Subconclusions in Passages

[pacer]

Subconclusions in Passages

Can you provide some general tips on spotting subconclusions in passages in RC section? I can easily find subconclusions in LR but have a harder time doing that for the passages in RC because the structure is often not as clear cut.

[BethRibet]

Hi Pacer,

Thanks for writing in.

We don't necessarily think of "conclusions" in reading comp as we do in LR. In reading comp, the conclusion is the ending, and may or may not be the main point (whereas in LR, conclusion and main point are essentially synonyms.) Therefore, while there may be preliminary conclusions in the passage, you don't necessarily need to be able to categorize them as such. It's far more important to just follow the content of the argument. Even in "structure" questions in Reading Comp, I don't think I've ever seen a reference to a sub-conclusion.

It does however matter to properly identify "arguments" -- meaning for instance, if the author or a party takes a position in the passage, what reasoning does the passage present to explain or bolster that position?

Hope that helps!
Beth