Reading Comprehension Questions SAT and ACT

I’m a decent reader. I do well in English. Why isn’t my score higher? If you do well in your humanities courses (English, History, etc.), you are probably good at basic reading comprehension, but most of the time, you are asked to go beyond the basics in these classes. Your teachers probably encourage you to read between the lines, bring outside knowledge to bear on what you’re reading, and explore alternate interpretations. And well they should! Unfortunately, NONE of these skills are helpful when answering the reading questions on these two tests.

That seems unfair! What am I supposed to do about it? Honestly, if these questions were short- answer or essay responses, you’d probably be ok. But, of course, they’re multiple- choice. And, the wrong answers are designed to be tempting But, the techniques that follow can help you use these facts to your advantage.

Step 1: Hands-On Reading As we discussed in the first lesson, marking up the passage will help you process the information in the passage, which will help with Step 2. Marking the passage also creates a kind of map that will assist you with Step 3. In other words, you need to continue to practice your hands-on reading technique in order to maximize the effectiveness of the other 2 steps.

Step 2: Prediction One of the biggest mistakes students make is that they read the question, then read all of the choices, then consider the validity of each choice, then select one of the choices. There are several problems with this technique: The clock is ticking. Remember, the wrong choices are designed to be tempting! Why not pretend that the question is open-ended? What was the

Step 2: Prediction Let’s practice! Get out the bird passage from the previous lesson (the one you marked up) Look at the question up here, and answer it in your head. It says “Which statement,” so change it in your head to something like: “What is the central assumption that Ken Dial bases his research on?”

Step 2: Prediction Once you have an answer in mind, look at the choices Find the choice that best matches your prediction You might need to be flexible about the wording, but you should assume that your original answer is right

Step 3: Evidence Although this is Step 3, it can occur at the same time as Step 2. It is especially useful if you’re not sure about your prediction. Remember, you’re not being asked to read deeply or “between the lines” – the correct answer will always be supported directly by the text. In fact, the correct answer is often a mere restatement of something in the passage, but in different words. For detail-oriented questions, the answer will usually be located in a 1-3 sentence range of the relevant detail or citation.

Step 3: Evidence Let’s practice! Where is the evidence for the question we just answered? This question doesn’t have a citation, and it reads like a “main idea” question, so…

Five Basic Question Types: A Field Guide Ask about specific points in the passage. Refer to specific lines or sentences. Are answered by finding specific support. Detail Ask about a specific word in the passage. Can be spotted by their distinctive phrasing. Are answered by avoiding common meanings. Vocab-In- Context Ask about the passage as a whole. Ask about the author’s viewpoint or purpose. Are answered by looking at the big picture. Global

Five Basic Question Types: A Field Guide Ask about the purpose or function of specific elements in the passage. Are answered by keeping the “big picture” in mind Can be Global or Detail Function Ask indirectly about something the author says Are answered by finding the choice that is a rewording of what the author actually says Inference

New Question Types: Evidence Hey, would you look at that!

New Question Types: Data Graphics These were included because students (and people in general, as evidenced by about 73% of all Facebook posts) are largely innumerate. Don’t assume that the graphs are directly related to the specific reading. You must take the graphics literally. Do not “read between the lines.”

Homework Assignment Go to “Hands-On Reading Exercise 2” in the relevant post for this lesson. Practice hands-on reading for each passage. This will be a challenge for you underliners out there unless you print the packet. Practice the prediction and evidence techniques you learned today.