Comprehension
What the official syllabus says
CSAT (Preliminary Examination, Paper II):
- Comprehension.
The syllabus gives no further detail. In an objective paper, comprehension means reading a passage and answering multiple-choice questions on it, so the skills below are those that such questions test. The paper is set in English and Hindi.
Topics in detail
Understanding the passage
- Identifying the central idea or main theme of a passage
- Separating the main argument from supporting examples and illustrations
- Following the structure of a passage: introduction, development, counter-points, conclusion
- Recognising the author's purpose: to inform, explain, argue, criticise or persuade
- Identifying the tone and attitude of the author (neutral, critical, optimistic, sceptical, ironic)
- Finding a suitable title for a passage
Question types
- Direct factual questions: details stated in the passage
- Inference questions: what follows from the passage, though it is not stated
- Assumption questions: what the author takes for granted
- Implication and "most logical corollary" questions
- "Which statement is not supported by the passage" questions
- Vocabulary in context: the meaning of a word or phrase as used in the passage
- Questions on the crux or most important message of a passage
- Short passages followed by a single question, and longer passages followed by several
Reasoning within the passage
- Distinguishing fact from opinion
- Distinguishing a valid inference from an over-generalisation
- Spotting extreme options (always, never, only) that go beyond the passage
- Answering only from the passage, not from outside knowledge
- Comparing two close options and choosing the one the passage fully supports
Kinds of passages to practise
- Economy and development: growth, poverty, employment, agriculture
- Environment, climate change, biodiversity and natural resources
- Governance, public policy, democracy and institutions
- Science and technology in everyday life
- Society, education, health and ethics
- Philosophical and reflective passages
Reading skills
- Reading for meaning at a steady speed; skimming and scanning
- Reading the questions and then returning to the relevant part of the passage
- Building vocabulary through regular reading of editorials and reports
- Managing time across passages of different length and difficulty
Question types at a glance
| The question asks | What to look for | Common trap |
|---|---|---|
| Main idea or crux | The point the whole passage builds towards | An option true for one paragraph only |
| Inference | What must be true if the passage is true | An option that is merely possible |
| Assumption | An unstated premise the argument needs | A restatement of what is already said |
| Author's tone | Words that show approval, doubt or criticism | Reading one's own view into the text |
| Meaning in context | How the word is used in that sentence | The most common dictionary meaning |
A method for each passage
Read the passage once for its overall sense, noting in a word or two what each paragraph does. Then read the question and go back to the part of the passage that answers it. Test each option against the passage, and reject any that needs information from outside it or that states more than the passage does. With a deduction for each wrong answer, an option that cannot be confirmed from the text is better left than guessed blindly.
Overlaps
The same reading skills are needed for the comprehension and precis questions of the Mains language papers: English and English Essay and Hindi and Hindi Essay.