100 Hardest Reading Comprehension Passages & Questions

Question

100 Hardest RC Passages

After quite a bit of time, we are finally excited to provide the top 100 hardest RC passages (and questions that come with them) based on the GMAT Club timer. While all RC's have multiple questions and often of different difficulty, the difficulty of the passage is determined by the average difficulty of all of its questions. The difficulty level is a proprietary (and not very tricky) calculation that's done based on the history of timer attempts of each of the questions when compared to the history of other questions.

Hardest RC Questions 
   #    Difficulty 
Level    Topic Name   
  1  817   Some writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave l   
  2  739   The Seventh Symphony (1812) was, at the time, Beethovenâ€™s last and   
  3  739   Should we really care for the greatest actors of the past could we hav   
  4  725   The atrocities committed during the Second World War by the National   
  5  711   Virginia Woolf made an original contribution to the form of the novel,   
  6  697   In all industrial countries, the seventies were a time of slowdown   
  7  691   In 1979, a team of scientists from Berkeley working near Gubbio, Italy   
  8  688   In Manhattan, the beauty of the night sky is only a faded metaphor, th   
  9  686   The term "editor" covers a number of functions ranging from one who ma   
  10  683   As urbanization continues to accelerate, many urban areas in develop   
  11  682   The rate at which pollen settles is dictated principally by the size a   
  12  679   Never accept anything as true that you do not clearly know to be so   
  13  674   Pesticides (including insecticides, fungicides, nematicides, and herbi   
  14  671   It is still an open question precisely how Hobbes conceptualized the   
  15  669   Perceiving, for all its nicety of functioning in the dark room under   
  16  668   It is common to assume that people who act morally are normally   
  17  666   The spotted Hyneas, or crocuta crocuta, found through sub-saharan afri   
  18  659   The recent centennial of the founding of the American Historical Assoc   
  19  658   As to when the first people populated the American subcontinent is hot   
  20  655   In general, the impossible must be justified by reference to artistic   
  21  652   The eminent sixteenth-century philosopher and jurist Jean Bodin denoun   
  22  644   The Seventh Symphony (1812) was, at the time, Beethovenâ€™s last   
  23  643   Although the European Central Bank (ECB) is subject to far more constr   
  24  643   It is a widespread belief in modern evolutionary biology that evolutio   
  25  636   Diseases associated with aging in women are difficult to correlate exp   
  26  633   During the final decades of the nineteenth century, America   
  27  633   Utilitarian models of the state, subordinating individual rights to a   
  28  632   Deontological Pacifism decrees that moral agents have an absolute duty   
  29  629   As technology continues to progress, new avenues open for the implemen   
  30  628   The following is an exchange between two art historians over the recen   
  31  623   The diversity of species in bacterial communities is often studied by   
  32  619   Origami is capable of turning a simple sheet of paper   
  33  618   Prominent sociologists Rodney Stark and Robert Wuthnow differ both   
  34  616   Should the soft spring breath of kindly appreciation warm the current   
  35  615   A recent study evaluated the prevailing explanation offered by economi   
  36  615   Most editors of literature consider it their main duty to present the   
  37  613   Correspondences were a method of thought and expression used originall   
  38  611   There is a dangerous tendency in superficial analyses of Virgilâ€™s Aene   
  39  610   In exploring the role of women during colonial times, historiographers   
  40  606   Regrettably, a number of companies have sprung up for the sole purpose   
  41  603   The recognition of exclusive chattels and estate has really harmed and   
  42  600   In economics, demand implies something slightly different from the com   
  43  596   Cargo cults are religious movements that have appeared in tribal socie   
  44  596   The author of The Affluent Society argued throughout his long and dist   
  45  596   The principle of selection solved the riddle as to how what was purpos   
  46  596   Naturalism, arising in the 19th century as a literary response to Darw   
  47  595   Dogs were domesticated between 40,000 and 20,000 years ago. However   
  48  589   The student of mythology must embrace the contradiction between chaoti   
  49  589   Because it impinges upon so muchâ€”from bilingual education, po   
  50  589   Lousia May Alcotts Little Women opens to a common scenariothe women   
  51  588   Boccaccioâ€˜s donnÃ©e is of an upper-class milieu where girls and young m   
  52  586   Colorectal cancer occurs in the colon or rectum. It is more common amo   
  53  584   Before there were books, before, even, there was the written word in   
  54  584   In the fast new choreography of American compassion, explanation is tw   
  55  582   It is exceedingly difficult to make people realize that an evil is   
  56  582   Since the dawning of antitrust regulation in America at the beginning   
  57  580   The Pan-American land bridge, or isthmus, connecting North and South   
  58  579   The origins of tea as a beverage can be traced back more than 5,000 ye   
  59  579   A more comprehensive definition of "sea level," one useful to   
  60  578   In an atmosphere of increasing scrutiny of securities trading, a   
  61  577   Since 1789, the Constitution has granted the President the authority   
  62  576   People born in the aftermath of the Second World War grew older entren   
  63  575   Many sociologists who examined the phenomenon of secrecy considered   
  64  574   During the process of embryonic development, cells become progressiv   
  65  573   Was T.S. Eliot a great letter writer? Not on the evidence gathered in   
  66  573   Nineteenth-century architect EugÃ¨ne-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc   
  67  573   Stellar objects are dynamic systems involving a symbiotic relationship   
  68  572   One of the cornerstones of economic reform in the formerly Communist   
  69  572   In all battles two things are usually required of the Commander-in-Chi   
  70  572   The prevailing theory of our Moon's origin is that it was created by   
  71  571   Best known for her work with lacquer, Eileen Gray (1878-1976) had a   
  72  571   A paper plane should be made by folding a single sheet of A4 (8 1/2   
  73  571   The extent to which analysis of social phenomena is compatible with th   
  74  570   The Japanese American sculptor Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) was an artist   
  75  568   The 2010 discoveries of Denisovans, the 2012 findings of archaic Afric   
  76  567   The question of when the first people populated the American subcontin   
  77  567   With the number of dementia patients now at some 26 million and expect   
  78  566   Careful observers of wildlife along unspoiled freshwater shorelines in   
  79  565   Scientists have long claimed that, in order to flourish and progress,   
  80  565   In public Greek life, a man had to make his way at every step through   
  81  564   The controversial Canadian media intellectual Marshall McLuhan first b   
  82  563   Western analytical philosophy has contributed two major elements to t   
  83  563   Lee Bollinger, rejecting traditional models of the defense of free spe   
  84  563   Between 1965 and 1970, welfare caseloads more than doubled and costs t   
  85  562   While the best sixteenth-century Renaissance scholars mastered the   
  86  562   The mediaâ€˜s particular understanding of the ways of influence and   
  87  562   It may be interesting to indicate, as briefly as possible, the chief g   
  88  561   Creativity is a frequent element in the mythology, philosophy, or   
  89  561   Those who opine lose their impunity when the circumstances in which th   
  90  561   In the pantheon of great thinkers, Karl Marx certainly ranks as one of   
  91  559   Scientists formerly believed that the rocky planetsEarth, Mercury,   
  92  559   In considering the origin of species, it is quite conceivable that a n   
  93  558   In 1905, the Supreme Court of the United States decided on the case Lo   
  94  558   The industrial revolution in nineteenth-century Europe brought about a   
  95  557   Some critics of advertising have assumed that the creation of false ne   
  96  557   With the explosion of the technology industry in the late 1990s, the U   
  97  556   The Tokugawa period Japan (1603-1867) serves as a laboratory for organ   
  98  555   Morris is familiar as the Oscar-winning director of haunting, enigmati   
  99  554   The best-known platonic depiction of tyranny appears in Republic   
  100  553   Scientific advances in the latter half of the twentieth century have a

carinawang88 · Accepted Answer

Hi, what are the sources of these passages? Thank you.

Bunuel · Answer

These come from various sources. You can verify this by following the links and checking the source tag just above the first post.

Nalkents · Answer

It is really helpful, detailed and very complete.

damilka · Answer

Thanks for mentioning the resources!

100 Hardest Reading Comprehension Passages & Questions

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards

Hardest RC Questions
#	Difficulty Level	Topic Name
1	817	Some writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave l
2	739	The Seventh Symphony (1812) was, at the time, Beethovenâ€™s last and
3	739	Should we really care for the greatest actors of the past could we hav
4	725	The atrocities committed during the Second World War by the National
5	711	Virginia Woolf made an original contribution to the form of the novel,
6	697	In all industrial countries, the seventies were a time of slowdown
7	691	In 1979, a team of scientists from Berkeley working near Gubbio, Italy
8	688	In Manhattan, the beauty of the night sky is only a faded metaphor, th
9	686	The term "editor" covers a number of functions ranging from one who ma
10	683	As urbanization continues to accelerate, many urban areas in develop
11	682	The rate at which pollen settles is dictated principally by the size a
12	679	Never accept anything as true that you do not clearly know to be so
13	674	Pesticides (including insecticides, fungicides, nematicides, and herbi
14	671	It is still an open question precisely how Hobbes conceptualized the
15	669	Perceiving, for all its nicety of functioning in the dark room under
16	668	It is common to assume that people who act morally are normally
17	666	The spotted Hyneas, or crocuta crocuta, found through sub-saharan afri
18	659	The recent centennial of the founding of the American Historical Assoc
19	658	As to when the first people populated the American subcontinent is hot
20	655	In general, the impossible must be justified by reference to artistic
21	652	The eminent sixteenth-century philosopher and jurist Jean Bodin denoun
22	644	The Seventh Symphony (1812) was, at the time, Beethovenâ€™s last
23	643	Although the European Central Bank (ECB) is subject to far more constr
24	643	It is a widespread belief in modern evolutionary biology that evolutio
25	636	Diseases associated with aging in women are difficult to correlate exp
26	633	During the final decades of the nineteenth century, America
27	633	Utilitarian models of the state, subordinating individual rights to a
28	632	Deontological Pacifism decrees that moral agents have an absolute duty
29	629	As technology continues to progress, new avenues open for the implemen
30	628	The following is an exchange between two art historians over the recen
31	623	The diversity of species in bacterial communities is often studied by
32	619	Origami is capable of turning a simple sheet of paper
33	618	Prominent sociologists Rodney Stark and Robert Wuthnow differ both
34	616	Should the soft spring breath of kindly appreciation warm the current
35	615	A recent study evaluated the prevailing explanation offered by economi
36	615	Most editors of literature consider it their main duty to present the
37	613	Correspondences were a method of thought and expression used originall
38	611	There is a dangerous tendency in superficial analyses of Virgilâ€™s Aene
39	610	In exploring the role of women during colonial times, historiographers
40	606	Regrettably, a number of companies have sprung up for the sole purpose
41	603	The recognition of exclusive chattels and estate has really harmed and
42	600	In economics, demand implies something slightly different from the com
43	596	Cargo cults are religious movements that have appeared in tribal socie
44	596	The author of The Affluent Society argued throughout his long and dist
45	596	The principle of selection solved the riddle as to how what was purpos
46	596	Naturalism, arising in the 19th century as a literary response to Darw
47	595	Dogs were domesticated between 40,000 and 20,000 years ago. However
48	589	The student of mythology must embrace the contradiction between chaoti
49	589	Because it impinges upon so muchâ€”from bilingual education, po
50	589	Lousia May Alcotts Little Women opens to a common scenariothe women
51	588	Boccaccioâ€˜s donnÃ©e is of an upper-class milieu where girls and young m
52	586	Colorectal cancer occurs in the colon or rectum. It is more common amo
53	584	Before there were books, before, even, there was the written word in
54	584	In the fast new choreography of American compassion, explanation is tw
55	582	It is exceedingly difficult to make people realize that an evil is
56	582	Since the dawning of antitrust regulation in America at the beginning
57	580	The Pan-American land bridge, or isthmus, connecting North and South
58	579	The origins of tea as a beverage can be traced back more than 5,000 ye
59	579	A more comprehensive definition of "sea level," one useful to
60	578	In an atmosphere of increasing scrutiny of securities trading, a
61	577	Since 1789, the Constitution has granted the President the authority
62	576	People born in the aftermath of the Second World War grew older entren
63	575	Many sociologists who examined the phenomenon of secrecy considered
64	574	During the process of embryonic development, cells become progressiv
65	573	Was T.S. Eliot a great letter writer? Not on the evidence gathered in
66	573	Nineteenth-century architect EugÃ¨ne-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc
67	573	Stellar objects are dynamic systems involving a symbiotic relationship
68	572	One of the cornerstones of economic reform in the formerly Communist
69	572	In all battles two things are usually required of the Commander-in-Chi
70	572	The prevailing theory of our Moon's origin is that it was created by
71	571	Best known for her work with lacquer, Eileen Gray (1878-1976) had a
72	571	A paper plane should be made by folding a single sheet of A4 (8 1/2
73	571	The extent to which analysis of social phenomena is compatible with th
74	570	The Japanese American sculptor Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) was an artist
75	568	The 2010 discoveries of Denisovans, the 2012 findings of archaic Afric
76	567	The question of when the first people populated the American subcontin
77	567	With the number of dementia patients now at some 26 million and expect
78	566	Careful observers of wildlife along unspoiled freshwater shorelines in
79	565	Scientists have long claimed that, in order to flourish and progress,
80	565	In public Greek life, a man had to make his way at every step through
81	564	The controversial Canadian media intellectual Marshall McLuhan first b
82	563	Western analytical philosophy has contributed two major elements to t
83	563	Lee Bollinger, rejecting traditional models of the defense of free spe
84	563	Between 1965 and 1970, welfare caseloads more than doubled and costs t
85	562	While the best sixteenth-century Renaissance scholars mastered the
86	562	The mediaâ€˜s particular understanding of the ways of influence and
87	562	It may be interesting to indicate, as briefly as possible, the chief g
88	561	Creativity is a frequent element in the mythology, philosophy, or
89	561	Those who opine lose their impunity when the circumstances in which th
90	561	In the pantheon of great thinkers, Karl Marx certainly ranks as one of
91	559	Scientists formerly believed that the rocky planetsEarth, Mercury,
92	559	In considering the origin of species, it is quite conceivable that a n
93	558	In 1905, the Supreme Court of the United States decided on the case Lo
94	558	The industrial revolution in nineteenth-century Europe brought about a
95	557	Some critics of advertising have assumed that the creation of false ne
96	557	With the explosion of the technology industry in the late 1990s, the U
97	556	The Tokugawa period Japan (1603-1867) serves as a laboratory for organ
98	555	Morris is familiar as the Oscar-winning director of haunting, enigmati
99	554	The best-known platonic depiction of tyranny appears in Republic
100	553	Scientific advances in the latter half of the twentieth century have a

GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

100 Hardest Reading Comprehension Passages & Questions

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards