閱讀是GRE general test中最令考生頭疼的一類題目了，同時也是得分率最低的一題。其特點是“時間緊，任務重”。考生需在12~15分鐘內完成近2,000字的閱讀以及相應的11道題目，並且所涉及的文章大多是生澀難懂的具有一定專業性的學術性文章。因此，對於大多數的考生而言，瞭解閱讀的各種題型，並且瞭解各個題型的出題方式及應試方法是拿下GRE閱讀的唯一途徑。在各類題型中，主旨題是出現頻率最高的一類題目，每篇文章後面都會有至少一道這樣養的題目。相對於同樣是必考的細節題和推斷題來說，主旨題應該是較爲容易拿分的，下面筆者就針對主旨題進行一些分析。
（一）、主旨題分類：
主旨題主要是考察考生對於文章的宏觀把握的能力。細分起來，主旨題分爲四種：目的性主旨題、寫法性主旨題、標題題和變相主旨題。
（二）、主旨題常見問法：
The primary purpose of the passage is to… (目的性主旨題)
The author is primarily concerned with… (目的性主旨題)
Which of the following best states the central idea of the passage? （目的性主旨題）
… best describes the organization of… （寫法性主旨題）
Which of the following is the most accurate description of the organization of…? （寫法性主旨題）
In developing the main idea of the passage, the author dose which of the following? （寫法性主旨題）
Which of the following is the most appropriate title for the passage? （標題題）
The passage would be most likely to appear as a part of… （變相主題題）
（三）、解題思路：
解決主旨題有兩大思路：從文章入手和從題目選項入手。
a) 從文章入手指的是着重分析文章段落的首句（Topic Sentence），因爲往往正確選項都是TS的改寫。分析的時候有一點要注意的，那就是TS並不絕對是每段的最後一句話，而有可能是文章的第二句甚至是第三句話。
Example：
Because of its accuracy in outlining the Earth’s subsurface, the seismic-reflection method remains the most important tool in the search for petroleum reserves. In field practice, a subsurface is mapped by arranging a series of wave-train sources, such as small dynamite explosions, in a grid pattern. As each source is activated, it generates a wave train that moves downward at a speed determined uniquely by the rock’s elastic characteristics. As rock interfaces are crossed, the elastic characteristics encountered generally change abruptly, which causes part of the energy to be reflected back to the surface, where it is recorded by seismic instruments. The seismic records must be processed to correct for positional differences between the source and the receiver, for unrelated wave trains, and for multiple reflections from the rock interfaces. Then the data acquired at each of the specific source locations are combined to generate a physical profile of the subsurface, which can eventually be used to select targets for drilling.
Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage?
(A)A method is criticized, and an alternative is suggested.
(B)An illustration is examined, and some errors are exposed.
(C)An assertion is made, and a procedure is outlined.
(D)A series of examples is presented, and a conclusion is drawn.
(E)A hypothesis is advanced, and supporting evidence is supplied.
分析：作者在文章的第一句話(TS)中就提出了自己的觀點：Because of its accuracy in outlining the Earth’s subsurface, the seismic-reflection method remains the most important tool in the search for petroleum reserves.在理解了這句話後，我們排查五個選項，發現C選項是唯一對TS的解釋，所以是正確選項。
b)從題目選項入手指的是重點分析5個待選的'選項，對於主旨題來說，正確的選項都是對於文章的概括或者是對於背景的交代，所以我們可以大膽地剔除那些包含具體事物描述或敘述的選項。但是需要強調的是，這思路並不能保證我們做對每一道主旨題，而是能夠加快我們解題速度的一種方法。因此就不再舉例說明了。
總的說來，主旨題是GRE閱讀各類題目中最簡單的一種題型了，只要能夠很好地理解段落的Topic Sentence並能準確把握段落大意，一般這類題目的分數都能夠得到。
