Fiction sets
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Fiction passages make up approximately 12.7% of Section I sets and 16.4% of Section I questions in the official GAMSAT practice materials. A significant number of available marks come from Fiction sets.
The average Fiction set has around 5 questions focused on a single passage, with an average length of 380 words. Most practice passages range from 200 to 500 words, though you may see a longer or shorter passage on Test Day.
Each Fiction passage is a selection from a longer work — a novel, novella or short story.
Most Fiction passages in official GAMSAT practice are from mid-20th century novels or more recent works. You may see passages from earlier eras, with more ornate vocabulary and sentence structure.
As you practise, watch out for stylistic differences and other challenges that can make it harder to understand certain types of passages. The same challenges may appear again and again in different passages of the same era or style. Learn from your previous work and use it to develop your approach for the next time you see something similar.
Fiction passages tend to have very little dialogue. Instead, you must look to the narrator’s voice — the parts not in quotation marks told directly to the reader — to analyse the characters.
To unlock the narrator’s voice, consider the Fiction passage’s viewpoint. The viewpoint establishes the narrator’s position in relation to the characters and controls the flow of information to the reader.
Focus on the characters in the passage only — you must answer based on their feelings, experiences and observations, regardless of the time period or style.
Most GAMSAT Fiction passages feature third-person limited viewpoint, where you’re told the thoughts and experiences of a character in the third person — with ‘he’ and ‘she’ pronouns.
In this narrative voice, the narrator can see into a character’s mind, telling you what they think and feel as if observing everything from that character’s perspective.
Gloria considered the unusual colour of the scrambled egg on her plate. She feared she would lose a filling.
Notice how the narrator tells us what Gloria sees and feels with direct access to her experiences, but using her name and third person pronouns.
Some GAMSAT Fiction passages have a first-person viewpoint, with the narrator as a character in the story who tells it from their perspective using ‘I’ and ‘me’ pronouns.
This approach seems more direct and intimate; however, it is not without its challenges. As a reader, you’re limited to only what the narrator immediately sees, hears and knows.
There’s also the problem of bias, since a first-person narrator may lie or distort their feelings or experiences. Consider whether it’s an unreliable narrator, or if their emotions or motivations contrast with what they are explicitly saying.
Less commonly in Fiction sets, you may see a passage with third-person omniscient viewpoint. In this style, the narrator ‘knows all’ about every character, as if observing everything all at once. You may get a stronger sense of the author’s voice as a distinct perspective, perhaps even commenting directly on the characters.
This approach feels very dated now, as it fell out of favour over a hundred years ago. It’s most common in 19th century and earlier fiction, so it’s less likely to appear on Test Day.
Depending on the narrative voice, there can be a distance between the narrator and the characters in a Fiction passage.
GAMSAT questions might focus on the gaps or uncertainty that arise from this distance. For example:
- The narrator might be unreliable — with hints to the truth concealed in what they say.
- The narrator may be the author’s voice or perspective contrasting with a character’s.
- The narrator may get closer or further from a character’s viewpoint in different parts of the passage.
Watch out for shifting viewpoints. Some Fiction passages will move almost seamlessly from one character’s viewpoint to another. Other Fiction passages may switch between a character’s viewpoint and the narrator’s (or author’s) perspective.
Focus on narrative descriptions and internal monologues to find support for correct answers. Look closely for a single word or phrase that is charged with meaning or emotion, as often this will be all you need to justify or eliminate an answer choice.
You can use three reading strategies for Fiction passages. Try each approach during your GAMSAT revision to see which works best for you.
- Study the passage: Allow 2 minutes to read for main points and key details. Read the first question stem before starting, then move to questions once your time is up.
- Skim the passage: Give yourself 1 minute to read quickly through the passage, targeting main ideas and skipping lengthy examples or supporting details.
- Don’t read the passage: Skip the passage entirely and go straight to the first question, using question stems to guide your exploration of the text.
Find the reading strategy that suits your comfort level and optimises your pacing.
You might prefer to study or skim the passage at first, but then decide later on in your revision that you can simply not read the passage and get most or all the questions correct.
Your preferred reading strategy should become second nature by Test Day. Practise consistently so you can execute your approach under GAMSAT timing.
Always read the first question stem before you study or skim the passage. This way, you can:
- Notice when you reach the part of the passage you need for the first question.
- Stop reading and ‘zero in’ on the relevant details.
- Click the answer for the first question.
- Read the second question stem, then resume reading the passage.
Repeat these steps when you reach the part of the passage that supports the second question.
Most questions are in passage order — the support for the first question typically comes before the support for the second question, and so on.
This means you can skip ahead as you read. If you are not reading the passage, use the relative order of the questions to find the relevant part of the passage.
Use the next question stem to focus your work. The hyperlinks will guide you to the right portion of the passage. Look just before and just after the hyperlink to find support for the correct answer.
Not reading the passage works well when you’re pressed for time. Focus on hyperlinked questions so you can use the highlighted text to quickly find support in the passage.
Remember — much of the passage won’t be part of the correct answers. Many questions require a laser-like focus on specific details in a small portion of the passage. The rest is irrelevant.
Find the part of the passage you need — click the correct answer — move on.
Question walkthrough
Using word charge to eliminate wrong answers
Let’s practise checking the emotional charge of the answer choices against the passage.
Most questions provide context clues to help you locate the relevant passage section. Look out for:
- hyperlinks
- line numbers
- quotations from the passage
The GAMSAT today tends to use hyperlinks in the vast majority of Section I questions, though older official PDF practice materials still use line numbers.
When a context clue points you to a specific location, read the sentences before and after the highlighted section. The support for the correct answer may not be in the exact sentence referenced, but from a nearby part of the passage.
For the first question in a set, you will typically find support near the beginning of the passage. Later questions generally follow the passage order, which is virtually always true of Detail, Inference and Function questions.
If you can’t find clear support in the expected location, expand your search to nearby paragraphs, but don’t stray too far from the contextual clues provided.
Focus on the emotional charge of words in both the passage and answer choices. Words can be positive, negative or neutral. The correct answer must match the charge in the passage.
Wrong answers often include words with incorrect emotions. Use the emotional charge to quickly eliminate wrong answers. For example, if the passage describes positive emotions, eliminate answers that include negative or neutral words like ‘bitterness’, ‘annoyance’, or ‘indifference’.
Consider not just individual words but the overall tone of relevant passage sections. This is particularly important for questions about characters’ emotions or the author’s attitude. You may need to take a moment and consider the general mood in that part of the passage.
You may need to summarise what happens in the passage in your own words — in whole or part — to ensure tone consistency in the correct answer choice.
Question walkthrough
Summarising imagery to infer emotion
Let’s practise inferring a character’s emotional response by summarising the imagery used in the passage.
Correct answers typically restate passage information using different vocabulary. Look for:
- synonyms — different words with the same meaning
- paraphrase or restatement — different word groupings with the same meaning
- summary — something not directly stated but that accurately reflects the details, meaning, emotions, subtext or motivation in the passage
Develop your ability to recognise when the same idea is expressed in alternative words. Watch out for different grammatical structures and a shift between shorter and longer phrasing. The same idea could take wildly varying forms that are easy to overlook at first glance.
Be alert to related words that aren’t exact synonyms but point to the same concept. You may find a perfect match depending how the related words are used in context. Sometimes, the meaning may be close but loose — tread carefully to verify if the answer matches the passage.
Practise identifying these connections in logic and meaning as you revise so you can spot them quickly on Test Day.
In a Fiction set, the correct answer must be supported by the passage. It must be categorical: the support for this answer is absolute, precise, definite and clear.
Wrong answers in Fiction sets are incorrect for categorical reasons; the reason must be clear, not fuzzy, based on the passage.
Even when the question asks for the ‘best’ or ‘most likely’ answer: one answer is categorically correct; the other three answers are wrong.
Develop your ability to identify why answers are definitively wrong rather than just less appealing. The correct answer must fit with a good faith reading of the passage; wrong answers do not fit.
A good faith reading is a respectful attempt to understand and illuminate the passage’s meaning. Correct answers will act in good faith to:
- Explain what the passage says or does
- Mirror a character’s emotions, subtext or motivation
- Focus on what must be true based on the passage
By contrast, wrong answers will misunderstand or confuse the passage’s meaning, or they will focus on invalid or irrelevant details — all to lead you away from the correct answer.
Sometimes, it is quicker and simpler to eliminate wrong answers, especially when these clash with what you see in the passage. Wrong answers commit the same common errors:
- Contradiction: The answers directly oppose what the passage states or implies. These are often the easiest to eliminate.
- Distortion: The answers twist or misrepresent the passage. They may be partially accurate but shift the meaning in crucial ways.
- Lack of support: Some answers are not grounded in the passage. These are designed to draw in students with a poor grasp of the passage, who might try to justify them.
If you find yourself struggling to justify an answer choice, stop and consider whether it doesn’t quite fit because it’s a wrong answer.
Question walkthrough
Spotting common errors in answer traps
Let’s practise identifying answer choices that distort what the passage says.
If you eliminate all the wrong answers for clear reasons, you can be confident the remaining answer is correct. Click that answer and move on.
Do not worry about finding support or ‘proving’ it — you proved the other answers are wrong, so the one that’s left must be correct.
Take care to avoid bad habits that can lead you astray in Fiction sets:
- Don’t bring outside literary knowledge to Fiction sets. Base your answers solely on the information provided in the passage, not your awareness of the author or entire novel.
- Avoid overthinking simple questions. Many questions have straightforward answers that simply restate the passage.
- Be wary of answers that sound plausible but lack clear textual support. If you find yourself creating elaborate justifications for an answer, it’s probably incorrect.
Fiction questions can be challenging for science students who aren’t accustomed to literary analysis. Don’t spend excessive time on any single question.
If you’re struggling with a question, eliminate obviously wrong answers and make an educated guess rather than spending minutes trying to justify your choice.
Remember that each question is worth one mark regardless of difficulty. A quick, strategic guess is better than leaving a question blank. Save your time and effort for the other marks in the section.
Fiction questions often ask about a character’s emotions or feelings. However, you must look beyond the surface to work out the correct answer.
Fiction passages require you to read for subtext — what is implied rather than directly stated. Subtext can be suggested by what characters say or do, but may be different from their actual words or actions.
Look for subtle clues in the relevant part of the passage to understand a character’s true feelings or opinions. This is similar to how we interact with other people in life — someone’s words may seem neutral or positive, but you can infer their true emotions from their:
- tone of voice
- eye contact
- facial expressions
- body language
GAMSAT Fiction questions rely on your observational skills to read between the lines and deduce what the passage is suggesting about the character’s emotions, motivations and inner thoughts.
Question walkthrough
Inferring emotion from physical responses
Let’s practise inferring emotion from physical responses.
Motivation is the underlying reason a character says or does something.
Motivations are more complex than feelings and may be very subtle, or they may seem to conflict with a character’s surface actions. For example, a character says ’That’s great’ while crossing their arms and frowning — their motivation is to express disappointment.
Train yourself to recognise when information is directly stated versus when it must be inferred from context, actions, or descriptions. You may need to combine clues from different parts of the passage to understand a character’s true motivation.
Use word charge to analyse vocabulary quickly — even when you don’t know the exact meaning. You may need to look at a character’s explicit words or the emotion implied in the subtext or motivation.
Consider whether the word charge is:
- positive
- negative
- neutral
Deduce the word charge from context — there may be clues nearby. Make a snap judgement whether the word seems positive, negative or neutral.
Eliminate answers if the word charge does not match the passage.
Use word charge for any words in the passage. It will help you unlock the meaning of not just emotions but also description, narrative, subtext and motivation.
The word charge strategy is powerful at eliminating wrong answers, which often include words with the wrong charge compared to the passage.
You can use the word charge for each word in an answer choice. If any word has the wrong charge — individually or combined with others — the answer is incorrect.
Sometimes, you can use the degree as well as the word charge. This approach works well if you notice the passage is extremely positive or negative. The correct answer must reflect this degree.
In Fiction sets, you must focus on a character’s internal states — their thoughts, feelings, motivations and emotional responses to people and situations. This interiority may be tough to analyse as you begin to revise.
You must first check that you understand the character’s feelings or motivation in the relevant part of the passage. Then, use your understanding to answer the question.
Notice this approach requires a reflective step — you must put the character’s experiences into your own words as you work with the Fiction passage.
Character emotions are often revealed through indirect means, such as:
- actions
- physical responses
- what they notice or ignore
- how they interact with others
The correct answer may depend on these subtle indicators rather than direct statements.
Pay attention to relationship dynamics between characters. Focus on:
- power imbalances
- social awkwardness
- tension, affection or conflict
- whether they feel positive, negative or neutral towards one another
Relationships are revealed through dialogue, actions and narrative description.
Question walkthrough
Inferring relationship dynamics across a passage
Let’s practise identifying how dialogue, actions and narrative description reveal relationship dynamics.
Consider how characters’ social roles and backgrounds influence their behaviour and interactions.
Professional relationships, class differences and historical contexts all affect character dynamics.
Develop your ability to read between the lines and identify what the passage suggests without stating directly. Common challenges in Fiction:
- Look for gaps and silences in the text. What characters don’t say, what the narrator doesn’t explain and what happens off the page can all carry meaning.
- Notice when characters’ actions contradict their words or when there’s a disconnect between what they claim to feel and how they behave.
- Learn to identify the emotional subtext of seemingly neutral descriptions. Physical details, settings and character actions often reflect internal states.
Pay attention to temporal relationships in Fiction passages, such as:
- when events occur
- how much time passes
- how characters change or develop.
Consider how past events influence the present. Characters may be shaped by experiences that occurred before the passage begins, and these influences may be subtly revealed in the passage.
Remember to only infer what must be true based on the passage. You can only answer questions about past events if the passage supports them through words, emotions, subtext or motivation.
Look for cause and effect relationships between events, actions and character responses. These connections will help you answer questions about motivation and consequences.
Most passages will include a single scene or moment in the character’s life. They are usually not episodic — you are unlikely to find a series of scenes. So you must find the web of associations between:
- what characters say and do
- how others respond
- how characters think and feel
Characters are often dynamic, meaning that what they think and feel changes over the course of the passage. Train yourself to spot the influences on a character’s emotions and how they cause the character to behave. This skill will unlock the harder questions in Fiction passages.
