New SAT Verbal Prep Book for Reading and Writing Mastery

Legal Notice This book is copyright 2015 with all rights reserved It is illegal to copy, distribute, or create derivative works from this book in whole or in part or to contribute to the copying, distribution, or creating of derivative works of this book Acknowledgements We would like to thank Rick Barrett for his essays on The Zone and Science versus Scientism from his book Taijiquan: Through the Western Gate ; James Frazier for the excerpt from his book, Maurice Durufle, the Man and His Music; Professor Edward Hernandez for his essays on Self and the Protestant Ethic; Professor Jennifer Small for her essay on Argentine Tango; Barbara Gatti for her essay on the Rockettes; Richie Rosenblatt, a New York artist, for his insights for the Artist essay; Luca Sforza for his wonderful book jacket design Thanks to Devin Ronaldson for his wonderful article on Myo-fascial Release, and also thanks to USA Ultimate for allowing us to use some of their sentences from their web page on Ultimate Frisbee The following also contributed to our book and a big thanks to them: Dr Edward Speedling, Roy Speedling, Meghan Speedling, Lauren MacDuffie, Steve Papa and Paul Candon Finally, thanks to Pat Moran Ronaldson who kept Tom and me nourished with her culinary delights for two years and kept us laughing New SAT Prep Book for Reading, Writing and Math Mastery Decoding the Revised SAT March 2016 and Beyond Larry Ronaldson Tom Speedling Dr Steve Warner © 2015, All Rights Reserved iii BOOKS FROM THE GET 800 COLLECTION 28 SAT Math Lessons to Improve Your Score in One Month Beginner Course Intermediate Course Advanced Course 320 SAT Math Problems Arranged by Topic and Difficulty Level 320 SAT Math Subject Test Problems Arranged by Topic and Difficulty Level Level Test Level Test SAT Prep Book of Advanced Math Problems The 32 Most Effective SAT Math Strategies SAT Prep Official Study Guide Math Companion SAT Vocabulary Book 320 ACT Math Problems Arranged by Topic and Difficulty Level 320 AP Calculus AB Problems Arranged by Topic and Difficulty Level 320 AP Calculus BC Problems Arranged by Topic and Difficulty Level Algebra Handbook for Gifted Middle School Students 555 Math IQ Questions for Middle School Students 555 Geometry Problems for High School Students New SAT Math Problems arranged by Topic and Difficulty Level New SAT Verbal Prep Book for Reading and Writing Mastery CONNECT WITH DR STEVE WARNER iv Table of Contents Introduction: The New SAT Reading Section Grammar Section Math Sections Essay (Optional) Scoring 7 8 Preparing for the New SAT Using this book effectively The magical mixture for success Check your answers properly Take a guess whenever you cannot solve a problem Pace yourself 10 10 10 11 11 11 Reading Guide Some Basics Marking the Passage The Essence of Doing Well on the Reading Comprehension Part of the Exam Opening Sentences 12 12 13 13 14 Vocabulary in Context 24 Playing with Words 42 Reading Practice Passages 47 Additional Reading Practice 109 Grammar Basic Definitions Tense Subject-Verb Agreement Pronoun Agreement Fragments Run-on Sentences Parallel Structure Transitional Phrases Faulty Comparisons Mislplaced Modifiers Dangling Participles Diction Idioms Double Negative Redundancies Punctuation 117 117 118 119 119 120 120 120 121 121 121 121 122 122 122 122 123 Grammar Practice Passages 123 v Essay Writing Guide Essentials Transitional Words 157 157 158 Essay Samples 158 Bonus Verbal Materials – Learn These and Win 170 Math Guide 188 Math Problems by Level and Topic with Fully Explained Solutions Level 1: Heart of Algebra Level 1: Geometry and Trig Level 1: Passport to Advanced Math Level 1: Problem Solving and Data Level 2: Heart of Algebra Level 2: Geometry and Trig Level 2: Passport to Advanced Math Level 2: Problem Solving and Data Level 3: Heart of Algebra Level 3: Geometry and Trig Level 3: Passport to Advanced Math Level 3: Problem Solving and Data Level 4: Heart of Algebra Level 4: Geometry and Trig Level 4: Passport to Advanced Math Level 4: Problem Solving and Data Level 5: Heart of Algebra Level 5: Geometry and Trig Level 5: Passport to Advanced Math Level 5: Problem Solving and Data 194 194 199 204 211 214 219 225 227 233 242 247 251 256 260 270 277 281 285 293 298 Supplemental Math Problems – Questions 305 Answers to Supplemental Math Problems 332 About the Authors 333 Books from the Get 800 Collection 334 vi www.SATPrepGet800.com I N T R O D U C T I O N THE NEW SAT he new SAT is in many ways a radical departure from its predecessors Throughout its history, the SAT has had synonyms, antonyms, sentence completions, and analogies All of those have been thrown into the waste bin of history Replacing them is a grammar section that will now form a more integral part of the reading score It used to ask you to write a 25 minute essay based on a question that you must either defend or refute Now, you will be asked to read a passage and write an essay using the information provided in the charts, graphs and script of that passage You will have 50 minutes to this Other changes include using only choices instead of for each question and not penalizing the test taker for an incorrect answer It will be difficult to decide what each question is worth on the new test as they are implementing a new system which will have all sorts of sub-scores derived from reading, grammar, science, charts, math etc The math section has been changed even more radically in that it is more straightforward Previously, students had difficulty in understanding exactly what they were being asked to with particular math questions That will seldom be the case with the new exam If you know how to specific math problems, you will merely be asked to so again The old SAT placed a lot of what you already know in very different contexts and asked you solve a problem at a level you may not have been exposed to However, they will have more subjects in the new test and this will make it more difficult for some of you Because grammar is now part of the reading score, its importance has risen considerably Many colleges ignored or at least did not strongly consider the grammar/writing part of the exam They can no longer this, so grammar has become an integral part of the preparation for this exam Goodbye 2400 For years now the top score on an SAT has been 2400 Now, it will go back to what it had been in the past: 1600 Half of that will be drawn from your math score and half from your reading/grammar combination Reading Section There will be single passages and one double passage Each will have 10-11 questions for a total of 52 questions You will have 65 minutes to complete this section The old SAT had reading questions in three different sections of the exam Now, you will have just one section This will enable you to keep one mindset throughout instead of jumping back and forth between sentence completions and reading and math and grammar Another significant change is that you will be asked to read charts and graphs to answer specific questions These will appear on or of the passages www.SATPrepGet800.com The passages will be drawn from Literature, History and Social Studies, Science and finally a combination of Presidential Speeches/Documents of the Founding Fathers and Global Discussions Neither the passages nor individual questions will be presented in order of difficulty This allows you to read passages first that you are more comfortable with Grammar Section The grammar test is now almost a perfect mirror of the ACT grammar We recommend starting early to get ready for this part of the exam by working for 5-10 minutes a week on the grammar topic in freerice.com It sets up perfectly to improve your score on this part of the exam As in the past, it will test your knowledge of sentence structure and proper usage, but will now have questions dealing with punctuation, something the SAT has not done before They will also ask you to correct sentences and to improve expression Structure and language use will also come into play You will see more redundancies than before Finally, there will often be a main idea question, which did not exist in the previous exam There will be four passages with 44 multiple choice questions You will have roughly minutes to read a very brief passage and answer 11 questions This might seem a bit rushed, but the ACT asks you to answer 15 questions in less time, so this is actually very doable Even though you will receive a score for the grammar part of the exam, a fair amount of that score will become part of the score for reading and will even be drawn from some of the math questions So, colleges will be able to get a very comprehensive view of your abilities in a number of different areas It will, of course, make it very difficult to compute your scores from practice tests Yes, you will have some general score, but you will not have a sense of the extent to which these scores can be used by colleges There will be four passages drawn from careers, humanities, social studies, and science Each will be about five paragraphs long The passages will be short, about 400-450 words, and at least one of the passages will contain a graph or chart on which one or two questions will be based As in the reading part, there will be only choices for each question The first choice will almost always be NO CHANGE and the other three will give you different versions of the underlined part Math Sections There will be math sections: one where a calculator is allowed and one where it is not The calculator section will have 30 multiple choice questions and free response questions (also known as “grid ins”), and you will have 55 minutes to complete this section The no calculator section will have 15 multiple choice questions and grid ins, and you will have 25 minutes to complete this section The math topics will be divided into main categories: Heart of Algebra, Passport to Advanced Math, Problem Solving and Data Analysis, and Miscellaneous Topics (consisting mainly of Geometry and Trigonometry) questions There will be more advanced algebra questions on this new SAT, as well as some precalculus questions that were not previously tested Analysis of charts, graphs and data is being given greater emphasis, while the number of geometry questions has been significantly reduced www.SATPrepGet800.com Essay (Optional) Nobody knows which colleges or to what extent each college will use the essay part of the exam The score for this does not factor into your score of 1600 It is a separate score entirely So, while it would seem a simple decision to the essay depending on how well you write, most of the upper echelon schools to which you will be applying will want to see an essay Think about it You have to be able to read a passage accurately, analyze what information from that passage you can use in your essay and then convey that information in vivid language that supports your point clearly What college would not want to see how well you that? Compare their reading of this essay to the college essay which you send in Students can get help with that from their parents, teachers or Aunt Matilda The college admissions office has no sure fire way of knowing how much of it you have written No one is helping you to write the essay on the SAT and it is a comprehensive essay in that you must use the information of their passage to build your case You will have to present photo ID to get into this test, so they are reasonably sure you have written it Many people could have contributed to your common application, and your prospective college, although experienced in this sort of thing, cannot categorically say how much of it you have written Sure, the format will be exactly the same from test to test, but the passages themselves will change, so you will not be able to just write something you have memorized before the test The old essay gave you 25 minutes; this one will give you 50 minutes However, you must also read a short passage upon which you will draw your information for supporting or refuting a position You will also have pages instead of the two which the present test allows The extra time will allow you to work out a solid outline, which will enable you to write a comprehensive essay We will guide you through this process later in the book Scoring: While the old SAT used a general rubric to establish your score, the new one will be based on reading, analysis and writing Each of these will be scored from 1-4 You must indicate that you have actually read and grasped the passage Simply referencing specific information from their passage is usually enough to establish that They also want to see that you can break down someone else’s argument and use that ability to create an argument of your own For this, you will have to arrive at supportable claims based on the information in the passage and any other information that you can come up with Finally, you have to demonstrate all of this in a clear, coherent writing style that uses solid word choices and tone, is well organized, uses good sentence variety and preferably makes the reader think We will guide you through writing this essay later in the book www.SATPrepGet800.com PREPARING FOR THE NEW SAT There are many ways that a student can prepare for the SAT, but not all preparation is created equally We always teach our students the methods that will give them the maximum result with the minimum amount of effort For 40 years, each of your authors has spent innumerable hours finding ways to minimize the time students have to spend prepping for these standardized tests because we think they are an embarrassing waste of your time Our book is short, but it is packed with good advice Use it well and prosper The book you are now reading is self-contained Each problem was carefully created to ensure that you are making the most effective use of your time while preparing for the SAT Using this book effectively      Begin studying at least three months before the SAT Do at least one full practice exam from the College Board book every two weeks Every other week a full math, reading and writing exam at one sitting to develop your mental stamina Choose a consistent study time and location Every time you get a question wrong, mark it off, no matter what your mistake Don’t start a practice test without sitting first for 15-20 minutes to carefully go over not only the errors you made on previous tests, but also to concretize the techniques Have a game plan and challenge yourself to get at least questions more on each test you take The magical mixture for success A combination of two components will maximize your SAT score with the least amount of effort   Learning test taking strategies that work specifically for standardized tests Taking about four practice tests before test day to make sure you are applying the strategies effectively under timed conditions Strategy: The more SAT specific strategies that you know the better off you will be Throughout this book you will see many strategies being used A lot of what we have done is to give you a mindset so that you understand how to break down choices If you use our strategies effectively, you will never have more than two choices However, if you not all of the exercises, you risk the danger of going in unprepared This book is not the tome that most others are because every part of it is essential Practice: The problems given in this book, together with the problems in the practice tests from the College Board’s Official Study Guide (2016 Edition), are more than enough to vastly improve your current SAT score All you need to is work with this book and take 7-8 practice tests over a period of three to four months and the result will far exceed your expectations 10 ... Students 555 Geometry Problems for High School Students New SAT Math Problems arranged by Topic and Difficulty Level New SAT Verbal Prep Book for Reading and Writing Mastery CONNECT WITH DR STEVE... Papa and Paul Candon Finally, thanks to Pat Moran Ronaldson who kept Tom and me nourished with her culinary delights for two years and kept us laughing New SAT Prep Book for Reading, Writing and. .. through writing this essay later in the book www.SATPrepGet800.com PREPARING FOR THE NEW SAT There are many ways that a student can prepare for the SAT, but not all preparation is created equally We