Transcript sat * critical reading

Overview and Strategies
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67 Questions:
19 Sentence Completion ?s
4 Short Passage ?s
4 Short Paired Passage ?s
6 - 12 Long Paired Passage ?s
27- 34 Medium to Long Passage ?s
-28%
- 6%
- 6%
-18%
-42%
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19 sentence completions
Questions served on a plate of 8, 5, and 6
respectively.
Each set is sequenced from the easiest question
to the hardest question.
Questions are either single word choice blank
or double word choice blanks.
¼ point deduction for incorrect answers.
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1. PREDICT – Solve the problem on your own
terms. In your own words, what fits in the
blank(s). If you can’t predict a word, is the
missing word negative (bad) or positive
(good)?
2. FIND THE MATCH
3. ELIMINATE IF NECESSARY
4. CHOOSE AND READ IT BACK IN TO THE
QUESTION
Though usually a nice guy, Mr. A. can be
_______________ at times.
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WHAT WORD GOES IN THE BLANK?
Though usually a nice guy, Mr. A. can be
nasty or unpleasant or a jerk at times.
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YOU GOT IT. NOW WHICH OF THE OPTIONS
IS GOING TO FIT?
Though usually a nice guy, Mr. A. can be
_______________ at times.
 a. pleasant
 b. euphonious
 c. green
 d. pedantic
 e. athletic
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Though usually a nice guy, Mr. A. can be
pedantic at times.
 a. pleasant
 b. euphonious
 c. green
 d. pedantic
 e. athletic
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You may have to fill in the second blank first:
The king’s ________ decisions as a diplomat and
administrator led to his reputation as a just and
_________ ruler.
What word goes in the second blank?
What word goes in the first blank?
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The king’s ________ decisions as a diplomat and
administrator led to his reputation as a just and
_________ ruler.
A. quick… capricious
B. equitable… wise
C. immoral…perceptive
D. historic… scurrilous
E. clever… unchallenged
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The king’s ________ decisions as a diplomat and
administrator led to his reputation as a just and
_________ ruler.
B. equitable… wise
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One person is the PREDICTOR
One person is the ADJUSTOR (adjust
prediction if necessary)
One person is the ELIMINATOR (eliminate at
least one)
One person is the ANSWERER
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Each short passage has two questions
Sneak a look at the answers?
Read for the main idea
Predict the answer where possible
Eliminate answers that are the opposite,
extreme or exaggerated, off topic
Manage time – Budget 4-5 minutes max.
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Read each passage for the main idea
Establish the relationship between the passages. For
example:
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Passage A complains about spam and Passage B provides a solution.
OR:
Passage A is a first hand narrative about adapting to eating habits in
the U.S.A. and Passage B is a general discussion of eating habits in
the U.S.A.
Predict the answer where possible
Eliminate answers that are the opposite, extreme or
exaggerated, off topic
Manage time – Budget 4-5 minutes max.
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Read as quickly as you comfortably can. You
will have to come back to research details
anyway.
Check the paragraph topics and try to
summarize them in 3-5 words.
Mark it up. Pencil to paper means you’re
involved.
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1. What’s the main idea of this passage?
2. What’s the main idea of paragraph 2 (or 3)?
2. Why does the author use this word or
detail? In order to show what?
3. What does this word mean in context?
4. The situation in this passage is most like
what other situation (analogy)?
5. What would support (or weaken) the
author’s position?
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Read Passage 1:
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a. Be an active reader
b. Read for paragraph topics
c. Read for the main idea
Answer the questions pertaining to passage 1
Read Passage 2:
As above, be active, read for paragraph topics and for the main
idea. As well, note differences in points of view from passage 1.
Answer the questions pertaining to passage 2.
Now, answer the compare/ contrast questions.
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Multiple-choice test contains 49 questions that determine
roughly 70% of your score.
Three types of questions :
Improving Sentence Errors
Identifying Sentence Errors
Improving Paragraph Structure
Two sections- one long and one short.
First section: 25 minutes:
11 improving sentence error questions,
18 identifying sentence error questions
6 improving paragraph structure questions.
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Second section: 10 minutes:
14 improving sentence questions
1. Subject – Verb Agreement
2. Pronouns and Agreement Between Noun
Antecedents and Pronouns that Follow
3. The Active vs. The Passive Voice
4.Verb Tenses
5. Parallel Structure
6. Wordiness – If You’re Are Stuck Between a Short
Version and a Long One, Go With the Shorter.
7. Sentence Structure – Run-ons and Sentence
Fragments
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First of all, read the sentence and hear it in your
head. Does it sound sweet or clunky or
cacophonic (not melodious)? If so, there is
probably an error somewhere.
If it sounds good, use your eye. Check for:
Subject- Verb Agreement (the most common
error)
Improper Pronoun Use ( the next most
common)
Parallelism (another common error)
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1. Before the advent of modern surgical
techniques, bleeding patients with leeches
were considered therapeutically effective.
No error?
2. The recent establishment of “Crime Busters”
have dramatically improved relations between
citizens and police. No error?
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1. Most of the delegates which attended the
convention felt the resolution was too strongly
worded, and the majority voted against it.
No error?
2. The new office complex is beautiful, but
fully two hundred residents were forced to
move when they tore down the old
apartment buildings.
No error?
1. Hiking along mountain trails is a less
expensive but considerably more demanding
vacation activity than to cruise in the Bahamas.
No error?
2.The gods of Greek mythology, who were
neither omniscient nor particularly ethical,
amused themselves by taking on disguises and
to meddle in the affairs of mortals.
No error?
1. There is no sense in continuing the research,
now that the assumptions on which it was
based have been disproved. No error?
2. Every one of the shops in the town was closed
on Thursday because of the ten-inch rainfall
that had fallen during the day.
No error?
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First person read it aloud. (Listen up!)
Second person decide if it sounds good or not.
Third person decide what (if anything) is
wrong. (Use your eyes. Verify verbs and
pronouns and usage and parallelism.)
Fourth person verify the third person’s answer.
Practice together on page 161. (Check answers)
Then try pages 166-7 (Check your answers).
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Question: Can success be disastrous?
Sometimes, the easiest thing is to answer,
heartily, “YES”.
So, “Yes, success can be disastrous”
Example #1:
Who: the U.S. Armed Forces
What: dropped atomic bombs
When: during W.W. II, near the end of the war.
Where: Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Why: to punish the Japanese and ensure victory
How: the disaster came immediately – deaths –
and later – diseases and birth deformities
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Example #2 - ???????????
Who:
What:
When:
Where:
How:
Why:
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If you spend 5 minutes (maximum) for
planning (brainstorming/webbing/
journalistic questions and answers/ outlining)
you will still have 20 minutes left for writing
and proofreading.
Try to give yourself at least 2 minutes for
proofreading.
Once it’s done, forget about it. It’s over.
LET’S PRACTICE NOW!!!!