readers.

So I guess at the end of the day, as you approach is question type, you can anticipate a different set of traps and that’s what you’re probably looking out for.

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GmatKnightTutor · Answer

I have felt that knowing the question type in CR is really helpful as it helps plan my approach forward but it isn't as helpful in case of RC

This might be partly felt due to RC passages being read entirely before later questions are seen.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi anonymousCentaur,

The task of reading and Ladder-mapping an RC passage is fairly standard (regardless of length or subject-matter) - and the individual questions that you'll see with an RC passage won't change that. Each question does require that you work through a certain set of 'steps' to answer it though - and those steps will vary depending on the type of question and how the answer choices are written. In that way, you'll likely be 'reacting' to RC questions whereas you will be a bit more 'proactive' about the specific CR questions you face (since you should be reading the specific CR question that is asked BEFORE you read the prompt above it).
 
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi anonymousCentaur,

To be honest, the genre of the passage doesn't matter while solving an RC passage. I agree with you that knowing the question type helps you solve CR questions in a better way. That's because most of the CR questions are based on one of the four frameworks. And knowing those frameworks and the guidelines will help you solve them in a more structured way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZG-oIl09Rk

But, when it comes to RC, your approach of reading the passage remains the same, no matter what the genre is. You are meant to read a passage in a certain way to draw the right inferences. GMAT gives you enough context in the passage to rightly answer the questions given. So, you just have to read between the lines, understand the intention of the author and then summarize the passage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx7sB0Ade50

Hope this answers your query. Feel free to get in touch if you need any more help with the study strategy.

Click here to schedule a call

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

Hello anonymousCentaur,

Unlike CR, RC has many questions based on a single passage. Hence the approach taken to solve these questions should also be different.
As we can only solve one RC question at a time without knowing what the next question is on the GMAT, we cannot approach the passage based on the first question that we see on screen.
It is ideal that we read or skim through the passage to understand the overall gist of the passage (topic, tone- main idea). This will help you frame the structure of the passage and help you answer big picture questions such as main idea, primary purpose and so on.

While you map the passage, you should be aware of what detail is discussed in what part of the passage so that you can revisit those areas to answer a specific detail question. This will help you save time as well.

Good luck with your preparation

Vishnupriya
GMAT Verbal SME

Vishnupriya GMAT Verbal SME

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Does knowing a question type matter in RC?

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