Reading Comprehension MSS/Inference

glaezzo

Does anyone else have difficulty with the mss/inference questions on reading comp? I always feel like the answer I select is never the one best supported by the text because I don’t make the correct inferences or because the answer was somewhere else in the passage.

paulmv.benthem

MSS are probably my least favorite question types for RC. So, you're definitely not alone!

But, there's a webinar by Sage Jimmy (https://7sage.com/webinar/jimmy-rc-qt/) that helps to clarify the expectations for RC MSS that has helped me to work more confidently and efficiently through the answer choices.

What's important to realize about MSS/Inference is that the answer choice will not be explicitly stated (otherwise, it wouldn't be inferred). So, where this leads us is the realization that its VERY important to have a good understanding of the logical reasoning that's being employed by the various speakers in the passage. For instance, if the passage notes that a "group of critics" dislikes a particular work of fiction, an inference question might ask you to choose a choice that describes a piece of fiction that the critics would likely endorse. So, what's critical for answering such a question is honing in on the reasoning of the critics (the "What?" and "Why"), allowing you to choose a work that they might like. If they didn't like a piece of historical fictions because none of the characters were actual historical figures, then we could infer that they would be more supportive of a piece of historical fiction that included actual historical figures.

It's your ability to follow reasoning and make inferences such as these that are tested by MSS questions. Hope that helps!