Last updated July 07, 2026 · Reviewed by the AnvayaPrep team
Introduction
Reading Comprehension Question Types covers the full taxonomy of RC questions and the strategies appropriate for each. The 27 scored Reading Comprehension questions per LSAT are distributed across approximately 10 to 12 question types, each requiring a different analytical approach. Just as question stem recognition in Logical Reasoning determines the solving strategy, RC question type identification determines how to use the passage and what to look for in answer choices.
The 37 topics in this unit cover: global questions (Main Point, Primary Purpose, Organization, Passage Title), local questions (Detail, Line Reference, Meaning in Context), inference questions in the RC context (Must Be True, Most Strongly Supported, Author Would Agree), function questions (Role of a Sentence, Role of a Paragraph), application questions, analogy questions, author attitude and tone questions, response questions (How Would Author Respond?), Strengthen and Weaken questions as applied to RC passages, question stem analysis specific to RC, RC answer prediction, RC elimination strategy, and the most common wrong answer traps specific to RC.
The fundamental division is between global questions (about the passage as a whole) and local questions (about specific parts of the passage). Global questions should be answered from memory and the main point; local questions should be answered by returning to the specific section referenced.
Learning Objectives
- Classify any RC question stem into its correct type and activate the appropriate strategy.
- Distinguish global questions from local questions and apply different approaches to each.
- Apply the correct standard for RC inference questions: find what the passage most strongly supports, not what must be true with certainty.
- Use passage maps and line references to efficiently locate evidence for local questions without rereading the entire passage.
- Evaluate RC answer choices using the elimination strategy: identify and remove answers containing outside information, extreme language, distorted claims, or scope violations.
- Recognize and avoid the most common RC wrong answer traps: half-right answers, outside knowledge introduction, scope distortions, and opposite-direction answers.
High-Yield Concepts
| RC Question Type | Task | Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Main Point | Identify the passage's primary argument | Recall your main point identification from reading; check it against answer choices |
| Primary Purpose | Describe why the author wrote the passage | Use abstract purpose language: "to argue that," "to evaluate," "to describe and assess" |
| Organization | Describe the passage's structure | Use your paragraph labels; translate to the answer's abstract description |
| Detail / Reference | Find specific factual information | Return to the passage; locate the referenced section; find textual support |
| Inference / Must Be True | Find what the passage most strongly supports | Look for conservatively worded claims backed by multiple passage statements |
| Author Would Agree | Identify a claim the author would accept | Find textual support for each candidate answer |
| Author Attitude / Tone | Identify the author's evaluative stance | Note evaluative language; use moderate tone descriptions |
| Function of Sentence/Paragraph | Identify why a specific element is included | Ask what role this plays in the broader argument |
| Application | Apply a passage principle to a new situation | Identify the principle; find the answer that instantiates it |
| Analogy | Find a situation analogous to one described | Abstract the relevant relationship; find an answer with the same relationship |
| Author Response | Determine how the author would respond to a new claim | Identify the author's position; determine its implications for the new claim |
For local questions, always return to the passage to verify your answer. Do not rely on your memory of what a section says. Even when you feel confident about the content, a quick scan of the relevant section prevents the most common local-question errors: slightly misremembering the exact claim or confusing adjacent sentences.
Study Strategy
Begin by mastering the global-vs-local distinction. Global questions (Main Point, Primary Purpose, Organization, Passage Title) are answered from your overall understanding of the passage. Local questions (Detail, Line Reference, Meaning in Context, Function of Sentence) require returning to a specific passage section. Never use a global strategy on a local question or a local strategy on a global one.
Study the inference standard for RC specifically: it is typically "most strongly supported" rather than the stricter "must be true" standard of Logical Reasoning. RC inference answers can be probabilistically supported rather than logically guaranteed.
Work through the wrong answer trap taxonomy: outside knowledge, extreme language, half-right answers (accurate about one part, wrong about another), scope distortions (too broad or too narrow), and opposite-direction answers. Learn to recognize each trap type so you can eliminate wrong answers systematically.
Practice RC answer prediction on detail and inference questions by reading the question, identifying the relevant passage section, and forming your answer before reading the choices. This prevents anchoring on attractive-sounding but incorrect options.
Think of global questions as asking about the whole map and local questions as asking about one specific street. For the map questions, step back and summarize. For the street questions, zoom in to the specific location. Applying the wrong zoom level produces wrong answers regardless of how well you read the passage.
Common Mistakes
Using outside knowledge on inference questions. RC inference questions, like LR inference questions, require support from the passage. What you know to be true in the real world is irrelevant if the passage does not support it. This trap is especially dangerous in passages about topics students know well.
Selecting half-right answers. A very common LSAT trap presents an answer that accurately describes one part of the passage but mischaracterizes another part. Students who find the accurate part without checking the full answer are caught by this trap. Verify every part of a candidate answer against the passage.
Applying extreme language standards to Main Point answers. RC Main Point answers often use carefully hedged language. An answer that says "the author suggests" is likely better than one saying "the author proves." Match the certainty level of the answer to the certainty level of the passage's argument.
Selecting purpose answers based on content rather than function. For function questions, the correct answer describes what the element does in the argument, not what it says. "Provides evidence for the claim in paragraph 1" is a function description; "describes the historical development of the policy" is a content description that might not be the function.
Exam Tips
On Author Would Agree questions, treat each answer choice as a potential inference question. Find specific textual support in the passage for each candidate before selecting. The correct answer will have clear support; wrong answers will require outside knowledge or extrapolation beyond the passage.
For Meaning in Context questions (what does word/phrase X mean in the context of paragraph Y?), read the surrounding sentences, not just the sentence containing the word. The passage's context determines the meaning, not dictionary definitions.
On Organization questions, match your paragraph labels to the abstract structural description in the answer choices. If your label says "introduces problem" and an answer says "presents the central difficulty," those correspond. Translate between concrete notes and abstract descriptions.
Do not select an answer to an Author Would Agree question based on what a reasonable person would believe or what seems consistent with the passage's general theme. The correct answer requires specific textual support: you should be able to point to exact passage language that supports each part of the answer. If you cannot find this support, do not select the answer regardless of how plausible it seems.
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