GRE RC steps and strategies[/s] – The “DART TRUE” path.

A highly successful path for solving GRE RC questions will be to follow a few simple steps; it is not necessary to read the entire passage; it will be sufficient to know the gist of the passages. Only if there is any specific question regarding any particular line or paragraph, then reading around that particular point will be required.

Steps to follow

1. Describe the passage mentally in your own perception and figure out the focus of each paragraph.
2. Author’s point of view – What is the author trying to say? What does he want to convey?
3. Rhetoric: How the author is trying to drive home his view or the methods used by the author to convince the audience.
4. Transition words ---Beginning of the passage and flow from thereof: Do you find some hint of what is going to follow? For example: If a passage starts with the word..
1. Generally --- may lead to an exception
2. Conventional wisdom: may mean the discussion is going to be about unconventional wisdom
3. Some Historians: may lead to a comparison with some other historians
Transitional words such as however, but, yet, although, nonetheless, notwithstanding, etc are required to be carefully remembered.
5. Tone: Author’s tone in the passage: confirm whether the author is positive, negative or neutral, whether he agrees or disagrees with views of other people mentioned in the passage. You must look forward to some adjectives such as critical, encouraging, acclaimed, frightening prospects etc, which may describe his attitude.
6. Recheck the meaning of critical words in the selected correct choice before deciding that the choice is indeed the final choice. Corroborate the critical words in the choice.
7. Understand the action words: How will you define the nature of presentation in the passage?
1. Mere statement of facts (as it occurs in most science passages).
2. Dispute: to challenge a point of view
3. Illustrate: Give examples
4. Examine: go deeper than just stating
5. Explore: exploration means going through some new point
6. Point out: to specifically refer to a point and so on
8. Eliminate: Before focusing on the correct choice, eliminate as many wrong choices as possible: out of scope; superlatives; fluffs; extremes, verbatim traps etc.

Take aways

1. Define the passage
2. Author’s point of view
3. Rhetoric
4. Transition
5. Tone
6. Recheck: to see whether key words in the correct choice are substantiated.
7. Understand action words
8. Eliminate: Extremes, Superlatives, fluffs, Out of scope, verbatim traps, extreme words etc, etc.

Shortly ‘DART TRUE’ formula

General Hints

In general, Science Passages are always fact sets. The author will be simply describing or listing or chronicling the fact. He may not dispute any facts or theories presented. He might cite the opinions or critiques two or more theories but he will not be part of the debate.

In the case of social passages involving minorities such as blacks, tribals, and women, the author will favor the minorities.

In political passages, there will be no harsh criticism of the government.

Historical passages may air differing views and the author may take part in the debates actively.

Harsh words will always be avoided in the correct answer choices

If a choice contains a verbatim repetition of some phrase, then it is most likely to be a trap answer. The correct choices mostly contain paraphrases

Opinions, judgments, speculations or predictions will be mostly non-facts and will be presented as something that might happen in the future.

In bold face questions, identifying the premises and the conclusions is the most crucial factor.

If you try this procedure with about 20 to 30 passages, then you will get a good grip over handling RC.

Good Luck!