sat critical reading study guide 2.0.pdf

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SAT Critical Reading Study Guide 2.0

SAT Critical Reading Bootcamp - This series covers all aspects of the Critical Reading section in

depth - Sentence Completions & Passage-Based Reading. Check the lines after you watch the video.

The rest of this study guide contains pages for you to take notes on some of the CRB videos.

Introduction

___ #1 Introduction

___ #2 How to Use the Videos

___ #3 How to Practice

___ #4 What is Critical Reading?

___ #5 Two Examples

___ #6 Skimming vs. Close Reading

___ #7 Core Strategy

Sentence Completions

___ #8 Sentence Completions Intro

___ #9 Learning SAT Vocabulary

___ #10 Prefixes, Roots, Suffixes

___ #11 Sentence Completions Core Strategy

___ #12 Single Blankers

___ #13 Dual Blankers

___ #14 Errors & Traps

___ #15 Other Sentence Completions Strats

Sentence Completions Practice Problems

___ #16 2007-2008 SAT, Section 4

___ #17 2007-2008 SAT, Section 6

___ #18 2007-2008 SAT, Section 9

___ #19 2009-2010 SAT, Section 4

___ #20 2009-2010 SAT, Section 7

___ #21 2009-2010 SAT, Section 8

___ #22 2012-2013 SAT, Section 3

___ #23 2012-2013 SAT, Section 7

___ #24 2012-2013 SAT, Section 9

Passage-Based Reading

___ #25 Passage Based Reading Intro

___ #26 Active Reading

___ #27 How to Read

___ #28 Passage Structure

___ #29 Detail vs. Function

___ #30 Reading Passages Core Strategy

___ #31 Question Types

___ #32 Short Passages

___ #33 Long Passages

___ #34 Dual Passages

___ #35 Fiction Passages

___ #36 Reading Trap Answers & Errors

___ #37 Vocabulary for Reading

___ #38 Rhetorical & Literary Devices

___ #39 Other Reading Strategies


Passage-Based Reading Practice Problems

___ #40 2005 SAT, Section 7, 6-9

___ #41 2005 SAT, Section 7, 10-15

___ #42 2007-2008 SAT, Section 4, 6-9

___ #43 2007-2008 SAT, Section 4, 10-14

___ #44 2007-2008 SAT, Section 4, 15-23

___ #45 2007-2008 SAT, Section 6, 9-13

___ #46 2007-2008 SAT, Section 6, 14-25

___ #47 2007-2008 SAT, Section 9, 7-19

___ #48 2009-2010 SAT, Section 4, 9-12

___ #49 2009-2010 SAT, Section 4, 13-24

___ #50 2009-2010 SAT, Section 7, 6-9

___ #51 2009-2010 SAT, Section 7, 10-15

___ #52 2009-2010 SAT, Section 7, 16-24

___ #53 2009-2010 SAT, Section 8, 7-19

___ #54 2012-2013 SAT, Section 3, 6-9

___ #55 2012-2013 SAT, Section 3, 10-16

___ #56 2012-2013 SAT, Section 3, 17-24

___ #57 2012-2013 SAT, Section 7, 9-12

___ #58 2012-2013 SAT, Section 7, 13-24

___ #59 2012-2013 SAT, Section 9, 7-19

___ #60 Conclusion


#1 - Introduction

A listing of some of the topics covered in the Critical Reading Bootcamp:

the fatal mistake students make when reading

what you must do with your pencil

core strategy for both sentence completions & passages

what vocab to study...if it's even worth it

how to unpack single and dual blank SCs to increase your speed and maximize your

vocabulary base

how to read "SAT style" - including the absolutely critical ingredient for understanding the

argument of a passage

read the passage first or read the questions first?...neither!

in-depth breakdown of the question types

stuck between two? learn how to choose correctly

eight sentence completion and thirteen passage TRAP ANSWERS

over 20 real SAT passages, worked through by mean in real time

Why does the Critical Reading Bootcamp work?

How do I improve on Critical Reading?

Setup of Videos

I.

II.

III.

____ Sections

____ min ____ min ____ min

____ Q ____ Q ____ Q


#2 - How to Use the Videos

1. Watch the videos in order.

2. Take notes (be active).

3. Download practice tests & do questions before you watch the video.

4. Practice, practice, practice. (Next video...)

#3 - How to Practice

How NOT to practice:

1. Just think and talk about it.

2. Only watch someone else.

3. Read lots of book/Dickens/NY Times.

4. Practice haphazardly.

5. Avoid full tests.

6. Drill thousands of vocabulary words.

Practice Strategies:

1. Sections untimed

2. Sections timed

3. Full reading sections (timed)

4. Full practice tests (always timed)

How to Practice Deliberately:

* go over all questions - right and wrong

* ALWAYS use real SATs, especially for reading

* improve vocabulary efficiently

* spend most of your time on passage-based reading, less on sentence completions


#4 - What is Critical Reading?

Non-Critical Reading Critical Reading

what the text says

what the text does

what the text means

______________________________ ______________________________

Critical reading is reading with a purpose.

#5 - Two Examples

#6 - Skimming vs. Close Reading

Skimming: Useful tool, bad habit

Average Critical Reading Score: ____________


THE PRECISION OF LANGUAGE Core Practice: Every word counts, and sometimes a SINGLE word makes all the difference.

#7 - Core Strategy

Come up with your own answer

& Eliminate

Why do we want to come up with our own answer first?

To avoid: __________ ______

________________

________________

Eliminating means actually crossing off answer choices with your pencil!

A

B

C

D

E

Again, understanding WRONG answer choices is as important as understanding

CORRECT ones!


Videos #8 - 60 are available in the Members Area of Reason Prep. Go here to learn more:

http://reasonprep.com/enroll


#8 - Sentence Completions Intro

Order of Difficulty

________/_________ _____ Easy

_____ Medium

_____ Hard

How to Improve on Sentence Completions:

Vocabulary

Score Goal ________...

Score Goal ________...


Prefixes/Roots/Suffixes

Proper Technique

Pacing: If you run out of time in CR sections...

#9 - Learning SAT Vocabulary

The Inefficiency of Flash Cards

1) Overwhelming to start

2) No __________ - all words are "____________"

3) Too much time spent on ______________

4) _____________________?

5) "Unnatural" way to _________________

What is the best way to learn vocabulary?


Flash Cards Best Practices

1. Prioritize (80/20 Rule)

2. Study words efficiently (use _______________)

3. Pay attention to ____________________

4. Don't be satisfied with "__________________"

5. Use Reason Prep list as directed:

Levels 1-3:

Levels 4-5:

#10 - Prefixes, Roots, Suffixes

amoral

belligerence

extremist

Prefixes, Roots, Suffixes List on page, but...

Pay Attention to Language!

judicious


#11 - Sentence Completions Core Strategy

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

#12 - Single Blankers (see 2005 Practice Test for questions)

#13 - Dual Blankers (see 2005 Practice Test for questions)

--> approximately half of questions

--> can be ___________ OR ______________

--> where ____________________ shines

--> do ___________________________________________________

--> then __________________________________________________


#14 - Sentence Completions Errors & Traps

1. _________________________________

2. _________________________________

3. _________________________________

4. _________________________________

5. _________________________________

6. _________________________________

7. _________________________________

8. _________________________________

#15 - Other Sentence Completions Strategies

1) ________________________________________

2) ________________________________________

3) _________________________________________

4) _________________________________________


#16 - #24 - Practice Sentence Completions Sections (from real practice tests)

#25 - Passage-Based Reading Intro

______ Reading Questions in ______ Sections

Short/Long; Single/Dual _____:_____ Specific:General

TOP 10 REASONS why reading passages and questions are hard:

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)


7)

8)

9)

10)

#26 - Active Reading

Critical reading, for the SAT or for any purpose, _______________________________________! (not much can, actually)

Every text is ______________________________________________.

Active Reading: ___________________________________________________________

What is the author ________________

What is the author ________________ with

What does the author ______________

Build Your Second Mind:

We hold these truths to be self-evident,

that all men are created equal,

that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,

that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness


#27 - How to Read

Reading is following the _________________ of a text from the ____________________,

through the _____________, to the ______________.

Argument <-----> Details

1. Look for ________________________________________________.

2. Pay special attention to _________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________.

3. Look for ___________: ________________________________________________________.

Here you will find ______________ & ________________________.

4. Look for overt _________________. X is true. X is false.

5. ___________________________________ are also important.

6. Track _________________________.


#28 - Passage Structure

________________ & _________________ --> _________________

What creates ____________________?

1) Pay attention to sentences ______________________________________________________.

2) Look for __________ words that indicate __________________________________________.

3) Look for ____________ in the text: ______________ and _______________.

4) Look for _______________ in the text, detectable with _____________________:

5) Observe _________________________.

6) Non-SAT: section headings; chapters; transitions between them.


#29 - Detail v. Function

DETAIL Qs:

FUNCTION Qs:

(See Function Words list)

Could Be True Must Be True

#30 - Reading Passages Core Strategy

1. Read __________________.

2. Go ___________________________!

3. Begin ______________________________________________________.

4. Read __________________________.

5. ______________________________________________________________.

6. Compare _______________________________________________________.


#31 - Question Types

SPECIFIC: % GENERAL: %

DETAIL FUNCTION

_______________ ___________________

BOTH


#32 - #35 (See practice tests for passages & questions)

Short Passages:

Long Passages:

Dual Passages:

Fiction Passages:


#36 - Reading Trap Answers & Errors

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.


#37 - #60: Download the practice tests and complete the section yourself before you watch

the relevant video! :)

NOTES & QUESTIONS:

sat critical reading study guide 2.0.pdf

Documents

critical reading section

reading intro

close reading

active reading

reading strategies

critical reading bootcamp

reading passages core

sentence completions