{"id":13580,"date":"2016-12-26T06:00:09","date_gmt":"2016-12-26T11:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/grockit.com\/blog\/gmat\/?p=2071"},"modified":"2020-09-11T20:42:29","modified_gmt":"2020-09-11T20:42:29","slug":"gmat-reading-comprehension-managing-passages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/gmat\/gmat-reading-comprehension-managing-passages\/","title":{"rendered":"GMAT Reading Comprehension: Managing Passages"},"content":{"rendered":"

In order to get the most out of your reading on the Reading Comprehension<\/a> section of the GMAT, you must learn how to break down the passage into manageable chunks<\/a>. There is simply not enough time to peruse every detail during your first read-through. It is important to learn\u00a0where to direct your attention in order to make the most of your precious time.\u00a0The introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion are the three recognizable portions of any expository piece of writing.
\nThe introduction paragraph of a reading passage can be considered the most important piece of information determine\u00a0the main idea, purpose, and key arguments. The introduction does not always contain the \u201cmeat\u201d of the passage\u2014that is, it does not contain the evidence for an argument or the detailed reasoning behind an argument\u2014but it can provide an overview that will aid your understanding throughout the questions.
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GMAT Reading Comp: Introductory Paragraphs<\/h3>
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\nLet\u2019s look at a sample introductory paragraph and learn how to pick it apart, sentence by sentence:\t
\t\t

\nThe classical realist theory of international relations has long dominated both academic institutions and the American government. Even at the birth of the nation, early political thinkers such as Alexander Hamilton promoted a realist view of international relations and sought to influence the actions of the government based on this perspective. While the classical realist school of international relations is not entirely homogeneous in nature, there are certain premises that all classical realists share.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>
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GMAT Reading Comp: Dissecting the Passage<\/h3>
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The classical realist theory of international relations has long dominated both academic institutions and the American government.<\/h6>
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\nThe first sentence of a passage should, for the most part, introduce you to the topic of the passage. If the first sentence adequately introduces the topic, you should be able to answer the questions \u201cwhat is the author writing about\u201d and \u201cwhy is he writing about it?\u201d From our first sentence, we know that the author is writing about the classical realist theory of international relations <\/em>and he is writing about it\u00a0 because it has, for a long time, been the most dominant theory of international relations in both academic institutions and the government.<\/em>
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Even at the birth of the nation, early political thinkers such as Alexander Hamilton promoted a realist view of international relations and sought to influence the actions of the government based on this perspective.<\/h6>
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\nYou might want to ask yourself \u201cwhat does the second sentence do in context of the topic?\u201d The second sentence provides evidence that the theory has long <\/em>dominated the American government. The author says that even Alexander Hamilton, at the birth of the nation, subscribed to the realist theory, which helped shape the way he influenced the actions of the government. In the broad scheme of things, the second sentence serves to justify the claims made in the first sentence.
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While the classical realist school of international relations is not entirely homogeneous in nature, there are certain premises that all classical realists share.<\/h6>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
\nFirst, note that the sentence begins with the word \u201cWhile,\u201d suggesting that there may be a logical turn or opposition in the paragraph. In this case, the author simply wants to qualify the main point of his paper, that there are certain premises that all classical realists share. <\/em>We can be confident that the rest of the article will focus on detailing the general premises that characterize classical realism.
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GMAT Reading Comp: Conclusion Paragraphs<\/h3>
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\nWhile the introduction and body paragraphs almost always reveal the topic of the passage and the evidence or details to support an argument, respectively, the conclusion has a less consistent function. On the\u00a0GMAT, passages are edited heavily so that every bit of information has a function; as a result, some passages do not have conclusions devoted to reiterating the main points of the passage. Often, a concluding paragraph will take the form of a body paragraph, but somehow the new information will resolve the information presented throughout. The best way to approach a conclusion is to be aware that it may not be what you expect, but in any case, it provides valuable information that will likely be tested in a question.
\nBelow is the sample\u00a0GMAT\u00a0reading passage in its entirety; read the body paragraphs to get a good sense of the main idea, but then read the conclusion closely:
\n\t
\t\t

\nThe classical realist theory of international relations has long\u00a0dominated both academic institutions and the American government.\u00a0Even at the birth of the nation, early political thinkers such as\u00a0Alexander Hamilton promoted a realist view of international relations\u00a0and sought to influence the actions of the government based on\u00a0this perspective. While the classical realist school of international\u00a0relations is not entirely homogeneous in nature, there are certain\u00a0premises that all classical realists share.
\nThe primary principle underlying classical realism is a concern\u00a0with issues of war and peace. Specifically, classical realists ask, what\u00a0are the causes of war and what are the conditions of peace? The members\u00a0of the classical realist school mainly attribute war and conflict\u00a0to what is termed the security dilemma. In the absence of any prevailing\u00a0global authority, each nation is required to address its own\u00a0security needs. However, each nation\u2019s quest for security\u2014through\u00a0military buildups, alliances, or territorial defenses\u2014necessarily unsettles\u00a0other nations. These nations react to feelings of insecurity by\u00a0engaging in their own aggressive actions, which leads other nations\u00a0to react similarly, perpetuating the cycle.
\nIt is important to note that for realists, unlike idealists or liberal\u00a0internationalists, international conflict is a necessary consequence of\u00a0the structural anarchy that nations find themselves in. Whereas other\u00a0schools may see international conflict as the result of evil dictators,\u00a0historical chance, flawed sociopolitical systems, or ignorance of world\u00a0affairs, classical realists see war as the logical result of a system that\u00a0by its nature lacks a true central authority.
\nHand in hand with this view of conflict as an inevitable condition\u00a0of the global power structure is the realists\u2019 view of the nation as a\u00a0unitary actor. Because classical realists see international relations as\u00a0a continuing struggle for dominance, the nation can not be viewed\u00a0as a collection of individuals with disparate wants, goals, and ideologies.
\nThe realist view requires the formulation of a national interest,\u00a0which in its simplest terms refers to the nation\u2019s ability to survive,\u00a0maintain its security, and achieve some level of power relative to its\u00a0competitors.
\nRealism is not without its critics, many of whom challenge the\u00a0premise that war is the natural condition of international relations or\u00a0that there can be a truly national interest. However, the realist school\u00a0of international relations continues to shape foreign policy because of\u00a0the successes it has had in describing real world interactions between\u00a0nations.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>
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GMAT Reading Comp: Dissecting the Passage<\/h3>
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\nFrom the introduction, we know that the author is writing about\u00a0the classical realist theory of international relations\u00a0<\/em>and he is writing about it because\u00a0it has, for a long time, been the most dominant theory of international relations in both academic institutions and the government.\u00a0<\/em>The author simply wants to show that\u00a0there are certain premises that all classical realists share,\u00a0<\/em>so we can be confident that the body of the article will focus on detailing the general premises that characterize classical realism. Now, let\u2019s examine the conclusion\u2019s function within the context of the passage:
\n
Realism is not without its critics, many of whom challenge the premise that war is the natural condition of international relations or that there can be truly national interest.<\/h6>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
\nNotice that this is the first sentence of the conclusion, but it introduces a somewhat new idea. We\u2019ve spent the first four paragraphs discussing the premises of classical realism, but now we want to acknowledge that, despite its prevalence, it has its critics. This sentence reveals a reasonable objection to classical realism\u2014the premise that war is a natural condition can be viewed as pessimistic.
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However, the realist school of international relations continues to shape foreign policy because of the success it has had in describing real world interactions between nations.<\/h6>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
\nThe final sentence, which reiterates the main point made in the passage, is only strengthened by the anticipated objection raised in the first sentence. In other words, despite the possible objection, the realist school of international relations is\u00a0still<\/em>\u00a0quite influential because of the success its had in describing international relations.
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In order to get the most out of your reading on the Reading Comprehension section of the GMAT, you must learn how to break down the passage into manageable chunks. There is simply not enough time to peruse every detail during your first read-through. It is important to learn\u00a0where to direct your attention in order […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28909,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[55],"tags":[56,515],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13580"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13580"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13580\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36088,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13580\/revisions\/36088"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}