sat verbal: critical reading erica meltzer’s articles adapted for your review
TRANSCRIPT
SAT VERBAL: Critical Reading
Erica Meltzer’s articles adapted for your review
Mirrors college thinking and reading expectations The writer reacts to and accounts for ideas in a
pre-existing text, generating his/her own theory.
You need to decipher writer’s POV from popular POV that provoked his/her reaction to determine the writer’s path to a feasible conclusion
We call this writer’s skill synthesis- the 2nd highest order of critical thinking (evaluation is the highest)
Critical Reading Passage: Purpose
I. Introduction (anecdote/ historical background)
II. Popular interpretations of topicIII. Flaws in popular interpretations of the
topicIV. Writer’s personal take on the topic
(departs from popular beliefs)
Critical Reading Passage: Format
Touch the text- increase reading rate Don’t get hung up- if something is confusing- keep
reading for ideas or phrases that make sense; you’re reading for the gist, not for detail
5-6 word main idea Abbreviate notations Jot arguments, not facts (isolated words or names =
useless) Circle transitions, not nouns, to understand
relationships Code paragraphs to indicate support or
contradiction ( + + -) Only three or so
Read Actively
Strip the verbiage to bear the meaning Rephrase with simple language EVERY word counts
It will take you 5 stinking seconds and make a TREMENDOUS difference- just do it!
Strip the questions!
Jumbled range of difficulty Time is limited- problem jump
Save back-to-text questions for the end
Identify Time Consuming Questions
You’ll have to go back to text to find necessary information for questions like these: Which of the following? I, II, and III Which of the following relates to the situation in
lines…? Which of the following would undermine the
information in lines…? All of the following except…
SAVE THESE QUESTIONS! HIT THE TIME- FRIENDLY
QUESTIONS FIRST!
Back-to-text questions
Do not rely on previous knowledge Unless the response is supported by the text, it’s
wrong
“Same idea, different words!” (handout) Look for synonyms, not direct quotes
Plausibility is no guarantee- context is everything. There is only one accurate, objective answer,
just like in Math
Narrow Answer Options
Stuck between 2 options- no problem! Mind adjectives- if their implications don’t jive
with the passage, the answer choice is WRONG.
If you can’t narrow it down to 2 options, skip it You lose .25 points for each error Skipping 20 questions on both the Verbal and
Math sections can STILL earn you an average score (above 500)
Guessing Game
Meltzer, Erica. The Critical Reader. The Critical Reader, 2012. Web. 5 Feb. 2014.
Works Cited