How to Read CLOSELY and SUCCESFULLY 1. Annotate Use ALL of the annotation skills we’ve learned all year—look for literary devices, themes, characters, moments that make you question, predict of connect with the text. 2. Read the questions accompanying the passage FIRST It ALWAYS helps to know what you are looking for! 3. Read the passage slowly and carefully… Be aware of the time…but don’t rush. Check the clock and set a pace for yourself. 4. When answering the questions, PAY ATTENTION! Look for bold, italicized or underlined portions of the question… Look for words like ALL, BUT, EXCEPT, etc. 5. Don’t be fooled by Numbers DO go back and re-read a passage when line numbers/paragraph numbers are given…but don’t be fooled, you might also have to read around these lines to find your answer. 6. Identify WHAT is being asked of you…and HOW you are being asked! Try to determine the purpose (what you are being tested on) of each question and the type (see list below) of question.

TYPES OF QUESTIONS: PLOT BASED – asks who, what, when, where… INFERENTIAL – asks you to draw a conclusion about a passage. CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT – must look closely at a character over the course of the entire passage. LITERARY DEVICE QUESTION – wants you to identify a specific device and/or how the use of that device impacts an entire piece of writing. CONTEXT CLUES – asks you to define a word based on the clues given in the text. THEME/OVERALL EFFECT – big picture question about main idea of a passage. CONFLICT – asks you to identify the type of central problem/conflict in a passage.