The ASVAB, like almost every other test of general knowledge,
has included a reading section among its several subtests. In
some ways, the Paragraph Comprehension Section is like any test
of reading skills that you have ever taken. But because you are
only given 13 minutes to read approximately 13 or 14 passages and
answer 15 questions—that's 51 seconds per question, including the
time it takes to read the passage—the ASVAB requires you to read
differently from the way you are used to in your everyday
life.
Know What to Expect
Paragraph Comprehension passages vary in length from 30 words to
120 words. Passages are drawn from a wide variety of topics from
art and science to business, politics and history. Never forget
that your goal in this section is to answer the questions
correctly. You get absolutely no extra points for having an
especially thorough understanding of the passage.
The great majority of the passages will be accompanied by just
one question. That's why we suggest: Read the question first!
You should also familiarize yourself with the major question
types:
- Main Idea Questions will ask you to
identify the main idea, or thesis, of a passage.
- Purpose Questions will ask you to
determine what the author of the passage is trying to
achieve.
- Tone Questions will ask you to identify
the mood of a question. This can be difficult, so pay careful
attention to the descriptive words in the passage.
- Detail Questions ask you to find specific
information explicitly stated in the passage.
- Inference Questions ask you questions
about the passage that are not directly stated, but rather
implied.
- Correct Sequence Questions ask you to
identify the next step in a series of how-to steps based on a
direction given in the passage.
- Vocabulary-in-Context Questions ask you
for the meaning of a word used in the paragraph, testing your
ability to look for context clues.
If you keep in mind that you're working under tight time
constraints and avoid getting stuck on any one question, you'll
be able to tackle these paragraphs with confidence.
Learn Math Strategies for the ASVAB.
Start your ASVAB prep with our Free Practice
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