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Reading Comprehension aptitude questions

Short passages, precise questions.

0 of 28 solved in this view

Formula sheetReading Comprehension: the essentialsFormula sheetReading Comprehension: the essentialsShow

Skim the question stems, then read the passage once for its structure: the view it opens with, where it turns (but, however, 'not X but Y') and what it concludes. Answer from the passage, never from outside knowledge; if you cannot point at the sentence, the option is unsupported.

Question types

  • Main idea or title: the claim every other sentence supports. Reject options that fit one sentence only, and options broader than the passage.
  • Detail: find the sentence by scanning for the key term, and read it closely rather than relying on memory.
  • Inference: one short step from the text. Options with always, never, only, all or cannot usually overreach.
  • Tone: it lives in word choice. Pick the mildest label that accounts for every loaded word: doubtful is not hostile, and an account without judgement is explanatory.
  • Word in context: settled by the surrounding sentence, especially a contrast within it, not by the word's strongest dictionary sense.
  • Purpose: describe what the author is doing with a verb, such as explain, argue, correct or compare.
  • Not mentioned: tick off each option against the text; plausibility counts for nothing.

Eliminating options

Strike out options that are out of scope, too extreme, true but irrelevant, the reverse of the passage, or a distortion that joins two separate ideas. Small qualifiers such as 'merely' mark the limits of a claim, and questions are often built on exactly those limits.

Questions28

1

The main idea of the passage

Remote work was once treated as a perk for a favoured few. The pandemic turned it into ordinary practice almost overnight, and companies discovered that…

main idea

90s

Medium2

What the passage implies

Remote work was once treated as a perk for a favoured few. The pandemic turned it into ordinary practice almost overnight, and companies discovered that…

inference

75s

Medium3

The author's tone

The new scheme has been announced with considerable fanfare.

tone

75s

Medium4

The point of the monsoon passage

India's monsoon is often described as a single event, but it is really two.

main idea

90s

Medium5

A detail from the passage

India's monsoon is often described as a single event, but it is really two.

detail

60s

Easy6

What the monsoon passage implies

India's monsoon is often described as a single event, but it is really two.

inference

90s

Medium7

The central claim about sleep

For most of the twentieth century, sleep was treated as an absence: the hours in which nothing happened. That view has been overturned.

main idea

90s

Medium8

What the sleeping brain does

For most of the twentieth century, sleep was treated as an absence: the hours in which nothing happened. That view has been overturned.

detail

75s

Easy9

The author's attitude

For most of the twentieth century, sleep was treated as an absence: the hours in which nothing happened. That view has been overturned.

tone

75s

Medium10

The argument about roads

Planners once assumed that widening a road would ease congestion. Decades of evidence suggest otherwise.

main idea

90s

Medium11

The meaning of a term

Planners once assumed that widening a road would ease congestion. Decades of evidence suggest otherwise.

vocabulary in context

75s

Medium12

What follows from the argument

Planners once assumed that widening a road would ease congestion. Decades of evidence suggest otherwise.

inference

105s

Hard13

The case for the library

The public library is a strange institution by the standards of modern economics. It gives away, free of charge, a service that people would pay for.

main idea

90s

Medium14

The tone of the library passage

The public library is a strange institution by the standards of modern economics. It gives away, free of charge, a service that people would pay for.

tone

75s

Medium15

A stated feature

The public library is a strange institution by the standards of modern economics. It gives away, free of charge, a service that people would pay for.

detail

60s

Easy16

The claim about resistance

Antibiotic resistance is not a future risk but a present one.

main idea

105s

Medium17

An inference about policy

Antibiotic resistance is not a future risk but a present one.

inference

105s

Hard18

The role of misuse

Antibiotic resistance is not a future risk but a present one.

detail

90s

Medium19

A suitable title

Antibiotic resistance is not a future risk but a present one.

title

90s

Medium20

The purpose of the passage

For most of the twentieth century, sleep was treated as an absence: the hours in which nothing happened. That view has been overturned.

purpose

90s

Medium21

A word in context: the monsoon passage

India's monsoon is often described as a single event, but it is really two.

vocabulary in context

75s

Medium22

What planners once assumed

Planners once assumed that widening a road would ease congestion. Decades of evidence suggest otherwise.

detail

60s

Easy23

An inference about public space

The public library is a strange institution by the standards of modern economics. It gives away, free of charge, a service that people would pay for.

inference

90s

Medium24

Why railways standardised time

Railways were the first industry to require a single national time.

main idea

90s

Medium25

How towns kept time before

Railways were the first industry to require a single national time.

detail

60s

Easy26

What the railway passage implies

Railways were the first industry to require a single national time.

inference

105s

Hard27

The tone of the passage

Railways were the first industry to require a single national time.

tone

75s

Medium28

A word in context: the railway passage

Railways were the first industry to require a single national time.

vocabulary in context

75s

Medium

Showing 28 of 28

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Reading Comprehension Aptitude Questions with Solutions

28 Reading Comprehension questions with hints, worked solutions and time targets — 5 easy · 20 medium · 3 hard. Short passages, precise questions.

  • Section: Verbal Ability
  • Questions: 28
  • By difficulty: 5 easy · 20 medium · 3 hard
  • Cost: Free, unlimited on every plan

Short passages, precise questions.

Reading Comprehension: the essentials

Skim the question stems, then read the passage once for its structure: the view it opens with, where it turns (but, however, 'not X but Y') and what it concludes. Answer from the passage, never from outside knowledge; if you cannot point at the sentence, the option is unsupported.

Question types

  • Main idea or title: the claim every other sentence supports. Reject options that fit one sentence only, and options broader than the passage.
  • Detail: find the sentence by scanning for the key term, and read it closely rather than relying on memory.
  • Inference: one short step from the text. Options with always, never, only, all or cannot usually overreach.
  • Tone: it lives in word choice. Pick the mildest label that accounts for every loaded word: doubtful is not hostile, and an account without judgement is explanatory.
  • Word in context: settled by the surrounding sentence, especially a contrast within it, not by the word's strongest dictionary sense.
  • Purpose: describe what the author is doing with a verb, such as explain, argue, correct or compare.
  • Not mentioned: tick off each option against the text; plausibility counts for nothing.

Eliminating options

Strike out options that are out of scope, too extreme, true but irrelevant, the reverse of the passage, or a distortion that joins two separate ideas. Small qualifiers such as 'merely' mark the limits of a claim, and questions are often built on exactly those limits.

Questions

  1. The main idea of the passage Medium
    Remote work was once treated as a perk for a favoured few. The pandemic turned it into ordinary practice almost overnight, and companies discovered that…
  2. What the passage implies Medium
    Remote work was once treated as a perk for a favoured few. The pandemic turned it into ordinary practice almost overnight, and companies discovered that…
  3. The author's tone Medium
    The new scheme has been announced with considerable fanfare.
  4. The point of the monsoon passage Medium
    India's monsoon is often described as a single event, but it is really two.
  5. A detail from the passage Easy
    India's monsoon is often described as a single event, but it is really two.
  6. What the monsoon passage implies Medium
    India's monsoon is often described as a single event, but it is really two.
  7. The central claim about sleep Medium
    For most of the twentieth century, sleep was treated as an absence: the hours in which nothing happened. That view has been overturned.
  8. What the sleeping brain does Easy
    For most of the twentieth century, sleep was treated as an absence: the hours in which nothing happened. That view has been overturned.
  9. The author's attitude Medium
    For most of the twentieth century, sleep was treated as an absence: the hours in which nothing happened. That view has been overturned.
  10. The argument about roads Medium
    Planners once assumed that widening a road would ease congestion. Decades of evidence suggest otherwise.
  11. The meaning of a term Medium
    Planners once assumed that widening a road would ease congestion. Decades of evidence suggest otherwise.
  12. What follows from the argument Hard
    Planners once assumed that widening a road would ease congestion. Decades of evidence suggest otherwise.
  13. The case for the library Medium
    The public library is a strange institution by the standards of modern economics. It gives away, free of charge, a service that people would pay for.
  14. The tone of the library passage Medium
    The public library is a strange institution by the standards of modern economics. It gives away, free of charge, a service that people would pay for.
  15. A stated feature Easy
    The public library is a strange institution by the standards of modern economics. It gives away, free of charge, a service that people would pay for.
  16. The claim about resistance Medium
    Antibiotic resistance is not a future risk but a present one.
  17. An inference about policy Hard
    Antibiotic resistance is not a future risk but a present one.
  18. The role of misuse Medium
    Antibiotic resistance is not a future risk but a present one.
  19. A suitable title Medium
    Antibiotic resistance is not a future risk but a present one.
  20. The purpose of the passage Medium
    For most of the twentieth century, sleep was treated as an absence: the hours in which nothing happened. That view has been overturned.
  21. A word in context: the monsoon passage Medium
    India's monsoon is often described as a single event, but it is really two.
  22. What planners once assumed Easy
    Planners once assumed that widening a road would ease congestion. Decades of evidence suggest otherwise.
  23. An inference about public space Medium
    The public library is a strange institution by the standards of modern economics. It gives away, free of charge, a service that people would pay for.
  24. Why railways standardised time Medium
    Railways were the first industry to require a single national time.
  25. How towns kept time before Easy
    Railways were the first industry to require a single national time.
  26. What the railway passage implies Hard
    Railways were the first industry to require a single national time.
  27. The tone of the passage Medium
    Railways were the first industry to require a single national time.
  28. A word in context: the railway passage Medium
    Railways were the first industry to require a single national time.

Placement tests that ask reading comprehension