How do you approach the comprehension questions in the reading paper?

I would recommend reading the questions before reading the extract as it directs your reading as you can begin to think about how the text applies to the questions asked.  When reading through, underline sections which you think are important or any words which you are unsure of.  If you come across words that you are unsure of, don't panic - try and see what the rest of the sentence is saying and then try and work out what it could mean from the context.   Once you have finished reading through the text, I would read it once more, asking yourself what are the main points or are there any key words which you think may be important when answering the questions as again this will make you more familiar with the content.  When answering the question, you MUST read the question twice - it sounds silly but it is really easy to misread something when you do actually know the answer.  Try and look for synonyms as this will help you to work out which part of the text fits with what question.  The answers tend to be in order as well.  E.g. the first question tends to correspond with something in the first few lines etc.