reading

main idea of passage or paragraph

*they can give me something that happen in the passage but it is not the main idea.

One important skimming strategy is to look for the MAJOR SECTION within the passage

- Typically, the text can be separated into no more than two or three large chunks, in which different aspects of the topic are discussed or shifts in point of view take place. - Having a clear idea of what each section discusses will focus you and make it less necessary for you to read every word because you'll already know why the information is there. -you will sometimes encounter questions that ask you directly where a shift in the passage occurs. If you've already identified where sections begin and end, you can answer those questions almost immediately.

social science

-are almost always written from a third person, objective perspective. -they tend to be more fact and detail based, you should be prepared to spend a fair amount of time going to back to the passage and hunting for specific pieces of information.

finding the main idea

-the main idea in the pros fiction and humanities passages are usually connected to character's attitude. -the main idea in the social science and natural science passages are usually stated at the end of the first paragraph. -look at the title to help you find the main idea

Pros-fiction

-they are frequently written from A FIRST PERSON perspective, although some are written from a THIRD person perspective. -they frequently contain multicultural characters and themes (african american ....). these passages frequently focus on a character's attempts to assimilate into the american society while retaining their cultural heritage. any passage written by a minority author or featuring members of a minority group will present the protagonist in a +ve light.

vocabulary in context

-you don't need to know the exact definition of the word being tested. you only need to understand how it is being used in that particular place. -if you see the literal definition listed as an answer choice, you can assume that it most likely isn't correct

how to skim effectively

-you should always make sure to carefully read the introduction (usually only the first paragraph , but occasionally the first two or even three paragraphs), focusing particularly on the last sentence or two. in addition, you should always read the conclusion (last paragraph) slowly, paying close attention to the last sentence. -as you read the passage, you should pay close attention to the beginning and end of each paragraph. sometimes it will be enough to read the first sentence and sometimes you will have to read two or three sentences to figure out what the paragraph is about. -you should try to notice any major changes in topic, focus or point of view. -you should pay attention to major transitions, strong language, and interesting punctuations such as ( : - "") -words and phrases such as: therefore, for example, however, because, in fact, tell you when authors are drawing conclusions, offering supporting evidence, shifting directions and emphasizing key points. -very often, the information you need to answer questions will be located near these words.

SOCIAL SCIENCE find the AUTHOR'S PURPOSE

...

author's purpose or method

...

place a star next to main points as you read the passage

...

reading strategy

...

the FIRST paragraph sets the tone/mood of what follows READ IT CAREFULLY

...

when you see interesting punctuation as: ( : - ) ---> circle them or bracket the sentence that contains it.

...

locating information you should break down literal comprehension questions into the following steps:

1) identify the key word or phrase in the QUESTION and circle/ underline it. ---> if you have one key word, how do you decide which one to focus on? you look for the one that's more specific because it is more likely to only appear close to the answer, and you want to reread as few places as possible. 2) think logically about where in the passage that topic is located 3)skim the first paragraph, then read the topic sentences looking for key word: --- remember that the answer will be stated literally; if the section you're reading doesn't answer the question, the answer must be somewhere else. ----try reading the surrounding sentences (before and after) and if that doesn't work, skip ahead to the next mention of the key word.

5-step method

1) preread the passage 2) consider the question stem 3) refer to the passage 4)answer the question in your own words 5) match your answer with one of the choices

if you don't spot the correct answer immediately, there are a few strategies you can use.

1) read the appropriate section of the passage carefully and plug in your own word, then check the answer choice and find the one that most closely matches. 2) plug each answer choice into the passage and read it in context 3)*** play +ve / -ve if the surrounding information in the passage is clearly +ve, you can eliminate any -ve word and vice versa

instead reading a question and immediately going back to the passage:

1) read the question 2) read through the four answer choices looking for obvious incorrect answer (often, there are two) 3)read the remaining two choices, looking for an incorrect word or idea in of the answers. eliminate that choice. the remaining answer is correct

The first thing to do during your initial read through of a passage is to identify

1) what type of passage is it: is it a first person narrative or is written in the third person? 2) does the author seem to be arguing a point or is the passage more descriptive and detail oriented?

PROS FICTION use CAPS strategy

Character: look for information regarding the character Attitude Problem Solution: typically in the conclusion

Skimming

First, the skimmer would rOuld read the first sentence relatively slow. The Purpose of the first sentence is to tell the reader what the paragraph is about, so it always deserves special attention.

Passages as a whole are often structured similarly to paragraphs in that they move from GENERAL to SPECIFIC. The author may begin by devoting the first few paragraphs to describing a general situation or topic, then shift to providing a specific example or series of examples.

In the conclusion, the author will typically shift back to a more general discussion, "opening up" the topic and explaining its larger importance or application.

If the passage ,or certain parts of the passage, has a clear point, you need to look out for examples (and counter examples)

Once you know where those sections are and what role they play in the argument.. you may be able to skim through them.

methods for ACT reading

STEP 1: ACTIVELY READ THE PASSAGE, TAKING NOTES AS YOU GO: -active reading is the process of asking yourself questions while reading. -don't get bogged down in the details -you should ask yourself these questions: why did the author write his paragraph? how does it contribute to the purpose of the passage as a whole? -take brief notes next to each paragraph on what you find from your questioning process. -find the purpose of each paragraph, then jot it in the margins in 3-5 words to create you passage map. -focus on getting the purpose and themes down. STEP 2: EXAMINE THE QUESTION STEM, LOOKING FOR CLUES: -think about the question stem without looking at any answers. STEP 3: PREDICT THE ANSWER AND SELECT THE CHOICE THAT BEST MATCHES YOUR PREDICTION.

If you're dealing with a more descriptive, detail based passage, you may have to slow down and read more of the passage carefully

You may be able to skim through individual paragraphs in which the author simply provides a series of details to illustrate a particular idea or experience, but the structure of those paragraphs will not always be clear-cut and important information will not always be presented in the expected places ( introduction, beginning or ends of paragraph)

natural science

one fairly common theme is that of "OLD IDEA vs NEW IDEA". in this model, passage will describe research that was initially controversial or viewed skeptically by the scientific community but that, as a result of new evidence, is now becoming more widely accepted. you can assume that questions asking about the research's original reception will have NEGATIVE answers whereas questions asking about how the world is viewed today will have +ve ones.

sometimes the author will provide a transition such as: FOR INSTANCE, FOR EXAMPLE: which clearly indicates that the following information is there to provide supporting evidence. As a result, you know immediately that you do not have to read the following information in great detail.

other times, ACT authors will not spell out for you that they're providing an example. Instead of saying for example, they will simply launch into the supporting evidence.

reading test always has the same four passage types in the same order :

pros fiction / social science/ humanities/ natural science -pros fiction: asks you to focus more on the thoughts, feeling and motivation of fictional character. even when these are not explicitly stated in the passage

questions that begin with (THE MAIN CONFLICT OF THE PASSAGE IS, THE AUTHOR BELIVES THAT, ONE CAN CONCLUDE)

require you to paraphrase in order to find the correct answer

recognizing definitions

sometimes, the passage itself will provide a definition or description. you must identify the word being defined or described from among the answer choices

in social science and natural science paragraphs main idea

the main idea CAN be as a thesis in the beginning of the paragraph or as a conclusion at the end

special reading strategies for pros fiction

who are the characters? what is their state of mind? what's happening on the surface? what's happening under the surface?

when the question says (THE AUTHOR INDICATES, THE PASSAGE INDICATES, ACCORDING TO THE PASSAGE)

you can find the answer stated in the passage