SAT VERBAL: Critical Reading Erica Meltzer’s articles adapted for your review

Critical Reading Passage: Purpose Mirrors college thinking and reading expectations The writer reacts to and accounts for ideas in a pre-existing text, generating his/her own theory. You need to decipher writer’s POV from popular POV that provoked his/her reaction to determine the writer’s path to a feasible conclusion We call this writer’s skill synthesis- the 2nd highest order of critical thinking (evaluation is the highest)

Critical Reading Passage: Format Introduction (anecdote/ historical background) Popular interpretations of topic Flaws in popular interpretations of the topic Writer’s personal take on the topic (departs from popular beliefs)

Read Actively Touch the text- increase reading rate Don’t get hung up- if something is confusing- keep reading for ideas or phrases that make sense; you’re reading for the gist, not for detail 5-6 word main idea Abbreviate notations Jot arguments, not facts (isolated words or names = useless) Circle transitions, not nouns, to understand relationships Code paragraphs to indicate support or contradiction ( + + -) Only three or so

Strip the questions! Strip the verbiage to bear the meaning Rephrase with simple language EVERY word counts It will take you 5 stinking seconds and make a TREMENDOUS difference- just do it! One word can alter the meaning of a question- don’t rush!

Identify Time Consuming Questions Jumbled range of difficulty Time is limited- problem jump Save back-to-text questions for the end

Back-to-text questions You’ll have to go back to text to find necessary information for questions like these: Which of the following? I, II, and III Which of the following relates to the situation in lines…? Which of the following would undermine the information in lines…? All of the following except… SAVE THESE QUESTIONS! HIT THE TIME- FRIENDLY QUESTIONS FIRST! For the last example- you may be narrow it down, but then you need to go back to the text to find discerning information

Narrow Answer Options Do not rely on previous knowledge Unless the response is supported by the text, it’s wrong “Same idea, different words!” (handout) Look for synonyms, not direct quotes Plausibility is no guarantee- context is everything. There is only one accurate, objective answer, just like in Math Point 4- explain power of adjectives indicate tone (mind connotation); can distinguish point of view as in the answer option “personal anecdote” that accompanies a passage that, in fact, includes anecdotes, but there is no “I” in the passage- so it is not a “personal” anecdote.

Guessing Game Stuck between 2 options- no problem! Mind adjectives- if their implications don’t jive with the passage, the answer choice is WRONG. If you can’t narrow it down to 2 options, skip it You lose .25 points for each error Skipping 20 questions on both the Verbal and Math sections can STILL earn you an average score (above 500)

Works Cited Meltzer, Erica. The Critical Reader. The Critical Reader, 2012. Web. 5 Feb. 2014.