Reading Section SAT PREP

 Rare to ever encounter a level one or level two question in the passage-based reading section  The answer to a reading question is always as clear, definite, and objectively predictable as the answer to a math question.  The correct answer choices in the critical reading section restate the text; the answer is found somewhere in the text. In other words, there are no interpretation questions. GENERAL OVERVIEW/BACKGROUND

1.You weren’t looking for restatements. 2.You were misled by subjective phrasing (“primarily,” “probably,” “suggests”). 3.There was a word used that is commonly misused by people, including yourself (denotation is more important than connotation for passage-based reading questions). THREE REASONS YOU MAY NOT HAVE DONE WELL ON THIS SECTION IN THE PAST

1.Extra Information 2.Direct Contradiction 3.Complete Irrelevance 4.Confused Concepts 5.Factual Accuracy 6.Off by One Word 7.Valid Interpretation (stay objective) Look back at the answers you got wrong on the practice test, and see which one of the above wrong answer types you selected TYPES OF WRONG ANSWERS THE COLLEGE BOARD WILL USE

 Read the questions and then read the passage.  Remember to skip the questions that ask you to look at specific line numbers, and only go back to them if you have time.  If you’re running out of time and there is an entire passage you haven’t read yet, read only the parts of the passage that you need to in order to answer the questions. READ THE PASSAGE FIRST, READ THE QUESTIONS FIRST, OR ONLY READ PART OF THE PASSAGE?

 If the right choice doesn’t immediately jump out at you, try to find the wrong answers first.  Once you’ve eliminated the wrong answers, find which of the remaining answers best restates the concepts and relationships from the relevant portion of the text. That will be your right answer. IF YOU CAN’T FIND THE RIGHT ONE, FIND THE WRONG ONES

 Resist the urge to overanalyze/infer.  The answer will still be found somewhere in the text.  Ex. What is the tone of the following: “Tom kept thinking about the happy days of his past, and longing for them to return.”  A. enthusiastic  B. nostalgic  C. morose  D. confused  E. pensive TONE, MOOD, AND ATTITUDE QUESTIONS

 The CB uses these terms differently than how we use them in everyday conversations.  humor—something that cannot be true in a literal sense (“When I found out we would have homework over the vacation, I was the mayor of Angrytown.”)  metaphor—any non-literal use of a word (figurative language); may refer to a simile as a metaphor (“She ran as fast as lightning.”)  ironic—contradiction; mostly refers to situational irony (“John was working in a butcher’s shop even though he never ate meat.”) HUMOR, METAPHOR, AND IRONY

 With a partner, read the second passage on page 391 and answer questions 8&9. PRACTICE TIME

 When asked to compare two passages, find a point in the text where the author you’re being asked about discusses something that is in the other passage, and then choose an answer that reflects that author’s opinion on the subject.  Let’s practice with pp #16-24 PAIRED PASSAGES

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 Careful reading is more important than memorizing vocabulary words.  The right answer will restate some other part of the sentence.  Focus on the questions where vocabulary isn’t an issue first.  The correct answer must make a natural-sounding English sentence. SENTENCE COMPLETION

 Know your roots! If you are a current or former Latin student, you have an advantage.  Think of any connotation the word might have.  Remove suffixes of the word to see if it makes it more familiar.  See if the suffix indicates anything about the word’s possible meaning (-able indicates an action can be done to something; -ism indicates a philosophy)  Consider any likely prefixes and possible meanings of the word without them. TECHNIQUES FOR DECIPHERING MEANINGS OF WORDS

1. Read the sentence and answer choices with an open mind. 2. Look for an answer choice that restates key elements of the sentence. 3. Use the techniques from the last slide on any words you don’t know. 4. Make sure your choice restates key elements of the sentence. 5. Read the sentence with you answer choice in the blank(s) to make sure it fits. 6. Skip the question if you run into too many unknown words (more than two that you can’t even begin to figure out). SENTENCE COMPLETION PROCESS

 P. 390 #1-5 PRACTICE SENTENCE COMPLETION