asdfghjkl; Flashcards
interpreting words and phrases in context (if a question asks what a certain word/phrase means in that context)
plug in the answer choices and choose the one that makes sense
analyzing word choice rhetorically (if a question asks how/why the author uses a certain word or phrase and shapes the style of the test)
ask what exactly the word/phrase is doing, and come up with an answer before looking at the options. pick the option that matches what you predicted
answer questions such as “what evidence supports this” or “how relevant is this information”
think like an author, think of what an author would have done or how you would have written it.
support a certain claim with evidence from the passage
actually go through the passage to find evidence for the answer you chose. pick the one with the most evidence directly from the passage, not just your own thoughts
interpret data from a graph
read the graph and ask yourself what story it’s telling, what the axis and the data, and the title represent, and what it tells you. write this down in your own words and use it to get the answer
understand what evidence would strengthen an argument
identify the evidence that the author relies on most heavily, state the argument in your own words, and identify/make a prediction of what would make it better BEFORE looking at the answer choices
interpreting data presented in graphics
underline what you’re supposed to answer (written in the question) and only look for that
improving the passage’s structure, support, and focus
underline what you’re supposed to answer (written in the question) and only look for that, don’t just choose the answer that sounds best
analyzing word choice (questions that ask about the function of certain words, or what they do and how they create meaning and tone)
go through the indicated paragraph in the passage and ask yourself what the words do; make a prediction before looking at the answer choices and then eliminate the options that don’t match
analyzing text structure (questions that ask about text structure, order, and a line/sentence/paragraph as it relates to the whole passage)
rephrase the question (“how is the passage structured? what is the function of each paragraph?” etc.) and make a prediction before looking at the answers
take note of what makes each answer choice different from each other; whichever difference is supported by the text is your answer
analyze point of view (questions that ask about the point of view of the author or of the authors of multiple passages)
determine what the point of each passage is in your own words.
analyzing purpose (questions that ask about the purpose of a paragraph or passage)
look over the part of the text yourself and ask yourself what it does. predict an answer before looking at the options.
analyzing arguments (questions that ask about the central claim of a passage or the content and structure of an argument)
rephrase the question and formulate an answer before looking at the answer choices. pick the one that most matches your response
analyzing multiple texts (questions that ask for the relationship between two passages)
understand and say in your own words the points of each passage individually. write them down and then compare.
analyze quantitative information and how it relates to passages
focus on KEY WORDS in the questions. circle them, make sure you understand them fully, and determine where the information related to those keywords is located
SQ3R (while reading fiction in the SAT)
Survey (read the blurb and each question, skim the first sentences in each paragraph, underline keywords in each question) questions,
Question what the passage is about, what it’s trying to say, and why it exists
Read (summarize what you need to look for and then start reading, circling whatever is relevant to the questions as well as the claim, the ideas that are being supported/rejected, and any contrast words such as “but,” “although,” etc.),
Recite (summarize the sequence of events and main details of the story to yourself. after each paragraph, recite whatever info you learned)
Review (review the main purpose and ideas and go through the questions based on what you read)
while reading social science passages in the SAT
Read the blurb and comprehend it
Skim the questions and mark where in the passage the question discusses
Read the whole passage and answer the questions as you go. Summarize the main point of each paragraph every time you finish a new paragraph
reading paired passages
survey the questions.
read passage 1.
answer passage 1’s questions.
read passage 2.
answer passage 2’s questions
what is the most important rule for reading passages?
/find textual evidence for each answer you choose/, don’t just make a guess based on your poor memory!!
RIP-RAP for SAT reading questions
Rephrase If Possible (rephrase the question in your own words using how, what, or why to figure out what it’s looking for)
Read Around and Predict (answer it in your own words before looking at any answer choices. find concrete evidence in the text that supports this answer.)
what are the best answers for explicit information questions (questions that ask you to choose something that is explicitly mentioned in the passage)
the answer that paraphrases a statement from the passage, is relevant to the question being asked, and is directly supported by textual evidence
how to answer an explicit information question
eliminate any answers that introduce new information that wasn’t in the passage, and search for matching keywords within the question and the passage
how to answer an implicit information question (a question that asks for inferences/logical conclusions based on evidence in the passage)
choose answers that are completely relevant to the question being asked and have clear textual evidence. only make small leaps in reasoning and choose options with clear, factual evidence
how to answer a point of view question (a question that asks to analyze the point of view of the author, a character, or a researcher mentioned in the passage)
understand how extreme that person’s opinion is, make sure the evidence of the point of view is for the right person, make sure that the answer choice has clear textual evidence, mark positive and negative statements in the text, and read the passage in its entirely to understand the full scope of that person’s point of view
how to answer an analyzing relationships question (a question that asks for the relationship between two ideas that either agree or disagree)
identify how the two ideas are connected based on explicit information, specific word choice, and the tone of the author by choosing the option that is clearly supported by the text. make a prediction before reading the answer choices and then read the answers thoroughly to make sure that the ideas weren’t accidentally switched or almost right, while eliminating any new information introduced in the answer choices and searching for keywords
how to cite evidence/answer a question that asks for evidence
lines that provide direct evidence are better than lines that are near the textual evidence or in the same paragraph. in paired questions the information contained in the evidence needs to correctly answer the first question, meaning that the claim chosen in the first question also needs to be relevant and supported by clear textual evidence.
in paired questions, the first question should be rephrased, and the option chosen from the second question should answer the rephrased version of the first question.
how to answer “main idea” questions
focus on the big picture, not just a small part of the text.
use only information that is directly contained in the passage to figure out the main idea
make sure the answer you choose is supported by textual evidence
make sure you understand how extreme the point that is being made in the passage is
make a prediction of the answer to the question in your own words, skim through the passage (beginning and ending paragraphs or sentences in each paragraph) and then choose an answer based on your prediction
how to use analogical reasoning (answering questions that ask for similar scenarios or to identify similarities between different situations)
focus on the idea that’s being compared, not the details; make sure that every key word or phrase is exactly the same as the idea featured in the passage/question, use your own words to describe the situation but without minor details such as the people, place, topic, or items involved. find a pattern between the structure of the answer choices
how to answer questions about a passage’s overall structure
make sure the answer chosen describes the overall structure of the whole passage, not just a small part of the passage. make sure that the answer is also completely supported by textual evidence and that every word or phrase is valid. skim the passage for central ideas.
how to answer questions that ask for the main intended purpose of a paragraph or passage
focus on the entire passage, not just small parts of it. only identify why exactly it was written and nothing else. make sure the answer chosen matches the extremity (or lack thereof) of the author’s opinion and doesn’t draw any further conclusions. rephrase, track the flow of ideas, ask “so what,” and make sure you are answering the right question
how to answer part-whole relationship questions (questions that ask how one part of the passage serves the entire passage)
identify what their function is and what they’re doing. make sure you understand how extreme an author’s opinion is on the specific topic, that the answer chosen tells WHY the author included certain details, and that it is textually supported. use RIP-RAP for these types of questions especially.
how to identify words in context (questions that ask what a word is used for in a certain context)
choose only the definition that works best /within the context of the passage/ and applies to the thing that the passage is describing. summarize the sentence that the word is in and/or plug in the answer choice into the sentence.
