SAT Prep- Long Passages, Question Types and Strategies

Long Passage Question Types Question Order Reading Comprehension are not arranged by degree of difficulty, but they do have a specific order. In general, the questions correspond to the passage: first few questions ask about the beginning of the passage The middle questions about the middle Last few questions about the end The last couple are likely to be Big Picture questions that ask about the overall main idea of the passage

Introduction Each long passage begins with a brief introduction that tells you what the passage is about. This is an important part of the question set and should NOT be skipped. Introduction helps you focus your reading by preparing you for the kind of information and ideas to come.

Learn to Read Actively A key skill to master for the Reading Comprehension passage is active reading. Take an active role as you read. You do this by asking yourself questions as you read: Why did the author write this? What is the purpose of this paragraph? Why include this detail? The 3Ws of Active Reading: Why is more important than what Keep straight who said what While reading, look for the author’s Motivation Keep track of the various opinions and points of view The author’s view is likely to be different from those of any other people the author mentions in the paragraphs.

Map the Passage: Longer passages cover many aspects of a topic Within each of these paragraphs, there are several details that help the author convey a message Write- the simplest notes possible in the margin- abbreviations work well, but be sure you understand them Note- the summary purpose of each paragraph- such as background, opinion, pro, con, etc. Bracket or circle- key points (keep underlining to a minimum) Mark- places were opinion and point of view are expressed- the chance of seeing questions on these points is nearly 100% Pay attention- to all contrasting elements- one person thinks one thing, while another thinks another. These notes are your passage map. Passage map helps you find the part of the passage that contains the information you need.

Passage Maps A good passage map: Contains short words or phrases Uses clear marks like brackets and circled words Concentrates on viewpoints and opinions Notes opinions other than the author’s Avoids too-specific details

ABCs of Active Reading A= Abbreviate margin notes B= Bracket key sentences C= Circle keywords or phrases

Paired Passages The SAT will include at least one long paired passage and one short paired passage. Paired passages are two separate passages that relate to the same topic. Questions following paired passages are generally ordered the same way. The first few questions relate to the first passage, the next few to the second passage, and the final questions ask about the passages as a pair.

Strategy for Paired Passages Step 1: Read Passage 1 and answer the questions about it. Step 2: Read Passage 2 and answer the questions about it. Step 3: Answer the questions asking about both passages.

Paired Passages Continued… Because you have to keep track of two different viewpoints with paired passages, it’s especially important to read actively and create a map for each passage. Ask yourself as you read the first passage: What is the author’s main point? When you read the second passage, ask yourself: How is this different from or similar to the first passage?

Practice:

Timing Strategies for the Critical Reading Section Leave as much time as possible for reading and answering the long passage questions. These take more time than either the short reading or the Sentence Completions. Possible Plan for the 25-minutes section: Spend only 2-3 minutes on the Sentence Completions. Save a minute or two at the end to come back to the harder Sentence Completion questions. Short passages should take no more than 5 minutes, less if possible. Two long passages (paired or not) usually follow; you’ll want at least 15 minutes for reading and answering the questions, more if possible.