Overview of the Critical Reading Section
The Critical Reading section of the SAT has two parts: Sentence Completions and Passage-based Readings.
You Complete Me
by Michael D. Davis
Sentence Completions are, in my opinion, one of the easiest parts of the SAT. However, if your vocabulary is weak, then you’re toast. A typical scenario with this section involves the student reading the sentence, thinking up his/her own words to fill in the blank(s), then looking at the choices only to find a bunch of polysyllabic, unpronounceable words. Take the following question from an actual SAT test:
The speaker, praised for her style yet ridiculed for her vacuity, often moved naive listeners with ___________ alone and led them to believe that her speech had __________.
(A) reason. . .dalliance
(B) infelicity. . .conviction
(C) rhetoric. . .substance
(D) pragmatism. . .futility
(E) boorishness. . .integrity
In one little question, we have vacuity, dalliance, infelicity, rhetoric, pragmatism, and boorishness!! A nightmare for anyone lacking vocabulary power!!
The student will probably think, “Well, I know what the sentence is trying to say. It’s saying that the speaker talked a lot and used a lot of fancy words, and if you were a naive listener you’d think she was really deep, but to someone who knows better she’s really kind of full of it.”
Unfortunately, there’s nowhere on the test where they ask you to sum up what the sentence is trying to get at. The test writers couldn’t care less that you’re able to explain the gist of the sentence. They’ll never ask you to do that! What they want to know is whether or not can you find the best words that will render a coherent sentence.
If you don’t know the definitions of the words they provide in the choices, then this becomes a stab in the dark and it matters not one iota that you understand what the sentence is trying to say. On the other hand, if you know the meaning of these words, then it just becomes a simple matter of plugging in the correct choice. The correct answer, by the way, is (C) rhetoric. . .substance.
Vocabulary power is the number one skill for this section. Knowledge of conjunctions and their functions is also crucial, and can be taught in a matter of minutes. Vocabulary, on the other hand, takes years of work! It’s never too early to start building up your vocabulary.
Once these skills are mastered, the Sentence Completion section becomes a ________.
(A) millennium
(B) cake walk
(C) plethora
(D) calumny
(E) platitude
The answer is (B)!
Cure Your Reading Comprehension Phobia
by Michael D. Davis
I already know what you’re thinking: “Oh man, I hate this part of the test.”
How did I know that? Well, I’ve been tutoring for a while now, and, without exception, that is the reaction I’ve gotten from students. The complaints are predicatable:
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“Any of those choices seems to be a possible correct answer.”
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“Aren’t the answers to these questions a matter of opinion?”
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“What I think the answer is always different from what they say the answer is.”
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“Why don’t they give me an opportunity to explain, or justify, the answer that I chose! I could make a good argument for this choice!”
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“None of these choices is what I would have chosen for the answer.”
I felt exactly the same way when I was taking the test nearly thirty years ago!! Some things are perennial, and hatred of the SAT Passage-based Reading section tops the list!
According to SAT guru, Mike Barrett, though, “. . .the Reading questions are actually the easiest questions for most students to make significant progress on in the least amount of time. I’m talking about a space of 5 to 10 minutes, by the way.” I scoffed at this the first time I read it. I don’t scoff at it anymore. After working through countless SAT Reading Comprehension sections, I have now learned that Barrett is absolutely correct.
The last several students that I have worked with have marvelled at how easy this section can really be, especially after learning the proper technique and then practicing it with some regularity.
Students taking the SAT are used to English and Literature classes where a reading is broken down and analyzed. They discuss such issues as
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What is the author really trying to tell us?
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Can you relate to the author’s message?
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What is the deeper symbolism behind the characters and the events in the story?
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What literary devices (metaphor, simile, allusion, etc.) is the author employing?
Of course, this is a great way to approach a text. However, it has NOTHING to do with what the SAT test writers are trying to assess. What they are assessing is very simple: “Can you read the passage and then answer some very direct, objective (yes, objective!) questions about the content?” They are not testing your ability to think creatively. They are not testing your alertness to the author’s use of various literary tricks of the trade. They are really asking you to report back to them exactly what is already said in the passage. Most of the questions have to do with things explicitly stated in the passage. Sometimes the test writers will make a stretch and ask for what is being implied in a sentence. Even there, though, the answer is easily obtained and the student should NEVER have to do too much scrutinizing to pick the correct choice.
I can help students to see this. I can also assure you that Barrett is not exaggerating when he says that you can get students to improve in this area more quickly than in any other area of the SAT.
Thanks for that, Michael. Helpful stuff!! I found this and thought you might want to make it available for your viewers:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2106340_tutor-sat-verbal-k12.html
DavidM: thanks for that! Good article—I do my best to follow all of that advice, with some variations here and there that better suit my style. Thanks again.
Mr. Davis, where should i go to improve my vocabulary, am i suppose to read the dictionary or what? it’s like there’s no way to know all those words that are on the practice test.
Hey Beesknees. There is a wide variety of resources out there. There are numerous SAT vocab workbooks that actually make learning new words somewhat fun. One of my favorites is the “SAT Vocabulary Express” (http://www.amazon.com/SAT-Vocabulary-Express-Puzzles-Designed/dp/0071443266). It’s got a lot of fun puzzles that not only teach you a lot of words, but also a lot of groups of words (words that are synonymous or opposites, etc). There are also some good interactive software programs. Believe me, do a google search for SAT Vocabulary and you’ll find an abundance of resources. I do NOT recommend reading the dictionary. However, I do recommend that you do a lot of reading, with a dictionary by your side. Let’s face it, to build your vocabulary you have to expose yourself to many different words. Words are best found in books. (Sorry. I can be sarcastic sometimes.) I also have a great packet of vocabulary words. If you, or anyone else, is interested, I can email it to you as an attachment at no cost. It’s a list of about 1000 words that are commonly found on SAT tests. It also contains a sizable section of Latin and Greek roots, a knowledge of which is indispensible for developing vocabulary prowess. And finally, Beesknees, I must correct you (can’t get the tutor out of me ever!!)—you asked “Am I suppose to read. . .” This is a very common error. The correct thing to say is “Am I supposed. . .” Thanks for your note! Good luck!
I like to read a lot of magazines about stuff I like but my mom says it’s no good reading that stuff. She wants me to read books she likes but I can’t stand them. Can you tell her that us kids don’t need to read some old ladys books and isn’t reading good no matter what your reading?
Well, Bobo, not to be harsh, but judging by your writing you could definitely benefit from doing lots of reading. Magazines are fine and you’ll certainly learn stuff from them. On the other hand, if you want to be prepared for the kind of vocabulary that you will face on the SAT, then I can assure you that your mother’s caveat is worth listening to. I don’t agree that you shouldn’t read them at all; on the other hand, most magazines (unless we’re talking New Yorker, Harper’s, or something on that level) will not have enough of the kind of vocabulary you’ll need to be learning. I agree that reading is good no matter what you’re reading (within reason, of course). However, I also agree that reading great novels written by old, or dead, prople is really a good thing—esp. if you’re actually looking up the words you don’t know in a dictionary? Get used to the idea, by the way, of having a dictionary with you whenever you read; it’s a great way for building up your vocabulary.
Two corrections to your note:
Ladys needs to be Lady’s; and your needs to be changed to you’re.
Good luck Bobo.
Mike
you were right it really helps to have the dictionary there when i read so i can look up words right then and there. i always tell myslef im gonna look up words but then i forget the word or i just go on to do something else. i also googled ‘sat vocabulary words’ and found a lot of stuff but can you send me your list anyways?
Beesknees, thanks for that. It’s such a simple thing too. You do what most of us do—forget to follow through on good intentions. I have learned to avoid having intentions and, instead, just doing it. The Nike approach, if you will!! Can I also suggest that you start practicing on your writing?! I know your note is informal, but it shows some bad habits (i should be I, for example). I know this is picky, but the SAT is picky, and if you want to start thinking in SAT mode, you’ve got to start paying attention to such details.
I’ll be happy to send you the vocabulary packet if you’ll give me your email address.