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Passage Based Reading Posts

SAT Reading: What to Expect

By posted February 3, 2012

Timing: SAT Reading is made up of two to three 20-25 minute sections, depending on which subject is unscored.  Pacing for SAT Reading can be a little more complicated than for other sections since there are passages to read.  Some people only feel comfortable answering the questions on a passage if they have read the whole thing; however, for many people, time constraints won’t allow them to both read the whole passage and answer all the questions.  If you find that time is an issue for you, first just read the opening and closing paragraphs, which usually contain the main idea, and perhaps skim the middle.  Then read the questions and go back into the passage knowing what you are looking for.  Try out a few different approaches to passage-based reading.  Ultimately, the right way to do it is the way that works best for you.

Try this SAT reading question for practice before test day!

Format: The two question types on SAT Reading are sentence completion and passage-based reading.  Both are standard multiple-choice.

Sentence Completion: You will have to choose the word or words (two) that best complete the sentence.  Unless you are a vocabulary genius, there are probably going to be some words on the test that you don’t know, so learn some strategies to up your chances of answering correctly even if you aren’t familiar with all the choices.

Passage-based reading: You will be given several passages throughout the course of SAT Reading, some short and some long.  Some may be easy to read; others might be dense and filled with unknown terminology.  Each passage will be followed by questions about the passage.

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SAT Reading—Strengthen/Weaken Questions

By posted July 21, 2011

Some SAT questions will ask you to find the answer choice that will either strengthen or weaken the argument of a reading passage. Being able to identify a passage’s main idea, or being able to quickly refer to a specific detail, will be an important skill to master for strengthen/weaken questions. It’s crucial to get plenty of test prep to master this question type. Make sure you play plenty of games and get assistance from trained instructors at Grockit . Before prepping for the test, remember these tips for any strengthen/weaken question:

  1. Read the passage first. Strengthen/weaken questions will test your ability to know the main idea, or purpose, of a passage. Reading the questions might mislead you when reading the passage. For this reason, make sure you read the passage before looking at any questions.
  2. Identify the purpose. Identifying the purpose of the reading passage is crucial. As you’re reading, make sure you understand the author’s argument.
  3. Take notes. You have plenty of space on your test to take notes. Taking notes will ensure that you’re being an active reader. And believe it or not, taking notes will save you time if you have to refer back to the passage.
  4. Carefully read the question. The test-makers will try to trick you. Make sure you look for the following key words when reading the question: LEAST, MOST, STRONGEST, and WEAKEST. Not reading the question carefully will result in you answering the question incorrectly.
  5. Read each answer choice. For strengthen/weaken questions you’re looking for the BEST answer. An answer choice may seem correct, but there could be a better choice. Make sure you read each answer choice and use process of elimination to get the correct answer.

Now that you know how to tackle strengthen/weaken questions, let’s try a sample question:

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SAT Reading: Roman Numeral Questions

By posted July 19, 2011

Roman numeral questions present many challenges to test-takers. They test your ability to read a passage closely, identify details, and understand the question being asked. You’ll need lots of test prep to be able to answer these questions correctly and quickly on test day. Nothing’s better for mastering Roman numeral questions than Grockit. Grockit has hundreds of sample questions, along with trained instructors, to help you prepare for SAT Roman numeral questions. Remember these tips and strategies whenever you get a Roman numeral question:

  1. Read the entire passage before you do anything else. Examining the questions and their accompanying answer choices is a HUGE mistake on the SAT. Doing this will mislead you when reading the passage. To avoid being misled, read the passage first.
  2. Take notes. Being an active reader is important for the SAT. To ensure you’re actively reading the passage, take notes on the purpose, or main idea, supporting details, and places where there are transitional words (however, on the other hand, etc).
  3. Don’t focus the details…yet. Never spend time memorizing any passage’s details. They’ll only be important if you’re asked about them. If you’re actively reading the passage, it’ll be easy to find any detail you need if you’re asked about a specific detail, something that’ll be likely for Roman numeral questions.
  4. Read the question and the Roman numeral choices carefully. Ensure you know what the question’s asking of you. And then don’t be tricked by the Roman numeral choices. Many test-takers get questions wrong because they’re careless when reading the question and Roman numeral choices.
  5. Find the Roman numeral choices in the passage. Check to see if the details described in the three Roman numeral choices are true. Once you verify the accuracy of these statements, it’ll be easy to find the right answer choice.

Grockit allows you to review your answers with detailed explanations and strategies.

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Reading Comprehension on the SAT—Interpreting Facts and Details in Context

By posted July 13, 2011

The SAT likes to make you think, and rarely will the test-makers give you a simple question. That’s why interpreting facts and details in the context of a reading passage can be difficult. And that’s why getting tons of test prep, especially at Grockit , which has interactive games and trained instructors to help you, is important. Before taking a look at a sample question, it’s important to remember the following tips for reading comprehension on the SAT :

  1. Always read the passage before answering a question. Many interpreting facts and details questions on the SAT will guide you to where the fact or detail is within the passage, but it’s impossible to interpret a fact or detail if you cannot put it into the larger context of the passage.
  2. Remember to take notes while you read. You have plenty of room in the test booklet to underline important events, annotate in the margins and/or circle things you don’t understand. Taking notes will ensure that you’re actively reading the passage.
  3. Don’t fret over memorizing anything in the passage. If you’re asked about a specific detail or fact, you’ll be able to return to the text and remind yourself of the specifics.
  4. While you’re reading, notice if the passage “changes direction.” For example, if the author is discussing how the great works of Edith Wharton, but then says her writing pales in comparison to John Steinbeck’s, you should make a note of it. Chances are you’re going to have to interpret some fact or detail when a passage changes directions like this.

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If you want to practice these tips and strategies, you should print this blog with the example below. If you don’t have access to a printer, I suggest you take notes on a piece of scrap paper to get some practice being an active reader. Now let’s see if you can get answer the following question:

Every day, 420 women go out and start their own businesses–twice as many as men do so. And these businesses are growing revenue, profits and jobs faster than is business as a whole.
The explosion in women-owned businesses explains why women’s companies now employ more people than America’s largest 500 companies combined. Women now own 46% of the private businesses in the U.S., demonstrating daily just how tough, innovative and commercial women can be.
However, a review of the history of business, as well as much of contemporary writing and media coverage of entrepreneurship, would seem to contradict the data. Women’s contributions to the evolution of American business has long been ignored or minimized despite the fact that women played key roles in the early American economy through the development of cottage industries and in the organization and work of charitable organizations…

The purpose of the first sentence of the third paragraph (“However…data”) is to

  1. compare a range of statistical results on women and entrepreneurship.
  2. celebrate diverse perspectives on gender in the history of American business.
  3. downplay the contributions of men in business.
  4. introduce the idea that women and their contributions are underrepresented in discussions of American business.
  5. analyze historical trends in female entrepreneurship

For this question, you can break down the answer choices into two parts. There’s the first word in each choice: compare, celebrate, downplay, introduce and analyze. When you look at the third paragraph, you should think if any of these verbs fit. Can you eliminate any of the answer choices based on this alone? It’s probably safe to say that this introductory sentence isn’t celebrating anything, so B can be eliminated. The word “however” also indicates that there’s a “change in direction” from the paragraph before it. This means the paragraph is could be comparing, downplaying or introducing something new, and probably not analyzing what came before it. This helps us eliminate E. Now let’s look at the content and figure out if it’s A, C or D. The paragraph discusses women’s contribution to business throughout history. There are no statistics in the passage, so A cannot be correct. Does it ever downplay the contributions of men to business? No, so C’s not right, either. We’re left with the correct answer: D) introduce the idea that women and their contributions are underrepresented in discussions of American business.

Using process of elimination helped us with this question, but a close reading of the passage, complete with taking notes and noticing the change in direction, might have made figuring this question out very easy. No matter how easy you thought this question was, make sure to go to Grockit to practice hundreds of other SAT reading comprehension questions. After getting some help from the trained instructors, you’ll be ready for any question on the test.

Try this SAT reading passage for more SAT practice.

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SAT Reading: Author’s Purpose or Method

By posted July 11, 2011

Purpose and method are vastly different things. Finding a passage’s purpose means finding its main idea. Deciphering the passage’s method might be recognizing if the author uses metaphors, similes, humor, sarcasm or any other tactic to get her point across. Being able to identify a passage’s purpose or its method is crucial for doing well on SAT Reading. Getting the necessary amount of test prep will be key for getting the score you want. Go to Grockit to play fun, interactive games. You’ll be able to chat with others studying for the test and even get help and advice from trained instructors. And remember these tips to ensure you get any purpose or method question right on test day:

  1. Read the entire passage first. Understanding an author’s purpose or method will require that you read the entire passage. If you look at the questions, and especially the answer choices, you may be misled when reading the passage.
  2. Brush up on literary terms. You should know and be able to identify the following literary terms: metaphor, simile, hyperbole (exaggeration), onomatopoeia, and irony. Any other terms you’ve learned in English could be important for the test as well.
  3. Take notes. Taking notes while you’re reading will ensure that you’re being an active reader. When taking notes you should focus on four things:
    1. The author’s purpose, usually stated in the first or second paragraph
    2. Transitional words, such as however, on the other hand, therefore, etc.
    3. Evidence that supports the author’s purpose
    4. Any method used in the passage
  4. Don’t focus on the details. Focus on the big picture; never try to memorize a passage’s details. Details will only be important if you’re asked about them.

With these tips in mind, see if you can solve this sample problem:

Of all the musicians of the twentieth century, none embodied the idea of reinvention as fully as Frank Sinatra. During the course of a career that spanned decades, and ranged from solo music to working with an orchestra to Academy Award-winning acting roles, Sinatra’s ups and downs, both personally and professionally, rivaled those of the most unpredictable roller coaster. And like the amusement park thrill-ride, Sinatra’s life and work, while tumultuous and sometimes unpleasant, were never boring. He was not only a great entertainer, but also a true celebrity, and the only thing that stopped this phoenix was his actual death in 1998.

In lines 2-4, the author develops her point through:

  1. Humorous asides
  2. onomatopoeia
  3. differentiation of key elements
  4. metaphorical device
  5. irony

Try this practice SAT reading question for more practice!

This is a method question, so it’s important to know your literary devices for this particular question. The author compares Sinatra’s career to a roller coaster. If you know this is a metaphor, it’ll be easy to eliminate the incorrect choices and focus on finding the correct answer, D) metaphorical device. If you don’t know that lines 2-3 use a metaphor you’ll have to use process of elimination to improve your chances at getting the question right. You’ll be able to eliminate A, “humorous asides,” quite easily since the author doesn’t use humor at any point in the passage. B, “onomatopoeia,” is also not right, for onomatopoeia is when a word is used that imitates the sound made by what the word refers to. (Think “moo” for a cow.) C, “differentiation of key elements,” is extremely vague and is meant to distract you. And if you read the sentence again, nothing is different in the sentences described. And E, “irony,” isn’t correct either since irony implies a humorous outcome to events that is opposite to what might have been expected. Using process of elimination, then, could have helped to solve this question.

Mastering purpose and method questions will be important for scoring well on SAT Reading . If you only had time to practice one question type for the SAT, this should be the one you focus on. Head over to Grockit to make sure you’re ready for these questions come test day.

Find out how Grockit allows you to track your progress across specific skills and target your efforts accordingly.

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SAT Reading: Analogies

By posted May 13, 2011

You may have heard about a past SAT question type called ‘analogies;’ perhaps you remember an older sibling yelling the word out of frustration. Indeed, in years past, analogies were a significant portion of the SAT’s verbal section. You had to identify a relationship between two words, say POVERTY and MONEY, and then identify two words with a compatible relationship, say STARVATION and FOOD. We could say the two relationships are analogous because, in each case, the experience of the first word is a direct result of lacking the second word.

Find out how Grockit can predict your score with adaptive full-length computer adaptive tests.

Why have I just explained a question type that no longer exists? Well, the spirit of those analogy questions lives on in SAT Readings questions that test what we might call “analogical reasoning.” Analogical reasoning questions ask you to analogize, that is, draw some abstract similarity between, an idea from the passage and a totally unrelated scenario or idea. An example will make this much clearer. Below is a mercifully short reading passage followed by an analogy question:

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SAT Reading: Assumptions

By posted March 9, 2011

Whether or not you believe it, most of us think, speak, and live according to a number of unstated assumptions. You can call them beliefs or ideologies, but in essence, these are ideas that we have come to assume to be true over the years. Similarly, passages on the SAT reading also reveal the assumptions of their speakers. Some questions on the SAT Reading will ask you to identify these assumptions, which may seem like a difficult task.

Technically, an assumption question is a type of inference question. Assumptions, like inferences, are not stated directly in the passage. They have to be inferred from the written material. For this reason, you’ll want to approach assumption questions like inference questions.

What does an assumption question look like?

For the most part, assumption questions will use the word ‘assumption’ or ‘assume’ in the question. You should especially be prepared for assumption questions on two-passage sections, since the SAT writers would like you to identify a shared assumption between contrasting passages or, conversely, a differing assumption between passages that agree.

Let’s look at an example of an assumption question in a two-passage section. The passages are below:

Stem cell research continues to be thoroughly debated in medicine and politics today. There is dissent over whether the method of obtaining stem cells violates medical ethics. Below are two passages, each supporting one side of the issue.

Passage 1
Stem cells truly are science’s miracle cure. These
undifferentiated cells have not yet chosen what type of cell to
become, and can be nudged into becoming whatever type of
cell is needed to help a sick patient. Stem cells can be used to
(5) replace damaged cells in a person who has a degenerative
disease or a serious injury.
Scientists obtain stem cells primarily from discarded
embryos. True, they can also be obtained from the blood or
organs from healthy adults, but these stem cells, while
(10) showing some usefulness, are not as adaptable as embryonic
stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are incredibly helpful and
can mean a revolutionary change in quality of life for patients
suffering from debilitating diseases such as Parkinson’s or
Alzheimer’s. Someday, stem cells could even eliminate the
(15) need for human test subjects in drug tests. Without the use of
embryonic stem cells, though, that could take an
immeasurably longer amount of time to become a reality.
With stem cell research, the benefits for living, breathing,
sentient people outweigh any debate regarding the origins of
(20) the cells themselves. In this age of scientific enlightenment,
we must always ask ourselves: what action can best benefit
humanity? By answering, it is clear that stem cell research
must continue.

Passage 2
We stand at an important crossroads in scientific
(25) progress. We have the capability now to improve humanity in
ways never thought possible, but at what cost? At what point
must progress bow before conscience? Just because we can,
is it true that we should?
Stem cell research has the potential to be an enormous
(30) boon to the medical industry. The advance of diseases can be
assuaged or halted completely through this remarkable new
medicine. But scientists assault the dignity of life when they
use embryonic stem cells for their work. By taking cells from
discarded embryos, we begin treading on a slippery slope. It
(35) is all too easy to transition from using discarded embryos to
creating embryos solely for the purpose of stem cell
medicine.
Since stem cells can be obtained from healthy adults with
no cost to life, this is the path on which we should be
(40) progressing. These stem cells, safely obtained, can have a
significant positive impact on the lives of patients. We must
maintain our respect for life in every form, or else there is no
purpose in continuing to practice medicine.

Example 1: Both authors base the arguments in their passages on the unstated assumption that:

A.    Embryos have a right to life

B.    Scientific progress is essential to human progress

C.   Stem cells can help patients   suffering from some debilitating diseases

D.   Doctors have an ethical responsibility to heal patients by whatever means are available

E.    Embryonic stem cells are far superior to other stem cells

Our first step is to ask how much reading this question expects of us. Because the question wants us to identify a shared assumption between each passage as a whole, we should have read each passage completely before answering. Notice, though, that this question does not require a detailed reading, just a very basic understanding that can be grasped through skimming.

Next, let’s summarize the basic topic and each passage’s argument. The main idea of passage 1 is that stem cell research is science’s ‘miracle cure.’ The first two paragraphs summarize the successful medical research using stem cells, and the third paragraph, while acknowledging the moral controversy surrounding this research, ultimately reasons that stem cells’ benefit to humanity outweighs any ethical concerns about their origin.

Passage 2, on the other hand, identifies the ethical issue as the crux of its argument. This speaker argues that we should only derive stem cells from ‘healthy adults’ and avoid embryonic stem cell extraction because of its moral controversy. His main ethical argument is in opposition to that of passage 1: we should never put “progress” before “conscience.” Notice, though, that this passage acknowledges the benefits of the research itself, saying that “stem cell research has the potential to be an enormous boon to the medical industry,’ and it can even ‘halt’ the “advance of some diseases.”

Now, we can answer the question. I advise you to look at the answer choices before predicting one in this case; after all, we can probably think of many assumptions that both authors share. It’s best to use elimination for this type of problem. Below are the reasons why each wrong answer is incorrect:

A.    Passage 1 does not assume this.

B.    Passage 2 would respond defensively to this; for that passage, ethics trumps scientific progress.

D. This summarizes passage 1’s argument only; passage 2 would invoke the ethical concerns of the research.

E. Passage 2 seems to assume that stem cells obtained from healthy adults are adequate substitutes for embryonic stem cells.

Our correct answer, then, is C. While is it instantly clear that passage 1 assumes this, we have to examine lines 29-32 in passage 2 to see how that speaker acknowledges this assumption. Even if the main arguments are different, both speakers assume that stem cell research can be successful.

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Passage-Based Reading: Example Note-taking on the SAT

By posted January 31, 2011


Now, put this note-taking strategy to work on this SAT passage based reading practice question!

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One Short Passage for the SAT Reading

By posted September 17, 2010

One of the least daunting types of questions on the SAT Reading section is the short passage. The advantage of passage-based questions is that all of the answers are directly in front of you, no grasping for complicated vocabulary words required.  The challenge of passage-based questions is usually skimming through the passage quickly enough to answer all of the questions, while still locating all of the pertinent information.  Short passages provide a unique opportunity to gain a firm grasp on the entire passage – all of the benefits of passage-based questions without the major challenge.  You should read the whole passage carefully, ascertaining the author’s main thesis and conclusion, and noting the placement of important ideas within the passage.  Then, when answering questions, you can quickly and easily refer back to the passage.

Of course, basic passage-based strategies still apply.  Correct answers will always correspond with information directly stated in the text.  Ensuring that an answer choice is correct is easier with short passages, because you can quickly check to make sure that your answer is referenced in the passage.  Answer choices may be factually correct, or may sound like something that the author would agree with; however, if the answer is not based on something actually stated in the passage, it is not correct.

Although short passages afford an opportunity to be very thorough, you should still try to answer as quickly as possible in order to leave more time for other, more difficult, questions.  One of the best ways to minimize time is to keep the author’s main point in mind, and use that in conjunction with process of elimination.  If you already know that the author is, say, arguing for more funding for science classes, you can quickly eliminate answer choices that do not support, or contradict, that main point.

Additionally, taking note of the layout of the passage during your initial reading will allow you to quickly refer back to relevant portions.  Some questions may ask about the use or meaning of a particular sentence, rather than the passage as a whole.  It is important to read these sentences in context, which is where being able to locate sentences quickly comes into play.  It is also important to divorce the sentence’s main idea from the passage’s main idea.  While the central idea of the passage may inform the main idea of the sentence, often a particular sentence or example will have a meaning of its own or serve a different purpose than the general thesis.

This may seem like a lot of strategy to keep in mind for a few dozen sentences.  However, short passages should be viewed as a valuable opportunity, as well as a welcome break from the tediousness of long passages.  Short passages are also a great place to start practicing passage-based skills.  You can get all of the strategy down with less stress, so that when you finally tackle long passages, you’ll only have to worry about finding the relevant information.

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SAT Reading – Tone and Style

By posted August 16, 2010

You’ve probably seen an SAT question that looked like this:
The author’s tone in the passage can best be described as:

Questions that ask about tone and style may not be as common as Detail or Inference questions, but they often come up on the SAT. The first step to tackle them, is to make sure you did your note-taking on your first reading of the passage (you can check out an article I wrote on note-taking for passages here: How To Deal with One Long Passage).

In that article, I discussed the importance of paying attention to the author’s point of view and to note the places in the passage where the author reveals his/her opinion. After all that work, now is the time for the payoff!

Unlike detail questions, there are no line numbers to help you find the answer for tone/style questions. Only by paying attention to the author’s voice and style as you read will you be able to get these questions right.

Now let’s talk strategy. What to do if you encounter a tone/style question:

1. Refer back to your passage notes. Ask yourself, what does the author like and what does he dislike? It’s important to note that while the author will have opinions, they may not be obvious. The passages are often scholarly and balanced in tone, so you must look carefully at the adjectives and adverbs (and the descriptive phrases) to find the places where the author reveals his opinion. Think of yourself like a detective looking for clues. They may be subtle, but they are definitely there.

2. Make a prediction. Don’t even think about reading those answer choices until you come up with your own prediction. If you’re tempted, cover up the choices with your hand. The SAT Reading section is testing your ability to think critically, and you must remember that the answer choices are not there to help you. Once you read them, you’ll never get them out of your head. Use the descriptive words of the passage as your prediction, or even a simple positive (+) or negative (-) sign.

3. Eliminate answers that don’t match your prediction. Trust that you’ve done your homework and that you know what the answer should be. Got more than one answer left after eliminating? Here is when you get into the nitty-gritty of SAT Passage-based Reading. You may encounter two words with very similar meanings, for example “dislike” and “despise.” How do they differ? Is one of them overly emotional, informal, or extreme? Unless it’s truly appropriate to the passage, go with the more “middle-of-the-road” word. In this case it would be “dislike.” The tone of most SAT passages is academic and technical, not emotional.

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