SAT – WRITING AND CRITICAL READING

Overview and Strategies

The Mathematics of Critical Reading

67 Questions:

19 Sentence Completion ?s -28%

4 Short Passage ?s - 6%

4 Short Paired Passage ?s - 6%

6 - 12 Long Paired Passage ?s -18%

27- 34 Medium to Long Passage ?s -42%

Sentence Completions 19 sentence completions Questions served on a plate of 8, 5, and 6

respectively. Each set is sequenced from the easiest

question to the hardest question. Questions are either single word choice

blank or double word choice blanks. ¼ point deduction for incorrect answers.

The Method 1. PREDICT – Solve the problem on your

own terms. In your own words, what fits in the blank(s). If you can’t predict a word, is the missing word negative (bad) or positive (good)?

2. FIND THE MATCH 3. ELIMINATE IF NECESSARY 4. CHOOSE AND READ IT BACK IN TO THE

QUESTION

Try this one: Though usually a nice guy, Mr. A. can be

_______________ at times.

WHAT WORD GOES IN THE BLANK?

PREDICT Though usually a nice guy, Mr. A. can be

nasty or unpleasant or a jerk at times.

YOU GOT IT. NOW WHICH OF THE OPTIONS IS GOING TO FIT?

QUESTION Though usually a nice guy, Mr. A. can be

_______________ at times. a. pleasant b. euphonious c. green d. pedantic e. athletic

AND ANSWER Though usually a nice guy, Mr. A. can be

pedantic at times. a. pleasant b. euphonious c. green d. pedantic e. athletic

Double Blank Questions You may have to fill in the second blank

first:

The king’s ________ decisions as a diplomat and administrator led to his reputation as a just and _________ ruler.

What word goes in the second blank? What word goes in the first blank?

The Question The king’s ________ decisions as a

diplomat and administrator led to his reputation as a just and _________ ruler.

A. quick… capricious B. equitable… wise C. immoral…perceptive D. historic… scurrilous E. clever… unchallenged

The Answer

The king’s ________ decisions as a diplomat and administrator led to his reputation as a just and _________ ruler.

B. equitable… wise

LET’S PRACTICE

One person is the PREDICTOR One person is the ADJUSTOR (adjust

prediction if necessary) One person is the ELIMINATOR (eliminate

at least one) One person is the ANSWERER

The Two Short Passages Each short passage has two questions Sneak a look at the answers? Read for the main idea Predict the answer where possible Eliminate answers that are the opposite,

extreme or exaggerated, off topic Manage time – Budget 4-5 minutes max.

Short Paired Passages Read each passage for the main idea Establish the relationship between the passages. For

example: Passage A complains about spam and Passage B provides a

solution. OR: Passage A is a first hand narrative about adapting to eating

habits in the U.S.A. and Passage B is a general discussion of eating habits in the U.S.A.

Predict the answer where possible Eliminate answers that are the opposite, extreme or

exaggerated, off topic Manage time – Budget 4-5 minutes max.

MEDIUM TO LONG PASSAGES Read as quickly as you comfortably can.

You will have to come back to research details anyway.

Check the paragraph topics and try to summarize them in 3-5 words.

Mark it up. Pencil to paper means you’re involved.

Types of Questions 1. What’s the main idea of this passage? 2. What’s the main idea of paragraph 2

(or 3)? 2. Why does the author use this word or

detail? In order to show what? 3. What does this word mean in context? 4. The situation in this passage is most

like what other situation (analogy)? 5. What would support (or weaken) the

author’s position?

Medium to Long Paired Passages

Read Passage 1: a. Be an active reader b. Read for paragraph topics c. Read for the main ideaAnswer the questions pertaining to passage 1

Read Passage 2:As above, be active, read for paragraph topics and for the main idea. As well, note differences in points of view from passage 1.

Answer the questions pertaining to passage 2.

Now, answer the compare/ contrast questions.

SAT WRITING FACTS

Multiple-choice test contains 49 questions that determine roughly 70% of your score.

Three types of questions : Improving Sentence Errors Identifying Sentence Errors Improving Paragraph Structure Two sections- one long and one short. First section: 25 minutes:

11 improving sentence error questions, 18 identifying sentence error questions 6 improving paragraph structure questions.

Second section: 10 minutes: 14 improving sentence questions

The Big Seven 1. Subject – Verb Agreement2. Pronouns and Agreement Between Noun Antecedents and Pronouns that Follow3. The Active vs. The Passive Voice4.Verb Tenses5. Parallel Structure6. Wordiness – If You’re Are Stuck Between a Short Version and a Long One, Go With the Shorter.7. Sentence Structure – Run-ons and Sentence Fragments

Use Your Ear and Your Eye First of all, read the sentence and hear it in

your head. Does it sound sweet or clunky or cacophonic (not melodious)? If so, there is probably an error somewhere.

If it sounds good, use your eye. Check for: Subject- Verb Agreement (the most common error)

Improper Pronoun Use ( the next most common)

Parallelism (another common error)

What’s wrong here? 1. Before the advent of modern surgical techniques, bleeding patients with

leeches were considered therapeutically

effective. No error?

2. The recent establishment of “Crime Busters”

have dramatically improved relations between

citizens and police. No error?

What’s Wrong Here? 1. Most of the delegates which attended

the convention felt the resolution was too

strongly worded, and the majority voted against

it. No error? 2. The new office complex is beautiful,

but fully two hundred residents were forced to move when they tore down the old apartment buildings.

No error?

What’s Wrong Here?1. Hiking along mountain trails is a less expensive but considerably more demanding vacation activity than to cruise in the Bahamas.No error?2.The gods of Greek mythology, who were neither omniscient nor particularly ethical, amused themselves by taking on disguises andto meddle in the affairs of mortals.No error?

What’s Wrong Here?1. There is no sense in continuing the research, now that the assumptions on which it was based have been disproved. No error?

2. Every one of the shops in the town was closed on Thursday because of the ten-inch rainfall that had fallen during the day.No error?

Now Practice!!! First person read it aloud. (Listen up!) Second person decide if it sounds good or

not. Third person decide what (if anything) is

wrong. (Use your eyes. Verify verbs and pronouns and usage and parallelism.)

Fourth person verify the third person’s answer.

Practice together on page 161. (Check answers)

Then try pages 166-7 (Check your answers).

The Essay Question: Can success be disastrous? Sometimes, the easiest thing is to answer,

heartily, “YES”. So, “Yes, success can be disastrous” Example #1: Who: the U.S. Armed Forces What: dropped atomic bombs When: during W.W. II, near the end of the war. Where: Hiroshima and Nagasaki Why: to punish the Japanese and ensure victory How: the disaster came immediately – deaths – and

later – diseases and birth deformities

Can you provide another example?

Example #2 - ??????????? Who: What: When: Where: How: Why:

Timing If you spend 5 minutes (maximum) for

planning (brainstorming/webbing/ journalistic questions and answers/ outlining)

you will still have 20 minutes left for writing and proofreading.

Try to give yourself at least 2 minutes for proofreading.

Once it’s done, forget about it. It’s over.

LET’S PRACTICE NOW!!!!