Reading Comprehesion Study Guide for the DAT

General Information

The biggest difference between the DAT reading comprehension section and similar sections on other tests is that the passages you’ll read are all related to undergraduate science curriculum concepts. You will not need to use prior knowledge of these concepts to answer the questions. You’ll be more successful if you rely only on the information in the passage. Of course, vocabulary gained in your undergraduate science courses will help you comprehend the passages. You can enhance this vocabulary by reading scientific journals, etc., as you prepare for the test.

On the actual test, there will be three passages with between 14 and 20 questions about each. The passages are between 1,000 and 1,500 words long. You will be asked questions requiring you to comprehend and analyze the scientific information in the passage.

Types of Questions

Most of the reading comprehension questions on the DAT are more involved than simple “recall” questions. Yes, you will need to access parts of the passage, but you will also need to analyze the content. Here are some examples.

Global Questions

These questions deal with the passage as a whole, and ask you to analyze it in its entirety.

Main Purpose

Main purpose questions are included in the “global” test question category. You will only have one of these per passage, but they should involve quick identifiers, which is a good way to bank quick points. It is important to keep the article’s purpose in mind when reading. The purpose is why the author wrote the passage. Essentially, it will be up to the reader to determine what the author wants the reader to take away from the passage or why the passage was written.

Often, the article’s purpose is a verb, such as entertain, inform, persuade, explain, evaluate, argue, or compare. The main purpose will be the broad overarching idea expressed in the article, so don’t get deep into the weeds with details for these types of questions.

Title

First, it is important to understand the main purpose of the article or why the author is writing the passage. Additionally, you may be asked to choose the most appropriate title for the piece of literature. Understanding both the main purpose and the overall point will be important in determining the correct answer for these types of questions because the correct title for the passage will include some reference to both.

For example, if the purpose of the piece is to inform the audience about the impact of global warming and the overall point is that global warming is harming ecosystems in Antarctica, then an appropriate title would be something that references both, such as “Case Report on the Impact of Global Warming on the Ecosystems of Antarctica.”

It can also be a good skill on test day to consider what you think an appropriate title would be as you read a passage so that if you’re asked for one, you already have a head start. Using this method of test-taking will also help save you time if you’re asked questions about the main purpose or overall point as well.

A good title concisely but fully explains the main purpose of the article and the main takeaway the author is trying to express. It should be free from opinions and inappropriate tone while focusing on clarity.

Overall Point

While the main purpose is the author’s reason for writing the passage, the overall point is what the author intends readers to take away from the article. It will be important to differentiate between the two on test day. The overall point is the conclusion, the summary, or the main points the author is trying to express, not to be confused with the main purpose, which is the author’s reason for writing the passage.

The overall point is likely preceded by conclusion-like keywords such as in summary, thus, consequently, or hence. These keywords will clue the reader in to the conclusion or the overall point of the passage and will help you easily identify these components.

While the main purpose is often a verb, the overall point is usually a complete sentence summarizing the article succinctly. For example, in the aforementioned example of a paper on global warming impacts in Antarctica, the overall point would be something along the lines of “Global warming impact is felt in the ecosystems of Antarctica as there have been populations of animals decimated by the rising temperatures.”

Detail Questions

Detail questions are the most common type of question in the reading comprehension section. They call on specific, more detailed aspects of the passage in contrast to the global questions, which call on an understanding of the passage as a whole. These questions will commonly appear with introductions like “according to the passage.”

What Are Details?

As you read through the passages on test day, it is often good practice to take notes or create an outline of where certain topics are discussed in the passage for quick reference when answering questions that may call on more specific details of the topics discussed. Continuing the global warming impacts on Antarctica example, paragraph topics could be (1) temperature changes, (2) animal populations affected, and (3) how to stop global warming. Noting this as you read can help you quickly recall where those topics were discussed.

Once you have identified the paragraph where the information in the detail question is being addressed, it is important to find direct evidence to answer the question. Often, the wording will be incredibly similar, providing a clue to help in answering.

Matching Details

On test day, a common type of question will ask you to identify matching details. In various ways, the question will ask the test taker to choose which detail is mentioned in the passage or ask which detail is correct. These questions will be worded similarly to how they are written in the passage. Your passage notes will help you quickly reference paragraphs with similar details to save time when identifying the correct answer.

This question type can be an easy way to waste time. If you cannot quickly identify which answer choice is correct, don’t spend too much time trying to answer the question. A good tip to remember is that answering other questions for a given passage can help you find answers as you reference the article.

“Except” Questions

Similar to matching details questions, “except” questions ask the test taker to identify which answer choice is not true. The approach to these questions is similar to the matching details questions, except that the correct answer choice will not be found in the passage.

Once again, notes or an outline of the passage will help direct you to where you may find various topics. Another trick for these types of questions is to skim them and revisit them once all other questions for a given passage have been answered. This will help you better understand the passage and where certain details can be found throughout the passage as you will be more familiar with the material.