Reading Comprehension: Inference and Author's Tone
At the 165 Verbal score level, Reading Comprehension questions focus predominantly on inference (what must be true based on the passage) and author's attitude (the evaluative stance the author takes toward the subject). Inference questions require logical necessity: the correct answer is one that cannot be false if the passage is true. A useful test: could you construct a scenario consistent with the passage in which the answer choice is false? If yes, the answer is only 'could be true,' not 'must be true.' Author's attitude questions require reading hedging language and evaluative vocabulary carefully. Authors who strongly endorse a view use words like 'demonstrates,' 'confirms,' 'conclusively establishes.' Authors who are skeptical use 'suggests,' 'may indicate,' 'is consistent with' — language that acknowledges possibility without claiming proof. Authors who are neutral reporters simply describe without evaluative language. The GRE also tests the function of specific sentences or paragraphs within the larger argument. Common functions: providing evidence for a prior claim, introducing a complication or qualification to the main thesis, presenting a counter-example the author will then explain or dismiss, defining a key term used elsewhere in the passage, or providing historical context for a contemporary argument. Identifying the function requires understanding what the surrounding sentences are doing — never answer function questions based on the sentence content alone.