Reading comprehension

Reading comprehension is the ability to process written text, understand its meaning, and to integrate with what the reader already knows. Reading comprehension relies on two abilities that are connected to each other: word reading and language comprehension. Comprehension specifically is a "creative, multifaceted process" dependent upon four language skills: phonology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.

Reading Comprehension – Passage types from which the topic for reading comprehensions may be picked:

Current Events: Mostly, the passage is picked from a recent development across the world, which may be hype and is in the news.

Economy Related: Passage related to economic growth or the development of a country may also be put up in the comprehension part.

Social Sciences: This is another sector from which the passage may be put forth in the Verbal Ability section.

Philosophy & Psychology: The comprehension may deal with philosophy and psychology topics, making the topic moderately complicated for the candidate.

Imaginary Events: It is also possible that the passage may be based on fictitious information which may not be realistic and just be imaginary.

The comprehension is based on the current events maximum times because applicants may have come across the news through various platforms and may be aware of the topic.

Important Rules to Follow While Answering RC Passages- 

One should understand the author’s main point.

Identify the key arguments being put forward to prove that point.

Identify the author’s tone, which can be mocking, curious, respectful, condescending, etc.

Check for negative conjunctions, and these words will definitely reveal a change in the tone of the author. So, the implication of the author may not be what the initial statement suggests. Examples are:  But, nevertheless, however, in spite of, etc.,

See if there are negative qualifiers words which create doubt about the fact being stated. E.g. perhaps, appears, somewhat, seems like, etc.

Apart from the verbal ability section, there are various other subjects which are included in the Government exam syllabus.

Tips To Answer the Reading Comprehension Questions

Given below are a few tips to answer the reading comprehension questions quicker and more efficiently.

Read Questions First: It is recommended that the candidate first read the questions and then move towards reading the passage. This will help the candidate to spot the answer within a shorter time span.

Do Not Assume anything: For reading comprehensions, a crucial point to be kept in mind is that assumptions should not be formed. The data given in the passage is the only information that needs to be used to answer the questions.

Solve the vocabulary-based questions first: There may be questions like antonyms and synonyms or other vocabulary-based questions. The candidate may not have to read the entire passage to answer, so answer them first. This would save precious time.

Use the elimination method: One of the major reasons why candidates tend to make errors in the English section is because of the confusing options given. If a candidate cannot answer the question, he/she must start eliminating the options, which may not be the correct answer until they reach one which they are most confident of.

Improvise your reading skills: Try reading the important words and phrases from the passage rather than reading each word in the comprehension. This will help you save some time.

Focus on the first and last passage: The introduction and conclusion of the passage are the most important and may help you with questions like giving a suitable topic for the passage, stating the passage’s tone or summarising the passage. 

Candidates appearing for the exam must ensure that they do not spend excess time on any of the comprehensions if they are not able to answer the questions. Time management plays a crucial part in all major Government exams and spending too much time on any question may affect their final scores.