Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) Paragraph Comprehension (PC) Flashcards

24 sample cards from the Paragraph Comprehension (PC) deck

Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.

1. What is the difference between a fact and an opinion in a passage?

   A fact can be verified or proven true; an opinion expresses a personal belief, judgment, or feeling that cannot be objectively proven.

2. What is the recommended technique for figuring out the meaning of an unfamiliar word in a passage?

   Use context clues — the surrounding words and sentences — to infer the word's meaning rather than guessing in isolation.

3. Name the main types of context clues used to define words in a passage.

   Definition/restatement, example, synonym, antonym/contrast, and inference from general context.

4. What is a 'contrast' (antonym) context clue?

   Surrounding text signals an opposite meaning (often with words like 'but,' 'unlike,' or 'however'), letting you infer the word means the reverse of the contrasted term.

5. When a passage uses a word figuratively, how should you interpret a vocabulary-in-context question?

   Choose the meaning that fits how the word is used in that sentence, not its most common dictionary definition.

6. How can word roots, prefixes, and suffixes help with vocabulary in passages?

   Breaking a word into known parts (e.g., 'pre-' = before, '-ology' = study of) can reveal its meaning when context alone is not enough.

7. What is 'active reading'?

   Engaging with the text as you read — questioning, predicting, summarizing, and noting key ideas — instead of passively scanning words.

8. What is the SQ3R active-reading method?

   Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review — a strategy for previewing, engaging with, and reinforcing reading material.

9. Why is summarizing each passage in your own words a useful active-reading technique?

   It confirms you understood the main idea and helps you answer main-idea and inference questions accurately.

10. What active-reading habit helps most with finding stated details quickly under time pressure?

    Reading the question first, then scanning/skimming the passage for the specific keywords related to that question.

11. What is the difference between skimming and scanning?

    Skimming is reading quickly for the general gist/main idea; scanning is searching for specific information or keywords without reading everything.

12. Why is recognizing the question type before answering important on the PC subtest?

    Each type (detail, main idea, inference, vocabulary, purpose/tone) calls for a different approach, so identifying it tells you what to look for and how to answer.

13. What are the main categories of Paragraph Comprehension questions on the ASVAB?

    Main idea/topic, stated/specific detail, inference/implication, author's purpose and tone, sequence/organization, and vocabulary-in-context.

14. How should you approach a vocabulary-in-context question type once you recognize it?

    Reread the sentence containing the word, substitute each answer choice, and pick the one that preserves the sentence's meaning.

15. About how much time should you spend per Paragraph Comprehension question on the paper ASVAB (15 questions in 13 minutes)?

    Roughly 50 seconds per question — under one minute each.

16. What is a smart time-management strategy when one PC passage is taking too long?

    Make your best educated guess, mark/move on, and return later if time allows rather than letting one question consume your time budget.

17. Why should you never leave a Paragraph Comprehension answer blank on the ASVAB?

    There is no penalty for wrong answers, so guessing gives you a chance at points while blanks guarantee zero.

18. On the CAT-ASVAB, can you skip a question and return to it later?

    No — the computer-adaptive test requires you to answer each question before moving on and does not allow returning to previous items.

19. What is a key time-saving tip when a single passage has multiple questions attached to it?

    Read the passage once carefully, then answer all of its questions before moving to the next passage, so you don't reread the same text repeatedly.

20. What should you do first to manage time efficiently on a PC question with a short passage?

    Read the question (and answer choices) before reading the passage so you know what information to look for.

21. How does the process of elimination improve both accuracy and speed on PC questions?

    Removing clearly wrong choices narrows the options, raises your odds on a guess, and helps you focus on the strongest remaining answer quickly.

22. What is a common trap answer that is partially correct on PC questions?

    A choice that is true for part of the passage or contains a true statement but does not fully or correctly answer the specific question asked.

23. When two PC answer choices seem correct, how do you choose between them?

    Pick the one most directly and completely supported by the passage's wording; eliminate the choice that requires extra assumptions or covers less of the question.

24. What does it mean that a correct ASVAB reading answer must be 'supported by the passage'?

    Every correct answer can be justified using information stated or clearly implied in the text — not by personal opinion or outside facts.

What this deck covers

Paragraph Comprehension (PC) flashcards FAQ