1. Reading – Approaching the Questions

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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

6. Step 2: Prediction Let’s practice!
Get out the anthropocene passage from the homework (the one you marked up)
Look at the question up here, and answer it in your head.

7. 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

8. 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.

9. Step 3: Evidence Let’s practice!
This time, use the fiction passage from the homework.
Predict a answer.
Where is the evidence for the question we just answered?

10. Five Basic Question Types: A Field Guide
Ask about specific points in the passage.
Refer to specific lines or sentences.
To answer: Find specific support.
Don’t forget the big picture
Detail
Ask about a specific word in the passage.
To answer: eliminate non-synonyms, then look at the context.
Words-In- Context
Ask about the passage as a whole.
Ask about the author’s viewpoint or purpose.
To answer: Look at the big picture.
Don’t forget to find support.
Global

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

12. SAT-Only Question Types: Evidence
Hey, look at that! You already did the work!

13. SAT-Only 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.”

16. Wrong answers
A field guide

18. Why bother studying wrong answers
Why bother studying wrong answers? Shouldn’t we be look for right answers?
Of course, right answers are the goal, but sometimes it helps to know how wrong answers are created in order to avoid them.
Knowing the common types of wrong answers can be very helpful when you’re in a 50/50 situation (i.e. you’ve eliminated 2 of the 4 answers)

19. Review of wrong answer types we’ve already covered
Math
WALU/English
Assumes that you misread the problem (you found the diameter, but were asked for the circumference)
Assumes that you made a common order of operations error
You solved for X, but they asked for 2X or X/2
Assumes that you forgot a foundational concept (slope = rise/run)
Assumes that you did not see the error
Assumes that you saw an error where there was none
Fixes one error but creates another
Fixes the error but is too wordy and/or passive
Fixes the error but changes the meaning, point of view, or tone

20. Reading: Wrong Answer Types
How it works
Misused Detail
Takes a true but irrelevant fact from elsewhere in the passage
Distortion
Warps the logic of the passage: reverses cause and effect, alters author’s main idea, connects two unrelated ideas, etc.
Out-of-scope
Reasonable answer, but goes beyond the ideas covered in the passage
Opposite
Slips a “not” (or other negation) into the answer in case you’re not paying attention
Extreme
Goes in the right direction, but goes too far (“sad” becomes “tragic”; “often” becomes “always,” etc.)
The 80%
Is right except for one or two words

21. Name the wrong answers! See if you can find: The right answer
The misused detail
The out-of-scope
The opposite

22. Name the wrong answers! See if you can find: The right answer
The distortion
The distortion, part 2
The 80%

23. Name the wrong answers! See if you can find: The right answer
The distortion
The opposite
The extreme