Complete the passage

Question 1

HOW TO APPROACH EVERY CR PASSAGE

Answer 1

For each sentence;

1. Read words carefully & take note of modifiers, indicators, language.
2. Summarize the main gist
   “What is the simple story here?”
3. Determine scope. Ask:
   “What are they saying vs not saying?”
4. Opinion vs fact
   “Is this an Opinion or fact?”
5. Determine the purpose. Ask:
   “Why is the author telling me this?” (eg. to illustrate an example, to provide background context)
6. Make the inferencial connection with previous sentences: Ask:
   “How does this info connect to the previous sentence?” “What inference can I draw from combining the previous sentences with this?”
7. Determine the logical flow; Ask:
   “Does this support the previous sentence or does the previous sentence support this?”
8. Determine the main point/main conclusion and note the scope of what it actually says.
   “What is the main point/conclusion here & what is the scope of elements in this?”

For Each passage

9. Identify presence/absence or an argument
   “Is there a conclusion?”
10. If no conclusion , identify the heart of the passage
    `
    A set of facts → inference/must be true/find the conclusion
    Paradox → resolve the paradox
    `
11. If yes conclusion, Map the logical link in a flow chart: [Premise → assumption → logical gap → Conclusion]
    * Identify the premise that directly supports the conclusion & its scope
    * Determine the Core Assumption:
    `
    “What new elements are there”
    “How did the author make this jump from premise to conclusion”
    “What must I assume to me true for me to believe this conclusion”
    `
    * If the assumption is not so clear, use the Falsification condition. Ask:
    “Under What circumstances , given the [Facts] in the argument, will the [conclusion] not hold”
    * Identify the logical gap
    “Am i fully convinced by this argument i.e is the argument weak or strong?” “What extra evidence is missing here that i need to be fully convinced?”

For each question stem:

13. Carefully read and identify the question stem.
    “What is this question stem asking of me?”
14. After reading the question stem, take a moment to mentally recap details you just gathered and define what you are looking for
15. Rephrase the question into a yes/No format will enable you to eliminate and choose the right answer with precision.
16. Always read each of the five answer choices completely. Ask yourself…
    `
    “What is this option simply saying”
    “Does it answer …rephrased question..?”
    `
17. Eliminate any answer choice that doesn’t answer your question

Question 2

When the main point in the passage highlights a discrepancy,… think?

Answer 2

Resolve the paradox

Question 3

What is the CLUE for complete the passage questions

Answer 3

A blank space at the end of the passage

Tip- ALWAYS PRETHINK what the authors clues for the blank space could mean , ask- “what is the author trying to say here “- before jumping to the answer choices.

Question 4

5 step strategy for complete the passage question

Answer 4

1. Read the question stem and identify what it’s asking of you
2. Carefully read, breakdown, and completely understand the passage
   (most important step)
3. Determine the scope, main point and intent of the author.
4. Convert the statement that ends with a blank into a WHAT/WHY question
5. Eliminate Obviously incorrect answers
6. Test your final answer by reading it in the passage to ensure it fits logically

Question 5

When do you use WHAT/WHY , in converting the last statement to a question?

Answer 5

Use “WHY” if the word preceding the blank space is “because”, “since” or “as” , or other words with similar meanings

use “WHAT” if the word preceding the blank is NOT a connecting word like “because”

Question 6

What is an important thing to do when converting statements to what/why questions?

Answer 6

Ask the question with the evidence used to support that statement in mind.

To avoid traps

Question 7

2 Characteristics of the “correct answer” in complete the passage question

Answer 7

1. It must work with the passage a s a whole, addressing the entirety of what is presented in the passage, not just the last statement.
2. It must complete the logic of the passage and not just word match.

Question 8

Bi-directional statements in answer choices are safe

True or False?

Answer 8

False

Beware of them, they are always incorrect

Question 9

4 Common “incorrect answer choices” to complete the passage questions

Answer 9

1. Sounds correct but heads in a subtly incorrect direction
2. Says something plausable/Inferable from the passage but is not the logical completion of the passage
3. Addresses an important issue in the passage but not the main point

4.Explains something discussed in the passage but does not complete the passage

Question 10

Complete the passage question tip

Answer 10

Complete the passage questions are like inference questions. You will most likely have to put in the correct conclusion or else (as here) a correct piece of evidence that would logically support the conclusion. As with other inference questions, the best approach is to follow the gist of the passage, make a deduction and scan for a match

Fill in the Blank questions are also Main Point questions in disguise (especially when the question stem indicates inference/main point). They are approached in the same manner as any First Family question, but the emphasis is on using the contextual clues provided in the stimulus to find the choice that best fits the blank.

“since” indicates - answer choice will be a premise
“therefore” indicates - answer choice will be a conclusion/inference

Question 11

how to know the type of answer choice to look for

premise or inference

Answer 11

Closely read the last sentence & word before the dash.

Question 12

Best CR Advise for POE

Answer 12

There are no varying degrees of how “good” an answer is on the CR portion. One answer is RIGHT and the other four are WRONG. If you go through the 5 choices and think that two or more “could” be right, then something is wrong. It means that you are missing a key nuance somewhere. Either in the prompt, the question, or the answer choice. When that happens, I usually start by rereading the choices I’m debating between. After that I reread the question, then I reread the prompt (assuming that you haven’t spotted the issue along the way). I give that order because I’ve found that for me personally, it breaks down like this. When I’m in that situation, about 60% of the time my error was in missing a nuance in the choices i’m debating between. About 30% of the time the error is in reading the other choices. And then about 10% of the time it’s from the question or the prompt.

Question 13

T/F

When approching complete the passage questions, you should find the assumption if there is a conclusion and determine question type.

Answer 13

True!

Treat complete the passage like any other CR passage,
1. find the assumption
2. make inferences betwen statements
3. determine if the “blank” is asking for an inference/strenghter/weakner/resolve the paradox