Which one of the following statements most accurately expresses the main point of the passage?

Shula on September 17, 2023

Advice on reading a challenging passage like this

I found this passage to be particularly difficult to comprehend. I read it several times thoroughly, but I still find it very confusing. Maybe it's due to its syntax or vocabs, it's just inherently hard to understand. Do you have any advice on how I can tackle this type of hard-to-understand passage in the future? Thank you so much!

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Emil-Kunkin on September 24, 2023

I think when we have passages about abstract concepts, I would try to do three things. First, I would try to summarize each concept or idea mentioned in my own words when possible. I think this helps us to distill complex ideas into things that are easier to comprehend, and gives us a more familiar concept to reference going forward.

Second, I would try to make sure you are noting down when new views are discussed and how they interact with other views mentioned. I would ideally give a name to each view, note down who espouses that view, if the author seems to agree with it, and how it relates to earlier or subsequent views.

Finally, I would encourage you to take a stance. Do you agree with an idea or concept? Do you find it useful? I think this forces us to think critically and to attempt to analyze complex ideas. I think it also helps commit them to memory.