Global Topic

[kwabbel]

I've noticed that most of the answers I get wrong on RC are Global questions. These should really be easy but for some reason are difficult for me to get right. Do you have any advice on how to approach these to increase my accuracy?

[Adam Tyson]

Most questions in RC are from the Must Be True family, meaning that the information you need to answer them can be found in the text. New information is to be rejected most of the time. When tackling those questions, are you returning frequently to the passage to find text that supports your answer choice? If not, you should! Some students feel that they don't have time to keep going back, that they have to rely on their memory if they are to finish in the allotted time, but that's going about it all wrong and falling directly into the test authors' trap, where they will lay out familiar answer choices designed to tempt you while making the correct answer a little more subtle.

Make sure you are taking good, thorough notes while you read, marking the passage like leaving a trail of breadcrumbs to find your way back when you need to pinpoint key information. Those notes will help to reinforce your understanding of the passage while you read, and they will give you handy signposts for locating the text you need to answer a given question. Most of your time should be spent not on the initial read-through but on reading the questions and locating the text that supports your answer choice.

Hope that helps! Good luck!