Reading Comprehension – Reading Critically

The Reading Comprehension (RC) section tests your ability to read, understand, and analyze written passages. Here are some tips on how to improve your reading and start reading critically for the Reading Comprehension section:

1. Learn to skim and scan: Skimming and scanning are key skills for the RC section. Skimming allows you to quickly get an overview of the passage, and scanning allows you to quickly locate specific information.
2. Practise active reading: Active reading involves engaging with the text, rather than just passively reading. Try to identify the main idea, key concepts, and supporting details in the passage. Try to spot where the author has given his opinions or drawn conclusions based on supporting information. Pay attention to opinions, conclusions drawn.
3. Understand vocabulary in context: The RC section will require you to understand complex texts. To improve your comprehension, develop your vocabulary by reading widely and learning new words. When you come across unfamiliar word/s, try to make sense of the word/s from the broader context itself.
4. Understand context in parts: Instead of trying to bite more than you can chew, learn to take things one at a time – comprehend the passage in parts: at a clause level, at a sentence level, at a paragraph level and then at the passage level.
5. Take notes: Take notes as you read to help you to remember key concepts and to identify important information.
6. Analyze the passage: Analyze the passage by considering the author’s purpose, tone, and style. Look for evidence to support the author’s claims and consider how the passage relates to other information you know.
7. Practise with sample passages: Practise reading and understanding sample passages from authentic sources. This will help you to get a feel for the types of texts and questions that will be on the test.
8. Learn to read efficiently: Time is a crucial factor, so make sure to read efficiently. Practise reading quickly but also make sure you understand the passage.
9. Understand the focus of the question: It is extremely important to understand what the question asks of you to do – identify the purpose of the passage or a specific context, spot crucial information from the passage, find logical connectives between one part of the passage and another, draw inferences from the context, etc. At times you may feel that multiple answer choices could be correct for a question, but you need to check whether the answer choice/s addresses the question or not.

Remember, critical reading requires practice, patience, and a good understanding of the text. By developing your vocabulary, skimming and scanning, and actively reading, you will be able to start reading critically.