Learn›Paragraph ComprehensionPC›Question types
The question types
Every Paragraph Comprehension question is one of five types, and each type needs a different kind of reading. Spot the type from the question’s first words and you know exactly what to look for before you read a line of the passage.
Read the question before the passage
Before electric lights, lighthouse keepers lit oil lamps at the top of their towers every evening. The work did not end at sunset: keepers trimmed the wicks and polished the lenses through the night so the beam would not dim. Today most lighthouses run automatically, and many of the old keepers’ cottages have become small museums.
Each type has its own reading
A detail question wants one line; a main idea question wants the whole paragraph; an inference wants something the text implies but does not say. Read the question first, name its type, then read the passage looking for exactly that.
How to solve them
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1
How much time you have
On the paper test you get 15 questions in 13 minutes: about 52 seconds each, reading included. The passages are short, so there is time to read every word once, but not to read it three times. Knowing what you are looking for is what saves the time.
Next step: DetailPaper test15 questions, 13 minutes
about 52 seconds each
The planQuestion → type → passage
read once, with a target
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2
Detail: the answer is written in one line
Signals: “according to the passage,” “the passage states,” “which of the following is mentioned.” The answer is in the text, usually in different words. You should be able to point at the line.
Next step: Main ideaExampleAccording to the passage, what did keepers do through the night?
- Key words: “through the night.”
- The line: “keepers trimmed the wicks and polished the lenses through the night.”
Answer Trimmed the wicks and polished the lenses
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3
Main idea: what the whole paragraph is about
Signals: “mainly about,” “best title,” “central idea,” “primarily concerned with.” The right answer covers the whole paragraph: not one detail, not something bigger than the text.
Next step: InferenceToo narrowKeepers polished the lenses.
Only one sentence
Too broadThe history of electricity.
Bigger than the text
Just rightHow lighthouse keeping changed over time.
Covers it all
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4
Inference: what the text implies
Signals: “it can be inferred,” “suggests,” “most likely,” “implies.” The answer is not written, but it must follow from what is written, one small step, with no outside knowledge.
Next step: Purpose & toneExampleIt can be inferred that today’s lighthouses…
- The text says they “run automatically” and the cottages are museums.
- So keepers no longer need to live there and tend the lamp.
Answer No longer need a keeper on duty every night
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5
Purpose and tone: why it was written, and how it sounds
Signals: “the author’s purpose,” “the author wrote this to,” “the tone is.” Most ASVAB passages are written to inform or explain; fewer try to persuade or entertain. Tone words describe the attitude: neutral, critical, admiring.
Next step: VocabularyThe lighthouse passagePurpose?
To inform: it explains, it does not argue
Its toneHow does it sound?
Neutral, factual
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6
Vocabulary in context: the meaning in that sentence
Signals: “as used in the passage,” “most nearly means.” Put each choice in place of the word and keep the one that makes the sentence say the same thing.
Example“…so the beam would not dim.” As used here, dim most nearly means…
- Try each choice in the sentence: “so the beam would not ___.”
- “Grow weaker” keeps the meaning; “become stupid” does not fit a light.
Answer Grow weaker
4 traps in the answer choices
The test writes its wrong answers on purpose: each one is what you get if you make one of these mistakes.
Reading the passage first, slowly
You read it all, then see the question and read it again:
Wrongtwo full readings, time gone
Rightquestion first, one reading with a target
A true detail as the main idea
“Mainly about” the lighthouse passage:
Wrongkeepers polished lenses
Righthow lighthouse keeping changed
Outside knowledge in an inference
It can be inferred that lighthouses…
Wrongare painted red and white
Rightno longer need keepers at night
The dictionary meaning of the word
“…so the beam would not dim”:
Wrongdim = not smart
Rightdim = grow weaker
5 questions at test level
Pick an answer, then read why. No timer, no account.
What type of question is this? “According to the passage, when did keepers light the lamps?”
Show the answer
A. “According to the passage” asks for something the text states directly: “every evening.” You can point at the line. It is a Detail question.
What type of question is this? “Which title best fits the passage?”
Show the answer
B. A best title has to cover the whole paragraph, which is what a main idea question asks for. It is a Main idea question.
What type of question is this? “The passage suggests that the job of a lighthouse keeper was…”
Show the answer
C. “Suggests” means the answer is implied, not written: for example, that the job was demanding, since it went on all night. It is an Inference question.
Based on the passage, what did keepers do to keep the beam from dimming?
Show the answer
B. The passage says “keepers trimmed the wicks and polished the lenses through the night so the beam would not dim.” The other choices are not what kept the beam bright. The answer is Trimmed wicks and polished lenses.
What is the author’s main purpose in the lighthouse passage?
Show the answer
C. The passage gives facts about the past and the present without arguing or telling a story. Mentioning museums is a detail, not a call to visit them. The purpose is To inform readers about how lighthouse work changed.
10 flashcards
Tap a card to flip it. Keep the ones you miss until they stick.
All 10 cards known.
You finished the question types.
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