"Expansion" questions in RC sections Forum

[mapleleaf]

The RC Bible says that questions of the following form come with about 10% of passages:

"Which one of the following statements would most appropriately continue the discussion at the end of the passage?"

I have a lot of trouble with these, and the RCB gives very minimalistic advice about them. Has anyone thought about them or come up with a way to tackle them effectively? I'd appreciate any advice.

[tomwatts]

Well, the basic idea is that you want to stick as close to what the passage has already said as possible. You want to stick to the main point of the whole passage and stick to the main point of the final paragraph. Don't go anywhere new. Don't contradict what the author has already said. Don't bring up irrelevant points. Just rephrase what the passage has already said.

[gdane]

This is where understanding the main topic comes in handy. What was the passage trying to say? Was it arguing for/against something? Was it just giving you facts? Etc etc.

Ask yourself, what else is left? Did the passage leave something behind? Is there something else that could be said? Usually you can find the right answer to an "Expansion" question by answering these questions.

If all else fails, just look for the answer that mentions things found in the passage and that is shaped in a conclusive form.

Good luck!