Comprehension

What the official syllabus says

Preliminary Examination, Paper-II, General Studies-II:

• Comprehension.

The syllabus says no more than this. In an objective paper, comprehension means reading a passage and answering multiple-choice questions on it, so the points below are the skills such questions test. The paper's General English and General Hindi lists also include comprehension (Comprehension and अर्थबोध); see General English and General Hindi.

Topics in detail

Grasping the passage

• Finding the central idea or theme of a passage in one sentence
• Telling the main argument apart from examples, data and illustrations that support it
• Following how a passage is built: claim, explanation, counter-view, conclusion
• Recognising the author's purpose: to describe, inform, explain, argue or criticise
• Reading the author's tone and attitude: neutral, approving, critical, doubtful, ironic
• Choosing the most suitable title for a passage

Kinds of questions

• Factual questions on details stated in the passage
• Inference: what follows from the passage although it is not said in so many words
• Assumption: what the author takes for granted for the argument to hold
• Implication and the most logical conclusion or corollary of a passage
• Which statement the passage does not support, or contradicts
• Meaning of a word or phrase as it is used in the passage
• The crux or most important message of a passage
• Short passages with one question each, and longer passages with several

Reasoning inside the passage

• Separating fact from opinion
• Separating a valid inference from a sweeping generalisation
• Treating options with extreme words (always, never, only, all) with caution
• Answering from the passage alone, not from outside knowledge or personal views
• Choosing between two close options: the one the passage fully supports

Passages worth practising

• Economy and development: growth, poverty, employment, agriculture, inflation
• Environment: climate change, biodiversity, water, pollution
• Governance and society: democracy, rights, institutions, education, health
• Science and technology in daily life
• Reflective and philosophical passages on values, freedom, work and progress
• Passages in both English and Hindi, since the paper tests both languages

Reading technique

• Reading for meaning at a steady pace; skimming for structure and scanning for detail
• Marking keywords, linking words (however, therefore, although) and the conclusion
• Going back to the exact lines that answer a question before choosing an option
• Building speed through daily reading of editorials and reports

Overlaps

• The same skill is tested again in the Main Examination's General Hindi paper (दिये हुए गद्य खण्ड का अवबोध एवं प्रश्नोत्तर), there as written answers.
• Close reading also helps with the critical-reasoning questions of Logical Reasoning and Analytical Ability.