<p>For those of you who consistently get 700+ on Critical Reading, how do you approach the CR section that contains two long passages that are not related to one another. Every time I get to that section, it takes time for me to finish the first long passage partly b/c I feel as though the questions are harder. Consequently, when I get to the second passage, I run out of time. Its pretty frustrating b/c I can finish every other section on the SAT with time to spare, but that CR section with two long passages kills me every single time. Can anyone make a suggestion on how I can improve.</p>
<p>My Critical Reading Score (which was a 650 on the Jan SAT)
I usually get 3-4 wrong on the CR section with one long reading passage
2 wrong with the CR with a dual passage (which tends to be the section with 19 questions)
but I get 5-7 wrong with the CR passage with two different, long passages</p>
<p>With the paired passages, the hardest part is dealing with the questions that ask about both passages, since they require you to remember information from both of them.</p>
<p>When I get to the two long passages, I first skim through the questions really quickly. Mark the line references in the text (you should probably do this for all the passages) and make note of the questions that deal with both passages - whether they ask about differences in tone, similarities between the authors’ points, etc. Then keep an eye out for these things as you read through the passages.</p>
<p>Go through the first passage, treating it as a separate passage and answer the questions that appertain to that passage only. Then, I like to look at the questions dealing with both passages and put a check next to the answers that could be correct based on the content of the first passage alone. I can usually find two or three answers that are incompatible with the first passage, so that when I come to the questions again after reading the second passage I have fewer choices to consider and I already know which choices work with the first passage.</p>
<p>After that, I read the second passage, again treating it as a separate passage and answering the questions that just deal with that passage. Finally, I look again at the questions that deal with both passages. If you took my advice, you should already know which answer choices agree with the first passage, so all you have to do is figure out which one of those also agrees with the second passage. These questions really will not be hard if you handle them this way.</p>
<p>i got a 35 on the act for CR, an 80 on my PSAT, but only a 740 on the March SAT. I really don’t have a special method or anything. Just read it (I’m a fast reader in general though), look at the questions, answer the ones you know, then look for the ones you don’t.</p>
<p>SAT CR comprehension becomes much less difficult the more you read outside of school. I would suggest trying to read magazine articles about a varied range of subjects, or just books that are thought provoking (though I love Harry Potter, that is not what I mean). Also, if your teacher gives you vocabulary exercises to do, ACTUALLY do them. I am convinced that one of the main reasons for my 800 was that I was one of the few that did not always copy the answers in the morning in HR. They are a pain, but they helped a whole lot. As for test-day strategy I don’t use any so I can’t help you there.</p>
<p>Reading is a general ability, not one that varies with each book or author. Each author does have his or her own writing style that has to be mastered by the reader, but you can still transfer a good amount of what you learn from reading one author to reading another.</p>
<p>Well, I do enjoy reading. But, sadly, most of my reading is pop culture, NY Times best seller stuff, not really particularly thought-provoking. But, the more you read, the faster you read, which is an advantage for this sort of stuff.</p>
<p>I’ve heard Newsweek is good for higher-level reading practice. Unfortunately, I really don’t have any test-taking tips–I’m just another lifelong bookworm perfect-scorer who routinely finishes with 5-10 minutes to spare on a CR section. (I wish I could transfer that extra time to math…) I do think that reading quickly helps, if only because it gives you more time to think about the questions.</p>
<p>hmmm i like 112358’s method imma try it
but can anyone tell me how to deermine tone and mood; those tend to make me confused
sometimes some passaes are easy to determine mood and tone(like a gloomy one) but some times they are about an odd mechanical story and then i cant find the tone</p>
<p>so what are some good tips to understand tone/mood?
thannks</p>
<p>If you are reading a lot of nonfiction and absorbing information from it (textbook reading), you should be able to burn through the passages fast enough to have plenty of time to think about the questions.</p>
<p>I think i’m in a similar situation with you, I scored a 640 on my Dec SAT CR, but after these few months of practice, i’ve been scoring 720-760 bluebook. </p>
<p>For tone and mood, identify the argument being made and any opinions. Circle/underline them to make sure you remain aware of the passage as a whole. Before I took up this strategy, I would focus too much on small details and it’d hurt my understanding.</p>
<p>and practice. I’ll be honest, the only reading I’ve done is through my LIT class and maybe 100 pages in short stories that my teacher recommended. Just keep practicing and it really does become easier.</p>
on my Dec SAT CR, but after these few months of practice, i’ve been scoring 720-760 bluebook. </p>