<p>When they give you a line reference, do u answer based on Only that section of text, or do read a little before it and after it?
I get confused... because for some questions you only read the given line, but others, you need to read more....
Help???</p>
<p>well, I think that line reference questions CAN BE answered strictly by that particular line(s) but if there's the opportunity given to refer back and front one lines, I do utilize the opportunity since there's a less chance that u might be doing it wrong.</p>
<p>I think it depends on the question. Sorry.</p>
<p>What might help is, before reading the longer passages, look through the questions and underline the specified lines. Then, while reading, when you come across an underlined sentence or two, read and refer back to question.</p>
<p>What previous poster suggested is good but make sure you PRACTICE this before the real SAT. I tend to think that doing this actually kills valuable time for you to answer another question. But then, everyone has different pace on marking the lines.</p>
<p>I've had that problem too but I realized that the questions MOST ALWAYS pertain to the specific lines so for your question, yes, you can answer the questions solely based on reading the lines. BUT here's a catch:</p>
<p>Other sentences may or may not clarify the meaning of the sentence.</p>
<p>I happen to have a practice SAT material right in front of me (haha... SAT is like my pet now; it's almost everywhere in my house lol). An example of specific line answering the specific question (Source: Rocket Review test I got from internet):</p>
<p>Line 30: I've watched writers, composers, and painters knocking off their "works" with their left hands."</p>
<p>Question: The author places the word "works" (line 30) in quotes in order to underscore his
A. distinction between art and art criticism
B. personal experience with persons in a wide range of arts.
C. point that the creation of art is not easy
D. admiration for artists who treat their craft as a profession
E. contempt for much of contemporary art, music, and literature</p>
<p>Clearly, you can see that answer is E. Why? It's because that by saying "knocking off" (instead of saying making, creating, etc...) and "left hands" (not completely sure by reading just this but maybe, most great artists are right handed?), you can see the negative attitude of the author. </p>
<p>On the other hand, reading the specific sentence has very little meaning sometime. Here's another example from same test.</p>
<p>Line 27: Wolf spidering is a complex job, not something to be undertaken by an amateur.</p>
<p>Question: The complex job of the wolf spider referred to in the second paragraph (line 27) is
A. finding its proper niche
B. finding the right circumstances
C. everything it must do to survive and reproduce
D. maintaining its place in the food chain
E. contributing to its environment</p>
<p>Reading only the line makes this question hard to answer because all choices seem plausible (answer is C though; the previous sentences in last paragraph talked about survival activities and efforts in mating). So, for questions like this, you need to read more to get the correct meaning. You may be able to be really keen and guess that C is the right meaning but often times, this is very hard so that's why other lines "clarify."</p>
<p>Hope this helps..</p>
<p>
[quote]
Line 27: Wolf spidering is a complex job, not something to be undertaken by an amateur.
[/quote]
all the jobs listed are hard, but only one is described as being complex (consisting of parts):
C. everything it must do to survive and reproduce</p>
<p>grayfalcon is correct.</p>
<p>&1&2, all of those things can consist of parts. It was just coincidence that C was the answer. Perhaps the question-maker screwed up by making the correct answer seem more plausible when one does not read the passage. But really, you couldn't just make that assumption.</p>
<p>What if they said "C. what it must do to survive and reproduce"?<br>
Or better yet "B. finding all the right circumstances"</p>
<p>They have the same meaning... but you wouldn't be able to differentiate, had these been switched with the real choices.</p>