Reading Comprehension
🔒 Log in to trackFactual detail questions ('According to the passage…')
🔒 Log in to trackThese questions ask what the passage says, line by line. The answer is written in the passage — but the options paraphrase it, and the wrong options are engineered around it.
Method: locate → read around → paraphrase-match.
- Pull the distinctive keyword from the question (a proper noun, a number, an unusual noun like pensions or tin roofs).
- Find it in the passage; read the sentence before and after — the answer often sits just outside the keyword's own line.
- State the answer to yourself in your own words, then choose the option that matches your sentence. Never compare options to the passage directly; compare them to your paraphrase.
The three wrong options in detail questions:
- Not stated: plausible, even true in the world, but the passage never says it.
- Reversed: right topic, opposite direction — often built by flipping one word (most ↔ least, can ↔ cannot).
- Wrong scope: takes a detail from a different paragraph and attaches it here.
Comparatives, numbers and qualifiers deserve double attention. If the passage says "night-time heat is particularly dangerous", an option that drops "particularly" and says heat is dangerous is weaker than the passage allows — and an option saying "day-time heat is the real danger" is reversed.
"Which of the following is NOT true" variants: mark each option TRUE or FALSE against a line; the odd one out is the answer. Two options will usually share one sentence, which helps you locate the region fast.
Detailed notes
What is a detail question?
A detail (or factual) question asks about something that is written directly in the passage: a fact, a reason, a number, a name, a feature. The stem often begins "According to the passage…" or "The passage states that…".
These are the easiest marks in RC — but only if you go back and read the line. Memory is not enough, because the options are built to almost match the passage.
Method: Locate → Read around → Say it → Match
- Locate. Pick a keyword from the question — a name, number or unusual word (stepwell, fat content, ten days). Find it in the passage.
- Read around. Read that sentence plus one before and one after. Answers often sit in the next sentence.
- Say it. Put the answer in your own words before looking at the options.
- Match. Choose the option that means the same as your words (options usually paraphrase — use different words with the same meaning).
How wrong options are made
| Trap | Example (passage says "Most varieties need little water") |
|---|---|
| Reversal — opposite meaning | "Millets need a lot of water" |
| Extreme — changes most to all | "All millets need no water at all" |
| Not stated — sounds true, never said | "Millets are grown mainly in Punjab" |
| Wrong part — true detail from another paragraph, wrong for this question | a reason given for a different fact |
Watch the small words (qualifiers)
some / many / most / all, often / always, may / will, more / less, only. One changed qualifier makes an option wrong.
- Passage: "Rich merchants and queens paid for the finest of them."
- Option: "All stepwells were paid for by queens." → wrong (two changes: all and only queens).
Reason questions ("Why…?")
Look for because, since, as, so that, due to, the reason is. The answer is the clause after these words.
- Passage: "Less milk turned sour because it was cooled at once."
- Q: Why did less milk turn sour? → "It was cooled immediately."
NOT / EXCEPT questions
"Which of the following is NOT mentioned…" or "…all of the following EXCEPT".
- Circle NOT/EXCEPT so you do not forget it.
- Tick each option you can find in the passage.
- The one option you cannot find (or that is contradicted) is the answer. Three options usually come from the same sentence or list — find that list and it is quick.
Numbers and comparisons
If the passage gives numbers ("twelve households… over two hundred within four years"), check every number in the option. A common trap swaps the before and after figures.
Quick revision
- Detail answers are WRITTEN in the passage — always go back to the line.
- Use a keyword to locate; read one sentence before and after.
- Answer in your own words first, then match the paraphrase.
- Traps: reversal, extreme, not stated, wrong paragraph.
- "Why" → look for because / since / so that.
- NOT/EXCEPT → tick the three that are present; the leftover is the answer.
- Check qualifiers and numbers word by word.
Types of questions asked
Every way this subtopic shows up in exams — how to recognise it, the formula or logic to use, and a solved example.
Type 1: Direct detail ('According to the passage…')very common2 practice Q
The stem asks what, when, how often, or what happened, usually with 'according to the passage'.
- Take the keyword from the question and find it.
- Read that sentence and the next one.
- Say the answer in your words, then pick the matching paraphrase.
- Double-check qualifiers (some/most/all).
Example: "The library opens at 9 a.m. on weekdays and at noon on Sundays." According to the passage, when does the library open on Sundays?
Keyword Sundays → 'at noon on Sundays'. Answer: at 12 noon.
Type 2: Reason / cause detail ('Why…?')very common2 practice Q
'Why did…?', 'What was the reason for…?', 'According to the passage, … because…'.
- Find the event the question names.
- Look for because, since, as, so that, due to near it.
- The clause after that word is the answer. Match it with the option that gives the SAME reason, not a related fact.
Example: "Travellers rested in the stepwell at noon because the air near the water stayed cool." Why did travellers rest there?
The clause after because: the air near the water stayed cool. Answer: because it was cool near the water.
Type 3: NOT mentioned / EXCEPTcommon2 practice Q
The stem contains NOT or EXCEPT (often in capitals).
- Circle NOT/EXCEPT.
- Find the list or sentence the options come from.
- Tick each option present in the passage.
- The one left (not present or contradicted) is the answer.
Example: "The kit contains a torch, a whistle and a first-aid box." Which is NOT in the kit? (a) torch (b) whistle (c) rope (d) first-aid box
Torch, whistle and first-aid box are listed. Rope is not. Answer: (c) rope.
Type 4: Which statement is true / correct? (qualifiers and numbers)common2 practice Q
'Which of the following is true/correct according to the passage?' with four full-sentence options.
- Test each option against its line.
- Look hard at qualifiers (all, only, every, most) and numbers.
- An option with one wrong word is fully wrong.
Why it works: setters make three options false by changing one small word each.
Example: "The club began with 12 members and had 200 members four years later." Which is true? (a) It began with 200 members (b) It grew from 12 to 200 members in four years (c) It lost members (d) It has 12 members now
(a) swaps the numbers, (c) reverses, (d) uses the old figure. Answer: (b).
Shortcut tricks
⚡ Paraphrase before you look
After locating the line, cover the options, answer aloud in your own words, then uncover. This one habit defeats most engineered wrong options.
Example: 'Why is night-time heat more dangerous than day heat?' (from a passage on heat islands)
Your paraphrase: body repairs itself during sleep, so hot nights harm health. Now match — any option about air conditioners or daytime labour is off-line.
⚡ Reversal scan
Before marking a detail option, check its direction words: only/always/all, may/often/some, can/cannot. Wrong options flip these while keeping the same topic words.
⚡ Option pairing
When two options say the same thing in different words, both are wrong — a fact has one meaning. Kill the pair, then judge the remaining two.
Where students lose marks
Stopping at the line containing the keyword; the answer may be in the following sentence.
Choosing an option because it sounds authoritative ('studies show…') though the passage cites no such study.
Missing 'EXCEPT/NOT' in the question stem and marking the true statement instead.
Ignoring qualifiers like 'mainly', 'only', 'some' — detail questions turn on exactly these words.
Practice sets — 12 questions
Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Each answer comes with a step-by-step explanation.
Topic test · 12 questions
Suggested time 7 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.