{"id":13536,"date":"2021-11-16T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-16T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/grockit.com\/blog\/gmat\/?p=1744"},"modified":"2021-11-16T21:31:34","modified_gmt":"2021-11-16T21:31:34","slug":"gmat-reading-comprehension-style-and-tone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/gmat\/gmat-reading-comprehension-style-and-tone\/","title":{"rendered":"GMAT Reading Comprehension: Style, Tone & Main Idea"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s important to keep in mind for all Reading Comprehension questions that just because an answer choice is reasonable, true, or mentioned in the passage, does not mean it is necessarily correct. Always ask yourself: which answer choice best addresses the specific question being asked? Look to eliminate answer choices that are outside the scope of the question, or ones that contain extreme language such as always<\/em> and never<\/em>.
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GMAT Reading Comprehension Main Idea<\/h2>
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\nFor \u201cMain Idea\u201d questions, we\u2019re looking for the answer choice with a scope that matches that of the entire<\/em> passage. For example, if the passage was about volcanoes and the necessary steps that need to be taken in order to predict and prevent volcano eruptions, then perhaps one paragraph referred to Mount St. Helen\u2019s. However, it would be incorrect to say that the main idea of the passage was to \u201cdiscuss Mount St. Helen\u2019s\u201d as that is the main idea of only one paragraph. The \u201cMain Idea\u201d would need to be something like \u201cto discuss ways of predicting and preventing eruptions\u201d since that is the more general focus.<\/p>\n

For \u201cMain Idea\u201d questions, we need to try to see the picture that is being formed by all of the puzzle pieces, and not get distracted by the individual pieces themselves.
\nIt\u2019s easy to do this if you write down the Purpose of the passage BEFORE reading the first question. Remember that active reading and note-taking are essential to GMAT Reading Comp success. When you see a \u201cMain Idea\u201d question, you can quickly refer back to your Purpose to form a prediction.<\/p>\n

If you forgot to write down the Purpose, or you can\u2019t make a strong prediction, there are a few good places in the passage to look for the \u201cMain Idea.\u201d Try re-reading the last few sentences of the opening paragraph. Does the author include a thesis? Does he express a strong point of view about the topic?<\/p>\n

Another good place to look is the concluding paragraph. Does the author re-iterate a main purpose here? What is he summarizing? Focus especially on the first and final sentences.
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