Praxis Core For Dummies with Online Practice Tests, 2nd Edition

Chapter 9

Reading Comprehension: Finding Meaning and Identifying Purpose

IN THIS CHAPTER

Surveying the parameters of the reading test

Answering short-passage-based questions about the main idea, author’s tone, and vocabulary

Mastering paraphrased, argumentative, and “if” questions related to long passages

Interpreting image-based questions

You already know that the Praxis “writing” test is mainly a grammar test, and that the point of that test is to make sure you have your grammatical rules straightened out. But why is there a Praxis reading test? After all, if you’re even taking the test (or reading this book), then you obviously already know how to read. The answer is that, as Sherlock Holmes is so fond of telling people, there’s a difference between seeing and observing: Anyone with a pair of eyes can look around a room and see what is there, but only a clever sleuth will discern the difference between what is an important clue and what is not.

ETS knows perfectly well that you can read all the words in the little paragraphs it gives you. What you’re being tested on is whether ...