Getting Destroyed by Inference - Author's Perspective Questions

Frenchy555Frenchy555 Live Member
in Reading Comprehension 393 karma

So two of my best LR question types are MSS/MBT and I'm pretty sound with the other RC inference questions but I am getting absolutely demolished by these (29% accuracy, by far my worst RC q-type). Anyone else have this problem and/or any tips?

Comments

  • bullcity2chicagobullcity2chicago Member
    17 karma

    Yeah, both inference-other's perspective and author's perspective are my two worst sections; averaging -4 on RC but according to analytics I would probably be somewhere between -2 and -3 if it weren't for those question types. Curious to hear if others have advice other than just reading more closely.

  • Jordan JohnsonJordan Johnson Member ⭐
    686 karma

    The best advice I've gotten for those types of questions is to look for specific evidence in the passage regarding what the author would think. Before I started doing that, I'd just try to 'put myself in the author's shoes' and imagine what they'd think, but for these questions types, there will be something explicit in the passage that can guide you to the right answer choice.

  • sarakimmelsarakimmel Member ⭐
    1488 karma

    While reading a passage, highlight any words that hint at Author’s opinion, words like “supposedly” “poorly” “unnecessary”. These may be very subtle, but that’s ok. If you already highlight, use a different color. This is a great way to train your eye to look for these subtle hints. You may find over time that may no longer need to highlight, or perhaps it’s something you keep in your repertoire. I would advise trying it untimed to start.
    Inferences become infinitely easier to see when you can crystallize the author’s hints to build a clear picture of their point of view. Best of luck!

  • yang9999yang9999 Core Member
    419 karma

    @"Jordan Johnson" said:
    The best advice I've gotten for those types of questions is to look for specific evidence in the passage regarding what the author would think. Before I started doing that, I'd just try to 'put myself in the author's shoes' and imagine what they'd think, but for these questions types, there will be something explicit in the passage that can guide you to the right answer choice.

    yeah there's always at least something in the passage that you can refer to in order to infer about what the author believes. It's not always in one specific area though -- you may have to piece together from all different parts of the passage to make the inference!

  • tahurrrrrtahurrrrr Member
    1106 karma

    Many RCs are effectively extended LR stimuli in a sense. They'll have other people's argument, followed by the author's opinion. The author will remain neutral, agree with the OPA, or disagree with the OPA. And as mentioned above, the subtle hint words can really help you anticipate how the author feels.

    Example:
    This discovery~ = author probably neutral
    This groundbreaking discovery = author probably agrees
    This supposedly groundbreaking discovery = author probably disagrees

  • jaea6195jaea6195 Core Member
    67 karma

    @tahurrrrr said:
    Many RCs are effectively extended LR stimuli in a sense. They'll have other people's argument, followed by the author's opinion. The author will remain neutral, agree with the OPA, or disagree with the OPA. And as mentioned above, the subtle hint words can really help you anticipate how the author feels.

    Example:
    This discovery~ = author probably neutral
    This groundbreaking discovery = author probably agrees
    This supposedly groundbreaking discovery = author probably disagrees

    I'm going to emphasize this comment because it's a great example of what you should be looking for to help you with these questions.

    Pay extra attention to these key words. It will help you not only with questions on tone / author's attitude but also "which of the following would the author (or other party discussed) be most likely to agree?"

    If I get one of these wrong, 99% of the time it is because I wasn't tracking point of views / key words closely enough. Be sure you are (1) identifying the key words and (2) connecting them to the right party.

    Be sure to do blind review and be able to point to exact line numbers that provide the information or clues that help you select the correct answer. The better your review, the better you will become.

  • LattechocoLattechoco Yearly Member
    57 karma

    I have a tough time with these too. I can see if the author agrees or not but when it asks about strongly oppose or oppose I get mixed up.

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