Going through the several guides posted on here, I noticed that most of them try and sell you on a shortcut on a RC passage. I dont think there any fool proof shortcuts that will get you the accuracy you desire on RC passages. I truly believe that understanding and reading the passage completely is the only fool proof way of increasing your accuracy. While working on a few RCs I found this post by one of the members that I really think summarises the correct way of tackling RC passages.
A few thoughts on tackling RC in general.
1. I always, always, always - rephrase the passage as I read. I think every sentence or two, I do this unconsciously; it's 'active' reading in practice. Having this reflex and improving your ability to rephrase and simplify a passage is incredibly important in being able to have a general roadmap of the passage as a whole. As you practice this skill, the 'what's the point of the passage?' questions should become very intuitive. It's not easy though and at first it's very easy to read the passage as 'fact, fact, fact' so I encourage you to be super vigilant of how you read. I know it took me a while!
2. For every question, always go back to the passage. Whether the question is specific and asks you to make an inference, or is general and asks you what the overall tone is, it's important to go back to the passage. The third question of this RC is, in my opinion, a prime example of how you can become easily confused if you do not return to the passage.
3. Always find 4 wrong answers! Like GMATNinja has emphasized, this needs to become your motto. With every question I do, whether I got the answer right or wrong, whether I found it easy or hard, I go back and ensure that I am able to justify each of answer choices (A) through (E). It's often times easy to say "oh that question was so easy" and look at just the questions that challenged you; however, I've found that scrutinizing each answer choice has reinforced my ability to pick out patterns of typical 'trap' answers.-
Chelsea212When I started following pt 3 religiously, it really started working well. Getting 4 incorrect answers really narrows your chances of picking something that sounds like the right answer.