RC question types in IPMAT: how to spot and solve each
Reading comprehension questions look different but only a handful of types appear. Knowing the type tells you where to look in the passage and which wrong options to expect. For the wider approach to reading and timing, see the RC strategy guide.
1. Main idea / central point
How to spot it: "The primary purpose of the passage...", "The passage is best described as...", "Which of the following best summarises...".
How to solve: Use the one-line map you made of each paragraph. The main idea covers the whole passage, including the final paragraph where the author's own position usually lands. Predict it in one sentence before reading the options.
Traps: An option that is true but covers only one paragraph (too narrow). An option that is bigger than the passage (too broad). An option that states the view the author is arguing against.
2. Detail / "according to the passage"
How to spot it: "According to the author...", "Which of the following is mentioned...", "All of the following EXCEPT".
How to solve: Find the exact lines. Compare each option with them, word by word. For EXCEPT questions, three options will be supported by the text; hunt for the one that is not, which is often a plausible claim the passage never makes or one it contradicts.
Traps: Options that change one word (some becomes all), swap cause and effect, or are true in general but absent from the text.
3. Inference
How to spot it: "It can be inferred that...", "The passage implies...", "The author would most likely agree that...".
How to solve: An inference is a small step from what is written, not a leap. The right option should be forced or very strongly supported by specific lines. Ask: if the passage is true, must this be true? Also ask whether the author could comfortably say it.
Traps: Options that go too far ("therefore all organisations should..."), options that are true in the real world but not supported, and options that restate the passage so closely they add nothing but with a key word altered.
4. Tone and attitude
How to spot it: "The author's attitude towards X is...", "The tone of the passage is...".
How to solve: Look at adjectives, adverbs and the verbs of evaluation. Decide first whether the attitude is positive, negative or balanced, then narrow. Most IPMAT-style passages are measured: analytical, cautious, mildly critical, qualified. A strong word like "scornful" or "outraged" needs strong language in the text.
Traps: Extreme tone words, and the mixing of the tone of a described view with the author's tone. An author who describes an angry critic is not angry.
5. Vocabulary in context
How to spot it: "The word X as used in the passage most nearly means...", or a phrase in quotation marks.
How to solve: Ignore the dictionary meaning you first thought of. Re-read the sentence, replace the word with each option, and see which keeps the author's meaning. Look for contrast or support in the neighbouring sentences.
Traps: The common meaning of a word that has several. The usual meaning is often there as a decoy.
6. Structure and function
How to spot it: "Why does the author mention...", "The second paragraph serves to...", "The example of the bridge is used to...".
How to solve: This is where your five-word paragraph map pays off. Ask what point the sentence supports. Examples exist to illustrate a claim; a counterexample exists to qualify one. Name the claim first, then pick the option that names the same job.
Traps: Options that describe what the example is about instead of what it does.
7. Assumption, strengthen, weaken
How to spot it: "The argument assumes...", "Which of the following, if true, would weaken the author's claim?".
How to solve: State the conclusion and the evidence. The assumption is the unstated link that must hold for the evidence to support the conclusion. To weaken, attack that link or offer an alternative explanation; to strengthen, support the link or eliminate alternatives. Use the negation test for assumptions: if the opposite of an option would destroy the argument, it is a necessary assumption.
Traps: Options that are consistent with the argument but are not needed by it, and options that talk about a different conclusion.
8. Logical continuation or next paragraph
How to spot it: "The paragraph that follows would most likely discuss...".
How to solve: Look at the last paragraph. Which promise or open question does it leave? Choose the option that is the natural next step, not a repeat of what was already covered.
One habit across all types
Before you mark an option, say what is wrong with the other three. If you cannot, you have not finished. After each set, record the type and the trap for every error, and compare against the patterns above. Then practise with real questions on the past-paper RC page and check your pace with the reading speed test.