Reading comp - glancing through the questions before reading the passage

abisin1234abisin1234 Alum Member
in Reading Comprehension 171 karma
I was recently given advice on how to do Reading Comp and the instructor said to first glance over the questions and get a general idea of what the questions are going to ask (i.e look for key phrases/words that are specifically ask about). This process is supposed take no longer than a minute and it is supposed to be "whatever jumped out at you and stuck as you glanced over the questions in that minute." After which, you would continue your normal RC process (but now when those words pop up as you read the passage, you'll have more awareness as to their importance.)

I can't recall if this method was specifically endorsed or discouraged on 7sage, so I thought I would ask the community.

Comments

  • DallasOnFireDallasOnFire Member
    249 karma
    As with almost all RC strategies, this is highly dependent on your personal preference. The reason people do not read the questions fully before reading the passage is because it takes your focus away from the unbiased structured reading you should be doing, and replaces it with a treasure hunt for the gold nugget answer choices.

    If you find yourself undistracted by pre-knowledge of the questions and can use it effectively, go for it. For RC techniques you gotta try before you buy. Reading reviews doesn't help much.
  • Cant Get RightCant Get Right Yearly + Live Member Sage ⭐ 🍌 7Sage Tutor
    27900 karma
    I'm alright with knowing what the questions are going to be before going into the passage, but I am not okay with- and do not understand the need for- burning 60 seconds for that knowledge. You shouldn't need to look at the questions to know what they're going to be. They always ask the same things in RC, so why sacrifice time to confirm what you can already reasonably expect? Whatever benefit might come from this practice is hugely minimized by what ought to be your pre-knowledge of RC question types. If any advantage remains, it doesn't even come close in value to the value of four minutes for the section. No way.
  • AlexAlex Alum Member ⭐
    23929 karma
    @"Cant Get Right" said:
    You shouldn't need to look at the questions to know what they're going to be. They always ask the same things in RC
    OP, so, so much this.
Sign In or Register to comment.