GRE Reading Comp passages usually try to persuade you of something. An argument is given, and your job is to analyze it. Some of the hardest Verbal questions require you to identify information that would strengthen an argument. For practice, try this Reading Comp question that likely just 2 in 10 test takers would get right.
Reading Comprehension Challenge: Weaken the Argument
GRE Reading Comp questions that make you think critically are rarely easy. In fact, some will be very hard. But others will be medium difficulty, like this week’s “weaken the argument” question. Reading Comprehension: Weakening Arguments Difficulty Level: 3 (Medium) Question Difficulty Very High50 High420 Medium 340 Low26080 Very Low1100 % of Test Takers Who Answered Correctly […]
Correlations and Causality on the GRE Part III
Comic via xkcd The previous blog article in this series provided an example of a short Reading Comprehension passage containing causal reasoning, and followed it with a Weaken question. Today we discuss the correct and incorrect answer choices for that question. Let’s start by revisiting the passage and question: Advertisement: Pump3D is a nutritional supplement […]
Correlations and Causality on the GRE Part II
The makers of the GRE frequently create arguments in Reading Comprehension passages that conflate correlation with causation, and thus you must understand the distinction between the two. In statistics, “correlation” refers to a statistical relationship between two interdependent variables, such as height and weight or studying and grades. A correlation alone does not prove a […]
Correlations and Causality on the GRE Part I
The makers of the GRE frequently create arguments in Reading Comprehension passages that conflate correlation with causation, and thus you must understand the distinction between the two. In statistics, “correlation” refers to a statistical relationship between two interdependent variables, such as height and weight or studying and grades. A correlation alone does not prove a […]
Most Common and Most Difficult GRE Reading Comprehension Questions
GRE Reading Comprehension makes up about half of the Verbal section. Passages range from roughly 50 words to almost 500. The vast majority are just a single paragraph that’s under 150 words. Subjects include the arts, sciences, and humanities as well as a smattering of non-academic topics. You might think that longer passages or less familiar […]