Reading Comprehension (Part 2: Question Example)

In this article, we’re going discuss best practices for the reading comprehension section of the GMAT exam. You can either read this article or watch this GMAT reading comprehension video on YouTube. To make things easier to digest, we’ve broken the contents of the video up into 3 parts. In this segment, hosted by one of MyGuru's most experienced GMAT tutors, we will work through an example of a reading comprehension question. In part 1 of this series of articles, we discussed the frequency and format of reading comprehension questions and their strategic implications. If you haven’t yet read it, we suggest you go back and make sure you understand that first. In part 3, we will provide a clear outline of the reading comprehension process.

Reading Comprehension Presentation

During the GMAT reading comprehension section, you will see a passage on the left side of your screen and three to four rotating questions on the right side. Unlike other standardized tests, the GMAT doesn't tell you how many questions are associated with a given passage upfront. You need to read the first question to identify the topic and figure out how much initial reading is required. Keep in mind that the first questions are especially important because they trigger the adaptivity function of the exam. Therefore, it's crucial to allocate more time to them at the start. However, in a short passage or when the first question refers to a specific term or location, targeted reading can be more effective and efficient.

It's worth noting that the GMAT rewards a flexible approach. Some passages require a comprehensive understanding because the first question may ask about the primary purpose, while others ask only a few questions about specific terms or locations. In the latter case, you may benefit from both speed and accuracy by identifying the precise terms and locations being referred to. If you choose targeted reading, make sure to read at least one full sentence before and after the term or location reference to get the right context. It's better to err on the side of a larger rather than a smaller window to ensure you have all the necessary information to answer the question.

Reading Comprehension Example

The Public health and economic efficiency approaches to choosing a role for the government often reach opposite conclusions. From a public health perspective, the potential for illness or injury is sufficient to justify government action; large numbers of deaths or illnesses are more compelling reasons for government action. The dollar value of benefits or costs derived from government programs does not necessarily enter the public health decision calculus. Alternatively, economic efficiency demands that proposed government programs clear two hurdles. First, there must be an efficiency problem for the government to solve. Second, a correction program must be worth the cost. 

So far, economists have not reached a consensus on whether obesity raises economic efficiency problems. If obesity results from informed individuals’ willingly making diet and lifestyle choices, there is no way to argue for efficiency; we have to conclude that many are willing to accept the extra weight because the cost of diet and exercise is too high. On the other hand, arguments for intervention could be mounted based on imperfect information about the relationship between diet and health. Nevertheless, many in the public health community have proposed interventions, and taxing snack foods has been advocated frequently. But without a clear statement of the efficiency problem caused by overweight and obesity, we cannot say whether such taxes might increase or decrease economic efficiency- i.e., whether benefits exceed costs. 

To comprehend and analyze a passage effectively, it's important to read a paragraph or a few lines of text carefully and thoughtfully without taking any notes. Instead, try to reflect actively on the information provided. However, it's recommended to briefly note down the main subject or topic being discussed in a particular paragraph or segment to ensure that you have grasped the essence of what you've read. As you continue reading, maintain a record of the primary subjects and actions to create an overall narrative from the passage. If the main subject or action changes suddenly, revisit your previous notes to ensure that you have captured the correct information. After completing the passage, consider writing an overall summary as a prediction for the primary purpose or main idea question. The main idea question typically appears either first or last in most cases.

With this in mind, we can see that the passage discusses the concepts of utilizing public health and economic efficiency strategies for government intervention in combating obesity. This prediction serves as the primary theme of the passage. By taking note of these ideas, it should become easier to answer any further questions. 

So, the primary purpose of the passage is to:

Main idea prediction: Evaluate PH, and EE needs to fight obesity

1. advocate for a change in public health policy
2. justify governmental action with economic evidence
3. examine possible causes of public weight excess
4. argue that health concerns supersede economic consensus
5. consider variable impacting government decision making

Next, let’s evaluate the answer options in light of our prediction and eliminate any choices that contain actions or descriptions that are inconsistent with the passage we just read and analyzed. Choice A cannot be supported as the author is not advocating for any specific change in public health policy. Choice B is too strong of a statement and there is no clear evidence presented to justify government action. Choice C is also incorrect as the passage does not examine any possible causes of public weight excess. Choice D is not supported as the author does not make any arguments. Therefore, the correct choice is E as the passage considers various factors that can impact government decision-making, even though the answer does not directly mention efficiency or economics. 

Conclusion

We hope this overview of reading comprehension questions has empowered you to tackle these kinds of problems with confidence on the GMAT. Be sure to tune in for part 3 of this article, wherein we will outline the reading comprehension process.

To see all of our GMAT sentence correction videos, please check out our YouTube playlist. For further information about MyGuru's proven GMAT tutoring approach, visit the GMAT prep page on our website. To learn more about the GMAT and grad school admissions in general, visit our GMAT admissions blog. 

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