What kinds of passages are on the GED reading test?

About 75 percent informational, including workplace and historical documents, and about 25 percent literary fiction.

How long are GED reading passages?

Typically 400 to 900 words, with several questions attached to each passage.

GED Reading Comprehension Practice

Reading questions dominate the RLA test, and most of them come back to one skill: supporting an answer with a specific line of text rather than a general impression.

Question 1 of 26

0 answered

“Section 4.2: Requesting Paid Time Off Full-time employees earn paid time off (PTO) at a rate of 4 hours per pay period, beginning on their first day. Part-time employees who average 20 or more hours a week earn PTO at half that rate. PTO may be used after an employee completes 90 days of employment. Requests for planned time off must be submitted through the scheduling portal at least 14 days in advance. Supervisors will approve or deny requests within five business days. When more employees request the same dates than the department can cover, requests will be approved in the order they were received. Unplanned absences, such as illness or a family emergency, should be reported to a supervisor by phone at least one hour before the scheduled start of a shift when possible. Text messages and emails are not considered notice. Employees may use available PTO for unplanned absences. Employees may carry over up to 40 unused PTO hours into the next calendar year. Hours above 40 that remain unused on December 31 will be forfeited. During the busy season, from November 15 through January 5, planned PTO requests are limited to three consecutive days unless approved by the store manager.” A part-time employee averages 25 hours a week. How much PTO does this employee earn each pay period?

Reading comprehension study guide

Reading questions make up the largest share of Reasoning Through Language Arts. Most passages are nonfiction, such as workplace documents, speeches, and articles, with a smaller share of fiction. The skill is the same across all of them: answer from what the text says, not from what seems generally true.

Finding the main idea

The main idea is the point the whole passage supports. It is broader than any single detail but narrower than the general topic. A passage about a city’s new bus lanes has the topic “public transit,” but its main idea might be that the lanes cut commute times without hurting local shops.

Test each answer choice against the full passage. A choice that matches only one paragraph is a detail. A choice so broad it could describe many passages is a topic. The correct choice fits every paragraph.

Making inferences

An inference is a conclusion the text supports without stating directly. The GED wants the inference that requires the smallest step from the evidence. If a character checks the clock repeatedly and taps her foot, the safe inference is that she is impatient or anxious, not that she is late for a job interview.

Wrong answers on inference questions are often reasonable in real life but unsupported by the passage. Before choosing, point to the sentence that backs your answer.

Worked example

A memo says: “Starting Monday, all expense reports must include itemized receipts. Reports submitted without them will be returned unprocessed.” What can be inferred?

The memo creates a new requirement, so it is reasonable that some past reports lacked itemized receipts.
It does not say anyone was disciplined or that fraud occurred, so choices claiming that go too far.
Best inference: the company wants more detailed documentation of expenses than it has been receiving.

Author’s purpose, point of view, and tone

Purpose is why the author wrote: to inform, persuade, explain, or entertain. Point of view is the author’s position on the subject. Tone is the attitude shown through word choice, such as critical, hopeful, urgent, or neutral.

Look at loaded words. “The council finally acted” and “the council rushed to act” describe the same event with opposite tones. Questions on tone and purpose are answered by those choices of words.

Evaluating arguments and evidence

Many passages argue for something. Identify the claim first, then the reasons, then the evidence behind each reason. Strong evidence is specific and relevant: data, expert findings, or documented examples. Weak support includes personal attacks, emotional appeals without facts, and conclusions drawn from a single anecdote.

Paired passages present two views on one issue. Questions ask where the authors agree, where they differ, and whose evidence is stronger. Make a quick note of each author’s claim before reading the questions.

Reading literary passages

For fiction, track who is speaking, what they want, and what stands in the way. Questions ask about character motivation, how a scene develops a theme, and what a figurative phrase means in context.

When asked what a word or phrase means, reread the sentence before and after it. The context almost always defines the meaning, and the dictionary definition is often a deliberate trap.

Seeing how a passage is built

Structure questions ask how a writer arranges ideas, or why one paragraph sits where it does. Common patterns are sequence (events in time order), cause and effect, problem and solution, compare and contrast, and claim with support. Longer passages often mix patterns, so the question usually asks for the main one.

To find it, write a three- or four-word label for each paragraph in the margin of your scratch paper, such as “old plan failed” or “new test results.” Then read the labels in order. The pattern is usually plain once the details are stripped away. Signal words help confirm it: “because” and “as a result” point to cause and effect, while “however” and “unlike” point to contrast.

A related question asks what one paragraph contributes. Look at what comes right before it and right after it. A paragraph that starts with “Still” or “But” after a list of benefits is usually there to add limits or balance. A short final paragraph often widens the view or connects the topic to the present. Answer choices that claim a paragraph “proves” or “argues” something are often too strong, so check whether the paragraph really takes a side.

Worked example

An article has four paragraphs. The first describes one neighborhood’s community fridge. The second says such fridges have spread to many cities. The third raises safety concerns and describes new rules. The fourth quotes a volunteer. Which choice best describes the structure?

Label each paragraph: one example, a wider trend, a concern and a response, a closing quote.
Check “problem and solution.” The fridges are not presented as a problem, and only the third paragraph deals with one, so this pattern is too narrow.
Check “chronological order.” The paragraphs do not follow events through time, so this does not fit either.
Best answer: the article moves from a specific example to a broader trend, then to concerns, and ends with a personal view.

Applying a document to a real situation

Workplace and public documents, such as memos, notices, and policies, often come with questions that describe a person and ask what happens to them. These are not opinion questions. The answer comes from matching the facts about the person to the rules in the text.

Read the scenario first so you know which facts matter, such as hours worked, dates, or amounts. Then find every rule in the document that mentions those facts. Pay close attention to limits like “only,” “within,” “after,” and “unless,” because one small condition often decides the answer. Wrong choices usually apply a rule that is real but meant for a different case.

When a question asks what a person should do, look for the step the document tells readers to take, not what seems sensible in general. If the document says nothing about a situation, the correct answer will not invent a rule for it.

Worked example

A notice says: “Customers may return items within 30 days with a receipt for a full refund. Without a receipt, returns within 30 days receive store credit. No returns are accepted after 30 days.” A customer returns a lamp after 20 days and has lost the receipt. What does the customer receive?

List the facts in the scenario: 20 days, no receipt.
Check the time limit. Twenty days is within 30 days, so a return is allowed.
Check the receipt rule. The full refund requires a receipt, so that rule does not apply here.
Find the rule for no receipt within 30 days: store credit. The customer receives store credit, not cash.

Checklist before test day

Use this routine on every passage.

Read the question stem before a long passage when time is short.
Separate the main idea from supporting details.
Choose the inference that needs the smallest step from the text.
Name the tone from specific word choices.
Identify the claim, reasons, and evidence in an argument.
Point to a supporting sentence before locking in any answer.

Reading Comprehension practice set 1: 26 questions with answers

Work each question on paper first, then open the answer to check your reasoning.

Use this passage for questions 1 to 4

1.A part-time employee averages 25 hours a week. How much PTO does this employee earn each pay period?
1. A.4 hours per pay period
2. B.1 hour per pay period
3. C.2 hours per pay period
4. D.None until after 90 days
Show answer
Answer: C. 2 hours per pay period
Part-time employees who average 20 or more hours earn half the full-time rate of 4 hours, which is 2 hours. The 90-day rule limits when PTO can be used, not when it is earned.
2.An employee who is sick sends a text message to a supervisor two hours before a shift. Based on the handbook, which statement is accurate?
1. A.The absence is approved because it was reported early
2. B.The employee is not allowed to use PTO for an illness
3. C.The text does not count as proper notice of the absence
4. D.The supervisor has five business days to respond to the text
Show answer
Answer: C. The text does not count as proper notice of the absence
The handbook says text messages and emails are not considered notice; the call must be by phone. Reporting two hours early does not fix the method, and PTO may be used for unplanned absences.
3.Two employees ask for the same week off, and the department can cover only one absence. How will the supervisor decide?
1. A.By which employee has more seniority
2. B.By which request was submitted first
3. C.By which employee has more PTO saved
4. D.By which employee works more hours
Show answer
Answer: B. By which request was submitted first
The handbook says requests are approved in the order they were received. Seniority is a common rule at many jobs, but this policy never mentions it.
4.An employee has 55 unused PTO hours on December 31. What happens to those hours?
1. A.All 55 hours carry over into the new year
2. B.The employee is paid for the extra 15 hours
3. C.All 55 hours are lost at the end of the year
4. D.40 hours carry over, and 15 hours are lost
Show answer
Answer: D. 40 hours carry over, and 15 hours are lost
Up to 40 hours may carry over, and hours above 40 are forfeited. The policy says nothing about paying out unused hours.

Use this passage for questions 5 to 7

“By six-thirty, Jamal had dropped two forks, refilled the wrong coffee, and called a regular by someone else’s name. Ruth, who had worked the counter at the Starlite since before he was born, watched all of it without a word. At seven the breakfast rush came in like weather. Jamal stopped thinking about what he was doing wrong because there was no time to think at all. He carried plates. He wiped tables. He learned that the man in the corner booth wanted his toast dry and his eggs runny, and that the nurses coming off the night shift wanted to be left alone. When the room finally emptied, Ruth slid a cup of coffee across the counter to him. It was the first thing she had given him all morning that was not an order. ‘You’ll do,’ she said, and went back to rolling silverware. Jamal held the cup with both hands. It was too hot to drink, but he did not set it down.”

5.The comparison “the breakfast rush came in like weather” suggests that the rush
1. A.arrived suddenly and could not be controlled
2. B.was made up of rude and unpleasant customers
3. C.made the diner feel cold and uncomfortable
4. D.happened at exactly the same time every day
Show answer
Answer: A. arrived suddenly and could not be controlled
Weather arrives on its own terms, and Jamal stops thinking because there is no time, which fits a sudden, uncontrollable rush. Nothing in the passage describes the customers as rude.
6.What can the reader most reasonably infer about Ruth?
1. A.She is annoyed that the diner hired someone so young
2. B.She plans to train Jamal to take over her counter job
3. C.She rarely shows approval, so her small gesture matters
4. D.She did not notice any of Jamal’s early mistakes
Show answer
Answer: C. She rarely shows approval, so her small gesture matters
Ruth watches silently all morning, and the coffee is the first thing she gives that is not an order, so it carries weight. The passage says she watched all of his mistakes, so she clearly noticed them.
7.Why does Jamal most likely keep holding the cup even though it is too hot to drink?
1. A.He is afraid that he will drop something else in front of Ruth
2. B.He wants to prove to Ruth that he is not tired after the rush
3. C.He plans to wait for it to cool down before he heads home
4. D.He values what the gesture means more than the coffee itself
Show answer
Answer: D. He values what the gesture means more than the coffee itself
The cup represents Ruth’s approval, so he holds on to it rather than to the drink. Fear of dropping things fits his early morning, but the passage has moved past his mistakes by this point.

Use this passage for questions 8 to 11

“In many small towns, the people who answer a 911 call for a house fire are not paid to do it. Volunteers make up roughly two-thirds of all firefighters in the United States, and most of them serve communities of fewer than 25,000 people. But fire chiefs across the country report that it is getting harder to fill their rosters. Training requirements have grown, and a new volunteer may need more than 100 hours of instruction before responding to a fire. Fewer people work in the towns where they live, so a volunteer who commutes thirty miles to a job cannot respond to a daytime call. And the volunteers who remain are getting older. At the same time, the number of calls has risen. Many departments now handle far more medical emergencies than fires, which means more calls at all hours. Some towns have responded by offering small stipends, help with college tuition, or property tax breaks to volunteers. Others have merged departments with neighboring towns or hired a few paid firefighters to cover weekday shifts. Each option costs money that small towns often do not have, but chiefs warn that doing nothing has a cost too: longer response times when every minute matters.”

8.How is this article mainly organized?
1. A.It traces the long history of volunteer firefighting in time order
2. B.It compares the training of paid and volunteer firefighters
3. C.It argues that every small town should hire paid firefighters
4. D.It describes a problem, its causes, and some possible responses
Show answer
Answer: D. It describes a problem, its causes, and some possible responses
The article presents the shortage, explains why it is happening, and then lists what towns have tried. Hiring paid firefighters is one option mentioned, not the article’s main argument.
9.Which of the following is NOT given as a reason for the shortage of volunteer firefighters?
1. A.Volunteers are rarely thanked by their communities
2. B.Training requirements have grown over time
3. C.Many people now work far from their towns
4. D.The volunteers who remain are getting older
Show answer
Answer: A. Volunteers are rarely thanked by their communities
The article never mentions a lack of appreciation. Longer training, long commutes, and aging volunteers are all named in the second paragraph.
10.When the chiefs warn that “doing nothing has a cost too,” they mean that
1. A.failing to act could cost lives through slower response times
2. B.towns will be fined by the state if they do not have enough volunteers
3. C.stipends will become more expensive the longer towns wait
4. D.the remaining volunteers will demand higher pay if ignored
Show answer
Answer: A. failing to act could cost lives through slower response times
The sentence ends by naming the cost: longer response times when every minute matters. Fines or rising stipend costs are never mentioned.
11.Which detail best explains why daytime calls are especially hard for volunteer departments to cover?
1. A.Most calls are now medical emergencies, not fires
2. B.Volunteers who commute to distant jobs cannot respond
3. C.A new volunteer may need over 100 hours of training
4. D.Some towns have merged with nearby departments to share crews
Show answer
Answer: B. Volunteers who commute to distant jobs cannot respond
The article says a volunteer who commutes thirty miles cannot respond to a daytime call. The rise in medical calls increases the workload at all hours, not specifically during the day.

Use this passage for questions 12 to 14

“Abuelo held the phone the way he held a fish he wasn’t sure was dead: at arm’s length, ready for it to move. ‘Just tap the green one,’ Lucía said. ‘They are all green.’ She leaned over. He was right. The screen was a garden of small green squares, and she had stopped seeing them years ago. She pointed to the one with the camera. He tapped it twice, hard, as if knocking on a door, and the phone took a picture of the ceiling. For a moment she thought he would hand it back to her. Instead he studied the picture: the crack near the light fixture, the water stain shaped like a boot. ‘I have been meaning to fix that,’ he said. ‘Now I have proof.’ He took four more pictures before dinner. All of them were of things in the house that needed repair, and he showed every one of them to her as though they were photographs of grandchildren.”

12.The comparison in the first sentence shows that Abuelo
1. A.once worked as a fisherman before he retired
2. B.is wary of the phone and unsure how it will behave
3. C.finds the phone too heavy and awkward to lift
4. D.wants to give the phone back to his granddaughter
Show answer
Answer: B. is wary of the phone and unsure how it will behave
Holding something at arm’s length, ready for it to move, suggests caution and distrust. The fish is a comparison, not evidence about his past job.
13.The detail that Lucía “had stopped seeing them years ago” suggests that
1. A.her eyesight has been getting worse for years
2. B.she rarely uses her own phone anymore at all
3. C.her familiarity hid what would confuse a new user
4. D.the icons on her phone were recently changed by an update
Show answer
Answer: C. her familiarity hid what would confuse a new user
She uses the phone so often that she no longer notices the many green icons that confuse her grandfather. The phrase is about habit, not about her vision.
14.What does the ending of the passage reveal about Abuelo?
1. A.He is embarrassed by the condition of his house
2. B.He expects Lucía to make the repairs for him
3. C.He still does not understand how the camera works
4. D.He takes pride in using the phone in his own way
Show answer
Answer: D. He takes pride in using the phone in his own way
He keeps taking pictures and shows them off as though they were family photos, which signals pride. The repairs are his own project, since he says he has been meaning to fix them.

Use this passage for questions 15 to 18

“Graduates, families, and teachers, good evening. Most graduation speeches tell young people that their lives are about to begin. I am not going to give that speech, because your lives began a long time ago. Many of you are parents. Some of you are grandparents. Almost all of you came to class after a full day of work, and some of you came after a full night of it. I want to talk about the hardest part of what you did, and it was not the algebra. It was walking back into a classroom after years of believing that school was a place where you failed. Several of you told me that on your first night, you sat in your car in the parking lot for twenty minutes before you came inside. One of you told me you drove home that first night and came back the next week. That is the skill I hope you carry out of this room. Not the formulas, which you can look up. The skill is walking through the door when every part of you wants to drive away. You will need it again. You will need it when you apply for the job you think is out of reach, when you enroll in the next class, and when someone tells you it is too late. It is not too late. You are the proof. Congratulations.”

15.Why does the speaker say, “I am not going to give that speech”?
1. A.To signal that the speech will be shorter than most others
2. B.To recognize that the graduates already have full adult lives
3. C.To criticize the other speakers who spoke at the ceremony
4. D.To suggest that the graduates are too old to make changes
Show answer
Answer: B. To recognize that the graduates already have full adult lives
The speaker explains that the graduates’ lives began long ago, pointing to their roles as parents and workers. The rest of the speech argues that it is not too late for them, which rules out the idea that they are too old.
16.Why does the speaker mention the graduate who drove home the first night and came back the next week?
1. A.To show how hard it was for some graduates just to return to school
2. B.To warn that many students drop out of the program within a week
3. C.To explain why the program decided to hold its classes at night
4. D.To point out that the school building was difficult for students to find
Show answer
Answer: A. To show how hard it was for some graduates just to return to school
The story illustrates the fear of walking back into a classroom, which the speaker calls the hardest part. That graduate came back, so the story is about courage, not dropping out.
17.Which statement best expresses the central idea of the speech?
1. A.Algebra is the most difficult subject that adult students must master
2. B.The courage to begin despite fear is the graduates’ most valuable lesson
3. C.Adults tend to learn more slowly than younger students do in the classroom
4. D.Graduates should enroll in college classes as soon as they possibly can
Show answer
Answer: B. The courage to begin despite fear is the graduates’ most valuable lesson
The speaker says the skill to carry forward is walking through the door when you want to drive away. Algebra is mentioned only to say it was not the hardest part.
18.In the final lines, the speaker presents the graduates as
1. A.examples of people who should have finished school sooner
2. B.a reason for the program to lower its requirements
3. C.a reminder that good jobs are very hard to find
4. D.evidence that adults can succeed in school later in life
Show answer
Answer: D. evidence that adults can succeed in school later in life
“It is not too late. You are the proof” uses the graduates themselves as proof that returning to school works. The speech never suggests they should have finished sooner.

Use this passage for questions 19 to 22

“Section 6.1: Performance Check-Ins Twice a year, in April and October, each employee meets with a supervisor for a performance check-in. These meetings replace the annual review used before 2024. A check-in is meant to be a conversation, not a verdict. Before the meeting, the employee completes a short self-assessment that lists recent accomplishments, current challenges, and one skill to develop. The supervisor reviews it and adds comments. During the meeting, both people agree on two or three goals for the next six months. Check-ins are not tied directly to pay. Raises are reviewed separately each January and are based on the pay scale for each position, time in the role, and the goals met during the year. An employee who disagrees with a supervisor’s comments may attach a written response, which becomes part of the file. Supervisors who must address a serious performance problem should not wait for a scheduled check-in. They should contact Human Resources promptly so the issue can be handled through the corrective process in Section 6.4.”

19.In the sentence “A check-in is meant to be a conversation, not a verdict,” the word “verdict” most nearly means
1. A.a final judgment handed down to someone
2. B.a written record kept in an employee file
3. C.a friendly talk between two coworkers
4. D.a calendar of meetings for the year
Show answer
Answer: A. a final judgment handed down to someone
The handbook contrasts a two-way conversation with a one-way decision, which is a final judgment. A written record is tempting because responses go in the file, but the contrast is about how the meeting feels, not what is filed.
20.An employee disagrees with a supervisor’s comments. According to the handbook, what may the employee do?
1. A.Request a new check-in with a different supervisor
2. B.Ask Human Resources to remove the comments entirely
3. C.Wait until January to raise the issue during the raise review
4. D.Attach a written response that becomes part of the file
Show answer
Answer: D. Attach a written response that becomes part of the file
The third paragraph says an employee who disagrees “may attach a written response, which becomes part of the file.” Contacting Human Resources is tempting, but the handbook mentions that step only for supervisors facing serious problems.
21.Why does the handbook tell supervisors not to wait for a scheduled check-in to address a serious problem?
1. A.Supervisors are not allowed to give any feedback during April meetings
2. B.Check-ins are for setting goals, and serious problems need quicker action
3. C.Serious performance problems are always reviewed in January with raises
4. D.Human Resources leads every check-in meeting between staff members
Show answer
Answer: B. Check-ins are for setting goals, and serious problems need quicker action
Check-ins are described as goal-setting conversations held only twice a year, so a serious problem could sit for months. The January choice is tempting, but January is when raises are reviewed, not when problems are handled.
22.As used in the last paragraph, “promptly” most nearly means
1. A.in a formal written letter
2. B.only after the next check-in
3. C.without unnecessary delay
4. D.with the employee present
Show answer
Answer: C. without unnecessary delay
Supervisors are told not to wait, so “promptly” means quickly. Waiting for the next check-in is the opposite of what the handbook asks.

Use this passage for questions 23 to 26

Passage 1 “Tipping makes a server’s rent depend on things that have nothing to do with service: the weather, a customer’s mood, a slow Tuesday. When our restaurant replaced tips with an 18 percent service charge two years ago, we divided it among servers and kitchen staff, who had never shared in tips before. Our cooks’ pay rose by about $4 an hour. Server turnover, which used to mean hiring someone new almost every month, dropped by half. Customers pay about the same total as before, and they no longer have to do math at the end of the meal.” Passage 2 “Service charges sound fair, but many diners do not understand where the money goes. A national survey last year found that most customers assumed a service charge was a tip for their server. In many places, it is not: the restaurant may keep part of it to cover wages or other costs. Tipping, for all its flaws, lets a customer reward good service directly. And servers at busy restaurants often earn far more from tips than from any flat charge. If restaurants want to raise kitchen pay, they can raise menu prices and say so plainly.”

23.Which statement best describes the main disagreement between the two passages?
1. A.Whether cooks in restaurants deserve to be paid an hourly wage at all
2. B.Whether customers should pay more for their meals than they do now
3. C.Whether a fixed service charge is a fairer way to pay staff than tips
4. D.Whether restaurants should post their full menu prices on websites
Show answer
Answer: C. Whether a fixed service charge is a fairer way to pay staff than tips
Passage 1 argues a service charge is fairer and more stable, and Passage 2 argues tipping is more direct and transparent. Paying customers more is tempting, but Passage 1 says the total cost to customers stayed about the same.
24.Which evidence in Passage 1 best supports the claim that the service charge helped workers?
1. A.Customers no longer need to do math at the end of their meals
2. B.Cooks’ pay rose about $4 an hour, and server turnover fell by half
3. C.Tips depend on the weather, moods, and slow days of the week
4. D.Customers pay about the same total amount as they did before
Show answer
Answer: B. Cooks’ pay rose about $4 an hour, and server turnover fell by half
Higher kitchen pay and lower turnover are measurable gains for workers. The detail about doing math is a benefit to customers, not to staff.
25.How does the survey mentioned in Passage 2 challenge Passage 1?
1. A.It proves that service charges lower servers’ total yearly pay
2. B.It shows that most diners prefer tipping to a service charge
3. C.It shows that kitchen staff already share in most diners’ tips
4. D.It suggests customers may be confused about who gets the charge
Show answer
Answer: D. It suggests customers may be confused about who gets the charge
The survey found most customers assumed the charge was a tip for their server, which raises the question of whether diners understand the system. Saying diners prefer tipping is tempting, but the survey measured what customers assumed, not what they preferred.
26.Which is the main weakness in the argument in Passage 1?
1. A.It rests mostly on the experience of one restaurant
2. B.It ignores how the change affected kitchen workers
3. C.It relies on a national survey of restaurant diners
4. D.It gives no numbers about staff pay or turnover
Show answer
Answer: A. It rests mostly on the experience of one restaurant
All of Passage 1’s evidence comes from the writer’s own restaurant, which may not represent others. The claim that it gives no numbers is wrong, because it reports a $4 raise and turnover falling by half.

More practice sets

Reading Comprehension has 5 practice sets. None of these questions appear in the full practice tests.

Main idea versus supporting detail on the GED

The main idea is what the whole passage is about; a supporting detail is true but covers only part of it. Wrong answers on main-idea questions are usually accurate statements that are simply too narrow. Ask whether the choice accounts for the last paragraph as well as the first.

In informational passages, the main idea often sits in the final sentence rather than the first, because the writer builds toward it. Read to the end before choosing.

GED inference questions without overreach

An inference is a conclusion the text supports but does not state outright. The GED keeps its inferences close to the surface. If a character checks a schedule four times, the supported inference is anxiety about being wrong, not that he hates his job, which would require information the passage never gives.

A useful test: could you defend the answer to someone holding the passage, using only what is printed? If not, choose something else.

Author's purpose, tone, and structure on the GED

Author's purpose questions usually resolve to inform, persuade, describe, or entertain. Loaded word choice and a clear position signal persuasion. Neutral reporting of facts signals information.

Structure questions ask how a passage is organized: chronological sequence, compare and contrast, cause and effect, or problem and solution. Signal words give it away: first and next mark sequence, however and unlike mark contrast, because and therefore mark causation.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of passages are on the GED reading test?: About 75 percent informational, including workplace and historical documents, and about 25 percent literary fiction.
How long are GED reading passages?: Typically 400 to 900 words, with several questions attached to each passage.