General Understanding Questions
1. Main Idea
(1) GRE、GMAT考試
對于GRE、GMAT考試中的短文章，我們主要是學會從文章找到觀點，然后根據(jù)觀點的關(guān)系確定誰是重要的觀點從而確定main idea。這里我們非常重視因果關(guān)系和由demonstrative pronouns or adjectives承上啟下的關(guān)系。我們來看下面這個例子（例子參看上期文章《閱讀方法論七Question Patterns (1)》）
而對于GRE、GMAT的長文章，我們主要是重視文章首段和二段的閱讀。GRE、GMAT的長文章一般在結(jié)構(gòu)可以分為兩個大類：評論型文章（Evaluative）和說明型文章（Expository）。根據(jù)文章的寫作目的，我們又可以細分為四個大類，六個小類，參看下表：
Viewpoints Conflicting Patterns
Different Viewpoints
Opposing Arguments
Persuasive Patterns
Establishment
Disagreement
Expository Patterns
Expository
Descriptive + Evaluative Patterns
Descriptive plus Evaluative
Example 1: Different Viewpoints
Example 2: Opposing Arguments
Example 3: Establishment
Example 4: Disagreement
Present-day philosophers usually envision their discipline as an endeavor that has been, since antiquity, distinct from and superior to any particular intellectual discipline, such as theology or science. Such philosophical concerns as the mind-body problem or, more generally, the nature of human knowledge they believe, are basic human questions whose tentative philosophical solutions have served as the necessary foundations on which all other intellectual speculation has rested.
The basis for this view, however, lies in a serious misinterpretation of the past, a projection of modern concerns onto past events. The idea of an autonomous discipline called “philosophy,” distinct from and sitting in judgment on such pursuits as theology and science turns out, on close examination, to be of quite recent origin.
通過上面文章首段和二段當中，我們已經(jīng)標記好的重點內(nèi)容（usually envision和believe引出了Present-day philosophers的觀點看法，接著however和serious misinterpretation的出現(xiàn)，表明了作者予以駁斥的態(tài)度，并且針鋒相對地通過turns out, on close examination, to be提出作者完全相反的觀點），所以我們判定這篇文章應(yīng)該是駁論型的文章。基于上述的分析，我們在做下面的主旨題時，采用的方法是：首先確定哪個選項與老觀點直接相關(guān)，接著看它是否對老觀點做出了取非。
Which of the following best expresses the author’s main point?
(A) Philosophy’s overriding interest in basic human questions is a legacy primarily of the work of Kant.
(B) Philosophy was deeply involved in the seventeenth-century warfare between science and religion.
(C) The set of problems of primary importance to philosophers has remained relatively constant since antiquity.
(D) The status of philosophy as an independent intellectual pursuit is a relatively recent development.
(E) The role of philosophy in guiding intellectual speculation has gradually been usurped by science.
由于老觀點是：哲學作為一種學科，它自古以來就是獨立于并且高于任何其它學科的。所以選項A、B、C、E的內(nèi)容都與老觀點沒有直接關(guān)聯(lián)性，直接就被刪除掉了。而選項D中的status與老觀點中的superior相關(guān)，independent與老觀點中的distinct from相關(guān)，intellectual pursuit與老觀點中的endeavor相關(guān)，relatively recent development是對老觀點的自古以來進行了直接的反擊與二段作者的觀點turns out, on close examination, to be of quite recent origin一致。所以正確答案選D。
對于駁論型文章，其駁斥的觀點在GRE和GMAT考試中存在一定的規(guī)律，雖然不能稱之為可靠的方法，但是也仍然可以以技巧的形式幫助考生。
＊ Viewpoint of the past, 伴隨著過去時間點提出的觀點容易被駁斥；
＊ Traditional viewpoint, 伴隨著traditionally等表示傳統(tǒng)認為的觀點容易被駁斥；
＊ Appeal to authority, 權(quán)威人士所提出的觀點容易被駁斥；
＊ Appeal to bandwagon; 伴隨著most people, most scientists等提出的觀點容易被駁斥；
＊ 用likely等possibility signals提出的觀點容易被駁斥；
＊ 反對今人的角度看古人，反對用政治標準評價文學作品;
＊ Set prejudice: 對馬克思、恩格斯的觀點，對進化論的看法，對弗洛伊德的觀點容易駁斥；相反對弱勢群體（婦女、少數(shù)民族、黑人、小孩）的觀點和作品一般都比較認同。
另外需要說明的是，因為Expository的文章在結(jié)構(gòu)上就是在前兩大類文章的基礎(chǔ)上，增加了關(guān)于現(xiàn)象或問題說明的內(nèi)容，所以我們不用單獨再做主題的分析了。而Descriptive & Evaluative的文章一般沒有非常統(tǒng)一的觀點，其特點就是針對一個focus，不斷地對其某個方面做出描述和提出針對這一個方面的觀點或者評價，所以此類文章一般不會設(shè)置主旨題。