GRE Reading Comprehension
About half of every Verbal section, which makes it the single largest component of the GRE Verbal score. Passages run from one paragraph to several, and most carry one to four questions.
The question types inside it
| Asks you to | Typical wording | Where the answer is |
|---|---|---|
| Find the main idea | The primary purpose of the passage is to | The whole passage, not one line |
| Find a stated detail | According to the passage | One or two specific lines |
| Infer | The passage suggests / implies that | Between the lines, but still supported |
| Identify function | The author mentions X primarily in order to | The role of a sentence in the argument |
| Weaken or strengthen | Which of the following, if true, most undermines | Outside the passage — evaluate the logic |
| Select-in-passage | Select the sentence that… | Click one sentence; no answer choices |
Some questions are select all that apply with three options, and each must be judged independently — there is no credit for getting two of three right.
Why the short passages are the hard ones
A one-paragraph passage with a single question is usually an argument, and the question usually asks you to weaken, strengthen, or find the assumption. That is logic, not reading speed. The long passages are generally more straightforward per question — they just take longer to get into.
- Read the passage before the questions. Question-first works on tests with more questions per passage; the GRE does not have them.
- Track the structure: what is the claim, where does it turn, whose view is being reported.
- Answer in your own words before looking at the options.
- Eliminate on specific grounds — too broad, too narrow, true but not asked, not supported.
The most common wrong answer on an inference question is a statement that is true in the world and not supported by the passage. The GRE rewards what the text licenses, not what is correct.
Reading Comprehension — FAQs
2 questions
No, and using it is risky. Passages cover science, humanities and social science, and everything required is in the text.
Budget roughly 90 seconds per question overall, with reading time shared across the questions attached to that passage.
More verbal question types
Sources
Written from the test board's own published material and checked on 1 October 2026.