<p>The reason I personally do not like devil’s advocate is that sometimes in the answer choice you don’t know a vocabulary word or the vocabulary has a secondary meaning. For example, take the legendary “affected manner” question from the blue book.</p>
<p>Among the side benefits of the museum’s exhibition of early photographs of Egypt is that it can inspire you to read the travel classic Flaubert in Egypt. Looking at the photographs from the 1850’s after reading the book, you should be able to conjure up the French author just outside the picture frame. There is Flaubert in his long white shirt, his shaved head topped by a red tarboosh, settled into the cool shade of an ancient temple, reading poetry, and seeming oh-so-exquisitely bored.</p>
<p>Question: The characterization of Flaubert in the last sentence chiefly serves to suggest that:</p>
<p>A) Flaubert had an affected manner.
B) Egypt inspired Flaubert to write.
C) Flaubert found the Egyptian climate oppressive.
D) Flaubert was timid about posing for photographs.
E) Egypt’s culture was of great interest to Flaubert.</p>
<p>If you didn’t know the meaning of “affected” and you would not be able to figure out the answer to this problem, even if you narrowed the choices to A and C. There are no clues in the passage to suggest he did not find the Egyptian climate opressive.</p>
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<p>Questions that ask why a certain word, phrase or something else was used. Like the questions with “obsession” and stationery. There is always a clear answer in the same or previous sentence (or could be next).</p>
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<p>Ok, I am starting to see why A looks good for you both. So when you narrow down to A and D, which are the only ones that answer the question, read both and see that D gives an exact reason. You choose the one which is more specific. I understand how confusing it is when you don’t really get the meaning. Pattern can’t affect your writing style. </p>
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<p>Don’t get stuck on single words. The question asks to look at the last sentence and choose something that makes sense. After reading the last sentence I take to mind “seeming oh-so-exquisitely bored” because it’s the only piece that says anything.
A - “seeming bored” and “manner” are related, so it is a possible answer
B, C, D, E - out of topic. These are total assumptions taken out of nowhere. If nothing is mentioned about those things, they don’t exist.</p>
<p>I agree with AimingAt750 here. I got to A by eliminating everything else. In this case there is no need to play devil’s advocate because all the other answer choices are just plain wrong. </p>
<p>Also AimingAt750, would you advise me to read this: </p>
<p>[PWN</a> the SAT: Don’t Justify, Identify! Reading Comp for Badasses](<a href=“http://blog.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2012/03/dont-justify-identify-reading-comp-for.html#.UPp3EGfMS-9]PWN”>http://blog.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2012/03/dont-justify-identify-reading-comp-for.html#.UPp3EGfMS-9)</p>
<p>Does this summarize what you do? do you have anything else to add?</p>
<p>That is a perfect article! If you follow all that, in time you’ll be very good in CR.</p>
<p>cheers I’ll read it more thoroughly then when I can </p>
<p>One last thing: What do you mean by your process being very logical. Maybe something in the article could help to explain things</p>
<p>Cheers</p>
<p>Go ahead and use the devil’s advocate if you want to or if you think it’s effective. I find it uneffective because often I don’t read carefully enough to find the right tidbit of information that justifies an answer, so I cross that (correct) answer out. Also, sometimes I overanalyze a problem and its answer choices. Finally, devil’s advocate is kind of defeated in some single-word vocabulary in context choices and analogy choices. For example, in a CB test I did a few days ago:</p>
<p>New York in the wake of World War
II was a city on the verge of momentous
changes—economic, social, and political.
For almost a century it had been a
preeminent manufacturing and port city,
absorbing the unskilled millions who
flocked there from Europe, and had
yielded great fortunes for the astute and
daring. The Depression of the 1930’s had
exacted a terrible toll, and leaders
conferred anxiously on how to avoid a
repetition of those doleful days as the war
economy wound down.</p>
<p>In line 5, “preeminent” is closest in meaning to
(A) knowledgeable
(B) outstanding
(C) growing
(D) abnormal
(E) notorious</p>
<p>Devil’s advocate does not really work if you narrow the choices down to B and C, and if you think that a secondary definition to “eminent” is “growing.” “Growing” works in context because if lots of people went to New York, so New York would be “growing.” It turns out preeminent simply does NOT mean growing.</p>
<p>I take your point Tomatox1 and I see why you don’t use it. I do sometimes cross out the wrong answer but this is not always the case. POE is the only strategy i’ve got to be honest and that has actually increased my score so I have a slight bias for it. Different people use different methods for various reasons. The only reason why I started this thread is that I wanted to see if I was POEing properly and doing devil’s advocate properly. This wasn’t supposed to be a thread touting devil’s advocate in any way and forcing people to subscribe to the idea. </p>
<p>Cheers</p>
<p>Just read around the text and infer from what the author is addressing. I don’t like the devil’s advocate strategy; or at least, I don’t enjoy it, simply because reading around the text will net you the answer in a shorter amount of time. If something is wrong by a little, it is 100% wrong.</p>
<p>Here is another passage: </p>
<p>For Kahlo the elements of her dress were a kind of palette from which she selected each day the image of herself that she wished to present to the world. Wearing Tehuana costumes was part of Kahlo’s self creation as a legendary personality intimately connected to her native land. Yet while she was definitely playing a role hers was an authentic artifice. She did not change her personality to fit the image she presented. </p>
<ol>
<li>In lines 15-16 (yet…artifice) the author indicates that playing a role can </li>
</ol>
<p>A) be a complex, almost incomprehensible masquerade
B) be a form of sincere self expression
C) Dramatize the individual’s history
D) Conceal embarrassing secrets
E) alter the personality of the role player</p>
<p>AND this one</p>
<p>Left at birth on a desert island, you and and that commentator would be lifting and dropping chunks of wood or rounded stones onto hard nuts and be glad we figured that out.
The great accomplishment of Homo sapiens is not technology, which has become bigger and scarier than we are, a mixed blessing. The great accomplishment is leanguage, which has enabled us to communicate our achievements. </p>
<p>Q In linies 40 -42 (the great…blessing) the author characterizes technology as </p>
<p>A) the accomplishment that distinguishes Homo Sapiens from chimpanzees
B) A phenomenon that has come to overshadow those who developed it
C) an inevitable step in the development of human beings and their societies
D) an achievement that has grown impressively in importance over time
E) A force that is ultimately shaped by the fears of those who created it</p>
<p>B for both? Amirite?</p>
<p>Have a nice day</p>
<p>I think you^^ are correct, but i’ve forgotten the answers</p>
<p>Who are you referring to?</p>
<p>you 
^^- means above so above me is you!</p>
<p>SAT Critical Reading is screwing me in the head.</p>
<p>Have a nice day</p>
<p>Can someone explain why the first one is E?</p>
<p>The answer to the first question is B</p>
<p>The answer to the second is D</p>
<p>I believe it is B for both of them.
- This time the answer was in the next sentence. The clues are “authentic artifice” and “she did not change her personality”. Introductory sentence followed by an explanation.
- The clue “which has become bigger and scarier than we are”. Isn’t it same as B?</p>
<p>I chosed B on the second one because it said that technology was “scary” and a “mixed blessing”.</p>
<p>More questions please. I need to practice devils advocate</p>
<p>Have a nice day</p>
<p>I would have chosen B for both. Someone confirm the answers? I can’t find them. I would be very confused if the second answer were D.</p>