We've been discussing SAT critical reading quite a bit around here lately, and our posts have prompted some great questions. Here's one:

Hi, my name is Tiffany. I've been reading your SAT critical reading tips and they've been very helpful. I am struggling with the reading section the most on the SAT. Here's what I do: I read first then I answer the questions. When I get to a question, I read the questions then the answers. Then if I do not know the answer, I go back and read parts of the passage then look at the answers and pick. Is that a smart thing to do or is it better for me to read the question first and if I don't know it, go back and read parts of the passage firs,t then when I know the answer go back and read the answers and choose the right one? Also for questions that have line references, is it better for me to read the answers first then go back and read some parts of the passage or go back to the lines, read around, then answer the question?

We recently introduced a few active reading strategies to help you focus on mind-numbing reading passages. These strategies include asking questions, summarizing, and marking up passages. These strategies will help you out on any test, but Sparkler nap_attack offered the following suggestion for getting through a boring textbook reading:

If you're trying to read a textbook instead of a standardized test, read aloud using funny voices. You'd think that this would distract you and you would remember nothing that is being read, but it mysteriously works, for me at least. But do not try this during the SAT or you will probably get kicked out.

A recent post about SAT reading passages prompted the following comment from loyal Test Prep reader AP_Nerd:

How do you force yourself to be focused while taking the SAT, or just any test in general? I actually enjoy the math section, and cruise through English, but I'm never in the mood for reading. Advice?

We hear you loud and clear! On any readings-based test, especially the SAT or ACT, it can be difficult to enjoy digging into some of the most boring reading passages known to humankind. But successful test takers get past this fact by using a strategy known as active reading. Active reading won't make the passages any more fun to work on, but it will keep your on track.

Today, we're wrapping up our discussion of the seven types of SAT reading comprehension questions by taking a look at words-in-context questions. These questions test your ability to determine how a word is being used in a specific sentence. A typical context question might ask you "which of the following is closest in meaning to the word" or say "this word could best be replaced by..."

Let's suppose you just finished reading a passage about the modernist writer Gertrude Stein. A sentence in the passage reads, "Stein's early poems were an attempt to put the principles of modernist painting into concrete form." The question regarding that sentence might look like this:

We’re continuing our discussion of SAT reading comprehension by taking a look at technique questions. Many SAT reading comprehension questions provide all the information you need to answer them within the reading passage, but that’s not the case this time. Technique questions test not only your ability to decode the text, but also to recognize literary techniques such as similes, metaphors, irony, and so on.

Let's say that you just read a persuasive passage that provided reasons for why the government should fund new programs to help the homeless population in the United States. This question follows:

We're continuing our breakdown of the SAT Critical Reading section with a look at argument questions. These questions ask you to figure out how a specific piece of information supports the larger concepts and ideas of the whole passage. To put it in simple terms, these questions basically ask what a specific piece of information does to support the main idea. Argument questions can be worded in many different ways, such as "the author uses the example in order to," "the author's inclusion of this serves to," "which of the following best explains why," and so on.

As an example, let’s say you just read a passage about Truman Capote’s 1966 book In Cold Blood, a work which was noteworthy for incorporating fictional storytelling devices into the account of a true crime case. While reading the passage, you learn about the techniques that Capote used. You also learn that the book was a critical and commercial success. Among the questions that follow, you read this one:

We received this question from a Sparkler who identified herself as a "frustrated test maniac":

Hi, I'm having some problems with the reading section of the SAT. I just can't seem to get the passages read fast enough. I estimated that I need to allow about 1 minute for the long passages and 30 seconds for the short ones in order to leave enough time for all the questions. It seems like if I try to read fast I miss WAY too many punch lines and by the time I get to the end I can hardly tell whether it was about Easter bunnies or underwater gymnastics! If I try to get the punch lines I take WAY too long! Do you have any advice for efficiently skimming?

Today we're continuing with our discussion of the seven types of SAT reading comprehension questions with a look at implied information questions. Unlike specific information questions, which ask you to find information that is literally on the page, implied information questions ask you to interpret the information you’re presented with and draw a conclusion. Implied information questions often contain words like suggested, indicated, or implied.

Let’s say you just read a passage about the scientist Jane Goodall, her work with chimpanzees, and the controversy surrounding some of her methodology. Among the questions that follow, you might find one that looks like this:

Of the seven types of SAT reading comp questions, most of my students find the ones asking for specific information the easiest. Why? Because they’re not being asked to interpret the information. Instead, these questions simply ask test takers to dig out facts from the passage. But these are just the sorts of questions that can lull students into a false sense of security, causing them to make silly mistakes. Here are a few tips to help you get these questions right:

1. Read the question carefully. Some specific information questions are very straightforward: “What is the main reason that Vincent Van Gogh’s art did not sell during his lifetime?” However, this is the SAT, and sometimes the questions get a little tricky: “Which of the following is not a reason that Vincent Van Gogh was an unpopular artist during his lifetime?” When you see a negative phrase, remember that you’re looking for the wrong answer.

Welcome to the second installment of our series about the seven types of questions you’ll encounter on the reading sections of the test. Today we’re looking at tone and attitude questions.

Unlike main idea questions, which ask you to figure out the passage’s primary purpose, tone and attitude questions deal with the author’s view on the subject. These questions are typically phrased as “What is the author’s tone?” or “The author’s attitude toward the subject can best be described as…” Here's a strategy to use when you encounter them: