Embark on your reading comprehension journey with this collection of easy practice passages. Building confidence and foundational skills is crucial for tackling more complex texts on exams such as the GRE and GMAT.
Easy passages provide a comfortable starting point, allowing you to focus on core reading comprehension techniques without getting overwhelmed by challenging vocabulary or intricate concepts. This reading list offers engaging articles on a variety of topics, mirroring the structure you’ll find on your exams.
Each passage includes a reading comprehension practice question, designed to help you apply your comprehension skills in a focused way. The practice questions test a wide variety of question types found in the GRE and the GMAT but need not be easy questions. Question difficulty can range from “easy” to “medium-high” allowing you to also see how more challenging questions can be framed on easy passages and recognize that the difficulty of answering a question is less about the passage and more about the question itself. With regular practice, you’ll device reading comprehension strategy that will help you comprehend better and notice a significant improvement in your ability to extract key information and understand the author’s intent.
To further assess your understanding, each article also includes a concise summary. Compare your interpretation with the summary for a quick check on your grasp of the main ideas. Remember, progress takes practice! Bookmark this blog and revisit it regularly for fresh sets of easy passages to continue honing your skills. For additional resources and updates, subscribe to our YouTube and Instagram channels and join us for #wizreadswednesdays.
Emergent Gravity | March 27, 2024
Is gravity a fundamental force – which is how scientists have considered it so far or is it a result of microscopic processes? That is the question that physicists have recently strived to answer. Read this article to know more about the latest research on gravity and dark matter.
Read the Science & Tech article
Answer this Medium-High Difficulty Inference Question
All of the following are true from the article EXCEPT
- Verlinde’s theory on emergent gravity has not been held true in all experiments conducted on the topic.
- Verlinde’s theory on emergent gravity is only a minor variation from the existing theory on gravity.
- When a certain quality is clearly intrinsic, it cannot also be classified as emergent.
- If gravity is found to be emergent, then motion and inertia will be considered emergent as well.
- Verlinde’s 2016 theory attracted more scientific attention than his earlier 2009 version of the theory.
RC Question Answer & Explanation ▼
The article describes Verlinde’s theory as a “rewriting of a known law of physics” and as a “radical reformation of gravity”. These descriptions imply that the theory is a significant deviation from prevailing theory of gravity.
Correct Answer: Choice (2)
Categories: Science & Tech Articles | March 2024 List
From Xocolatl to Chocolate | March 20, 2024
We associate chocolates with the Swiss but the origins of the chocolate as a drink can be traced to the Mayan culture. Read this easy article to trace the history of chocolate across multiple continents and its evolution into how we know it today.
Answer this Medium Difficulty Inference Question
Which of the following is true about the role of chocolate in Mayan and Aztec cultures?
- In both cultures, every one of all classes enjoyed the frothy beverage.
- Only the Mayans believed that the drink was a gift from the gods.
- Both cultures valued the drink and consumed it during special celebrations.
- Aztecs traded in both Cacao beans and in gold while Mayans predominantly traded in the beans.
- Although a popular drink, it was considered severely dangerous to consume the drink in excess.
RC Question Answer & Explanation ▼
The article mentions that, although, in Mayan culture, chocolate was commonplace and in Aztec, consumed mainly by rich, both Mayan and Aztec history show chocolate being drunk during special occasions and ceremonies.
Correct Answer: Choice (3)
Categories: Social Sciences Articles | March 2024 Reading List
A high stake on stakeholders | Feb 21, 2024
A recent global study conducted by the Saïd Business School shows that companies that focus on all stakeholders are more likely to be successful than companies that focus only on shareholders. Read this easy-difficulty write-up to know more.
Read the Business & Economy article
Answer this Moderate to Hard CR question
Which of the following points out the flaw in the author’s reasoning regarding overperforming and underperforming businesses?
- More overperforming businesses responded to the survey, leading to a higher percentage of leaders reporting purpose-driven decision-making.
- Even though a low percentage of underperforming businesses represented stakeholders in their decision-making, their numbers are high.
- The study report fails to account for those businesses that are neither underperforming nor overperforming.
- It could be that leaders of overperforming businesses represent stakeholders in decision-making after the business reaches a certain threshold of performance.
- While the survey studied global leaders across 450 organizations, nearly 20% of these organizations were headquartered in the same continent.
CR Practice Question Answer & Explanation ▼
The passage indicates that a focus on stakeholders instead of a focus on shareholders is the reason that some organizations are able to overperform. In order to weaken this causal relationship, we need to point out that such a focus need not be the reason for success. Option (4) does that by pointing out that overperforming organizations likely began focusing on stakeholders only on success and that the focus was not necessarily a prerequisite to success.
Correct Answer: Option (4) thus weakens the reasoning and is the answer.
Categories: Business & Economy Reading List | Feb 2024 Reading List
The brain and new love | Feb 14, 2024
Love is blind…. says Science. There is scientific evidence that new love can lead to changes in the brain, in our attitude, and our behavior. This Valentine’s day, let us check out this easy read on how new love affects our brain and answer a medium-difficulty question.
Read the easy Science & Tech article
Answer this Moderate difficulty Inference Question
Which of the following can be inferred from the article?
- The release of dopamine activates the brain’s reward system.
- Of all rodents, Prairie voles are the most similar to human neurosystems.
- The brain’s region linked with drive and motivation is not in the cerebral cortex.
- People who crave drugs are more likley to replace that craving with one for relationships.
- Only new love is single-minded – making one think of their paramour a lot of the time.
RC Sample Question Answer & Explanation ▼
The passage states that “Romantic love does not emanate from your cerebral cortex, where you do your thinking….. It’s based in the brain regions linked with drive, with focus, with motivation.” If love is not from your cerebral cortex but is from the region linked with drive, then drive is not from the cerebral cortex either. Many people pick option (1) – however, the causal relationship is inverted in the option: the activation of the reward system releases dopamine and not the other way around.
Correct Answer: Option (3).
Categories: Science & Tech GRE GMAT Reading List | Feb 2024 Recommendations