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Sayali Maam and Maruti Sir, What is your take on scanning the questions first and then reading the RC passage ?
Hi Aravind, I personally dont see the options before reading the passage. In high-pressure situations, you might forget where you read a particular piece of info - in the passage or the options. I find it safer to go with the passage first and then questions.
I try to figure out the theme of the passage first. If it is interesting to me, I read the passage and then look at the questions. Most inference based questions are difficult to answer based on the questions themselves, so I don't see what advantage we get by looking at the questions first.
I think that it depends entirely on the kind of passage. After reading the first para, you get to know what kind of RC it is. For example, you read a para and figure out that the passage is an informative one. So then there would be little use in reading the whole passage, as the questions could ask specific paragraphs instead. So more marks in less time.
On the other hand if there are many inference questions or questions that ask about the passage in detail like a then point, then it makes sense to read the passage first.
I think this was mentioned in some video of hers as reading the option dosen't help at all because after reading the options and then going through the passage your perception changes you look for thing which might not be there at all trying to infer something by forcefully connecting the dots.
In one of the video, she explained that authors sometimes take one point in a passage but refute it later on, so it is better to first read the entire passage and then go for questions.
I am pretty good in verbal (99.7 range) and for me reading the options works, it helps me to focus on important parts. I read very fast however I do slow down on coming across a familiar word or phrase that I mught have seen in the questions.
