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SAT: Reading Comprehension Adapted from: Barron’s 24th Edition Barron’s Educational Series, Inc., 2008 and PBS NOW Classroom series, 2012

Reading Comprehension This is the second section of the SATs you will take. Sentence Completion and Reading Comprehension combined makes up the Critical Reading portion. Focuses on: Comprehension, or understanding, of a given reading passage. If math is war to be won, then this is a mystery to be solved! Use inference, context clues and semantics (use of language)/vocabulary to decipher meaning in sentences.

Reading Comprehension Goal: To choose the BEST answer. Passages range in length from 100-850 words and cover a variety of topics: natural science, social science, humanities, narratives, and paired passages Students are tested on their comprehension of what is stated or implied in the passages, not their prior knowledge of the passage content. Types of questions: main ideas, inferences, vocabulary in context, tone, detail-related questions, and questions about why an author says or does something

Tips and Strategies 

01. Try to anticipate what the question is about. Ask yourself who or what the author is writing about. Utilize prior knowledge on the topic; it is not necessary to have prior knowledge, but any extra information may help you better understand the reading and respond to the questions.

02. Pick your questions to answer. Short versus long reading passages: Read the short one first. Get it out of the way. Passages that are approximately the same length: Pick the passage that appeals to you most. Better concentration and outcome as results. Your interest will keep you more focused. If it is a topic you’re more knowledgeable with, you will yield better results … and with less frustration. Consider it a ‘practice’ before tackling the more difficult/boring passage.

02. Pick your questions to answer. Questions are not ordered by difficulty. They logically follow the reading passage: Example: Questions #1-3 from first paragraph, #4-5 from the second, etc … Because they are not ordered, before answering, take a quick glance at all of the questions pertaining to the passage. Answer the easier ones first. If you get stuck on one question, do not skip the others on the passage. By looking/answering the others, they may provide clues for the question you’re having difficulty with. Identify time-consuming questions. Decide whether to simply skip them or not.

02. Pick your questions to answer. Potential time-consumers: Questions that… Have EXCEPT in bold Refer back to the author Ask to locate additional information in the passage for clarification Require compare/contrast Have lengthy answer choices Answer as many questions as you can for each passage before moving on to the next passage.

03. Read with purpose! As you read, ask yourself: What kind of writing is this (narrative, persuasive, etc)? What techniques is the author using? Who is the intended audience? What is the tone, or feeling, the author has toward the subject? Mark all over your booklet: Underline important details: names, dates, places… Star the thesis, main details… Read as rapidly as you can with understanding, but do not force yourself. If it helps you, read the questions before the passage. “Skim and scan scam.”

04. Generic tips For paired-passages, tackle them one at a time. Remember, the questions are sequential in accordance to the reading passages. Double-check/verify your answers. Do not just rely on your memory. Use your booklet as a tool. Remember, you can scribble all over the passages! Underline, star, box … use whatever marks that will help you find important details and facts later on. Watch the time!! Many of the strategies utilized for the Verbal section can be applied to Reading Comprehension, as well.