Passage Based Reading for the Sat

1. Passage Based Reading for the Sat

2. Passage-based Reading • You do not need to know the subject you are answering about, you simply need to know how to find the information. • Passages are about 100-850 words long. • They cover humanities, social studies, natural sciences, and literary fiction.

3. Passage-Based Reading Approaches to Reading the Passages - Mark the passages or make short notes. - Use your knowledge and experience carefully. - Read actively. - If you are having a hard time with a passage, read the question before you finish the passage.

4. Mark the passages or make short notes. • Be careful you don’t mark too much, you want to be able to find the answer. • Try to scribble a short note in the margin that summarizes what the paragraph is about.

5. Use your knowledge and experience carefully. • No matter what you know you cannot change what the writer has said. • You must distinguish between what the writer actually said and what you think the writer should have said.

6. Read Actively • Ask yourself questions as you read. • Make sure you are thinking about what you are reading.

7. If you are having a hard time with a passage, read the questions before you finish the passage. • This will help you know what to look for. • But don’t waste time by reading all of the questions first…. You may want to try both methods.

8. Types of Questions • Extended Reasoning Questions • Vocabulary in-context • Literal Comprehension

9. Extended Reasoning Questions • These questions ask you to draw conclusions from or evaluate information from the passage. • Ask about the overall theme or meaning of a passage. • Often include words like: probably, apparently, seems, suggests, it can be inferred, or the author implies. • For these types of questions you need to be an especially careful reader.

10. … be sure to… • Determine the main idea of the passage. • Figure out what the information presents and what the author’s opinion is. • Determine the author’s tone or attitude.

11. Facts, Assumptions & Inferences • Facts: statements known to be true are facts • Assumptions: these are suppositions or propositions that writers make to reach their conclusion. • Ex-Let’s have a picnic tomorrow. • The speaker would like to spend time with the person he/she is talking to. • Picnics are fun.

12. Inferences: these are conclusions you reach based on what has been said. Arrive at a conclusion through reasoning.

13. Logic, style, & tone • Some questions will ask you to consider the tone or the attitude of the author. • In well written work, the writer uses both style and tone to express what the has to say and to influence the reader.

14. Vocabulary in-Context questions • Some passage based reading questions ask about the meaning of the word as it is used in the passage. • Even if you do not know the word sometimes you can figure out the meaning. • The Context is the particular situation that a word is used, including information in neighboring sentences.

15. Remember • One word can have several meanings. • Questions asking for the meaning of a word mean the meaning as it is used in the passage. • It helps to go back to the passage and reread the surrounding area.

16. Literal Comprehension Questions • This type asks about material directly from the passage. • This measures a skill you will be using a lot in college. • Go back and look in the passage for the answer. • Cross out answers that you know are wrong.

17. Questions involving Paired passages and Paragraphs • There will be at least one long and one paragraph reading selection in pairs. • When a question asks you to compare two passages, don’t try to remember everything. Take one choice at a time.

18. Approaches • Remember all answers are in the passage. • Read the questions and answers carefully. • Don’t forget that an answer choice can be both true and wrong. • Try eliminating choices. • Double check other choices. • Don’t jump from passage to passage.