Simple Diagnosis of Common Obstacles in GMAT RC Self-Study
I know many people feel that reading is an insurmountable wall, but they don’t know how to overcome it. They just try to jump over it blindly but always fall short. Unfortunately, most explanations and tutorials about reading online tend to focus on explaining the content of articles. Often, the person explaining the questions talks enthusiastically, but the listeners don’t understand. They haven’t found the systematic problem at all.
Dustin believes that reading is different from logic; the question structure in reading is more complex and extensive. It’s like comparing a bicycle to a rocket. A broken bicycle is easy to fix because its structure is simple, and there are only a few places where problems can occur. But if a rocket launch fails, it takes a lot of effort to test which screw went wrong.
Let’s do a self-test:
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Here, I hope to use this article to help everyone self-diagnose where the problem lies and to address it promptly.
Please prepare a timer; you’ll need to record:
(1) The time it takes to read the passage for the first time
(2) The time it takes to complete all questions
(3) The average time spent locating information for each question.
So, let’s start with this passage:
Researchers have not reached a consensus on the composition of pheromones. Although most agree that pheromones are chemical substances emitted by an individual organism that, when detected by conspecifics, trigger specific behavioral or physiological responses, some researchers argue that organisms’ responses to pheromones occur unconsciously. Furthermore, pheromones are often confused with body odors—chemical substances that organisms can consciously smell—and some scholars consider pheromones to be a type of odor. Research has found that many organisms’ pheromones are processed by the vomeronasal organ (VNO), which belongs to the vomeronasal (accessory olfactory) system and is located in the nose to receive chemical signals. This research indicates that responses triggered by pheromones may not be related to consciously smelling odors. The neural network from the VNO to the brain is independent of the olfactory centers in the brain that process odor responses. However, although the VNO processes many animal pheromones, not all pheromones pass through the VNO. Conversely, not all chemical substances that pass through the VNO are pheromones. For example, garter snakes can detect chemical signals from earthworms—one of their favorite prey—through the VNO to hunt them.
Q7
According to the passage, researchers who define pheromones as odors believe that
A. Pheromones can be consciously perceived.
B. Most pheromones are processed through the VNO.
C. Pheromones constitute the majority of chemical signals processed by the VNO.
D. Not only members of the same species can perceive pheromones.
E. Pheromones do not always trigger behavioral or physiological responses.Q8
According to the passage, the fact that “VNO processes pheromones” is used to demonstrate which of the following?
A. The main olfactory center and the accessory olfactory system are not independent of each other.
B. Odors and pheromones are not the same type of chemical substance.
C. Both odors and pheromones trigger specific behavioral responses.
D. Pheromones do not lead to conscious olfaction.
E. Pheromones can help animals hunt prey.Q9
The main purpose of this passage is to
A. Compare and contrast the ways the olfactory center and the vomeronasal organ process chemical substances.
B. Outline the controversy surrounding “the role of the vomeronasal organ in olfaction.”
C. Discuss some controversies related to “what pheromones are composed of.”
D. Redefine pheromones through recent research.
E. Argue that “pheromones are a type of odor.”
Answers (highlight to view): A/D/C
原題來源：http://elitefg.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=2024
Now, let’s diagnose:
1. If it takes you more than 1:30 to read the article,
This means your reading comprehension speed needs improvement, regardless of language. Or you might be getting too caught up in article details, slowing down your overall pace. Solution: Change your reading habits
The first read-through during the GMAT exam is not about “studying,” but about “reading a newspaper.” You don’t need to understand or memorize every single word and sentence; just get a general impression of the main topic, structure, arguments, and tone. Therefore, in your future reading habits, remember that the purpose of the first read-through is to grasp: Topic (composition of pheromones) Structure (presenting various viewpoints and then introducing recent research) Arguments (one side believes pheromones are conscious odors, the other believes they are not) Tone (the author uses research to refute one side’s argument) For other details, you can speed up a bit; there’s no need to force memorization. You can always locate them later when a question asks.
2. If you read the article in under 1:30, but usually take 2-3 minutes to finish an RC passage:
This indicates that your reading ability is fine; the problem is with the language.
3. If it takes you more than 15 seconds to find the locating sentence:
This means you’re not yet familiar with the structural relationships within the passage and what appears in each section.
During your RC review after daily practice, conduct thorough structural training: RC Fundamentals (Part 1): How to Develop Structural Reading Skills
4. If you answered all questions easily and correctly:
That means your thinking ability when doing reading is not an issue; the difference lies only in time pressure + interpretation barriers due to a non-native language. Once problems 1 and 2 are resolved, these barriers will automatically disappear.
5. If you made a mistake on either of the first two questions:
Please carefully figure out why that option cannot be inferred from the information in the passage. Is it information from another paragraph? Is the tone opposite? Is it an over-inference? …This is a common pitfall in your thinking. Everyone has different weaknesses; by finding yours this way, you can be extra careful when tackling future questions.
RC Fundamentals (Part 2): How to Review RC Options?
RC Fundamentals (Part 3): What to Do When Summarizing?
6. If you made a mistake on the last question, the main idea question
This means you either didn’t grasp or misunderstood the Topic/Structure/Arguments/Tone. Please perform a structural analysis for every passage in the OG. The analysis method is: refer to the correct answer for the main idea question of that passage, then go back and write down the function and logical relationship of each sentence or block in the passage. Finally, categorize passages with similar structures and read all articles with similar structures at once to develop familiarity with that type of structure.
