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'''SAT Reading section techniques and strategies'''
'''SAT Reading section techniques and strategies'''


[[Category:SAT verbal]]
{{New SAT test disclaimer}}
[[Category:SAT Reading]]
[[Category:SAT exam prep]]


* see also:
* see also:
Line 12: Line 10:
* here for videos [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyC6Fj2OdXlrS_2vRYBHtzPwu2WOLSCVQ modeling some of these techniques and correcting student errors on SAT Reading section practice tests (by Michael Bromley)]
* here for videos [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyC6Fj2OdXlrS_2vRYBHtzPwu2WOLSCVQ modeling some of these techniques and correcting student errors on SAT Reading section practice tests (by Michael Bromley)]


== Reading Practice ==


* SAT reading section engages students in difficult and unfamiliar text
** in science, social studies, fiction, and journalism
* many teachers and prep tutors recommend that students engage in general reading in preparation
** this is fine advice, but it's too general to be useful
* instead, we recommend that students become constant readers of fiction and non-fiction across multiple disciplines
* more specifically, since the SAT Reading section uses excerpts,
** identify the sources of released and practice tests
** search titles or text extracts on academic databases (J-STOR, etc.)
** engage difficult short stories from
*** Sake, Virginia Woolf, James Joyce or Henry James
*** learn the historical context of these stories as well<br />
== Overview ==
== Overview ==
* SAT Reading Section Test Directions:
* SAT Reading Section Test Directions:
Line 25: Line 35:


==Quick start guide for Reading Section Strategies & Approaches==
==Quick start guide for Reading Section Strategies & Approaches==
Reading section is EVIDENCE based -- stick to the text and don't "over-infer"


many wrong possible answers are built upon incorrect assumptions or inferences that go beyond the textual evidence
* Reading section is EVIDENCE based
** = stick to the text and don't "over-infer"
** many wrong possible answers are built upon incorrect assumptions or inferences that go beyond the textual evidence


make sure to review the final paragraph or sentences for main point questions, as that's where we get the thesis or summary (which can be useful for other questions, as well)
* '''read titles''' & Introductory information!
** for academic passages the title usually states the thesis
* carefully read the '''final''' paragraph or final sentences
** that's where the authors present a thesis, conclusion, summary or statement of purpose/relevancy
** especially for main point questions, but focusing on final sentences can be useful for other questions, as well
** first few paragraphs build the article, middle paragraphs develop ideas, and the final paragraph draws a conclusion


paired evidence questions: usually 2 of the possible answers from the evidence source question don't address the prior question itself, so eliminate
* for paired evidence questions, usually 2 of the possible answers from the evidence source question don't address the prior question itself, so eliminate
* focus on '''information in questions'''
** every question contains information: identify it!
*** ex. the question, ''Why is the sky blue?'' tells us that the "sky" is "blue"
** identify exactly what the question is asking for
** pay attention to important question qualifiers such as ''most often'', ''usually, some times, generally,'' etc.
** if there are '''two parts''' to a question, possible answers or in comparison questions
*** ''you only need to eliminate ONE of the parts for the answer to be wrong''
* '''eliminate for errors''' instead of jumping on what you think is the correct answer
** unless you see the correct answer directly in the text!
** maintain an adversarial relationship w/ the possible answers:
*** three of them are there to fool you -- DON'T TRUST THEM! ('''i.e. eliminate for errors''')


eliminate for errors instead of jumping on what you think is the correct answer (unless you see the correct answer directly in the text!)
* while reading passages pay attention to:
** transition words (especially sentences starting with "But..."
** parenthetical information or info set aside by dashes or colons
** pronoun or definite article references (such as "that idea..." or "the scientist..."


in the reading passage itself, pay attention to
* focus on "'''perspective shifts'''":
 
** in fiction: what does character A think character B thinks about character A or C?
transition words (especially sentences starting with "But..."
** in science or academic: what does observation or experiment B tell us about experiment/observation A and how does that inform experiment/observation C.. etc.
 
* in expository / comparison passages:
parenthetical information or info set aside by dashes or colons
** pay attention to rhetorical questions
 
** look for straw man arguments (statements that put words in the mouths of opponents
pronoun or definite article references (such as "that idea..." or "the scientist..."
 
maintain an adversarial relationship w/ the possible answers: three of them are there to fool you -- DON'T TRUST THEM! (i.e. eliminate for errors)
 
focus on perspective shifts:
 
in fiction: what does character A think character B thinks about character A or C?
 
in science or academic: what does observation or experiment B tell us about experiment/observation A and how does that inform experiment/observation C.. etc.
 
in expository / comparison passages:
 
pay attention to rhetorical questions
 
look for straw man arguments (statements that put words in the mouths of opponents)
 
if there are two parts to a question, possible answers or in comparison questions, you only need to eliminate ONE of the parts for the answer to be wrong.


== BIG IDEAS ==
== BIG IDEAS ==
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** simplifying means isolating the core elements of a sentence or paragraph
** simplifying means isolating the core elements of a sentence or paragraph
* simplify by eliminating unnecessary sentence parts and modifiers and modifying phrases
* simplify by eliminating unnecessary sentence parts and modifiers and modifying phrases
>> ex. t.b.a.
>> ex. from Official Practice Test 3, Question 4:
                                  Certain of her
acquaintances were wont to give her plentiful
admonition as to the undesirability of interfering on
behalf of a distressed animal, such interference being
“none of her business.”
 
* "remove the noise" from the text by ignoring words you do not fully comprehend<br />
 
                            Certain of her
[somebodies] were [something] to give her plentiful
[something] as to the undesirability of interfering on
behalf of a [something] animal, such interference being
“none of her business.”
 
* simplify to:


Certain [people] give her plentiful [something] about
interfering on behalf of an animal, bc that interference
is “none of her business.”


=== Timed test ===
=== Timed test ===
Line 274: Line 305:
** note that the 2nd question frequently appears on the next page, so when you preview questions mark the 1st question to remind you to look at the 2nd first
** note that the 2nd question frequently appears on the next page, so when you preview questions mark the 1st question to remind you to look at the 2nd first
* there are two approaches to paired questions:
* there are two approaches to paired questions:
* Strategy 1: answer the second question first
# '''Strategy 1''': assess and test out the evidence in the second question first
** convert the first question into a statement so as to clarify what evidence to look for  
#* start by converting the question in the first question into a statement so as to clarify what evidence to look for  
** as you read through the possible sources of evidence, repeating the statement from the1st question so as to stay focused on the question: “what am I looking for?
#** as you read through the possible sources of evidence, repeat the statement from the 1st question so as to stay focused on the question:  
** if you use this approach do not look at the possible answers in the first question, which will may confuse you
#*** that is, “what am I looking for?"
** the evidence must be in the identified lines
#*** do not look at the possible answers in the first question, which will may confuse you
** do not use evidence before or after those lines!
#** the evidence must be in the identified lines
*** the only exception is if the evidence source contains a pronoun reference from a prior or subsequent line which may define its accuracy  
#** do not use evidence before or after those lines!
** once you find the evidence from the 2nd question, now repeat that evidence to yourself while you eliminate the possible answers from the 1st question
#*** the only exception is if the evidence source contains a pronoun reference from a prior or subsequent line which may define its accuracy  
** if you cannot eliminate down to one source of evidence in the 2nd question, test each possible source directly against the possible answers  
#* eliminate any evidence lines that DO NOT ADDRESS the prior question itself
* Strategy 2 (recommended by College Board): answer the first question first, then test the possible evidence from the second question
#** this way you don't have to waste time testing a wrong answer and risk getting fooled by the wrong answer mis-match that the questions are designed to fool you with
** you must be confident of the answer here (use aggressive elimination)
#** the strategy will usually help to eliminate 1-2 (sometimes 3) possible evidence sources, so it saves time
#** it may not work on all paired evidence questions, however
#*** especially ones in which the 1st question is open-ended
#**** (thus leaving us no information with which to eliminate the evidence).
#* once you find the evidence from the 2nd question, now repeat that evidence to yourself while you eliminate the possible answers from the 1st question
#* if you cannot eliminate down to one source of evidence in the 2nd question, test each possible source directly against the possible answers  
# '''Strategy 2''' (recommended by College Board): answer the first question first, then test the possible evidence from the second question
#* you must be confident of the answer here (use aggressive elimination)
* see what works for you: only practice will yield best strategies here
* see what works for you: only practice will yield best strategies here
* we recommend Strategy no. 1  
* we recommend Strategy no. 1
click EXPAND to see an example of Strategy no. 1 applied to College Board Practice Test 10, Reading section, questions 27-27
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
<pre>Q 26) Which conclusion is best supported by the findings of Olausson's 1993 experiment?
 
Q 27)
A) lines 22-26
B) lines 26-28
C) Lines 28-30
D) Lines 37-38</pre>
# test if the evidence matches the question itself from 26
#* here we see in the text that Q27 evidence lines A, B, & C do address the 1993 experiment, so we cannot eliminate yet
#* we do see that Q27 evidence D) lines 37-38 do not regard the 1993 experiment (it regards a 1999 experiment), so we eliminate D)
#* now we read the evidence lines 22-30 more closely
#** Q27 A) Lines 22-26 describe the techniques of the experiment but do not offer a "conclusion" to draw from it
#*** so we eliminate A) without even testing out the possible answers to Q 26.
#* Now we consider B & C, lines 26-30, and decide which of those two support Q 26 and "a conclusion" from the 1993 experiment.
#** since both do address the 1993 experiment and we might be able to draw a "conclusion" from them, we have to test them against the possible answers to Q26
#* write B) and C) on either side of Q26 and eliminate separately
#** we then see that the Q27 C) does not support any of the possible answers
#** and Q27 B) does not support 3 possible answers, but it does support the correct answer Q26 C).
</div>
 
=== “Command of evidence” without a paired "evidence" question ===
=== “Command of evidence” without a paired "evidence" question ===
* usually to find evidence for an excerpt:
* usually to find evidence for an excerpt:
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* if you do not know what "disparagement means," but the text does not have evidence for "amusement," then C) is wrong
* if you do not know what "disparagement means," but the text does not have evidence for "amusement," then C) is wrong
* if you do not know what "deference" means, but the text shows evidence for "respect" then you cannot eliminate
* if you do not know what "deference" means, but the text shows evidence for "respect" then you cannot eliminate
</div>


=== Skipping ===  
=== Skipping ===  
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* there will always be the following types of readings:
* there will always be the following types of readings:
** Fiction
** Fiction
** Expository
** Expository/Persuasive
** Social Science (academic)
** Social Science (academic or journalistic)
** Scientific (academic)
** Scientific (academic or journalistic)
** Comparison (two expository/ argument passages)
** Comparison
*** historical primary source
*** journalistic or editorial
*** persuasive


=== Fiction ===
=== Fiction ===
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** identify when a narrator is describing the thoughts or ideas of a character
** identify when a narrator is describing the thoughts or ideas of a character


=== Expository ===
=== Expository or Persuasive ===
* = argumentative or persuasive essay, such as a newspaper editorial, published essay or political speech  
* expository = descriptive, explanatory or otherwise reasoned but not purely academic
* = often historical essay or speech, late 18th to 21st centuries
** may not have the hypothesis/thesis/observation pattern of an academic passage
* will not usually state thesis statement in title or opening paragraph
* persuasive = argumentative, opinionated, judgmental, or takes a position
* usually engages specific literary techniques for persuasion and reinforcement of ideas
* expository/persuasive essays may come in the form of:
** editorial, essay, political speech, private letter
** are often an historical essay, letter or speech, late 18th to 21st centuries
** may also be journalist in terms of describing some topic or event
** will not usually state thesis statement in title or opening paragraph
** usually engages specific literary techniques for persuasion and reinforcement of ideas
* techniques:  
* techniques:  
** identify author purpose and rhetorical techniques, including
** identify author purpose and rhetorical techniques, including
Line 467: Line 534:
** social media and other technological challenges to modern society
** social media and other technological challenges to modern society
** libraries, academics, and information technology
** libraries, academics, and information technology
== Vocabulary ==
* SAT Reading measures contextual vocabulary not strict vocabulary knowledge
=== Contextual vocabulary approach & strategy ===
* read the surrounding paragraph/s for context
** read more than just the immediate sentence
** frequently, an answer is clarified by prior or subsequent sentences
** see Practice Test 1, Reading question no. 12
*** to answer this question, the student must read two sentences ahead
*** to identify the contextual meaning of "ambivalent," the student must identify that the "ambivalent feelings" result from both that "Many relish the opportunity" and ... "many dread the thought"
**** notice, also, the transitional phrase, "At the same time":
<pre>
This frequent experience of gift-giving can engender [ambivalent] feelings in gift-givers. Many relish the opportunity to buy presents because gift-giving offers a powerful means to build stronger bonds with one’s closest peers. At the same time, many dread the thought of buying gifts; they worry that their purchases will disappoint rather than delight the intended recipients.
</pre>
* identify the part of speech of the vocabulary word
** usually it is a noun, adjective, or verb
* identify how that word interacts grammatically with the surrounding word/s:
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!If it is a...
!
!
!
|-
|noun
|is it modified by an adjective?
|is it the subject or object of a verb?
is it the object of a non-finite verb (i.e., is it part of a participle or prepositional phrase)?
|
|-
|verb
|is it modified by an adverb?
|what is its subject and object or other complement (i.e. what is the full predicate)?
|
|-
|adjective
|what is the noun it modifies?
|
|
|}
* if there is a similar word type in the sentence, use it to identify a parallel meaning
** ex. from Test 9, Reading question no. 10
** the vocabular term "clean" must be similar in use to "pure"
** both adjectives describe a "sound" that the narrator heard
<pre>
"And listen to this.” And I heard a sound as [clean] and pure as a small silver bell. “The high-pitched tone tells you that the soot is very fine, as smooth as the sliding banks of old rivers."
A) complete.
B) skillful.
C) distinct.
D) upright.
</pre><blockquote>A) complete does not match "pure"; also, sounds are not "completed"
B) skillful < sounds may be skillfully created, but the sound itself cannot be skillful
C) distinct > correctly matches "pure"
D) upright < sounds cannot be "upright"</blockquote>
* next, identify the "type" or characteristic of the word:
* is it used for...
** people
** ideas/ concepts
** things
** animals or plants
* eliminate according to that "type" that it is (noun), does (verb) or is like (adjective)
=== Useful vocabulary for SAT Reading section comprehension ===
* Vocabulary terms are essential not just for reading comprehension of passages but also of questions themselves.
* Please see these entries on useful and important vocabulary for SAT verbal sections:
** [[SAT verbal sections terms for effective test-taking]]
** [[SAT Reading section historical timeline & themes#Historical%20terminology|SAT Reading section historical timeline & themes]]
** Writing section skills & strategies category for more on
*** [[Transition words translations|transition words]]
*** [[SAT_Writing_section_techniques,_strategies_%26_approaches#Useful_vocabulary_words_for_SAT_Writing_section|Useful vocabulary words for SAT Writing section]]
== Comprehending difficult text ==
=== reading skills practice ===
* break down complex sentences
** identify main clause (subject- verb)
** identify modifiers (relative clauses, prepositional phrases, etc.
** identify parenthetical phrases
** work on connecting multiple independent clauses and identifying the overall meaning of the sentence
* identify perspective shifts:
** when the author speaks for someone oneself
*** to set up an opposing argument for refutation
*** or to characterize an opponent's position
* identify and practice building context around transition words
** rhetorical questions
*** author speaking to the audience
*** challenging an opposite perspective/ claim/s
*** supporting author claim/s
* transition words
** for contrast
** for introduction of ideas
** for drawing conclusion
== Comprehending long or complex sentences ==
* long and complex sentences may intimidate or confuse students
* key to comprehension of difficult text is to isolate sentence parts
* once the student recognizes the distinct sentence parts, the difficulty of the sentence is reduced
* of course, vocabulary may still present a challenge, but we can get around unknown words, as well
=== identifying & isolating sentence elements ===
** every sentence has a core of a subject-verb main clause (or clauses)
** additional information is added to the subject-verb core with
** modifying elements that add to or qualify the main clause, including:
*** subordinate or dependent clauses:
**** "''If I study in the library'', I can stay focused"
*** relative or adjective clauses:
**** "I study in the library, ''which helps me stay focused''"
*** prepositional phrases:
**** "I study ''in the library'', ''which helps me stay focused''"
**** "I stay focused ''by studying in the library''"
*** parenthetical phrases
**** "I study in the library ''(the one near my house)'', so I can stay focused"
* see this Video by Michael Bromley on breaking down a complex sentence from College Board
=== steps for sentence comprehension ===
# isolate modifying elements
#* especially prepositional phrases (starting w/ "in, of, about", etc.)
#* and relative clauses (usually being with "that" or "which")
#identify main and any dependent clauses
#* clauses contain a subject and verb
#* subordinate clauses begin with a subordinating conjunction such as "if," "because", "since", etc.
# identify pronoun references
#* replace unfamiliar words with "something" in order to get past them
# re-arrange the sentence by adding the modifying elements
#* and you don't have to add them back in the original order: just make sense of them
* click EXPAND for an example of this technique from an actual SAT test:
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
here for a complex sentence from a random College Board practice test on Khan Academy:
<pre>The latter shows that while the conglomeration of “Plains culture” may have been a product of merging new ideas with old, combined with cultural interchange between groups, the details of what was accepted, rejected or elaborated in each case reflected pre- existing ideological biases.</pre>
#. isolate modifying elements:
#* "'''''The latter shows''' <strike>that while the conglomeration of “Plains culture” may have been a product of merging new ideas with old, combined with cultural interchange between groups,</strike> '''the details of what was accepted, rejected or elaborated''' <strike>in each case reflected pre- existing ideological biases.</strike>''"
#. which helps to identify the main clause:
#* "''The latter shows the details of what was accepted, rejected or elaborated''"
# identify pronoun references:
#* "''The latter'' = the second of two prior references
#** as opposed to "the former" which is the first of two prior references
#* in thise case, "''the latter''" = "moccasin decorations"
#* so we have
#** "''The latter [moccasin decorations] shows the details of what was accepted, rejected or elaborated''"
# add back in modifying elements:
#* "''while the conglomerate [something] of "Plains culture" may have been a product of new ideas with old''"
#* "''combined with cultural interchange between groups''"
#** and "''in each case [the details] reflected pre-existing ideological [something] biases''"
#* now simplify and combine:
#**# "''while the "Plains culture" may have been a product of new ideas with old''"
#**# and "''combined with cultural interchange between groups''"
#**# then "''The [moccasin decorations] show<strike>s</strike> the details of what was accepted, rejected or elaborated''"
#**# and "''in each case [the details] reflected pre-existing ideological [something] biases''"
</div>
* see also:
** video by Michael Bromley on simplifying a complex sentence from College Board Practice Test 10, Reading Section Question 15: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3M8G4SulCw&feature=youtu.be SAT Reading Prep breaking down a complex sentence Test 10, Q 15]
[[Category:SAT verbal]]
[[Category:SAT Reading]]
[[Category:SAT exam prep]]
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