Format and Structure
Reading comprehension sections follow a fairly
standard format. Preceding each passage is an italicized introductory
blurb that offers some contextual information. Read this
introduction. Knowing the context it provides will help
you understand the passage. Below the introduction is the passage,
which can range from 450 to 900 words. The four reading passages
on each SAT generally fit into one of the following categories:
- Science
- Art
- Literary criticism
- History or historical criticism
- Fiction or nonfiction narrative
Some passages might overlap categories, as when an artist
provides a narrative about his or her experience with art. A few
passages might not fit into any of these categories well. There
will be at least one science and one narrative passage on every
SAT.
Anywhere from 5 to 13 questions accompany each passage.
These questions test your comprehension of general themes, points,
or tone; your ability to comprehend and breakdown arguments; your
ability to interpret implied and explicit information; and your understanding
of vocabulary words in context. We cover each of these types of
questions later in this section. In addition to the types of questions
mentioned above, dual passages include questions that ask you to
relate the two passages.
To simplify a bit, reading comprehension questions ask
about two things: general understanding and specific information.
Questions about general understanding focus on themes, tone, and
techniques of writing. Questions on specific information will pinpoint
a specific section in the passage and then ask about the meaning
of some implied or explicit information in that section, or the
meaning of a specific word in context. It is important to note that
the questions that ask for specific information will tell you where
that information is located. We’ll explain how this should affect
your reading strategy in the aptly named “Strategic Approaches”
section, below.
Of the four reading comprehension passages, one will usually
be around 500 words long with 5 questions, one around 700 words
with 10 questions , and two around 900 words with 12 or 13 questions.
The dual passage will be one of the 900-word passages.
