SAT Critical Reading Study Guide 2.0
SAT Critical Reading Bootcamp - This series covers all aspects of the Critical Reading section in depth - Sentence Completions & Passage-Based Reading. Check the lines after you watch the video. The rest of this study guide contains pages for you to take notes on some of the CRB videos.
Introduction
___ #1 Introduction
___ #2 How to Use the Videos ___ #3 How to Practice
___ #4 What is Critical Reading? ___ #5 Two Examples
___ #6 Skimming vs. Close Reading ___ #7 Core Strategy
Sentence Completions
___ #8 Sentence Completions Intro ___ #9 Learning SAT Vocabulary ___ #10 Prefixes, Roots, Suffixes
___ #11 Sentence Completions Core Strategy ___ #12 Single Blankers
___ #13 Dual Blankers ___ #14 Errors & Traps
___ #15 Other Sentence Completions Strats Sentence Completions Practice Problems
___ #16 2007-2008 SAT, Section 4 ___ #17 2007-2008 SAT, Section 6 ___ #18 2007-2008 SAT, Section 9 ___ #19 2009-2010 SAT, Section 4 ___ #20 2009-2010 SAT, Section 7 ___ #21 2009-2010 SAT, Section 8 ___ #22 2012-2013 SAT, Section 3 ___ #23 2012-2013 SAT, Section 7 ___ #24 2012-2013 SAT, Section 9 Passage-Based Reading
___ #25 Passage Based Reading Intro ___ #26 Active Reading
___ #27 How to Read ___ #28 Passage Structure ___ #29 Detail vs. Function
___ #30 Reading Passages Core Strategy ___ #31 Question Types
___ #32 Short Passages ___ #33 Long Passages ___ #34 Dual Passages ___ #35 Fiction Passages
___ #36 Reading Trap Answers & Errors ___ #37 Vocabulary for Reading
___ #38 Rhetorical & Literary Devices ___ #39 Other Reading Strategies
Passage-Based Reading Practice Problems ___ #40 2005 SAT, Section 7, 6-9 ___ #41 2005 SAT, Section 7, 10-15 ___ #42 2007-2008 SAT, Section 4, 6-9 ___ #43 2007-2008 SAT, Section 4, 10-14 ___ #44 2007-2008 SAT, Section 4, 15-23 ___ #45 2007-2008 SAT, Section 6, 9-13 ___ #46 2007-2008 SAT, Section 6, 14-25 ___ #47 2007-2008 SAT, Section 9, 7-19 ___ #48 2009-2010 SAT, Section 4, 9-12 ___ #49 2009-2010 SAT, Section 4, 13-24 ___ #50 2009-2010 SAT, Section 7, 6-9 ___ #51 2009-2010 SAT, Section 7, 10-15 ___ #52 2009-2010 SAT, Section 7, 16-24 ___ #53 2009-2010 SAT, Section 8, 7-19 ___ #54 2012-2013 SAT, Section 3, 6-9 ___ #55 2012-2013 SAT, Section 3, 10-16 ___ #56 2012-2013 SAT, Section 3, 17-24 ___ #57 2012-2013 SAT, Section 7, 9-12 ___ #58 2012-2013 SAT, Section 7, 13-24 ___ #59 2012-2013 SAT, Section 9, 7-19 ___ #60 Conclusion
#1 - Introduction
A listing of some of the topics covered in the Critical Reading Bootcamp:
the fatal mistake students make when reading
what you must do with your pencil
core strategy for both sentence completions & passages
what vocab to study...if it's even worth it
how to unpack single and dual blank SCs to increase your speed and maximize your vocabulary base
how to read "SAT style" - including the absolutely critical ingredient for understanding the argument of a passage
read the passage first or read the questions first?...neither!
in-depth breakdown of the question types
stuck between two? learn how to choose correctly
eight sentence completion and thirteen passage TRAP ANSWERS
over 20 real SAT passages, worked through by mean in real time Why does the Critical Reading Bootcamp work?
How do I improve on Critical Reading?
Setup of Videos I.
II. III.
____ Sections
____ min ____ min ____ min
#2 - How to Use the Videos
1. Watch the videos in order. 2. Take notes (be active).
3. Download practice tests & do questions before you watch the video.
4. Practice, practice, practice. (Next video...)
#3 - How to Practice How NOT to practice:
1. Just think and talk about it. 2. Only watch someone else.
3. Read lots of book/Dickens/NY Times. 4. Practice haphazardly.
5. Avoid full tests.
6. Drill thousands of vocabulary words.
Practice Strategies: 1. Sections untimed 2. Sections timed
3. Full reading sections (timed) 4. Full practice tests (always timed)
How to Practice Deliberately:
* go over all questions - right and wrong
* ALWAYS use real SATs, especially for reading
* improve vocabulary efficiently
#4 - What is Critical Reading?
Non-Critical Reading Critical Reading
what the text says what the text does what the text means
______________________________ ______________________________
Critical reading is reading with a purpose. #5 - Two Examples
#6 - Skimming vs. Close Reading Skimming: Useful tool, bad habit
THE PRECISION OF LANGUAGE
Core Practice: Every word counts, and sometimes a SINGLE word makes all the difference. #7 - Core Strategy
Come up with your own answer
&
Eliminate
Why do we want to come up with our own answer first? To avoid: __________ ______
________________
________________
Eliminating means actually crossing off answer choices with your pencil!
A
B
C
D
E
Again, understanding WRONG answer choices is as important as understanding CORRECT ones!
Videos #8 - 60 are available in the Members Area of Reason Prep. Go here to learn more:
#8 - Sentence Completions Intro
Order of Difficulty
________/_________ _____ Easy
_____ Medium _____ Hard How to Improve on Sentence Completions:
Vocabulary
Score Goal ________...
Prefixes/Roots/Suffixes
Proper Technique
Pacing: If you run out of time in CR sections...
#9 - Learning SAT Vocabulary The Inefficiency of Flash Cards
1) Overwhelming to start
2) No __________ - all words are "____________"
3) Too much time spent on ______________
4) _____________________?
5) "Unnatural" way to _________________
Flash Cards Best Practices 1. Prioritize (80/20 Rule)
2. Study words efficiently (use _______________)
3. Pay attention to ____________________
4. Don't be satisfied with "__________________"
5. Use Reason Prep list as directed:
Levels 1-3: Levels 4-5:
#10 - Prefixes, Roots, Suffixes
amoral
belligerence
extremist
Prefixes, Roots, Suffixes List on page, but...
Pay Attention to Language!
#11 - Sentence Completions Core Strategy 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
#12 - Single Blankers (see 2005 Practice Test for questions) #13 - Dual Blankers (see 2005 Practice Test for questions) --> approximately half of questions
--> can be ___________ OR ______________
--> where ____________________ shines
--> do ___________________________________________________
#14 - Sentence Completions Errors & Traps 1. _________________________________ 2. _________________________________ 3. _________________________________ 4. _________________________________ 5. _________________________________ 6. _________________________________ 7. _________________________________ 8. _________________________________
#15 - Other Sentence Completions Strategies
1) ________________________________________
2) ________________________________________
3) _________________________________________
#16 - #24 - Practice Sentence Completions Sections (from real practice tests) #25 - Passage-Based Reading Intro
______ Reading Questions in ______ Sections
Short/Long; Single/Dual _____:_____ Specific:General
TOP 10 REASONS why reading passages and questions are hard: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
#26 - Active Reading
Critical reading, for the SAT or for any purpose, _______________________________________!
(not much can, actually)
Every text is ______________________________________________.
Active Reading: ___________________________________________________________
What is the author ________________
What is the author ________________ with
What does the author ______________
Build Your Second Mind: We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
#27 - How to Read
Reading is following the _________________ of a text from the ____________________, through the _____________, to the ______________.
Argument <---> Details
1. Look for ________________________________________________.
2. Pay special attention to _________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________.
3. Look for ___________: ________________________________________________________.
Here you will find ______________ & ________________________.
4. Look for overt _________________. X is true. X is false.
5. ___________________________________ are also important.
#28 - Passage Structure
________________ & _________________ --> _________________
What creates ____________________?
1) Pay attention to sentences ______________________________________________________.
2) Look for __________ words that indicate __________________________________________.
3) Look for ____________ in the text: ______________ and _______________.
4) Look for _______________ in the text, detectable with _____________________:
5) Observe _________________________.
#29 - Detail v. Function
DETAIL Qs:
FUNCTION Qs: (See Function Words list)
Could Be True Must Be True
#30 - Reading Passages Core Strategy
1. Read __________________. 2. Go ___________________________! 3. Begin ______________________________________________________. 4. Read __________________________. 5. ______________________________________________________________. 6. Compare _______________________________________________________.
#31 - Question Types
SPECIFIC: % GENERAL: %
DETAIL FUNCTION
_______________ ___________________
#32 - #35 (See practice tests for passages & questions) Short Passages:
Long Passages:
Dual Passages:
#36 - Reading Trap Answers & Errors 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.
#37 - #60: Download the practice tests and complete the section yourself before you watch the relevant video! :)