Critical Reading

What can you resort to if r.a.c.e. does not seem to help?

Sometimes r.a.c.e. won't work, so try to figure out the blank's connotation; then you can eliminate all answer choices that don't share that connotation.

Describe literal comprehension questions.

The answers involve phrases that are verbatim from the text. Watch out for shifts and distractors.

Give an example a passage that would come from natural sciences.

- the stratification of the terrain in the Grand Canyon - the development of bio-diesel from fast-food fryers - locating planets outside of our solar system

Give an example of a passage that would be characterized as narrative fiction.

- an excerpt from Jack London's To Build a Fire - an excerpt from Homer's Odyssey - an excerpt from Richard Wright's Native Son

What is the recommended method of solving a double passage?

Divide the questions at the point where they stop referring to passage one and begin referring to passage two. Solve for passage one before you begin passage two.

Name the two types of context clues?

Informational and grammatical context clues

What types of subjects are involved with social sciences?

history, government, economics, anthropology, sociology or the study of (people & cultures)

What two specific kinds of questions are found among the general information questions?

1. Finding the main idea 2. Determining the author's tone or mood

List each question type for the long and double passages?

1. General Information 2. Vocabulary-in-Context 3. Literal Comprehension 4. Extended Reasoning

Name the four academic areas from which the passages are taken.

1. Humanities 2. Narrative fiction (literature) 3. Social Sciences 4. Natural Sciences

What are the two exceptions to the order of difficulty Rule on the verbal side?

1. In critical reading - all the questions dealing with the long passages are listed sequentially instead of by difficulty 2. In the writing skills section - the questions dealing with "fix the bad paragraph" are listed sequentially instead of by difficulty.

How should one quickly solve for the main idea in a long passage?

1. Read the thesis statement and all topic sentences. 2. Read the italics before the passage. 3. Read the first and last paragraph. 4. If that's not enough, read the entire intro. and conclusion.

What are the six things that can detract from

1. human voice 2. music with lyrics 3. instrumental music 4. wrong temperature 5. poor posture 6. no pre-reading material

What are the four parts of the critical reading sections?

1. sentence completions 2. short passages (apx. 100 words) 3. long passages (apx 750-1000 words) 4. the double passage

Name the four tricks found in the critical reading answer choices.

1. shift 2. extreme 3. enticer 4. distracter

Of the six things that detract from your reading comprehension, which three do you have some control over during a real SAT? Explain.

1. wrong temperature - bring layers of clothing to adjust 2. poor posture - sit up in the aggressive, academic posture 3. no pre-reading material - read the italics before and questions at the end of a long passage before you read.

Explain the first method for solving the critical reading sections?

1st method - Read the passage first; then, answer the questions. The strength = a sense of security; readers know what they're getting into. The weakness = the mind is forced to do two things at once: 1st - decoding the sentences - 2nd - trying to figure out what is testable. no pre-reading activities to improve rdg. comp - your comp will suffer as a result.

Explain the second method for solving the critical reading sections?

2nd method - Read the questions first; make notes in the text; then read and answer the ques.The strength = marking the text alerts one to upcoming test ques.The weakness = it may take a long time, flipping back and forth between questions and the text, marking, reading, flipping

Explain the third method for solving the critical reading sections?

3rd method - HUNTING - a student reads a question and hunts for the answer. The strength - this is the quickest method. The weakness - without a proper reading foundation and an understanding of how to solve certain question types, a hunter will miss much information and get answers wrong.

Explain the difference between a shift and a distracter. (define both)

A shift involves text that is taken directly from the passage but has nothing to do with the question. A distracter is related to the question and is found in the passage, but something has either been deleted or distorted, so the meaning has changed.

Where would one use r.a.c.e. and what does it stand for?

Apply r.a.c.e. in sent. completions. R = read the sentence without looking at the answers. A = anticipate the answer by making up one of your own. C = compare your idea to the choices. E = eliminate wrong answers and tricks.

Where can you find two pre-reading activities on the SAT?

As stated before, in the italics before a passage and in the questions following the passage.

Define the FANBOYS; then, name them.

FANBOYS are the coordinate conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so

Why is it wrong to say that the passages on the SAT are boring?

First, "boring" is a relative term; not all people think that the same things are boring. You may not like shopping for shoes, but many other people do; the same holds true for reading passages.

What should you think about if you have a coordinate conjunction and a blank together in a sentence completion?

Look on either side of the coordinate conjunction to see which terms are related to the blank, then find the term that fits appropriately.

What should you do when you see a sent. comp. with a blank before a semi-colon?

Normally, in that situation everything after the semi-colon defines what should go in the blank.

Describe extended reasoning questions.

One must draw an inference or read between the lines, to make a conclusion based on information in the text. These questions want you to understand the implications of what is stated, follow the logic of an argument, or evaluate an author's assumption.

Most critical reading passages are taken from which university- level courses?

Prerequisites; In these courses, students are most likely to get plenty of reading assignments involving foundation-level material

Define connotation and its several types.

The connotation is the word's implied meaning based on its context or how it is being used. For the SAT, keep it simple and only focus on whether it is positive, negative, or neutral.

What is the definition of the order of difficulty rule? Discuss percentages.

The order of difficulty rule states that for each type of question within a particular section of the SAT, they are ordered from easiest, to medium, to hard. On average, 88-90% of students get the easy ones right, while 88-90% get the difficult ones wrong.

Why is this method recommended for double passages?

The two authors normally agree but for different reasons. Even if they disagree, it is easy to confuse them. By splitting them up, you can keep them separate in your mind.

What types of subjects are involved with humanities?

art, literature, music, architecture, philosophy, and folklore.

What is the college Board doing by giving you these topics?

the College Board is trying to put you in a situation that provides similar readings to those you will get in college assignments. If you are academically immature about this, then you will probably do poorly.