What should you do if you encounter unfamiliar terms in a CARS passage?

• A. Ignore them completely
• B. Use context clues to infer meaning rather than getting stuck on specific definitions
• C. Search for the definitions while reading
• D. Rely solely on prior knowledge of the terms

Answer: (B)

Using context clues to infer the meaning of unfamiliar terms is a highly effective strategy when reading a CARS passage. This approach allows you to maintain the flow of your reading and comprehension without becoming bogged down by specific definitions that might not be immediately accessible. By analyzing the surrounding sentences and the overall argument or theme of the passage, you can often glean the intended meaning of a term without needing to pause excessively to search for its definition.

This strategy also helps you to grasp the broader context of the passage, enabling you to answer questions accurately based on your understanding of the author’s intent rather than getting distracted by a lack of familiarity with specific vocabulary. In CARS, the passages are designed to assess critical thinking and comprehension, which means evaluating arguments and ideas is often more important than having a perfect dictionary-level understanding of every single term.

This preference for contextual understanding over a focus on memorization or exhaustive definition search aligns well with the style of inquiry present in CARS, making this approach not only practical but also effective in an exam setting.