Which one of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the proponents' argument regarding the safety of usi...
carettirJanuary 20, 2020
Science
I tend to struggle with science-related passages. Do you have any advice on how to approach these? I think it's the complex terms which I'm not familiar with that causes confusion.
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It is common for people to struggle with scientific passages. The first step is to stop being intimidated by scientific terms. Keep in mind that the test makers do not expect you to be a scientist. You do not need any prior knowledge. Any important words will be defined in the passage. You can answer most of the questions correctly even if you are confused about certain parts of the passage. It is normal for me to still have some confusion after my first thorough reading.
After I have extracted what I believe to be the important information, and I can simplify the main point in my own words, I know that I am ready to start answering questions. Even if there are a few things I don't totally understand, I'm not going to panic. I can go back and take a closer look at certain details if a question calls for it. My personal theory is that the test makers include a very complex paragraph, expecting you to spend a year reading it over and over again, only to ask one or two surface-level questions about it. Do your best to understand the passage, get the main points, and move on.
After reading this passage, my simplified main point was something like this: "If crops are not rotated, harmful bacteria can build up and reduce crop yield. Genetically modifying bacteria may be a solution."
I think that many people make a mistake when approaching science passages. They treat them differently from other types of passages. Remember that the same literary elements are present. You can still look for evidence, conclusions, the author's tone, compare/contrast words, different viewpoints, etc. In this example, the author goes back and forth between opponents and proponents. This is obviously something to pay attention to. We get an idea of the author's opinion on line 19-21: "There is now considerable experimental support for this view." These are the things that help you decide what information is important.
