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RC
RC Question Type Strategies
Overview
RC questions fall into distinct categories, each requiring different approaches. Recognizing the question type before reading answer choices saves time and improves accuracy.
1.Main Point: What's the author's primary claim? Supported by everything else in the passage.
2.Detail/Reference: Go back to the passage — don't rely on memory. The answer is explicitly stated.
3.Inference: What must be true based on the passage? Stay close to the text — avoid speculation.
4.Author Attitude: Look for evaluative language (fortunately, problematic, compelling, flawed).
5.Structure/Purpose: Why did the author include this? What role does it play in the argument?
6.Analogy: Find a scenario with the same relationship structure as something in the passage.
The passage discusses two competing theories of memory formation.
The author mentions the hippocampal study primarily in order to...
Answer C:
This is a Purpose question. Don't answer what the study found — answer why the author brought it up. Usually it's to support or challenge a theory discussed in the passage.
✗Using the same approach for all RC question types
✗Not going back to the passage for detail questions
✗Over-inferring on inference questions
✗Confusing the author's attitude with a described viewpoint