What are Passage-Based
Critical Reading?
These questions on the SATs measure a student's ability to read, think and comprehend different forms of writing. This may be in the form of a short story, poem or essay from about 100 to 850 words in length. The subjects explored in this section range in interest and also in the style in which they are told. For example you may come across an argumentative essay on cloning just as much as a poem of classical literary fiction told in a narrative form.
The important part of this section is to show your ability to critically read the passage. This means analyzing and identifying each aspect of the passage. This may include sentence structure, literary terms, common themes or even generally the who, what, where and how of a given paragraph.
What questions can I expect?
Compare and Contrast: If given two passages you may be asked to compare themes or identify a shared issue between them.
Literal Comprehension: Basically asking you, "do you get this?". Do you understand the concepts in this piece? How are the themes used within this written piece?
Continued Comprehension: Taking the reading further, how does the author accomplish certain goals with this passage? Questions may ask you how the author has developed the story, or how they use a certain tone or style in their writing. These questions will get you to think and see the whole picture of the story and draw information from that.
How do I approach these kinds of readings and questions?
Primarily, you should follow a few steps to keep you on track. Here are my suggested steps to fully attain the content within the reading.
- Skim the passage. Try to identify what kind of passage it is. Is it a poem? Who is the narrator? What is the structure of the passage?
- Read the passage from the beginning carefully. Try to
comprehend what you are reading as you read it.
- Make notes while reading. If you find you notice something, or a theme suddenly pops up, don't hesitate to write a note to yourself in the margin. This will help you later on with your questions.
- Underline important phrases and sentences that have clear literary devices. For example if you come across an alliteration, make a note of it!
Any other tips?
Try to relax and read at a regular pace. Don't get ahead of yourself, as you don't want to miss any important aspects. The good thing is that the passage is there for you to refer to, so even if you don't understand what the question is asking, go back to the passage and read the surrounding context to what they're asking. Also, don't underestimate the introductory information of a passage if it is provided. It may give you some background information and insight into the reading that you may not have realized.
Post Comments
oLahav said – Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:20:18 -0000 ( Flag Edit Link )
No, the SAT do not allow any aids or translational dictonaries during the test. If you need space to write and formulate answers, you can use the test paper, but your final answers must go inside the answers booklet.
You are allowed to use a calculator on the math section.
oLahav said – Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:20:18 -0000 ( Flag Edit Link )
Sorry, double post. Please ignore.