The most effective way to attack a Reading Comp passage is to create a detailed synopsis as you read. To do this efficiently in a timed situation, you will need to quickly identify seven “Essential Elements” as you research each paragraph.

Before you panic, let us state at the outset that it’s not necessary, or even recommended, that you write down these Essential Elements. Sure, you may certainly jot down a few notes in the margins if you find that helpful, but by and large Essential Elements represent things you need to learn to focus on reflexively. The only quiz that counts comes after the passage, not after each paragraph. But if you get in the habit of searching for and recognizing these elements, you’ll be able to read the passage and answer the questions strategically.

Here are the seven Essential Elements you need to extract from each and every paragraph you read:

Essentially, giveaways are the clues that tip you off to the other Essential Elements in our list. These are words and phrases that reek of importance—that is, they indicate things like the author’s opinion and the passage’s main idea and purpose. For example, the phrase “The critics’ contention is therefore misguided . . .” tips us off to a number of important things. First, it tells us that the author’s purpose is not merely to describe something but also to refute the assertions of others. If we understand the critics’ contention, we now have a leg up on what the author doesn’t believe, which in turn will lead us closer to what she does believe; that is, her main point.

Giveaways also include signal clues, words or phrases that highlight the passage’s structure, thus making it easier to follow the author’s ideas. For example, words and phrases like in addition and moreover tell us that more of the same is upcoming, whereas however and on the other hand alert us to expect a shift of some kind in focus or opinion. Some giveaways, such as most importantly, primarily, and significantly suggest that the author is placing extra emphasis on some issue or idea. Anything that’s important to the author should be important to you.

Reading Comp passages do not contain extraneous information. Every paragraph plays a role in the passage as a whole. Just as each passage has an overall purpose, each paragraph of the passage has a purpose as well—a reason for being there. For example, consider a passage whose main point is that the Harlem Renaissance helped contribute to the development and emergence of influential black writers in the 1970s. The individual paragraphs that make up the passage will all play a distinct and indispensable role in telling this story. One paragraph may lay the groundwork by introducing what the Harlem Renaissance was, while another may focus on writers of the 1970s. Ultimately, the paragraphs work together to express the author’s main point. Some questions ask for the purpose of a particular paragraph in the context of the passage as a whole. Focusing on the purpose of every paragraph not only will help you answer such paragraph purpose questions when they arise but will also keep you on the trail of the passage’s main idea.

Reading Comp passages often include numerous characters, and some questions test your ability to keep them straight. “Players” are subjects that figure significantly in the drama. “Extras” are minor characters or elements that add spice to the story but aren’t the main focus. You may not know in the first half of the passage who falls into which group, but you must be able to differentiate players from extras by the end. Questions often focus on players, while many wrong choices exaggerate the importance of extras.

In some passages, the author may be the only main player, while in other passages all kinds of players may be involved in the story. When that’s the case, it’s a safe bet that at least some questions will test your ability to keep the players straight and to distinguish them from the less important extras.

The main point of a paragraph is the overriding idea that the author is attempting to establish in that paragraph. Each paragraph establishes this point, which will combine with the main points of the other paragraphs to create the passage’s overall main idea. You will need to summarize the main point of each paragraph as you go along to keep the author’s ideas and intentions in focus.

The author’s behavior refers to what the author actually does in each paragraph. Using the Harlem Renaissance example, the author may, as we mentioned, simply describe in one paragraph what it was. She may also do no more than describe the relationship between the Harlem Renaissance and black literature of the 1970s. If plain old description is the order of the day, then correct answer choices in certain questions will reflect that, while wrong choices will try to paint the author as more assertive or combative. So it pays to take note of how the author behaves in each paragraph—that is, to pin down exactly what she’s doing. Perhaps the author of the Harlem Renaissance passage was out to disprove prior theories regarding the subject. In that case, “refute” or “dismiss” would better reflect her behavior in certain paragraphs. Or perhaps in one paragraph she makes a prediction of what might happen in the future regarding the actual or perceived impact of the Harlem Renaissance—again, something worth noting. Maybe she offers a proposal concerning the matter. All of these possibilities represent different approaches an author may take. You’ll keep a very close watch on what kind of behavior is evidenced in each paragraph.

This one is closely tied to author behavior. Some authors merely describe situations, events, or phenomena, while others go the extra step of offering an opinion of their own. LSAT test makers are quite keen on testing whether you know the difference. So as you read each paragraph, keep an eye out for whether the author takes a stand or merely relays information. Doing so will enable you to eliminate wrong answer choices that assert an authorial opinion where there is none, and vice versa.

Identifying the first six Essential Elements will enable you to formulate a working notion of the passage’s main idea, but the passage’s main idea will likely remain tentative until the very end. At this time you’ll have a pretty good idea of the main reason the author put pen to paper (or bytes to disk, as is more likely the case today). However, you’ll need to modify the passage’s main idea as you progress through the passage.

As you should see by now, the seven Essential Elements are by no means mutually exclusive. They’re very closely related, so uncovering one will often lead you to others. The goal, of course, is to arrive at a comprehensive yet very specific understanding of the passage. Notice that you’re not out to understand every single detail but rather to understand the kinds of things you’re likely to be asked about. When you’ve mastered the art of seeing each paragraph in terms of the elements described above, you will have taken a huge step toward improving your Reading Comp score.