SAT I Verbal Review
Alan Reinstein
Wednesdays--Newton South—3:15-5:15 p.m.
1/29—Overall Intro + Critical Reading (mult. choice)
2/5—Writing Skills (multiple choice)
2/12—Essay section
[2/19—no class—WINTER VACATION]
2/26—All together—Essay writing and more practice
questions
Text:
The Official SAT Study Guide
CollegeBoard SAT
Test Info
• MARCH 8
MAY 3
• deadlines to register:
• Feb 7
• Feb 24 << late reg. >> April 21
•
• Go to: www.collegeboard.com
April 4
SAT Format: 10 Sections
1 25-min Essay (always first section)
2 25-min Critical Reading (24 Questions)
1 20-min Critical Reading (19 Questions)
1 25-min Writing Skills (35 Questions)
3 Mathematics Sections (2 25-min, 1 20-min)
1 25-min Experimental/Variable Section
1 10-min Writing Skills (14 Questions)
2 10-min Breaks (after Sections 3 & 6)
(4 hours, 5 minutes)
Critical Reading Sections
• Two types of questions:
– 1. Sentence completion: (19 questions)
arranged in order of difficulty
– 2. Reading comprehension: (48 questions) not
in order of difficulty; follow organization of
passage
Writing Skills Sections
 Three types of questions:
 1. Improving sentences--(25 questions) find the error in
the sentence
 2. Identifying sentence errors--(18 questions) select the
most effective version of a sentence
 3. Improving paragraphs--(6 questions) correct the flaws in
an essay
Essay Scoring Overview
(p 104)
• Two readers will grade your essay in about two
minutes, judging it as a whole.
• Each reader gives it a score of 1 to 6.
• Your essay subscore is sum of these two scores (2 to
12)
• Your essay subscore counts as about half (370 pts.)
of your total writing score.
– [Writing--800 pts.; Reading--800 pts.; Math--800 pts.]
Approaches to the essay
•
•
•
•
Decide your viewpoint on topic
Vary sentence structure
Use precise, clear vocabulary
Leave time to review
Tactics during the test
1.
2.
Keep careful track of time
1.
When you’re nearing the end of time, be sure to
write a conclusion
Make a plan & stick to your it:
1.
2.
3.
4 min to brainstorm/outline
18 mins to write
3 mins to clean up
3.
Don’t be a perfectionist! Just finish a good
first draft
4.
Write quickly but legibly.
1.
It doesn’t have to be super-neat; you can cross out
if you need to, or use carets (^) if you need to.
Tactics
5.
Don’t write like you would in an email!
Follow standard conventions.
6.
Change only what you have a good reason for
changing.
7.
Use college-level words appropriately.
8.
Don’t second guess.
9.
WRITE A LOT!
1.
2.
Fill up the space.
Expand on your examples.
4 C’s for Writing
1. CLOUT--say something important
2. CLARITY--say it clearly
3. CLASS--say it well
4. CLEANLINESS--say it cleanly
Types of essay question
1. Respond to a statement
2. Choose between contrasting statements
3. Complete a statement
SAMPLE PROMPT, from page 119:
• Think carefully about the issue presented in the following
excerpt and the assignment below.
– Some people believe that there is only one foolproof plan, perfect
solution, or correct interpretation. But nothing is ever that simple.
For better or worse, for every so-called final answer there is
another way of seeing things. There is always a “however.”
• Assignment: Is there always another explanation or another
point of view? Plan and write an essay in which you develop
your point of view on this issue. Support your position with
reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies,
experience,
OR observations.
Prompt:
“A little inaccuracy saves a world of
explanation.”
C.E. Ayers
Assignment:
Is it always essential to tell the truth, or
are there circumstances in which it is better to lie?
Plan your response, and then write an essay to
explain your views on this issue. Be sure to support
your position with specific points and examples. (You
may use personal examples or examples from your
reading, observations, or, knowledge of subjects such
as history, literature, science.)
THE SAT ESSAY:
Your excuse to write a ‘bad’
essay and be rewarded!
www.fcps.edu/EdisonHS/testprep/THE%20SAT%20ESSAY.ppt
How It’s Graded
• Two people score it, each out of 6, based on “overall
impression.”
• Your scores are added together to give you a number
out of 12.
• Grammar/Spelling, Organization/Structure, and Style
count (so does handwriting…)
• Keep in mind: They’re reading THOUSANDS of
essays… make it easy to give you a 12!.
The 3 Things You Need
1. Length
2. Structure
3. Appropriate Examples
Managing Your Time
• 3 Minutes: Brainstorm and plan.
• 20 Minutes: WRITE!!!!
• 2 minutes: Write your conclusion.
A Sample Prompt
Directions: Consider carefully the following excerpt and the
assignment below it. The plan and write an essay that
explains your ideas as persuasively as possible. Keep in
mind that the support you provide—both reasons and
examples—will help make your view convincing to the
reader.
A popular song says, “You don’t know what you got ‘til it’s
gone.” And Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, accepting the
Nobel Prize, said “No one is as capable of gratitude as one
who has emerged from the kingdom of night.”
Assignment: What is your view of the claim that we often
appreciate the things that we have no when we gain them
but when we lose them? In an essay, support your
position by discussing an example (or examples)
from literature, the arts, science and technology,
current events, or your own experience or
observation.
Writing the Way They Want
• Length is important. Use most of the
booklet!
• Depth is better than breadth. Make sure to
develop your ideas at length. Don’t just list
a whole bunch without support.
• Consider your audience. Catch their
attention right off the back.
Use the Prompt
• Make sure you stay on topic (duh, right? Not
so much…)
• You need to agree or disagree, and it’s okay
to do either as long as you are EMPHATIC!!!
• Address the prompt directly so that the
reader knows you’re answering it.
Structure
• If you love the Five Paragraph Essay (vomit), you’re in
luck…
Intro
Topic Sentence/Example 1
Topic Sentence/Example 2
Topic Sentence/Example 3
Conclusion
• Everything has to tie back to the intro.
Your Intro Paragraph
•
Short and sweet... No more than three or four
sentences (one is a thesis).
•
It won’t score you points; it can only cost you.
•
You need to do three things:
1.
2.
3.
State your position
Interpret the prompt
List the examples that you’re going to use
‘Good’ Intro
• I agree that sometimes we learn the
most from failure. In fact, sometimes
failure makes us realize things that
enable us to act differently the next
time. This important lesson can be
seen in World War II, The Crucible, and
the failure of the American peace
mission in Somalia.
Not As Good…
• It is totally true that sometimes
failure teaches us. Life is full of
situations where if we would
just learn from our mistakes,
we would do better.
Body Paragraphs
• Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence
that also works as a transition sentence.
• Make sure it connects back to your position
(thesis) in your intro.
• Use only one example per paragraph
Depth is the key!!!
• You must make sure that you develop your
ideas if you want to score well.
• Spend two or three sentences explaining the
example.
• Use three or four sentences to connect the
example to your position.
• Then move on to the next paragraph!
Transitions
• These tell your reader that you are moving from
one idea or from one section of the text to
another.
• It’s like holding their hand…
– “Another example of (blank) is…”
– “This effort was very successful. Not everyone,
however, was so lucky.”
– “While beneficial to some, the new program will harm
others.”
Transition Words
•
•
•
•
•
•
However
While
Although
Furthermore
Despite
In addition
•
•
•
•
•
Therefore
Though
Moreover
Similarly
Another
(example, reason,
point, etc.)
Conclusion
• Make sure you have one!
• Again, you’re not going to gain too many points here,
but you can lose them.
• It should be around three sentences.
• Wrap up your idea and leave the reader thinking about
the brilliant lesson on life that you have just pointed
out.
• Cheesy is okay!
How ‘Cheesy’ Can I Be?
• “Perhaps we can all learn from the loss of others and start
to truly appreciate the wondrous gifts that life has
bestowed upon us now, before it is too late.”
• “Life is too short to live with the regret caused by the
failure to do something that is within the grasp of each of
us.”
• “Although it seems that appreciating what we have only
once we’ve lost it is a prime example of ‘20/20
hindsight,’ perhaps the pain of our past losses can
sharpen our focus so that we can truly cherish what we
have today.
Odds and Ends
• Don’t use big words just to sound ‘smart;’ you won’t help
yourself. Just use the best word that you can think of.
• Make sure to vary your sentence structure, but don’t worry
about making every sentence long and complicated…
remember, they have to read THOUSANDS of essays!
• Make it look ‘pretty’… indented paragraphs, even margins,
neat handwriting, etc.
Examples: SOOO Crucial
• These are the bread and butter of your essay. You
MUST have them!
• Make them accessible and understandable for the
reader.
• Tie them to your position and the prompt.
• You can pick them out beforehand… Seriously.
• Try to use three examples from three different
‘categories.’
Examples: History
• They should be events that are taught in almost
every high school in the US.
• Think of events with universal themes… things you
can say a lot about.
• Examples: The Holocaust, The Civil Rights Movement,
WWII, The Revolutionary War, The Civil War, etc.
Examples: Current Events
• Anything that has been in the news lately will
qualify here.
• You may want to avoid controversial topics or
opinions so that you don’t offend the reader
(Iraq, abortion, the death penalty).
• Examples: the US Election, the Summer
Olympics in China
Examples: Literature
• Stick to the ‘Classics.’ If you’ve read it in your high
school English class, it’s fine.
• I know you may love Gossip Girl, but it probably won’t
get you a good score.
• Don’t spend too much time explaining the plot; focus
on the themes.
• Examples: To Kill A Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies,
Things Fall Apart, Of Mice and Men
Examples: Personal Experience
• Think of important experiences in your life
that you feel very comfortable sharing.
• Make a note of hobbies and passions
• Make sure to relate your experience to the
prompt.
• Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the
assignment below.
• Many voters think that integrity and character are the most important
qualifications for political office. I disagree. Integrity—the quality of
standing up for the same values in every situation—is not a good
qualification for getting people to work together. Strongly held morals
may make a candidate too inflexible and incapable of negotiation. And if
character were really so important, candidates would be judged by their
personal relationships rather than by their ability to deal with a
community's or a nation's problems.
• Adapted from Stanley Fish, "Integrity or Craft: The Leadership Question"
• Assignment: Is strong moral character the most important qualification
for a leader? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of
view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples
taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.