MCAT Verbal Reasoning Explanations Thread

[QofQuimica]

I took my first 30 minute verbal test in examkrakers. I got a 6
The hardest type of questions I find are questions that ask on what the author's stance is concerning what is being covered in the passage, it is so difficult to get a sense of the tone of the author. It felt awkward trying to do the verbal based on their suggested approach.

Adding to lorelei's great suggestions about always considering the author's purpose when reading MCAT passages, I'd like to also point out that most authors of MCAT passages are writing "scholarly articles," not polemics. In other words, it would be highly unusual to read an MCAT passage where the author is ranting and raving like a lunatic. Rather, most passages have a sober, considered, and deliberate tone. Even when an author is expressing disagreement with some other expert in the field, s/he will do so in a reserved manner. This subtlety is a part of what makes it difficult to pick out the author's viewpoint sometimes. But there will still be clues to tell you where the author stands with regard to the topic (positive, negative, or neutral). Look for the opinion keywords that Lorelei mentioned above to help you pick up on this. Also, avoid picking extreme choices for the author's viewpoint, unless the tone of the passage is also extreme. Again, such a passage would be uncommon.

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