Basic Approach
Reading
Five Steps
1. Read the blurb (Intro)
2. Read the questions quickly
a. Analyze the questions
b. Any references to the text
c. Any vocab related to context
3. Read only what is needed
a. Read a window of 10-12 lines to get the basic
understand of the passage
b. Use line references, bolded words, etc
c. Save general questions for the end
4. Predict the Correct Answer
a. DON’T LOOK AT THE ANSWER CHOICES YET
i. Read the question and predict a generic answer.
Then, look at the choices
ii. Avoids traps/deceiving answers
5. Use Process of Elimination
a. How to Eliminate Answers
i. Look at answers that don’t have any textual
evidence (prob wrong)
ii. Try to find the choice that MATCHES your
prediction
iii. Answers that seem mostly right but are also
slightly wrong are prob wrong
iv. Deceptive language
6. Remember: MAKE SURE TO CHECK IF THE ANSWER
CHOICE MATCHES YOUR ORIGINAL PREDICTION!!
The Importance of Text
 The text ALWAYS matters
o All questions will have textual evidence, even if it
seems like it is asking an inference question
 Ex: Author’s attitude, tone, theme, etc
 For Vocab
o Use context clues to find the answer
o Read phrases before and after word to help find the
answer
Paired Questions
 Questions that ask you to match textual evidence with the
previous question
o Think about the second question as the “why” to the
first question.
o Read the text carefully – what does it EXACTLY say
about the first question
 Parallel POE
o Sometimes, analyze BOTH paired questions at the
same time to help find the answer
o Eliminate unclear connections between two choices
General questions
 Read the text carefully and reread if needed
 It seems overwhelming at the beginning, but answering the
specific questions helps to answer the general ones
 Specific questions BEFORE general questions
Basic Approach Drill
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Basic Approach Practice
Passage One
1. C
2. B
3. A
4. D
5. B
6. A
7. B
8. C
9. D
10. C
Passage two
11. A
12. C
13. B
14. A
15. D
16. D
17. A
18. C
19. B
20. B
21. C
Passage three
22. B
23. B
24. A
25. C
26. D
27. D
28. A
29. B
30. C
31. B
Passage four
32. B
33. A
34. B
35. C
36. D
37. B
38. D
39. C
40. A
41. C
Passage Five
42. A
43. C
44. B
45. D
46. A
47. B
48. C
49. D
50. D
51. B
52. B