@Apoc314
I just took a look on the exmple u mentioned for the ecollogist, and got trapped between C & D, and, as usual, picked up the wrong one. Why can’t we say that it was costly because of the " destruction of healthy trees " ? And unpopular bacause they were not the " normal environmental regulations " but new methods ?
@Hypocrit nowhere in the passage does it say anything about the cost. Although while reading you may assume in your head its costly, you must answer based on what is in the passage and not what sounds right to you.
It also never states what the public’s opinion was about it so you don’t know if it was unpopular.
Basically just answer based on if its supported in the passage.
Hi @Hypocrit,
Regarding your first example question, the reason why E is not supported is that nothing about the plot is mentioned to be implausible in the text. You may assume in your head that it seems implausible that the character has died and is now transformed into an Arab in the next one, but that is talking about two different stories and not about “implausible plots of the stories that were told” (the actual story plots may have been perfectly plausible and are not said to be implausible). We see that the last sentence mentions that the audience paid to “share the difficulties of the actors” such as shedding “misfortune tears of affliction” for a “character who had died and was buried” and that making this character reappear alive in another movie is a fraud to them because they were invested in these actors and thinking that death was death and not just fake. I hope this helps clarify that question a bit better.
Regarding C & D on the example I mentioned, @ecollegeist is perfectly right in saying that we cannot say it was costly or unpopular because the text never specifically mentions that the cost was great or that people were unhappy with the new regulations (it is true that healthy trees are destroyed and new regulations are put into place, but we cannot assume that the cost is great or that it was an unpopular practice without having evidence from the text).
Good luck on your practice, and have a great day!
Thanks a lot @Apoc314 & @ecollegeist
I’ll try my best, but unfortunately am stuck to the high 600’s or low 700’s in practice tests, about 5 - 7 mistakes or so, and I hope that I can achieve 750 - 800 in Jan’s test, but it seems to be an unrealistic goal 
@Hypocrit
I’m in the same boat as you. CR is my weakest section, especially the actual passages. I have been trying the Devil’s Advocate strategy, but I am still missing about 5-6 questions each time.
@Apoc314
I’m solving CR sections everyday, but I’m still getting 4-6 questions wrong in each section. Generally, in each section I get five minutes to revise my work. I am unable to understand where is the problem.
Hi @sandey , it will take time to improve your critical reading section score in practice. It might take at least a week to see increases in score - are you able to successfully use the devil’s advocate technique to solve the critical reading questions? I took me weeks to successfully master the technique and filter out my personal opinions and biases from solely relying on the text for answer support. I have re-pasted an example question below I went over a few posts back on using the devil’s advocate technique.
Questions 3-4 are based on the following passage.
A cousin of the tenacious Asian longhorned beetle-
which since its initial discovery in 1996 in New York City
has caused tens of millions of dollars in damage annually
-the citrus longhorned beetle was discovered on a juniper
bush in August 2001 in Tukwila, Washington. Exotic pests
such as the longhorned beetle are a growing problem-an
unintended side effect of human travel and commerce
that can cause large-scale mayhem to local ecosystems.
To stop the citrus beetle, healthy trees were destroyed
even though there was no visible evidence of infestation,
and normal environmental regulations were suspended
so that a rapid response could be mounted.
- The passage suggests that the actions undertaken in lines 9-12 are best characterized as (A) tested and reliable (B) deliberate and effective (C) costly and unpopular (D) preemptive and aggressive (E) unprecedented and unfounded
Now lines 9-12 start with “To stop the citrus beetle…” and end with “…so that a rapid response could be mounted.” for reference. Let’s analyze each answer choice and use the devil’s advocate rule here to see why it is WRONG if there is no direct PASSAGE evidence (this is very important to keep in mind since we tend to inject our own interpretation into the passage sometimes).
Choice (A): Though we may assume these actions could be tested and reliable, the passage does not actually state if destroying healthy trees and suspending these normal environmental regulations have been done before or are a reliable method of preventing the beetle’s large-scale mayhem to ecosystems. Thus, A is wrong.
Choice (B): Though the actions in lines 9-12 were deliberate to try to “stop the citrus beetle”, the passage never directly states how “effective” the actions are, but only says that a rapid response could be mounted (does not mean it was necessarily effective). Thus, B is also wrong because it is not fully supported by the text.
Choice ©: The cost of the actions in lines 9-12 are never stated and the public opinion of these actions is never stated either. Though we may assume it may have been costly and unpopular in our own heads, this passage does not directly talk about the cost or popularity of these actions and we cannot support this answer choice with the text. Thus, C is wrong.
Choice (D): This answer is correct with both descriptors. The actions are preemptive because “healthy trees were destroyed even though there was no visible evidence of infestation” which is a preventative measure due to trying to stop the infestation before it truly begins (no visible evidence yet). Suspending the normal environmental regulations is also preemptive because they are doing so before infestation is visible. Destroying healthy trees and suspending normal environmental regulations are also aggressive actions meant to stop the beetle (due to no visible evidence of infestation yet). Thus, D is correct.
Choice (E): Nothing in the passage directly says that these actions were unprecedented or unfounded. Though we may assume that we learned from our mistakes in dealing with the Asian longhorned beetle in NYC and applied new actions, this passage never states that destroying healthy trees was an unprecedented action. Destroying these trees and suspending regulations is also not unfounded because they want to rapidly stop the citrus beetle which could potentially cause millions of dollars in damage since it is a cousin of the Asian longhorned beetle. Thus, E is wrong.
I hope this has helped you, and feel free to message me if you have more questions!
Thank You @Apoc314. I hope this works.
You’re welcome - good focus and luck on the SAT, @sandey !
Hi @Apoc314 , This is one question from a PR 2015 book that I am unsure of.
Passage 1
The Taj Mahal, located in Agra, India, is one of the most magnificent examples of Islamic Architecture. Shah Jahan, a Muslim Ruler, built it in the seventeenth century as a tribute to his late wife. The style of the building seems to reflect that it was built for a beloved woman. Delicate white marble walls, accented by lofty arches and lacy scrollwork, support a series of domes. Four slender towers stand gaurd near the corners of the building. Overall, the style of the structure gives a striking impression of lightness, despite the heavy stone material. All of these characteristics lead to an almost otherworldly beauty, worthy of any queen.
Passage 2
Although the Taj mahal has long been recognized for its architectural beauty, it is often overlooked that Shah Jahan commissioned the building in 1632 as a tomb for his most beloved wife. The tomb is flanked on the west by a mosque, a Muslim place of worship. Arabic script is inlaid along the walls and supports. The architectural wonder of the Taj Mahal cannot be denied; however, it is vital to recognize the spiritual aspects that pervade one of the world’s most recognizable buildings.
Question 9: Unlike the author of Passage 1, the author of Passage 2 acknowledges that the Taj Mahal is
A) Widely Known
B) Located in India
C) Architecturally Significant
D) Extremely Old
E) Frequently Overlooked.
I chose E, because it says [often] [overlooked] in the first sentence of passage 2. It seems to not mention it at all in passage 1.
The correct answer was A though, and it does say [one of the world’s most recognizable buildings] in the last sentence of passage 2, and i guess it doesn’t really mention it in passage 1 (magnificent examples does not mean the same as widely known im assuming). So I can see how this can be correct, but couldn’t E be as well?
[QUOTE=""]
How is E wrong and A correct?
[/QUOTE]
Other note: PR says that E is not mentioned at all, which is why it is incorrect…but isn’t it clearly in the text of passage 2 with “often overlooked” ?
Hi @fcm951 !
The reason why E is incorrect for your example question is because the first sentence of Passage 2 says that “it is often overlooked that Shah Jahan commissioned the building in 1632 as a tomb for his most beloved wife.” The first sentence here says that though the Taj Mahal is recognized for its beauty but it is often overlooked that it was originally a tomb.
Question 9 says that the author of Passage 2 acknowledges that the Taj Mahal is…ABCD or E, and the reason why E doesn’t make sense is because that sentence would say that the Taj Mahal is frequently overlooked, which is incorrect. The fact that it was originally made as a tomb is frequently overlooked, but not the actual Taj Mahal. Hope this helps!
@Apoc314 Ahh I see. Thanks!
@fcm951 , you’re welcome! Good luck on the SAT!
oh and btw @Apoc314 , have you heard of/looked at the “Trabb’s Boy” Passage on BB Practice test 10 Section 6? Do you think a passage that hard will appear again? I looked around online and i’ve also seen people mention how that “trabb’s boy” passage is ridiculously hard.
I took test 10 over the weekend, 6 passage based wrong (0 vocab), and 4 of those 6 were from the Trabb’s Boy passage haha.
If I happen to stumble upon a really tough passage like that this saturday, what should I do to minimize the errors (and panic lol)?
Hi @fcm951 , I have not looked at the Trabb’s Boy passage before. I assume that if it was notoriously difficult, it will most likely not appear again, and it would be best to focus on the moderate to difficult passages for practice.
If you do happen to stumble upon a really tough passage like that this Saturday, do your best with the devil’s advocate strategy to minimize the errors - it takes a lot of practice and focus on using this method to reduce errors and do your best. I’m sorry I haven’t responded earlier, but I wish you lots of focus and luck on the SAT tomorrow!
@Apoc314 thanks for the tips! And don’t worry, (ironically) my SAT tomorrow just got postponed due to a snow storm. Bummer, right? It was quite a turn of events.
The rescheduled date is February 7th, which i can’t make, and i had plans that conflicted with the march date too.
Looks like now i’m going to have to wait until May to take it again.
So I guess that gives me more time to keep drilling CR and develop a long term plan - I’ve already gone through the entire Blue Book and some of the Princeton Review. What other sources do you recommend I should use? Is it worth buying the “collegeboard online course” to get 10 extra tests online? I just need to make sure I pace myself and have enough material with the extra 3 months I now suddenly have to prepare.
@fcm951 I suppose that is a blessing in disguise then from the snow! Hmm…I have never taken the collegeboard online course for its extra tests, so I don’t know how those practice tests are. I would perhaps save those tests for the last month or so and practice with Kaplan or other test preparation materials while also periodically practicing the Blue Book questions to review them. Definitely save the online course SAT tests for closer to May since those will hopefully be more relevant and accurate tests. Good luck with the prep!
Hey @Apoc314, new user here, by the name of Andy. Basically here’s my story, I’m pretty much the biggest procrastinator you could imagine. I could get around a 600+ in Math and writing if i wanted to, but jeez CR kicked me in the throat. I didn’t take the SATs yet, just a practice test by the end of freshmen year (1670), but that’s besides the point. From there on out, I basically stopped studying lol, very minuscule amounts if any. Today, in my SAT Prep LA class in school, we took a mini test, not a full length language arts section, just a part of it from the book, like 17 questions. It was 3 points for each question, for some reason, but that’s besides the point. I don’t fail or do poorly in school, and previously we took a mini writing section test like 17 questions+ also, but i got a 94 on that one so it’s cool. Back to topic, this CR test we took, killeeeddddddddd me. My 3 friends got around a 94, 85, and 90. The teacher said the test was hard but they managed to do it, and they expected me to get an A on it. I’m pretty sure I failed it because the teacher said to try and not to skip any questions, but I skipped like 6. The other half of 11 i basically guessed and pure-instincted it. I had the biggest ephiphany after this and realized I need to start kicking it up. Knowing my situations, could you PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, one fellow Asian to another, help me out lol. Any type of advice I will gladly accept. Thank you so much Apoc, I hope i get to see your response!
Hi @kaleido ! What were your greatest difficulties in taking this test? Was it that the questions stalled you and made you run out of time? For the questions you completed, was it time that forced you to “guess and pure-instinct it”? If you can expand on how this practice test went, I can help you with more specific advice. I will say that if it is a time issue, I recommend practicing the critical reading sections without timing yourself first, but eventually starting to limit your time as you get better. Please let me know what the greatest difficulties are with CR so I may better help you. Have a good night!
Well basically what I struggle on, is that I just don’t get what the questions are asking for. Some questions I can get fast, such as “what does this word most likely mean in line 21.” But the questions like “what does line 32-59 mean, and the answers are so indirect, and i never get it” also questions like “what does Juan think his dad was like.” Any questions that are like that, or anything similiar to that. Time and pressure was a pretty big too because as soon as my teacher said the questions were 3 points each and that mostly everyone got like 60s and 70s, i felt nervous because of THAT and because there was like 15 minutes left.