GMATTERS: What Did You Just Say?
Today in GMATTERS one of our expert Instructors helps us break down simple steps for tackling tricky Reading Comprehension questions. We'll look at how to navigate technical jargon and buzzwords in order to simplify the most complicated passages. For strategies on approaching other types of exam questions, check out our GMAT Tutorials.
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What Did You Just Say?
“High levels of alpha-synuclein disrupt the flow of proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum, the site of protein production in the cell, to the Golgi apparatus, the component of the cell that modifies and sorts the proteins before sending them to their final destinations within the cell.” Are you serious? Who talks like that? Answer: The GMAT. A high verbal score on the GMAT involves successfully navigating the maze of words otherwise known as reading comprehension.
Have you ever turned on the TV and heard some “expert” ramble on about a subject while throwing around technical buzzwords like confetti? After a few minutes of unsuccessfully trying to comprehend what was said, you walk away feeling less smart. I know I certainly have. Yes, we all can feel a little inadequate at the mercy of long sentences and big words; however, there is a fundamental law of life which states: The more words someone takes to say something and the more jargon the person uses, typically, the less they know about that subject.
Concision + Simplicity = Comprehension.
This law is all around us in our jobs, politics, the stock market, and, of course, that know-it-all friend of ours. The bottom line (and the key to GMAT Reading Comprehension) is that when you force yourself to state something in simple terms without buzzwords, you force yourself to comprehend it. I tell my students to picture themselves talking to their kid brother or sister. It’s a great test – if you explain something to a child, you probably will keep it brief and simple – which forces you to get to the core meaning.
This technique is most useful at the paragraph level with GMAT reading comprehension. At the end of every paragraph, pretend that your annoying little brother is tugging on your shirt and saying “what does that mean!?!” The more you practice distilling the jumbled, wordy mess of jargon into the gold of simplicity and concision, the better at reading comprehension you’ll become.
Ok, I know it was painful the first time around, but let’s try this technique on the first sentence. Take a minute and try and put it in your own words. Here are 3 of my top 10 secrets for mastering this technique (more to come in a MGMAT classroom near you).
- Don’t try and swallow it all in one bite. Break it up.
- Your pen is your friend. Jot down any relevant notes as you split it up.
- Simple abbreviations should be used as substitutes for jargon.
While there is certainly no right answer, one top-tier student of mine (with an actual little brother) came up with the following, “Lots of AS messes up the proteins traveling from the ER to the Golgi. Oh and by the way, the AS is where protein is made. And the Golgi is where they are changed along their journey….Now go outside and play!”
If you want to tackle the really tough GMAT Reading Comprehension passages, this technique will help you get there. That said, just like mastering the rest of the GMAT, it’s all about practice, practice, practice! Oh, and thank you for staying with me after reading what may be the most cumbersome introductory sentence ever written.
This Week's Challenge Probelm
The consumer price index in Zeropia in 2009 relative to the year 2000 was 1.75, meaning that for every Zeropian dollar spent on consumer goods in 2000, $1.75 on average had to be spent in 2009. In Zeropian dollars, what was the increase in the price of Brand Z running shoes from 2000 to 2009, if these shoes’ price increased precisely according to the consumer price index?
(1) The price of Brand Z running shoes was $91 in 2009.
(2) The ratio of the dollar increase in the price of Brand Z running shoes to the price of the shoes in 2009 was 3:7.
Last Week's Challenge Probelm Solution
The fastest way to solve this problem is first to recognize that an algebraic approach will take a little time. Essentially, we will have to multiply through by the product (x – 2)(x + 2)(x – 1), then simplify.
If, instead, we glance at the answer choices, we see that 3 of them make one of the denominators zero, a result that is not allowed (we cannot divide by zero). Specifically, x cannot be –2 because one denominator is x + 2; likewise, x cannot be 1 or 2, since we have x – 1 and x – 2 as denominators as well.
Thus, the only two possible answers are –1 and 0. We try each in turn.
If x = –1, then we have the following:
1/(–3) = 1/(1) + 1/(–2)?
–1/3 = 1 – 1/2?
This is not true.
However, if x = 0, then we have the following:
1/(–2) = 1/(2) + 1/(–1)?
–1/2 = 1/2 – 1?
–1/2 = –1/2?
This is true, so x can be equal to 0.
Alternatively, we could take the algebraic approach.
First, we multiply through by the product (x – 2)(x + 2)(x – 1) to eliminate denominators.
(x – 1)(x + 2) = (x – 2)(x – 1) + (x – 2)(x + 2)
x2 + x – 2 = x2 – 3x + 2 + x2 – 4
0 = x2 – 4x
0 = x(x – 4)
x = 0 or x = 4
The correct answer is (C).
