Monday: reading comprehension
What's that you say? You've been through weeks one through three, and you haven't yet seen reading comprehension even mentioned?You are right. Reading comprehension hasn't been explicitly mentioned, but just by reading this site, reading the newspaper, reading other books and reading in general, you are practicing reading comprehension. Reading comprehension consists of reading a passage and answering the questions based on the passage. It will challenge you to pick out main ideas, find information in the passage that supports a statement and pick out important information that rejects statements.ETS
- this link should already be one of your favorite bookmarks - makes it
pretty clear what they are going to be looking for when you answer
questions:
- Explicit information
- Implied information
- Analogous information
- Logic, reasoning and persuasive techniques
- Applicable situations
- Tone
Think about the math lessons from the first three weeks of our study schedule. You have been reading those long passages about how to prepare for the math portion of the GRE. From those passages, you have been sifting through the information to find the main points. If you've been able to do that successfully, you are practicing reading comprehension. I must also point to all this work we've already done in the past three
weeks. You need your vocab. You need your analogies. You need your
antonyms.You will also need to be an efficient reader for this particular portion of the test. Don't confuse this with speed reading or a quick scan: you can miss information this way. Instead, this means being able to read the passage, zero in on those key words, then move on to the next point. Don't read and reread, just mentally highlight the important stuff. You did it the first time around in college; you can do it again. Furthermore - and I cannot stress this enough - don't expect that you can just skim the passage, look at the questions and then go back to the passage and search for the answer. You're going to waste time that way. When you see the questions, those main points and key words should pop out at you.Moreover, you MUST be a critical reader. You must be able to determine if the writer is trying to educate you, persuade you, dissuade you, etc. Can the writer's information be applied in real life? Can the writer's information change your mind? Can the writer's information reveal something new to you? Let's break it down even further: do you agree or disagree with the writers information, that is can you take a position based on the passage? If so, the passage is likely persuasive. In what way was the passage written? Was it with urgency? Etc. Etc. Etc. The best way to practice tone, persuasiveness and critical reading, in my opinion, is to read editorials and columns (not the funny ones, but the ones on the editorial page) in the newspaper. Those are the things to do. Here are the things NOT to do:- DO NOT get caught up with grammar, sentence structure, style, etc.
- DO NOT be critical of how well or how poorly the passage was written. THIS IS NOT GOOD CRITICAL READING.
- DO NOT take it upon yourself to decide if the information is right or wrong.
- DO NOT focus on the details. Remember it's all about MAIN POINTS.
- DO NOT get distracted by interesting passages or bored with boring passages. Approach each passage with the same level of critical reading.
- DO NOT assume that because you know something about the subject on which the passage is written that you can answer the questions. Even if you majored in the topic in undergrad, go into with a clear mind.
- DO NOT read and re-read.
- DO NOT assume that because the writer didn't say it, it's not important. Remember that questions can ask you about application, situation and implication.
- DO NOT get caught on a word you don't know. Remember that you've spent 16 (or more) years in classrooms where teachers have taught you to read for context.
Finally, here are some places to practice reading comprehension. Some of these are pretty basic and some are GRE specific, but they will all help you prepare:Now, for a bit of a challenge. As this site has repeatedly said, the best way to learn is to "teach." Try creating a reading comprehension question based on this article and post it below. Use the ETS pointers to help you create the questions.
Tuesday: vocabulary
So, Sally sold sea shells by the sea shore, you say? Suppose Sally had sold silver spoons instead. Sally's sales would have soared.
If you haven't guessed from my superfluous use of the letter S, it's all about S this week. So let's get started:
Sate (transitive verb) to satisfy (an appetite); to satiate
Smarmy (adjective) flattering in an insincere way
Swarthy (adjective) having a dark complexing
Sylvan (adjective) of or living in the woods or forest; covered with trees
Wednesday: vocab
S. Curvy, like a snake. Also the first letter in snake. So versatile.
Saturnine (adjective) sluggish, gloomy, grave
Stygian (adjective) of Styx, the river crossed into Hades; infernal; dark or gloomy
Superfluous (adjective) excessive or unnecessary
Supplicate (transitive verb) to ask for humbly; to make a humble request
Thursday: analogies
Fun : analogies :: a hole in your head : just what you need.Here's an analogy review site, brought to you by the good people at Test Magic: www.testmagic.com/Knowledge_Base/GRE/analogies/intro/introduction_01.htm.I can't guarantee that the relationship between fun and analogies will change (fun : analogies :: greatest day of your life : winning a million dollars), but this might ease some of the undue burden brought on by two words related to each other, separated only by a colon. This site offers practice in figuring out the relationship between the words in the analogy, which, as GRE-O-Matic has said before, is the first step to picking the right answer.
Friday: vocab
S. A beautiful letter that comes from air being pushed out over the tongue between the lips. How sensual. S also happens to be the first letter in the name of the GRE-O-Matic inventor, Stacy. Thus, S is clearly the most important and sexiest letter in the alphabet. Clearly.
Sedulous (adjective) diligent
Stodgy (adjective) dull or uninteresting; old-fashioned or conventional
Stymie (transitive verb) to block or impede
Sublimate (transitive verb) to change between a gas and a solid without a liquid form; to express unacceptable impulses in acceptable forms, often unconsciously