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READING COMPREHENSION Section of the SAT The Verbal section of the SAT contains four written passages (each between 400 - 800 words long) followed by a series of questions Nearly half of the total questions in the Verbal section of the exam (40 out of 78) test your reading comprehension skills Passages can be about any subject, but the most common themes are politics, history, science, business and the humanities Most readers find the passages difficult because the subject matter is dry and obscure Many are written in the passive voice and contain unpronouncable words By design, no academic background offers an "edge" or greater likelihood of success in this section of the test The material is purposely selected to test your reading comprehension, rather than your understanding of a specific subject area This ensures: a) the passages not require you to have any specialized knowledge in the subject area b) everything you need to answer the questions is presented in the passage The passages always use a formal, compact style They are excerpted from academic journal articles, but are not printed verbatim The original article is heavily edited to just one-quarter to one-third of its original length, retaining the formal style of the piece, but removing the introductory material, fillers and transitional phrases Worse, passages are untitled and often start in the middle of an explanation or discussion, so the reader must jump in with no clear point of reference The purpose of the section is to determine if you can quickly identify the structure, objective and logic of a long, difficult passage and apply the author's premise to new situations To succeed in the rigid timeframe, students must read with a different mindset than they use in most traditional coursework Here are the exact directions used on the exam: Directions: Each passage below is followed by a set of questions Read the passage, then answer the accompanying questions, basing your answers on what is stated or implied in the passage and any introductory material provided Mark the letter of your choice on your answer sheet On each SAT, there will also be a section in which two related passages appear consecutively, followed by a single set of questions that covers both These passages are usually narrative exceprts from fiction or nonfiction books For example, there may be a pair of passages featuring excerpts from two speeches given by famous political candidates You will be expected to understand the similarities and differences between the two points of view Answer the questions in the same manner as you would for individual passages The directions for dual passages are: Directions The two passages given below deal with related topics Following the passages are questions about the content of each passage or about the relationship between the two passages Answer the questions based upon what is stated or implied in the passages and any introductory material provided Mark the letter of your choice on your answer sheet Reading styles are subjective, as what works for one person may not work for another Success with these passages depends on your individual style We can't recommend speed reading, which is designed for ordinary, non-technical material Because passages are so dense, you can not skim over a single sentence without missing key information You should read faster than normally, but not to the point that your comprehension suffers Experiment to find your optimum pace Some guides recommend that you read the questions first, then go back and read the passage Sadly, few students will have enough time for that approach In some cases, the questions and answer choices are longer than the actual passage! We recommend that you take a few seconds at the beginning of the section and scope out the four passages Read the first line of each and determine which will be easiest for you and which will be hardest Do the easiest one first Don't waste precious time on a dense, difficult passage Rack up as many "easy" points as possible first, then return to the hardest questions The Five Questions The key to performing well on the passages is not your particular reading technique, but in your familiarity with the types of possible questions In general, there are only five question types explored on the reading comprehension test: a) b) c) d) e) Main Idea Details Organization Extension / Application Attitude / Tone As you become familiar with the different question types, you will gain an intuitive sense for the places from which they are likely to be drawn You can then approach these questions quickly and efficiently Generally, the order in which the questions are asked corresponds to the order in which the main issues are presented in the passage Early questions should correspond to information given early in the passage, and so on a) Main Idea Questions Main idea questions test your ability to identify and understand an author's intent The main idea is usually stated: i) in the last (occasionally the first) sentence of the first paragraph ii) in last sentence of the entire passage Main idea questions are usually the first questions asked in the question set Some common main idea questions are: Which of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage? The primary purpose of the passage is to In the passage, the author's primary concern is to discuss Which of the following would be an excellent title for the passage? Main idea questions are usually not difficult If you don't catch the main idea after your first reading, review the first and last sentence of each paragraph These will give you a quick overview of the passage Because main idea questions are relatively easy, the test writers try to obscure the correct answer by surrounding it with close answer-choices that either overstate or understate the author's main point Answers that stress specifics tend to understate the main idea, while choices that go beyond the scope of the passage tend to overstate the main idea The correct answer to a main idea question will summarize the author's argument, yet be neither too specific nor too broad In most cases, the main idea of a passage is found in the first paragraph or in the final sentence of the entire passage b) Detail Questions Detail questions refer to a minor point or to incidental information in the passage, but not to the author's main point These questions take various forms: According to the passage In line 25, the author mentions for the purpose of The passage suggests that which one of the following would The answer to a detail question must refer directly to a statement in the passage, not to something implied by it When answering a detail question, find the point in the passage from which the question is drawn Don't rely on memory, as many tactics are used with these questions to confuse test takers Not only must the correct answer refer directly to a statement in the passage, it must refer to the relevant statement The correct answer will be surrounded by wrong choices which refer directly to the passage but don't address the question These choices can be tempting because they tend to be quite close to the actual answer Once you locate the sentence to which the question refers, you must read a few sentences before and after it to put the question in context If a question refers to line 30, the information needed to answer it can occur anywhere from line 25 to 35 Even if you spot the answer in line 28, you should still read a few more lines to ensure you have the proper perspective c) Organization of the Passage Because they are derived from diverse subject areas, passages can cover an infinite number of topics While main idea questions ask the purpose of the piece, organization questions ask how the author presents his ideas While authors can theoretically use an endless number of writing techniques, most test passages use one of just three organizational styles: i) Compare and contrast two positions This technique simply develops two ideas and then explains why one is better than the other Some common comparison phrases include "by contrast" or "similarly" Typical questions for these types of passages are: According to the passage, a central distinction between a woman's position and a man's is: In which of the following ways does the author imply that birds and reptiles are similar? ii) Show cause and effect The author demonstrates that a particular cause leads to a specific result Sometimes this method introduces a sequence of causes and effects: A causes B, which causes C, which causes D, etc Hence B is both the effect of A and the cause of C iii) State a position and then offer supporting evidence This technique is common with opinionated passages Many authors prefer the reverse order, where the supporting evidence is presented first and then the position or conclusion is stated Following are some typical questions for these types of passages: According to the author, which of the following is required for one to become proficient with a computer? Which of the following does the author cite as evidence that the species is dangerous? d) Extension / Application Questions Extension questions require you to go beyond what is stated in the passage, asking you to draw an inference, to make a conclusion, or to identify one of the author's tacit assumptions You may be asked to draw a conclusion based on the ideas or facts presented: It can be inferred from the passage that The passage suggests that From this we can conclude that Since extension questions require you to go beyond the passage, the correct answer must say more than what is stated in the passage The correct answer to an extension question will not require a quantum leap in thought, but it will add significantly to the ideas presented in the passage While extension questions ask you to apply what you learned from the passage to derive new information about the same subject, application questions go one step further, asking you to apply what you have learned from the passage to a different or hypothetical situation The following are common application questions: Which one of the following is the most likely source of the passage? Which of the following is an appropriate title for this piece? Which one of the following actions would be most likely to have the same effect as the author's actions? The author would most likely agree with which one of the following statements? Which one of the following sentences would the author be most likely to use to complete the last paragraph of the passage? To answer an application question, consider the author's perspective Ask yourself: what is he arguing for? what might make his argument stronger? what might make it weaker? Because these questions go beyond the passage, they tend to be the most difficult They require you to pick up subtleties of the author's attitude e) Attitude / Tone Questions Tone questions discuss the writer's attitude or perspective Does he feel positive, negative or neutral? Does he give his own opinion or objectively present those of others? Before reading the answer choices, decide whether the writer's tone is positive, negative or neutral If you didn't get a feel for the writer's attitude on the first reading, check the adjectives used (they nearly always have a strong positive or negative connotation) Beware of answer choices that contain extreme emotions Passages are usually taken from academic journals, where strong emotions are considered inappropriate The writers usually display opinions that are considered and reasonable, not spontaneous or off-the-wall The tone or attitude of a passage closely parallels the main idea If the author's intent is to explain the reasons for abolishing slavery, the tone is explanatory or encouraging, not negative or discouraging The correct answer will also be indisputable The test writers NEVER allow the correct answer to be vague, controversial or grammatically questionable Key Words That Identify Potential Questions Each passage contains about 400 - 700 words and only a few questions, ensuring that you will NOT be tested on most of the specific details Your best reading strategy is to identify the places from which questions will most likely be drawn and concentrate your attention there Key, pivotal words indicate contrast, warning that the author is about to either make a U-turn or introduce a counter-premise (a concession to a minor point that weakens his case) Common pivotal words include: But However Despite Although Yet Nevertheless In Contrast Nonetheless Even though Except These words show where the author changes direction, providing natural places for questions to be drawn The test writers form questions at these junctures to test whether you followed the author's line of reasoning or got lost Sentences containing pivotal words nearly ALWAYS contain the answer to a test question Handling Incorrect Answer Choices One of the most difficult tasks in writing test questions is composing tempting, incorrect answer choices In most cases, only two of the five choices will have any real merit We've observed several common threads in the wrong answer choices that most test takers should consider Be on the look-out for the following: a) For main idea questions, incorrect choices use the wrong verb and focus on supporting details, rather than the main point of the passage Incorrect choices also tend to either overstate or understate the author's view Beware of extreme choices, as they are often wrong Correct answers tend to be rational, measured responses Other tempting incorrect answer choice are "half-right, half-wrong", incorporating some of the author's view, but not a complete match Other wrong answers pick a point of view that is inconcistent with the author's b) On detail questions, incorrect answer choices distort the author's words or are exact opposites of the correct answer c) For inference questions, incorrect choices distort the passage's ideas and go beyond the scope of the passage For application questions, wrong choices are not parallel or analagous to the situation in the passage d) Incorrect tone answers are overly emotional or the opposite of the correct answer Some incorrect answers are odd combinations of adjectives that make no sense in real world applications, such as "detached ambivalence", "enlightened apathy", and "muffled denial" e) Sometimes incorrect answers are logically wrong They misrepresent the author's purpose or focus on the "what" rather than the "why" of the detail f) Watch for unusual or uncommon usage of words Students sometimes overlook points in passages because a familiar word is used in an unfamiliar manner An example is champion As a noun, champion means a hero or accomplished person Yet, a a verb, champion means to support or advocate g) Be wary of extreme answers that contain "all or nothing" buzzwords such as must, always, impossible, never, cannot, each, every, totally, all, solely and only Few passages will be written in such an absolute tone Two Sample Reading Comprehension Passage (and Solutions) Now we will apply all the methods we have learned to two test passages To parallel the timing of the actual test, spend about 10 minutes on each passage Passage 10 15 Epidemiological strategies to control infectious disease in Third World countries conventionally include the erection of barriers to international travel and immigration Keeping people with infectious diseases outside national borders has reemerged as an important public health policy with the recent emergence of the Ebola virus epidemic Between 49 and 70 countries are reported to have introduced border restrictions on Ebola-infected foreigners, usually those planning an extended stay in the country, such as students, workers or military personnel Travel restrictions have been established primarily by countries in the Asian and Mediterranean regions, where the Ebola outbreak is relatively contained However, the country with the broadest policy of testing and excluding foreigners is Canada From September 15, 1995, when the Ebola infection was first classified in Canada as a contagious disease, through September 15, 1998, more than 500,000 people seeking permanent residence in Canada tested for Ebola antibodies The Canadian policy has been sharply criticized by national and international organizations as being contrary to public health goals and human rights principles Many of these organizations are boycotting international meetings in Canada that are vital for the study of prevention, education, and treatment of Ebola The World Health Organization requires the Public Health Service to list "danger ous contagious diseases" for which aliens can be excluded from Canada By 1995 there were 20 six designated diseases, all sexually transmitted (gonorrhea, venereum, HIV and infectious syphilis) and two non-venereal (tuberculosis and leprosy) On June 8, 1998, in response to a direction cited in the in the Scott Amendment, the Public Health Service added Ebola to the list of dangerous contagious diseases 25 30 35 A fair and efficacious travel and immigration policy would not exclude people because of their serologic status unless they posed a danger to the community through casual transmission Canadian regulations should list only active tuberculosis as a contagious infectious disease We support well-funded programs to protect the health of travelers infected with Ebola through appropriate immunizations and prophylactic treatment and to reduce behaviors that may transmit infection We recognize that treating patients infected with Ebola who immigrate to Canada will incur costs for the public sector It is inequitable, however, to use cost as a reason to exclude people infected with Ebola, for there are no similar exclusionary policies for those with other costly chronic diseases, such as heart disease or cancer Rather than arbitrarily restrict the movement of a subgroup of infected people, we must dedicate ourselves to the principles of justice, scientific cooperation, and a global response to the Ebola epidemic According to the passage, countries in Asia have (A) a very high frequency of Ebola-infected immigrants and have a greater reason to be concerned over this issue than other countries (B) opposed efforts on the part of Mediterranean states to establish travel restrictions on Ebolainfected residents (C) a low Eboola prevalence and, in tandem with Mediterranean regions, have established travel restrictions on Ebola-infected foreigners (D) continued to obstruct efforts to unify policy concerning immigrant screening (E) joined with Canada in sharing information about Ebola-infected individuals The authors of the passage conclude that (A) it is unjust to exclude people based on their serological status without the knowledge that they pose a danger to the public (B) Canadian regulations should require more stringent testing to be implemented at all major border crossings (C) it is the responsibility of the public sector to absorb costs incurred by treatment of immigrants infected with the Ebola virus (D) the Ebola epidemic is largely over-stated and that, based on new epidemiological data, screening immigrants is not indicated (E) only the non-venereal diseases tuberculosis and leprosy should be listed as dangerous and contagious diseases It can be inferred from the passage that (A) more than million Ebola-infected people have sought permanent residence in Canada (B) countries with a low prevalence of Ebola have a disproportionate and unjustified concern over the spread of the virus by immigration (C) Canada is more concerned with controlling the number of Ebola-infected immigrants than with avoiding criticism from outside it's borders (D) current law is meeting the demand for prudent handling of a potentially hazardous international issue (E) actions by countries in the Asian and Mediterranean regions to restrict travel are ineffective Before the Scott Amendment in 1998, six designated diseases were listed as being cause for denying immigration We can conclude from the passage that (A) the authors agree fully with this policy but disagree with adding Ebola to the list (B) the authors believe that sexual diseases are appropriate reasons for denying immigration but not non-venereal diseases (C) the authors disagree with the amendment (D) the authors believe that non-venereal diseases are justifiable reasons for exclusion, but not sexually transmitted diseases (E) the authors believe that no diseases should be cause for denying immigration In referring to the "costs" incurred by the public (line 33), the authors apparently mean (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) financial costs costs to the public health costs in manpower costs in international reputation costs in public confidence Passage 10 15 In recent years the revolution in reproductive technology has attracted wide attention Controversy centered initially on whether genetic cloning techniques could create new, possibly dangerous forms of life Attention next focused on the power of genetic engineering to produce valuable new medical and agricultural products Largely overlooked, however, are developments that will ultimately have far greater social impact: the ability to analyze genetic information will allow the prediction of human traits While some fear that by analyzing the entire library of human gene sequences we will discover the essence of humanity, this is unlikely Our bodies are complex networks of interacting components, influenced by a variable environment Nevertheless, genes help determine aspects of human form and function Herein lie the seeds of future problems 20 25 30 35 40 By about the year 2005, barring unforeseen technical obstacles, scientists will have fully mapped the complex human genetic terrain Before this, however, new information will make possible techniques that will engender a host of ethical issues Imagine that investigators could predict with some accuracy such aspects of human behavior or functioning as intelligence, shyness, aggressiveness, or heat tolerance Consider the power this would give to some-and the vulnerable position in which it would put others Even if society can anticipate and control most misuse of genetic data, we face a more insidious problem: a rising ethic of genetic determinism For the past centuty, ideological currents have closely affected the nature versus nutture debate Widespread rejection of social Darwinism and institutionalized racism has buoyed the strong nurturist sentiments of the past half centuty, but a growing propottion of the public, impressed by the successes of genetics, is likely to come to view genes as determinants of the human condition Such an uncritical embrace of genetics will not be detetted by scientists' reminders that the powers of genetic predictions are limited Environmental variations can cause genetically similar individuals to develop in dramatically different ways, and genetics will at best suggest only a probability of development for complex traits, such as those involved in behavior and cognition Those overlooking this will disastrously misjudge individual ability 45 50 55 What a tragedy this would be We Americans have viewed our roots as interesting historical relics, hardly as rigid molds dictating all that we are and will be Moreover, a belief that each of us is responsible for our own behavior has woven our social fabric Yet in coming years we will hear increasingly from those attributing "bad" behavior to inexorable biological forces As a biologist, I find this a bitter prospect The biological revolution of the past decades will spawn enormous benefits, but we will pay a price unless we craft an ethic that cherishes our spontaneity, unpredictability, and individual uniqueness Which one of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage? (A) The relationship between science and society leads to complex ethical questions that may either benefit or impair the development of each (B) Society should understand that environmental conditions may cause genetically similar individuals to develop in dramatically different directions (C) The effort to analyze humans' genetic makeup could lead to a dangerous belief in genes as determinants of who we are and how we think (D) The ability to analyze complex genetic information will ultimately lead to a fundamental understanding of human form and function (E) Scientific research has often been influenced by public values and attitudes in ways that have had important results The author suggests that an "uncritical embrace" (line 37) of advances in genetics will tend to (A) obscure the degree of complexity of many human traits (B) diminish the public's ability to halt illicit use of genetic data (C) further the chance that genetic cloning may lead to hazardous life forms (D) enlarge the magnitude of technical problems occurring in genetics studies (E) increase the potential for negligence on the part of geneticists With which one of the following predictions about the biological revolution discussed in the passage would the author be most likely to agree? (A) The revolution will lead to gross injustices in society (B) The revolution will bring greater good than harm to society (C) The revolution will not be as far-reaching as some believe (D) The revolution will lead to needless anxiety on thepart of the public (E) The revolution will be problematic as well as beneficial The author mentions the nature-versus-nunure debate primarily in order to (A) demonstrate the difficulty of predicting and preventing misuse of scientific data (B) supply a point of reference for an assessment of the validity of recent advances in genetics (C) cast doubt on the moral integrity of society (D) illustrate that political interests have largely determined public interpretatIons of scientific Issues (E) point out a distinction between scientific conclusions based on facts and those based on assumptions 10 The author's attitude toward the revolution discussed in the passage can best be characterized as (A) concerned that the revolution will suffer technical setbacks (B) apprehensive about some of the revolution's likely effects (C) encouraged about the material benefits society will derive from it (D) surprised that the revolution enjoys wide public support (E) anxious that the revolution's accomplishments be fully recognized 11 The author implies that recent advances in genetics would pose fewer problems if which one of the following were true? (A) The public was more circumspect in its response to those advances (B) Scientists conducting research were more sensitive to public concerns (C) The public was less skeptical of innovative scientific techniques (D) Scientists were less influenced in their work by public opinion (E) Scientists were more willing to admit the limitations of their work 12 Which of the following sentences would best complete the last paragraph of the passage? (A) Biologists must assist in a search for a community of common purpose just as they must assist in the design of a society of mutual advantage (B) Routine tests will soon detect predispositions to diseases as well as indicate a range of normal human traits (C) In particular, the tangible fruits of the revolution will greatly improve our society's health and economic productivity (D) By studying and enumerating individual genes, we will only begin to penetrate the surface of human complexity (E) Even biologists having valid access to genetic profiles may misinterpret data made available by new procedures Answers and Explanations for Reading Passages Passage 1 Choice C is correct This is a detail question and the correct answer is in the opening sentence to paragraph two 2 Choice A is correct This is another detail question, and Choice A is a paraphase of the opening sentence of paragraph four Choice C is a tempting alternative, yet it is not directly stated by the passage Choice C is the correct answer to this extension question Paragraph two describes the criticism against the Canadian immigration position Choice C is the correct answer to this extension question The authors mention only that tuberculois should be listed as a contagious disease, not Ebola Choice A is correct The passage mentions only the financial costs of diseases, not other factors Passage Choice C correctly encompasses the author's topic, scope and point of view Choice A omits some information and is too broad, while B makes an irrelevant implication Choices D and E are both too positive in tone, while E is also off topic Choice A is correct, and requries you to read several lines to put the information in the correct context It also accurately paraphrases the passage Choice E is a reach and not suggested by the passage, while B and C contains referenes much earlier in the passage Choice D contains incorrect information Choice E is correct and is a direct paraphrase of the final sentence Choice A ignores the hypothetical nature of the whole discussion, while B, C and D not match the author's attitude or tone Choice D is correct among a lot of jargon and buzzwords Choice A contradicts the sentiments that begin paragraph 3, while B and E are irrelevant Choice C is plausible, but not the most likely answer 10 Choice B correctly captures the author's unease Choices A and E contain plausible adjectives but veer off the mark The adjectives used in choices C and D are incorrect 11 This is a logic question Choice A correctly acknowledges the main cause of the problem as outlined in paragraph Choices B and D contain incorrect information, while C gives the exact opposite answer to A Choice E is not supported by the passage 12 Choice D is correct and well support's the author's sentiments A opposes the author's view, while B, C and E are too detailed Choices B and C also disagree somewhat with the author's view