Read the following sentences from paragraph 7. Such a mad storming, roaring, and bellowing of warring wind and water never crazed my ears before. I bent my head, and seemed to receive the Atlantic on my back. This detailed description of the author’s surroundings enhances the story by A. revealing the author’s predicament after falling into the Atlantic. B. further emphasizing the flimsy nature of the bridges the author must cross. C. showing the fury of the storm that catches the author off guard. D. using exaggeration to illustrate the volume of water the author experiences.

Understanding 'critical reading' is essential for excelling in reading comprehension sections of exams like the GED. Critical reading goes beyond mere skimming of text; it involves an active engagement with the content. Picture this as a dialogue with the passage where the reader probes the author's ideas, examining assumptions and arguments, and evaluates the effectiveness of the evidence provided.

When faced with a passage like the one in the given exercise, a critical reader would look for the author's purpose and tone. For instance, words like 'mad storming' and 'roaring' suggest a chaotic intensity, and interpreting such language is a key part of understanding the overall message. As critical readers, students must discern between literal and figurative language—a storm can't really 'bellow,' but here it signifies overwhelming noise.

Critical reading also involves identifying the key elements of a narrative, which includes setting, characters, and plot. In our example, the intense description of the storm is part of the setting, which, in turn, shapes the reader's understanding of the character's predicament. Effectively, 'critical reading' in the context of the GED test prep ensures that students don't just read the words, but also grasp their deeper meanings and implications.

Boosting 'comprehension skills' means to enhance one's ability to understand and process information presented in written form. Comprehension is a foundational skill for the GED test, where reading questions often require a deep understanding of the material.

In the exercise provided, comprehension involves grasping the vivid narrative constructs within the passage to answer the question accurately. Students should visualize the scenario—imagining the author beneath the 'Atlantic on my back' can help clarify the dramatic intensity of the situation. They should also connect ideas within the text to infer meanings beyond the explicit text—something that is not directly mentioned but can be deduced.

Effective comprehension skills allow students to pick the correct answer (option C) from the list provided. Here, their ability to connect the descriptive elements with the overall mood and implications is crucial. To improve comprehension skills, students can practice summarizing passages in their own words and asking themselves questions about the motives, outcomes, and perspectives presented in the texts they read.

Closely associated with 'analytical reasoning' is the skill to break down complex information into smaller components to understand underlying structures and relationships. In the realm of GED test prep, this involves an examination of the text to filter out the main points and hypothesize the author's intent, assess the options given in multi-choice questions, and eliminate the incorrect ones based on evidence within the text.

For instance, in relating our exercise to analytical reasoning, students must recognize that the description is not meant to exhibit an exaggerated scenario (thus ruling out option D) or highlight unmentioned aspects such as the flimsy nature of bridges (ruling out B). Instead, by closely analyzing the text, one sees that the passage describes the unexpected and overpowering nature of the storm, which aligns with choice C.

By engaging in such analytical practices, students can improve their reasoning skills and thus, their ability to answer questions more accurately. These skills can be honed through practices like predicting outcomes, comparing and contrasting arguments, and drawing logical conclusions based on available textual evidence.