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7 principles
- engage with the passage
- look for the simple story
- link to what you already know
- unpack the beginning
- link to what you have just read
- pay attention to signals
- pick up the pace
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challengers of reading comprehension
- demanding content
- have to read on screen
- cannot preview all the questions
- have to read quickly
- have to stay with it
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engage with the passage - 7 principles
- pretend that you really like this stuff
- identify good guys and bad guys
- simply acknowledge that you do not find the passage thrilling
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look for the simple story - 7 principle
- text it to me - how would you retell all this stuff to an intelligent but bored teenager in a couple sentences
- make a table of contents - use five words or fewer for headline of each paragraph
- look for content and judgment
- content: the scientific of historical subject matter of the passage
- (a) causes (effects, evidence, logical results)
- (b) processes (steps, means, ends)
- (c) categories (examples, generalities)
- judgment: what the author and any other people believe about the content
- (a) theories and hypotheses
- (b) evaluations and opinions
- (c) comparisons and contrasts
- (d) advantages and disadvantages
- Don't forget the Twist
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Link to what you already know - 7 principle
concretizing - actively imagine what the words are referring to; re-explains the original text to yourself, visualize what it represents
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unpack the beginning - 7 principle
- unpacking - turn it into a few simple sentences
- 1. grab a concrete noun first - pick something that you can touch and that causes other things to happen
- 2. turn actions back into verbs - feel free to start with "there is' or "there was"
- 3. put only ONE simple thought in a sentence - one subject, one verb
- 4. link each subsequent sentence to the previous one, using "this" or "these"
- 5. simplify or "quote off" details
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link to what you have just read - 7 principles
- ask yourself about the meaning and purpose of what you are reading
- the content/judgment framework from "look for the simple story" can guide you
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pay attention to signals - 7 principles
- paragraph breaks indicate something new
- signal words indicate relationships to previous text
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signal - as for; regarding, in reference to
focus attention
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signal - furthermore; moreover; in addition; as well as; also; likewise; too
add to previous point
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signal - on one hand/on the other hand; while; rather; instead; in contrast; alternatively
provide contrast
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signal - granted; it is true that; certainly; admittedly; despite; although
provide conceding contrast (author unwillingly agrees)
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signal - but; however; even so; all the same; still; that said; nevertheless; nonetheless; yet; otherwise; despite [concession], [assertion]
provide emphatic contrast (author asserts own position)
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signal - in any event; in any case
dismiss previous point
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signal - likewise; in the same way
point out similarity
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signal - first, second, etc.; to begin with; next; finally; again
structure the discussion
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signal - for example ; in particular; for instance
give example
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signal - in general; to a great extent; broadly speaking
generalize
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signal - in conclusion; in brief; overall; except for; besides
sum up, perhaps with exception
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signal - therefore; thus; as a result; so; accordingly; hence
indicate logical result
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signal - because; since; as; resulting from
indicate logical cause
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signal - in other words; that is; namely; so to speak
restate for clarity
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signal - apparently; at least; can, could, may, might, should; possibly; likely
hedge or soften position
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signal - after all; must, have to; always, never, etc.
strengthen position
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signal - actually; in fact; indeed
introduce surprise
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signal - fortunately; unfortunately; other adverbs; so-called
reveal author's attitude
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pick up the pace - 7 principle
- go faster after the first paragraph
- towards the end, only dive into info that is clearly part of the big picture
- do NOT get lost in details later on in the passage
- do NOT try to master every bit of content
- only pay close attention to the following elements later on in the passage:
- (1) beginnings of paragraphs - the first/second sentence often functions as a topic sentence, indicating the content and/or purpose of the paragraph
- (2) big surprises or changes in direction
- (3) big results, answers, or payoffs
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components of passages
- the point
- background
- support
- implications
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the point - subj. components of passages
- most important message of the passage
- the point is the crux of the simple story
- point relates to the content/judgment framework
- related to passage's purpose
- analogous to the conclusion of an argument (CR)
- (a) resolution: resolves an issue or a problem
- (b) answer: answers a question (similar to resolution)
- (c) new idea: describes a surprising new idea, theory, or research result
- (d) reason: explains an observation
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background - subj. components of passages
information you need to understand the point
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the support - subj. components of passages
evidence, assertions, and opinion FOR the point
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the implications - subj. components of passages
results from the point
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foreshadowing - subj. comp. of passages
- problem... leads to... resolution
- question... leads to... answer
- old idea... leads to... new idea
- observation.. leads to... reason or new idea
- not always present but is helpful when it is (find point more quickly and easily)
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Tips for Short Passages
- take notes during the GMAT in order to create comprehension right there and then
- you should NOT plan to use your notes afterwards very much
- take notes that allow you to grasp the simple story of the passage
- should be able to answer all GENERAL questions (main idea, purpose, structure, tone) without referring either to your notes or to the passage
- use Headline List as a search tool
- two minutes per RC question
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Headline List
- summarize or indicate the main idea of each paragraph - read first sentence or two of the first paragraph, indicate topic sentence, and sum it concisely on your paper
- read the rest of the paragraph with an eye for big hidden surprises or results
- follow the same process for subsequent paragraphs
- identify the passage's Point
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common structures of short passages
- point - support - (optional implications)
- background - support - point
- background - point - support
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