Critical Reading Critical Reading Part 3 Notes SAT Preparation Mrs. Erdman Part 3 Notes SAT Preparation Mrs. Erdman

1. Critical Reading assesses your ability to: 1. Critical Reading assesses your ability to: / Read / Understand / Analyze / Evaluate reading passages / Read / Understand / Analyze / Evaluate reading passages

2. The SAT places a greater emphasis on Analytical reading.

3. Ultimately, the reading section of the SAT tests your ability to read and understand what you have read, not your knowledge of a particular subject.

4. What are the five steps you should take when faced with critical reading questions?

a. Read introduction. Helps set passage in context. b. Skim question parts(not answer choices) Helps focus on info you are seeking. c. Read passage: Paraphrase and summarize. Restate author’s main ideas in own words.

d. Read each question & the answers choices. Choose answers (confirm choice by returning to text) e. If difficult, use process of elimination. Guess if you can narrow it down.

5. In what order are the critical reading questions presented? / Chronological

6. Why is it important to answer the questions in order, rather than skipping around? /Taken in order, questions present a story map or chronological reading.

7. What are three ways to understand what the reading passage means?

a. Read passage once- see how much of author’s meaning you can grasp. b. Go back- define all unfamiliar words, concepts, ideas, and references. c. Paraphrase passage in own words.

8. What does it mean to “make an inference”? / To figure out the implied main idea

9. What questions should you ask yourself in order to figure out the implied main idea of a reading passage?

1. What is the passage about? 2. What does it describe? 3. What does it suggest? 4. What is the author trying to say about the subject? 5. What can be inferred from info?

10. Four steps to help you work through defining vocabulary in context

1. Go back to passage- find word 2. Fill in your own word for word you’re asked to define 3. Eliminate answers choices that don’t match your word. 4. Choose the best answers. 1. Go back to passage- find word 2. Fill in your own word for word you’re asked to define 3. Eliminate answers choices that don’t match your word. 4. Choose the best answers.

11. As you look for the correct meaning of a word, always use context clues.

12/13. What are definition clues? / Synonyms (tsunamis, or seismic sea waves)  Give student example / Synonyms (tsunamis, or seismic sea waves)  Give student example

14/15. What is a contrast clue? / Tells you what something is NOT (keywords - unlike, not, instead of)  Give student example / Tells you what something is NOT (keywords - unlike, not, instead of)  Give student example

16. What are commonsense clues? / Uses what you already know / Ex: “Airplanes make daily ascents…” / Uses what you already know / Ex: “Airplanes make daily ascents…”

17. Rhetoric Strategic use of language to accomplish author’s purpose 18. Style An individual’s strategic use of language which makes a writer’s style unique

19/20. Elements of Style / Diction (word choice) / Sentence Length & Structure (how long sentence is & the pattern) / Figures of Speech (forms of expression/simile/metaphors) / Tone (writer’s attitude) / Mood (atmosphere/feeling created through word choice) / Diction (word choice) / Sentence Length & Structure (how long sentence is & the pattern) / Figures of Speech (forms of expression/simile/metaphors) / Tone (writer’s attitude) / Mood (atmosphere/feeling created through word choice)

21. Questions which concern analysis of rhetorical language and techniques are designed to: / Determine how well you know the elements of style / Judge how well you can integrate literary techniques with writer’s purpose and main idea. / Determine how well you know the elements of style / Judge how well you can integrate literary techniques with writer’s purpose and main idea.

The End