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Bef ore You Begin..

Before you delve into GMAT RC, here's something that could help
you with your GMAT prep!

We have put up high-quality concept videos covering various GMAT

sections on our GMAT Online portal.

You can view them by clicking below!

Int roduct ion t o GMAT RC

?People have always been divided about whether Reading is an art or

a science. Proponents of ?Art-Reading? claim that reading is an art
because they believe that any science should actually be measurable.
Since one cannot ?measure? how much one needs to read to reach a
certain level of proficiency, they argue, how can reading be a science?

On the other hand, proponents of ?Science-reading? claim that since

there are various techniques that can be conceived and taught to
improve reading skills, it can be considered a Science.?

Did you read that?

Really??

You must be a GMAT aspirant! :)

If you have found your way to this E-book, you are probably
struggling with an issue that is common to most GMAT aspirants -
Making sense of dense RC passages on obscure topics, reading
words you have never heard before!

We hear you!

The problem is, we are usually not accustomed to the level of

reading that the GMAT requires of us.

So, how much RC is there in the GMAT anyway?

The number of RC passages vary, but the number of questions

would be in the range of 12-15. RC passages can be characterized
as short or long passages. Short passages are 1-2 paragraphs, less
than 50 lines long, and usually have 3 questions. Long passages are
usually 3-4 paragraphs, more than 50 lines long, and usually have 4
questions.

In this E-book, we will show you how to score well on GMAT

Reading Comprehension, using a bunch of powerful techniques -
techniques that work regardless of how much you used to score on
your English exams at school! :)

Here?s a peek into what you will get in this E-book -

1. A quick note on active and passive reading

2. A step-by-step approach to answering RC questions
3. The types of RC questions you will encounter
4. Sample Passage with detailed explanations
Act ive Vs Passive Reading

Imagine yourself in front of the TV. You?re watching the news and
simultaneously flipping through a magazine..You?re bored!

You chance upon a lifestyle article ( think ?How to exercise right?or ?How
to stay healthy in a scorching summer?), and you begin reading. How
would you read?

Would you delve deep into the subject and try to absorb every detail?

Would you try and correlate three things from the text and try to apply it
to your current life?

Would every fibre of your concentration be focused on that article?

Probably not. What you would probably do is Passive Reading.

A passive reader -

1. Reads quickly
2. Has a short attention span
3. Will just skim through difficult points, or stop reading altogether

On the other hand, imagine yourself on a cold December Sunday morning,

snuggling in your couch while it is raining outside.

You have a novel by your favourite author in one hand and a coffee mug in
the other. In this situation, how would you read?

Would you relate to the characters in the book and imagine the different
scenes that you are reading?

Would you lose yourself in the book to such a degree that you are not
aware of time passing by?

Did we hearing you saying yes?

Well, this is Act ive Reading!

An active reader -

1. Reads with purpose

2. Asks questions to uncover the purpose and meaning of the text
3. Notes down the main points ( either mentally or down on paper)

As you may have guessed, Passive Reading isn?t much use on the
GMAT..Active Reading is the way to go!
A St ep-by-St ep Approach t o GMAT
RC

There?s a lot of advice out there about HOW to solve an RC question.

Should you skim through the passage?

Should you speed-read? Or should you read it carefully?
Should you look for keywords?
Should you read a few questions before you read the passage for the first
time?

Too much advice - and what's more, many of these tips contradict each
other blatantly!

Let?s help you keep it simple.

Hit the erase button on all the contradictory advice you have heard on the
subject, and listen carefully.
1. Skim t hrough t he passage once

Read the passage once. Do not try to speed-read, and do not read too slowly.

As you are reading, remember this mantra - R-O-S-I ( Read Opinion; Skip
Information).

This means that you do not need to remember data points. The data is provided
only to support an opinion.

The opinion/ inference of the author is what you need to focus on.

Narrowing your focus this way will reduce the mental bandwidth you need to use,
and will also significantly reduce the time you need to read the passage.

While you are reading, ensure that you understand:

1. The f irst f ew l ines of t he passage and t he l ast sent ence of t he passage.
This is because the first few lines of the passage supply the main idea of
the passage.

Even if you take a day to read the entire passage over and over again, you?ll
find that main idea is in the first few lines :)

2. The f irst and l ast sent ence of each paragraph.

Here's an exercise for you - Pick an RC passage, pick the second paragraph,
and remove all sentences except the first and the last one.

You will see that MOST of the message of the paragraph is still retained!

Even if you haven?t quite grasped a sentence in the middle of the

paragraph on your initial reading of the passage, don?t fret about it.

Just make sure you understand the first and the last sentence.

2. Pay at t ent ion t o keywords t hat indicat e a shif t of direct ion

There are certain 'directional' words, such as moreover, however, but,

rather, etc, that indicate the flow of meaning between different sentences
and paragraphs.

As you read, make a mental note of these words and the changes they
indicate.
2. Make an RC map as you Skim

The single most effective technique on the Reading Comprehension section is

note-taking..Or what we call RC maps! As you read through the passage, write
down a very brief summing-up of each paragraph.

We see many students resist the idea of making RC maps.

And we get it.
On the face of it, making a map might look like a waste of very precious time.

But here?s why it is important -

Remember, you?re not tackling the RC question when you?re feeling your best
and brightest.
You have already used up a lot of mental energy on previous sections of the
test. You need to conserve your energy until the end of the test.

Do you really want to coax your brain into memorising what each passage
contains? Or do you want to use it more effectively, to actually solve questions?

On t he RC, use your brain as a processing unit , not a st orage unit !

Trust us on this..mapping will help you even if you otherwise have a
fantastic memory that can remember all sorts of irrelevant details.

How should your RC Map look? Here are the two things you need to
remember as you frame your RC map.

(a) Your map shoul d be brief :

Your RC map should contain only a few words ( or a few diagrams, if you?re
a visual learner) of summing up for each passage. Remember..your map is a
reference only for YOU to answer quicker.

So write just enough so that, a few minutes later, you will be able to track
down answers using the map. You want to use shorthand or your own secret
code or squiggly figures? Go ahead! :)

(b) Your map shoul d not cont ain det ail s:

Every sentence in a GMAT passage is either one where the author expresses
and opinion or one where the author presents data.

When you read a passage for the first time it is important to understand the
opinions of the author and the general direction of the passage, but not the
actual data.

If your question demands factual knowledge, you can always do a quick

re-read of the relevant section.

For this reason, do not bother clogging your mind or your RC map with data!
3. Answer t he quest ions

Now that you have a basic understanding of the passage, start solving the
questions.

Read the question slowly and carefully. Once you have understood what the
question is asking you, quickly glance through the map to understand where
you need to go looking for the answer.

Let's say that the map indicates that the answer will be found in paragraph
3. The next thing you need to do is scan through paragraph 3.

Scanning is nothing but going through large sections of text rapidly with the
intent of zeroing in on a sentence or a set of sentences.

As soon as you have arrived at a sentence which looks like it may contain the
answer to your question, slow down, read carefully and understand what
this section of the passage is conveying.
Now read through ALL the answer options.

Use the process of elimination to filter out the incorrect options and
narrow down to the answer.

Unlike the Sentence Correction Section, where you can employ techniques
such as Vertical Scanning to quickly eliminate a couple of answer choices,
you have to read EACH option carefully on the RC section, to ensure that
you choose the most optimal answer!

And there it is! You have just solved an RC question :)

Remember..Not all RC questions are created equal. Some of them may

require a little more effort and time as compared to others.

Read the next section for a breakdown of the common types of RC

questions that appear on the GMAT!
Quest ion t ypes on t he RC

1. Big Pict ure Quest ions/ Main Idea quest ions:

Big picture questions or main idea questions ask you to identify the central
theme of a passage.
The below questions are the most commonly asked questions on this theme:

Which of the following most accurately states the main idea of the passage?
The primary purpose of the passage is to
The passage is primarily concerned with which of the following?
The author of this passage is primarily concerned with
The main point made by the passage is that

How do you t ackl e t his quest ion t ype?

This is the simplest type of question to answer, because you might not even
need to refer to the passage again. The main idea is usually in the first few
sentences of the passage, and you may even have down on your map.
However, if you are in doubt about whether you got it down correctly, by all
means go back and quickly refer the first paragraph and the last couple of
sentences of the last paragraph of the passage.
2. Support ing Idea Quest ions

Supporting idea questions are easy to recognize. They often start with
"according to the passage" or "the passage states that". These questions
test your ability to find a specific piece of information contained in the
passage. The below questions are common among this type:

According to the passage, a questionable assumption about x is that

The passage states that ?a?occurs because
According to the passage, which of the following is true of ?a?
The passage mentions each of the following EXCEPT
According to the passage, if ?a?occurs then

How do you t ackl e t his quest ion t ype?

These questions are not as easy to answer as main idea questions because
you will have to recollect, or re-read a specific portion of text. Start by
looking at the map to zero down on which paragraph is the relevant one.
Now quickly scan over this paragraph and use the POE technique on the
answer options, to arrive at the answer.
3. Inf erence Quest ions
These questions are very similar to Supporting Idea questions. But they ask
you to go a little further and think about what the author implied in a particular
set of lines, rather than just what he/ she said.

Remember, you do not have to stretch your imagination to answer this one-
you still have to stay very close to the truth. Just look for the implicit,
unwritten message in what the author said.

The passage implies that which of the following was true of x

It can be inferred from the passage that
The passage suggests which of the following about x
The author implies that all of the following statements about x are true EXCEPT

How do you t ackl e t his quest ion t ype?

The answer to this question is usually a fairly obvious logical consequence of

some sentence in the passage. First, look at the map to zero in on the
paragraph you need to read. Next, look at the answer options and use POE.
You may have to switch back and forth between the answer options and the
paragraph a few times.
4. St ruct ural quest ions

Structural questions test you on your awareness of the logical structure of

the passage.

Some common questions in this type are -

The main function of the second paragraph of this passage is to

The author uses the adjective ?a?in line ?b?to express that
Which of the following best describes the relation of the third paragraph to
the passage as a whole?

How do you t ackl e t his quest ion t ype?

This is one of the question types where your map will come to your aid.
Even just chalking down the map would have given you an idea of the
flow of the passage, even if you have not written down anything in
specific about the structure. However, this question could occasionally
require a re-read of a section of the passage, with particular attention on
words that indicate a shift in direction.
5. Ext rapol at ion Quest ions

Extrapolation questions require you to go one step further and

extrapolate the given information to hypothetical situations. These
questions are likely to be in the below form:

The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which of the
following?
Which of the following statements would provide the most logical
continuation of the final paragraph?
[an idea or action described in the passage] is most similar to which of the
following?

How do you t ackl e t his quest ion t ype?

These questions will need some thinking through, and could take a little
longer to answer. Amongst these question options given above, those
that reference a particular section ( the 2nd and 3rd options ) will
probably require lesser effort to answer.

Option 1 will require you to understand everything the author has

opined, before you can take a guess at what else the author could say.
Sampl e Passage

** Please note, CrackVerbal has not produced the questions that are presented in
this document. These questions are retired GMATPrep? questions ? you WILL NOT
find them in the latest version of the GMATPrep? software.

Let us now sol ve a sampl e GMAT RC passage.

The human species came into being at the time of the greatest biological
diversity in the history of the Earth. Today, as human populations expand
and alter the natural environment, they are reducing biological diversity
to its lowest level since the end of the Mesozoic era, 65 million years ago.
The ultimate consequences of this biological collision are beyond
calculation, but they are certain to be harmful. That, in essence, is the
biodiversity crisis.
The history of global diversity can be summarized as follows: after the
initial flowering of multicellular animals, there was a swift rise in the
number of species in early Paleozoic times (between 600 and 430 million
years ago), then plateau like stagnation for the remaining 200 million
years of the Paleozoic era, and finally a slow but steady climb through the
Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras to diversity?s all-time high. This history
suggests that biological diversity was hard won and a long time in
coming. Furthermore, this pattern of increase was set back by five
massive extinction episodes. The most recent of these, during the
Cretaceous period, is by far the most famous, because it ended the age of
the dinosaurs, conferred hegemony on the mammals, and ultimately
made possible the ascendancy of the human species. But the cretaceous
crisis was minor compared with the Permian extinctions 240 million years
ago, during which between 77 and 96 percent of marine animal species
perished. It took 5 million years, well into Mesozoic times, for species
diversity to begin a significant recovery.

Within the past 10,000 years biological diversity has entered a wholly
new era. Human activity has had a devastating effect on species diversity,
and the rate of human-induced extinctions is accelerating. Half of the
bird species of Polynesia have been eliminated through hunting and the
destruction of native forests. Hundreds of fish species endemic to Lake
Victoria are now threatened with extinction following the careless
introduction of one species of fish, the Nile perch. The list of such
biogeographic disasters is extensive.

Because every species is unique and irreplaceable, the loss of

biodiversity is the most profound process of environmental change. Its
consequences are also the least predictable because the value of Earth?s
biota (the fauna and flora collectively) remains largely unstudied and
unappreciated; unlike material and cultural wealth, which we understand
because they are the substance of our everyday lives, biological wealth is
usually taken for granted. This is a serious strategic error, one that will be
increasingly regretted as time passes. The biota is not only part of a
country?s heritage, the product of millions of years of evolution centered
on that place; it is also a potential source for immense untapped material
wealth in the form of food, medicine, and other commercially important
substance.
1. St op here. Skim t hrough t he above passage.

Done?
On your initial reading of the passage, we hope you focused on the
highlighted sentences as below. This passage has a LOT of data about
various eras. All of it is unnecessary information at this point. The
important bits, that is, the opinions, are highlighted.

The human species came int o being at t he t ime of t he great est biol ogical
diversit y in t he hist ory of t he Eart h. Today, as human popul at ions
expand and al t er t he nat ural environment , t hey are reducing biol ogical
diversit y t o it s l owest l evel since t he end of t he Mesozoic era, 65 mil l ion
years ago. The ultimate consequences of this biological collision are
beyond calculation, but they are certain to be harmful. That, in essence, is
the biodiversity crisis.

The history of global diversity can be summarized as follows: after the

initial flowering of multicellular animals, there was a swift rise in the
number of species in early Paleozoic times (between 600 and 430 million
years ago), then plateau like stagnation for the remaining 200 million
years of the Paleozoic era, and finally a slow but steady climb through the
Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras to diversity?s all-time high. This history
suggests that biological diversity was hard won and a long time in
coming. Furthermore, this pattern of increase was set back by five
massive extinction episodes. The most recent of these, during the
Cretaceous period, is by far the most famous, because it ended the age of
the dinosaurs, conferred hegemony on the mammals, and ultimately
made possible the ascendancy of the human species. But the cretaceous
crisis was minor compared with the Permian extinctions 240 million years
ago, during which between 77 and 96 percent of marine animal species
perished. It took 5 million years, well into Mesozoic times, for species
diversity to begin a significant recovery.
Within the past 10,000 years biological diversity has entered a wholly new
era. Human act ivit y has had a devast at ing ef f ect on species diversit y, and
t he rat e of human-induced ext inct ions is accel erat ing. Half of the bird
species of Polynesia have been eliminated through hunting and the
destruction of native forests. Hundreds of fish species endemic to Lake
Victoria are now threatened with extinction following the careless
introduction of one species of fish, the Nile perch. The list of such
biogeographic disasters is extensive.

Because every species is unique and irrepl aceabl e, t he l oss of biodiversit y

is t he most prof ound process of environment al change. Its consequences
are also the least predictable because the value of Earth?s biota (the fauna
and flora collectively) remains largely unstudied and unappreciated; unlike
material and cultural wealth, which we understand because they are the
substance of our everyday lives, biological wealth is usually taken for
granted. This is a serious st rat egic error, one t hat wil l be increasingl y
regret t ed as t ime passes. The biota is not only part of a country?s heritage,
the product of millions of years of evolution centered on that place; it is
also a potential source for immense untapped material wealth in the form
of food, medicine, and other commercially important substance.

2. Make an RC Map.

So this is what our Map looks like:

Paragraph 1 :
Introducing the biodiversity crisis -> caused by human populations.

Paragraph 2:
Biological diversity was hard won. 5 extinction episodes.

Paragraph 3:
Effect of human activity on biodiversity - specific examples.

Paragraph 4:
Ignoring this problem is an error because- part of heritage, source of
potential wealth.
3. Answer t he quest ions!

1. Which one of t he f ol l owing best expresses t he main idea of t he

passage?

(A) The reduction in biodiversity is an irreversible process that represents

a setback both for science and for society as a whole.

(B) The material and cultural wealth of a nation are insignificant when
compared with the country?s biological wealth.

(C) The enormous diversity of life on Earth could not have come about
without periodic extinctions that have conferred preeminence on one
species at the expense of another.

(D) The human species is in the process of initiating a massive extinction

episode that may make past episodes look minor by comparison.

(E) The current decline in species diversity is human-induced tragedy of

incalculable proportions that has potentially grave consequences for the
human species.

Sol ut ion:
(A) The passage does not indicate that reduction in biodiversity is
irreversible; just that recovery is slow. Also, the main idea of the passage
is about the role of human populations in this process.
(B) This is not indicated anywhere in the passage.
(C) Not true. In fact, the passage says that these extinctions slowed down
the increase in diversity.
(D) Humans may be causing this tragedy by their deeds, but they are not
in the process of 'Initiating' a massive extinction episode.
(E) This is the correct answer. From the map, this is indeed the main idea.
2. Which one of t he f ol l owing sit uat ions is most anal ogous t o t he hist ory
of gl obal diversit y summarized in l ines 10-18 of t he passage?

(A) The number of fish in a lake declines abruptly as a result of water

pollution, then makes a slow comeback after cleanup efforts and the
passage of ordinances against dumping.

(B) The concentration of chlorine in the water supply of large city

fluctuates widely before stabilizing at a constant and safe level.

(C) An old-fashioned article of clothing goes in and out of style

periodically as a result of features in fashion magazines and the
popularity of certain period films.

(D) After valuable mineral deposits are discovered, the population of a

geographic region booms then levels off and begins to decrease at a slow
and steady pace.

(E) The variety of styles stocked by a shoe store increases rapidly after
the store opens, holds constant for many months, and then gradually
creeps upward.

Sol ut ion:
The passage talks of a steep increase, then stagnation, then a slow climb.
Let us look for a parallel analogy.
(A) This option talks of a decline and comeback. Hence incorrect.
(B) This talks of a fluctuation and then stabilization. Hence incorrect.
(C) This is completely irrelevant as an analogy.
(D) This is incorrect because of the decrease after the plateau - we are
looking for an increase after the plateau.
(E) This is the correct answer.
3. The aut hor suggest s which one of t he f ol l owing about t he Cret aceous
crisis?

(A) It was the second most devastating extinction episode in history.

(B) It was the most devastating extinction episode up until that time.

(C) It was less devastating to species diversity than is the current

biodiversity crisis.

(D) The rate of extinction among marine animal species as a result of the
crisis did not approach 77 percent.

(E) The dinosaurs comprised the great majority of species that perished
during the crisis.

Sol ut ion:

(A) This is a trap answer. Though the passage says that the Cretaceous
crisis was minor compared to the Permian extinctions, it does not say that
the Cretaceous crisis was the second most devastating extinction.
(B) No. In fact, the passage explicitly says that it was NOT the most
devastating.
(C) Though the passage does say that current crisis is cause for concern,
there is no information to indicate a comparison between the current
crisis and the Cretaceous crisis.
(D) This is the correct answer. Since the Cretaceous crisis was minor
compared to the Permian extinction, which had a 77% -96% rate of
extinction, it can be inferred that the Cretaceous crisis did not have this
high rate.
(E) There is nothing to suggest that dinosaurs formed the majority of
species that perished.
4. The aut hor ment ions t he Nil e perch in order t o provide an exampl e of

(A) a species that has become extinct through human activity

(B) the typical lack of foresight that has led to biogeographic disaster

(C) a marine animal species that survived the Permian extinctions

(D) a species that is a potential source of material wealth

(E) the kind of action that is necessary to reverse the decline in species
diversity

Sol ut ion:

From the map, you should zero in on the third paragraph to read the
examples. We see that the Nile Perch was introduced by humans into a
lake, and that hundreds of fish species are therefore endangered.

(A) The Nile Perch has not become extinct. It is the species that
endangered many others.
(B) This is the correct answer.
(C) There is nothing to connect the Nile Perch to Permian extinctions.
(D) This is not suggested anywhere.
(E) No - the Nile Perch example is used to explain how the decline is
being caused - not what needs to be done to reverse the decline.
5. Al l of t he f ol l owing are expl icit l y ment ioned in t he passage as
cont ribut ing t o t he ext inct ion of species EXCEPT

(A) hunting

(B) pollution

(C) deforestation

(D) the growth of human populations

(E) human-engineered changes in the environment

Sol ut ion:
Since this question talks of examples, from the map, you should begin
scanning the third paragraph. The question asks which is NOT a
contributor according to the passage. Now let us look at each answer
option-

(A) Hunting is mentioned as a reason in the third paragraph.

(B) This is the correct answer. Pollution is not mentioned anywhere in the
passage.
(C) Destruction of native forests is mentioned in the third paragraph.
(D) Growth of human populations - This is suggested not in the third
paragraph, but in the very first couple of sentences.
(E) This is suggested - The Nile Perch is an example.
6. The passage suggest s which one of t he f ol l owing about mat erial and
cul t ural weal t h?

(A) Because we can readily assess the value of material and cultural
wealth, we tend not to take them for granted.

(B) Just as the biota is a source of potential material wealth, it is an

untapped source of cultural wealth as well.

(C) Some degree of material and cultural wealth may have to be sacrificed
if we are to protect our biological heritage.

(D) Material and cultural wealth are of less value than biological wealth
because they have evolved over a shorter period of time.

(E) Material wealth and biological wealth are interdependent in a way that
material wealth and cultural wealth are not.

Sol ut ion:

These lines ( and subsequent ones) in the last paragraph are being
referenced - "unlike material and cultural wealth, which we understand
because they are the substance of our everyday lives, biological wealth is
usually taken for granted."

(A) This is the correct answer. This is suggested by the above lines.
(B) This is not indicated in the passage.
(C) This is not at all indicated.
(D) This comparison is not made.
(E) Though the passage indicates that biological wealth can increase
material wealth ( in the last sentence), there is no comparison made
between cultural wealth and biological wealth.
7. The aut hor woul d be most l ikel y t o agree wit h which one of t he
f ol l owing st at ement s about t he consequences of t he biodiversit y crisis?

(A) The loss of species diversity will have as immediate an impact on the
material of nations as on their biological wealth.

(B) The crisis will likely end the hegemony of the human race and bring
about the ascendancy of another species.

(C) The effects of the loss of species diversity will be dire, but we cannot
yet tell how dire.

(D) It is more fruitful to discuss the consequences of the crisis in terms of

the potential loss to humanity than in strictly biological loss terms.
(E) The consequences of the crisis can be minimized, but the pace of
extinctions can not be reversed.

Sol ut ion:

(A) The impact on the material of nations vs the impact on biological

wealth - This comparison is not made in the passage. It just says that the
biodiversity crisis could have an impact on material wealth as well.
(B) This is not suggested at all.
(C) This is the correct answer, as indicated by this line - 'The ultimate
consequences of this biological collision are beyond calculation, but they
are certain to be harmful.'
(D) We cannot ascertain this. The author does not express a preference
for discussing it in one way or the other - he talks about it in biological
terms AS WELL as in terms of potential loss to humanity.
(E) The author does not say anything indicating that the consequences
can be minimized.
 CONCLUSION

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