GRE Reading Comprehension: Question Types and How to Attempt Them

The short answer: GRE RC has three question formats, and the right approach depends on the format. Read for structure first, then judge options strictly against the passage.

GRE Reading Comprehension passages range from a single paragraph to several, and the questions come in three formats. Knowing the format tells you how strictly to judge the options.

The three formats

Multiple choice, select one answer. The familiar format: one best answer from the options. Multiple choice, select one or more answers. Often called select all that apply: one or more options may be correct, and you must choose all and only the correct ones to earn the mark. Select in passage. You click the sentence in the passage that does a stated job, such as supporting a claim or stating the main conclusion.

How to read the passage

Read for structure before detail. After each paragraph, note its job: states a claim, gives evidence, raises an objection, or draws a conclusion. GRE passages are short enough that this takes seconds, and it makes select-in-passage questions much easier.

Select-all questions

Judge each option on its own against the passage. Do not look for how many options should be correct. See our guide on GRE select-all-that-apply tactics for the full method.

Select-in-passage questions

Read the question stem carefully for the sentence's job, then test candidate sentences against it. Beware sentences that mention the topic but do not perform the stated function.

A worked example for select-in-passage

Suppose a passage first states a hypothesis, then gives an experiment, then notes a limitation. A question asks you to select the sentence that states the limitation. Skim the passage using your structure notes, find the third part, and test sentences there. Sentences describing the hypothesis or the experiment may mention the same topic but do not perform the job of stating a limitation.

How to approach single-answer questions

Predict an answer from the passage before reading the options when you can. Then match. Wrong options are typically too strong, outside the passage, or reversed from what the text says.

Time and attention

Read each passage once with purpose, not twice with worry. If a question needs a detail, return to it. Resist re-reading the whole passage for every question, since most can be answered from your structure notes plus one targeted look.

Common mistakes

• Choosing an option because it is true generally.
• Missing strong words like "always" or "never".
• Selecting the sentence that mentions the topic rather than doing the stated job.
• Ignoring the author's attitude when a question asks about it.

Practice

Practise on paragraph-length and multi-paragraph passages, and review not only the answer but the reason each wrong option fails. GRADFLIX GRE practice follows the same short-passage and paragraph-argument formats; start at our GRE page, and read the GRE Verbal guide for the wider section.