Paragraph Comprehension
10 questions · 27 minutes · AFQT
What's covered
Short passages — often just two or three sentences — followed by a question. Only 10 questions, but they carry full AFQT weight, and 27 minutes is plenty of time. Carelessness costs more points here than difficulty does.
The four question types
Main idea (what's the point of the whole thing), specific detail (stated directly in the text), inference (one small step beyond the text), and vocabulary in context (what a word means here).
The governing rule
The answer is in the passage. Not in your knowledge of the world, not in what's reasonable — in the passage. A choice can be factually true and still wrong because the text never supports it.
Read the question first
For a short passage this turns a general read into a targeted search. You'll know what you're looking for before you start.
Eliminate extremes
Choices containing 'always,' 'never,' 'all,' or 'none' are usually wrong. Short passages rarely support absolute claims.
Watch for half-right answers
The most common trap is a choice that's mostly correct with one wrong word. One wrong word makes the whole choice wrong.
Signal words
Contrast: however, although, yet, on the other hand. Cause: because, since, therefore, as a result. Emphasis: above all, most importantly. These usually mark the sentence the question is about.
Method
Paraphrase the passage's point in your own words before looking at the choices. Then find the choice that matches your paraphrase, rather than shopping among four options for one that feels familiar.
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