It measures a candidate’s ability to read, understand and give insights into passages. The questions asked in the passage will be related to the following characteristics.
Principles that function in the selection
The main idea or primary purpose
The organization or structure
Analogies to claims or arguments in the choice
Information that is explicitly stated
An author’s attitude as revealed in the tone of a passage or the language used
The application of data in the selection to a new context
Information or ideas that can be inferred
The meaning or purpose of words or phrases as used in the context
The impact of more details on claims or arguments in the selection
Analytical Reasoning
Understanding what could be true or must be true from given facts and rules
Recognizing when two statements are logically equivalent in context by identifying a condition or state that could replace one of the original conditions while still resulting in the same possible outcomes
Inferring what could be true or must be true from given facts and rules together with new information in the form of an additional or substitute fact or rule
Comprehending the basic structure of a set of relationships by determining a complete solution to the problem posed (for example, an acceptable seating arrangement of all six diplomats around a table)
Reasoning with conditional (“if-then”) statements and recognizing logically equivalent formulations of such statements
Logical Reasoning
Determining how additional evidence affects an argument
Knowing the parts of a case and their relationships
Detecting assumptions made by particular arguments
Identifying explanations
Recognizing similarities and differences between patterns of reasoning
Reasoning by analogy
Identifying and applying principles or rules
Recognizing misunderstandings or points of disagreement