A) emphasize the value of snail eggs as an unorthodox pizza topping.
B) describe the intensity of the New York/Chicago pizza rivalry.
C) question the feasibility of making an even deeper dish pizza.
D) warn readers about the dangers of superheated Hawaiian Volcanic
Pizza.After you read these questions, you might think that you need to dig deeper
into the passage, to find the true, hidden nugget of meaning beneath all the
verbiage. But put that shovel away! These are just asking for the main idea.
Look over those topic sentences, glance at those first and last paragraphs. Look
away from the page and ask your brain what the passage is about. Then, pick the
answer that accounts for the thesis of the passage.
The best way to answer reading comprehension questions is to spot the key words of the answer choices. In this case, look at the verbs:Emphasizing is very different from describing is very different from questioning is entirely different from warning. If you feel your brain
starting to get bogged down, look only at the key words of the answer choices and see if that helps you narrow it down.
—Samantha
Main purpose questions test your knowledge of academic vocabulary as
much as your ability to determine the purpose behind what you’ve read. If all the
choices were written in everyday English, most students could probably skim the
passage and answer these questions without giving them much thought. But the
questions that employ top-shelf vocabulary can throw people off, even when
they really do understand the purpose of the text. Spend some time with our
academic vocabulary section that starts on page 98 to help ensure that you won’t
get tripped up by these words.
An author’s point of view question can also look more challenging than it
really is.
In the passage, the stance that Nicki Minaj takes is best described as
A) a woman who is proud of her body.
B) a philosopher contemplating the nature of celebrity.
C) an artist exploring new modes of self-expression.
D) an idealist dreaming of a better future.After reading this question, you might think that you need to ponder Minaj’s
preexisting conceptions, her attitude, or her tone. Nope! This is just a disguised
main idea question. By now you know the drill: Check those topic sentences,
those first and last para-greezies, look away from the page.