Free Chapter: GRE Verbal Study Guide

The following is an extract from the introductory section, first chapter of the Verbal Study Guide. There are totally three chapters in the GRE prep course, and each chapter is divided into several sections.

Reading Comprehension on the test day

On the GRE exam, you expect to see two to four Reading Comprehension passages with approximately three to four questions for each passage. However, you'll only see one question at a time on the screen. Totally, there are about 8 questions for GRE Reading Comprehension.

The passages presented depend on how well you are performing on the test. However, unlike other parts of the test, the questions presented do not depend on your performance. That means, after you are assigned a reading passage, the next question presented for the same passage will not base on your performance for the last question.

Why Reading Comprehension is a nightmare to most students?

Most people find the passages difficult to understand because the subject matter is dry, unfamiliar and could be anything. Obscure subject matter is chosen so that your reading comprehension will be tested, not on your knowledge of a particular subject. The more esoteric the subject the more likely everyone taking the test will be on an even playing field. Also, in order to make sure that nobody can take advantages on a particular subject, the test-maker takes every effort to diversify the subjects of the three or four passages on your test day.

Furthermore, the passages use a formal, compact style. They are typically taken from articles in academic journals, but they are rarely reprinted verbatim. Usually the chosen article is heavily edited until it is honed down to about 200 to 400 hundred words. The formal style of the piece is retained but much of the "fluff" is removed. The editing process condenses the article to about one-third of its original length. As a result, a GRE passage contains about three times as much information for its length as does the original article. This makes it difficult to read.

In addition to being dry and unfamiliar, GRE passages often start in the middle of an explanation, so there is not point of reference. Finally, the passages are untitled, so you have to hit the ground running.

How to use this chapter

In order to make it easier for you to prepare for GRE exam, we have developed an interesting course for Reading Comprehension. You will find this chapter all in number, as the section # suggests. We hope this would help you learn the prep strategies.

Section 1: One Principle

Section 2: Two Writing Styles

Section 3: Three Subjects

Section 4: Four-step Procedure for Attacking a Passage

Section 5: Five Types of Question

Section 6: Six Test Points