SAT 02

.docx

School

Arizona State University *

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Course

101

Subject

English

Date

Oct 30, 2023

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by JudgeThunder6384 on coursehero.com

THE KEY TO ANY RC PASSAGE S ummarize – the individual paragraphs and the entire passage. A nalyze – the information and discuss how things are alike and how they are different. N ew ideas – use the information to create new ideas. D raw – conclusions and judge ideas. And the SUPER KEYS for the same are – CONCENTRATION & SPEED You will have to develop the skill to read the passage fast and with concentration so as to intuitively spot the main theme or thrust of the passage, supporting facts and arguments. This can come only with a good knowledge of English, and a critical approach with sustained practice. While examining the answer choices, you will have to pay attention to the language as well as its import. Concentration: How many of us have gotten to the end of three or four pages of "reading" only to discover that we have no idea what was on those pages? We have failed to concentrate! There are four main causes of poor concentration: external distractions, internal distractions, fatigue, and lack of interest. Speed: It is safe to say that almost anyone can double his speed of reading while maintaining equal or even higher comprehension. A well-planned program prepares for maximum increase in rate by establishing the necessary conditions. THESPEED GAME PLAN Dissect the introductory paragraph (as finely as you can!): Read the introductory paragraph in an active manner. Think through the concepts while you are reading the text. What is the author's point? What is he trying to prove? Create a mental road map: Diagram the organization of the passage in your mind. What are the purposes of the different paragraphs? What is the content of the different paragraphs? You are not graded on reading the essay, but answering the questions. Your goal here is to simply get an idea of roughly how the essay works. You do not need a perfect understanding of the essay and do not have enough time to read it completely. Instead, attack each paragraph by reading the first sentence and quickly skimming the rest. When you've read all of the paragraphs, you can get an idea about the essay's organization. Tackle the questions (and not vice versa!): Answer the questions based on your mental road map of the passage. Locate the answer to each question within the paragraph that

relates to the question. 10 _ Eliminate disputable statements: Correct answers will always be politically correct. Authors of passages will never say negative things about other people, groups of people or ideas. If the answer choice says that the purpose of a passage is "the low score of people of ABC group in an intelligence test is basically due to their inherent stupidity", you can safely eliminate it without even reading the passage. Avoid direct repetitions: The answer will almost always be a paraphrase, not a direct repetition. The more closely a choice resembles a substantial part of the passage, the less likely the choice is to be the right answer. Be careful of LEAST/EXCEPT/NOT questions: Many, many students make careless mistakes on such questions. Be careful! Remember, you are looking for the one dumb answer among the choices. Use common sense: You won't find a passage arguing that literature is stupid, or that history doesn't matter, or that the moon is made of green cheese. As a result, you will often be able to eliminate answer choices simply because the facts or opinions they represent couldn't possibly be found in the passages. However, all the information that will lead to the correct answer will always be found in the passage. This is a treasure hunt; look to the passage for the answers. POINTS TO REMEMBER Don’t get awed by the nature of the passage: Since reading passages are drawn from many different disciplines and sources, you may not be familiar with the material in every passage. Do not be discouraged, however, if you encounter material with which you are not familiar. Questions are to be answered on the basis of the information provided in the passage, and you are not expected to rely on outside knowledge of a particular topic. Separate main ideas from supporting ideas or evidence: If you can find the author's voice and purpose, you are in excellent shape to find the essay's main point. The author has a personal point of view that is nearly always injected into the essay. The purpose of the essay is to persuade you of the author's point of view. Sometimes the author makes it easy to identify his point of

view by tagging it with strong adjectives/adverbs ( vital, remarkable, spectacular , etc.). Watch the author's voice. However, often the essay writers are less straightforward in expressing their viewpoints. Separate the author's own ideas or attitudes from the information he or she is presenting: Whatever strategy you choose, you should analyze the passage carefully before answering the questions. As with any kind of close and thoughtful reading, look for clues that will help you understand less explicit aspects of the passage. Try to separate main ideas from supporting ideas or evidence; try also to separate the author's own ideas or attitudes from information he or she is presenting. Examine the relationships among the different ideas or parts of the passage: Note transitions from one idea to the next, and examine the relationships among the different ideas or parts of the passage. For example, are they contrasting? Are they complementary? Consider the points the author makes, the conclusions drawn, and how and why those points are made or conclusions drawn. 11 _ Flick through – don’t memorize: The SAT grade you on the ability to answer questions, not whetheror not you understand every nuance in the text. Do not try to memorize information. Make a slight mental note of something that seems important. Focus instead on the structure, the argument, and what the writer is trying to say. Draw a mental road map so that if you are asked a question on the detail later, you may quickly locate the information. Read each question carefully and be certain that you understand exactly what is being asked: The best answer is the one that most accurately and most completely answers the questions being posed. Always read all the answer choices before selecting the best answer. Be careful not to pick an answer choice simply because it is a true statement (It might be there just to confuse you!): The best answer is the one that most accurately and most completely answers the questions being posed. Be careful not to pick an answer choice simply because it is a true statement. Be careful also not to be misled by answer choices that are only partially true or only partially satisfy the problem posed in the question. Answer the questions on the basis of the information provided in the passage: Your own views or opinions may sometimes conflict with the views expressed or the information provided in the passage; be sure that you work within the context of the passage. You should not expect to agree with everything you encounter in reading passages.

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