Overall Strategies_1

Overall Strategies_1

1. SAT Critical Reading

   • Types of Questions
     • Rhetorical Strategies
       • Three most common:
         • Rhetorical Question (question marks)
         • Personal anecdote ("I" or "me")
         • Direct citation (quotation marks)
       • Others you should know:
         • Euphemism
         • Cliche
         • Generalization
         • Concession
         • Irony
         • Hyperbole
         • Understatement
         • Paradox
         • Metaphor
         • Analogy
         • Allegory
         • Assertion
         • Allusion
         • Aside
         • Anachronism
         • Appeal to emotion
         • Qualification
     • Inference
       • Not directly stated ("implies" or "suggests")
         • Answer must be based on the passage
           • Common wrong answer types:
             • Extreme words
             • Speculation
           • Right answer is usually the one closest in overall meaning to lines in question
             • BEWARE of answers with "not" or double-negatives; they can be right
     • Tone & Attitude
       • Look for words, usually adjectives, in the passage
       • Try to hear how the author would "say" the words
       • Avoid extremes
         • Almost always wrong: confused, apathetic
     • Fiction Passages
       • Read entire passage first
         • Main idea could be relationship or character trait
     • Paired Passages
       • Read Passage 1: Write Main Point and Tone
         • Do questions for Passage 1 only
           • Read Passage 2: Write Main Point, Tone, AND relationship to Passage 1
             • Do questions for Passage 2 only
               • THEN do Passage 1 & 2 Relationship questions
                 • 1. Re-read the lines in question and sum up the idea in your own words
                   • 2. Reiterate for yourself the main point of the other passage
                     • 3. Determine whether the authors would agree or disagree
                       • 4. If authors would agree, cross out negative answers, and vice-versa
                 • Common Relationships:
                   • Agree but have different focuses or styles
                   • Discuss different aspects of the same thing
                   • Opposing views of the same topic
                   • Passage 2 gives an example of something in Passage 1
                   • Passage 2 gives an explanation for a phenomenon in Passage 1
     • Analogies
     • Function
     • Vocabulary in Context
     • Literal Comprehension
     • Main Point
     • Assumptions, Generalizations, and Claims