Collecting and Interpreting Facts: GMAT Reading Comprehension

A piece of common advice given to GMAT test takers is to ignore facts and focus on the main idea and the intent of the author. Before you do that, understand the difference between relevant and irrelevant facts. The relevant ones come together to create the foundation for the main idea, therefore, instead of writing all of them, find patterns in facts and learn to discern the facts that convey the main idea from the ones that offer a context.

GMAT Fact Question

GMAT fact questions are the easiest. Most of them are in quote format, or the line numbers are clearly mentioned. The reader has to go back to the paragraph or quickly scan the passage to find the matching text, and then address the question. Most test takers find it tedious to go back to the passage because they have a faulty assumption about their memory. They feel that they can remember relevant facts, and the 5-10 seconds required to scan the passage can be better used to answer the next question. Avoid this tendency. For all fact questions where a quote or a line number is mentioned, go back to the text, and confirm the information stored in your memory.

Differentiating Between Relevant & Irrelevant Facts

Authors always have something to say. The facts and the use of language are garbs to hide the main points. Some facts strengthen the argument that the author is trying to make while others offer the context. The Five Questions - “Who,” “When,” “Where,” “Why” & “How” would help you with the process.

Scan for Fact Question

GMAT test takers don’t fully understand the difference between skimming and scanning. A critical aspect of speed reading is skimming the text or reading the text superficially and noting down ideas or positions that the author is supporting. This process is effective in answering the main idea question. Don’t skim for fact question; scan instead.

When you scan the text, each word is read with great attention until the answer to the question is found. The reference point where the reading should start influences the speed with which fact questions are answered. For example, if you have skimmed the passage, and your memory tells that the answer to the fact question is in paragraph 2, you should start scanning from paragraph 2 and save precious reading time.

If you have skimmed the passage without a purpose – not understanding what each paragraph represents, you might have to scan the entire passage.

Therefore, skim to understand the passage structure, and scan to find the answer.

Read the Question First

This applies to all GMAT reading comprehension questions. If you have an overview of the questions – the main idea, facts, assumptions, and the tone that the passage follows, the reading exercise will have a purpose. Your accuracy rate will improve when you know what to answer.

Essential GMAT Reading Comprehension Guide (2019 Edition)

Chapters

Collecting and Interpreting Facts: GMAT Reading Comprehension
Effective Note-taking for GMAT Reading Comprehension
5 Questions to Speed up Summary Creation
Mastering GMAT Reading Comprehension: 3 Best Practices
How to Remember Information
How to improve comprehension by Questioning the Author
How to Read Faster
How to Answer GMAT Reading Comprehension Title question
How to Answer GMAT Reading Comprehension Main Idea Question
How to Answer GMAT Reading comprehension inference question
How to Answer GMAT Reading Comprehension Purpose Question
How to Answer GMAT Reading Comprehension Detail Question
How to Answer the GMAT organization of passage Question

How to Improve GMAT Reading Comprehension Score?

Passage #1: Protein-Rich Diet
Passage #2: Pregnant Women and Stress Management
Passage #3: F Losing Momentum
Passage #4: Conservatives and Automation
Passage #5: Collaboration, Team size and Performance
Passage #6: Effective Altruism
Passage #7: Loneliness Epidemic
Passage #8: Space Exploration
Passage #9: Lab-Grown Meat
Passage #10: Minimum Wage in the US
Passage #11: AI and Creativity
Passage #12: Bias Against Healthcare in Developing Economies
Passage #13: Legacy Admissions
Passage #14: Plastic Ban and alternatives
Passage #15: Underestimating Homo Sapiens
Passage #16: Conspiracy Theories
Passage #17: Relative Poverty
Passage #18: Why Paintings are expensive
Passage #19: US Obesity Epidemics
Passage #20: The Future of Advertising
Passage #21: Breaking Large Companies
Passage #22: Helicopter Parenting
Passage #23: Future of Democracy
Passage #24: Technology and Global Citizenship

Passage #25: Morality and Investment

Answers: 157 to 294

Pages: 295

Questions: 100+

Download F1GMAT's Essential GMAT Reading Comprehension Guide (2019 Edition)

Essential GMAT Reading Comprehension Guide

After reading F1GMAT’s Essential GMAT Reading Comprehension Guide, you will:

1. Complete GMAT RC Questions in less than 1 minute and 50 seconds
2. Read Faster
3. Take Notes Effectively
4. Collect and Interpret Facts
5. Speed up Summary Creation
6. Remember Information
7. Question the Author
8. Learn to Answer GMAT Reading Comprehension Title question
9. Learn to Answer GMAT Reading Comprehension Main Idea Question

10.Learn to Answer GMAT Reading comprehension Inference question

11. Learn to Answer GMAT Reading Comprehension Detail Question

12. Learn to Answer GMAT Reading Comprehension Purpose Question

12. Learn to Answer GMAT organization of passage Question

13. Learn to identify the style/tone or attitude of the author

Download Essential GMAT Reading Comprehension Guide (2019 Edition) (100+ New Questions)

Mastering GMAT Critical Reasoning

After you read F1GMAT’s Mastering GMAT Critical Reasoning Guide, you will learn:

How to overcome flawed thinking in GMAT Critical Reasoning?