Best Sources for Eclectic Reading for Reading Comprehension

Reading Comprehension is an important skill that one needs to possess to crack competitive exams like CAT, XAT, CLAT, IPM, that test students on verbal and reading comprehension skills. If you look at the Verbal and Reading Comprehension section (commonly called as English section) of these exams, you will know that the passages and the questions on which students are tested, are picked from diverse sources, and require deep level of comprehension skills.  The best way to hone the comprehension skills is to read from diverse sources and focus on eclectic reading. In this article, I have suggested my favorite and most relevant 10 sources for eclectic reading for the reading comprehension section for CAT, XAT, CLAT, IPM etc. 

Here is my list (in no particular order):

1. BBC Future – It has stories on almost every topic that matters. Psychology. Food. Climate change. Health. Social trends. Technology.  What makes it unique in addition to high quality language that you expect from BBC is the deep evidence based analysis on the topics .  Link: https://www.bbc.com/future/ 
2. Smithsonian Magazine -It is a brilliant source for you if you are interested in science, history, art, popular culture and innovation. It has collection a of most diverse essays.  Link: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/  
3. Psychology Today – A source that exclusively deals with psychology and issues related to it. The writing is simple, and it makes reading easier in an otherwise complex topic.  Link: https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl 
4. History.com – Undoubtedly, best source for reading articles related to History, particularly 19th century onwards. The source has rich collection of videos too. Link: https://www.history.com/classroom
5. Aeon –  Aeon is a magazine of ideas and culture. It publishes in-depth essays, incisive articles, and a mix of original and curated videos on the topics that are diverse and interesting. Link: https://aeon.co/ 
6. Flipboard App – This is a wonderful, must have app, that aggregates content from social media, news feeds, and other websites, presents it in magazine format, and allows users to “flip” through the articles. Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/de… 
7. Knappily –If you want to acquire in-depth knowledge about an issue then this app is meant for you. Knappily analyses diverse set of issues using the  5W1H  (What, Why, When, Where, Who, How) framework which helps to build deep insight on any topic. Link:  https://play.google.com/store/apps/de… 
8. Medium – It is an open platform where readers find dynamic thinking, and where expert and undiscovered voices can share their writing on any topic. Because any one can write on Medium, you can fine wide variety of articles to read. Link:  https://medium.com/ 
9. Forbes- For reading anything about international business news, Forbes is the best source. The articles are well- researched and deeply analysed.  Link: https://www.forbes.com/ 
10. Mint – Mint is an Indian financial daily that has articles on business, economy, finances and public policies. Link: https://www.livemint.com/

Watch the video for more insights on eclectic reading:

To make best use of these sources, you can visit them once every week and read 3-4 articles of your choice. 

Siddharth Mehta

XLRI Alumnus