The SAT Critical Reading Section

 What to Expect in the Critical Reading Section The SAT has three critical reading sections: two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section. There are three types of critical reading questions: sentence completions, passage-length critical reading questions, and paragraph-length critical reading questions. All of them are multiple-choice questions with five answer choices, a–e. There may be a fourth critical reading section. If so, it means that one of the four sections is an experimental, or equating, section. You cannot determine which is the equating section, however, so it is important to do your best on each section. Sentence Completions Sentence completion questions test your vocabulary and your ability to follow the logic of complicated sen- tences. Each of these questions has either one or two blanks within a single sentence. Often, the sentences are long and difficult to follow, but with practice, you can learn to master them. There will be approximately 19 of these questions. CHAPTER The SAT Critical Reading Section 3 23 5658 SAT2006[03](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:42 PM Page 23 SAT Critical Reading Section at a Glance The critical reading section of the SAT has 67 questions. There are three kinds of questions: Sentence Completions Questions test your vocabulary skills and ability to follow the logic of a sentence. Passage-Length Critical Reading Questions test your ability to understand the meaning of material in a long passage. Paragraph-Length Critical Reading Questions test your ability to understand and analyze material in a short (one paragraph) passage or two related passages. 24 Passage-Length Critical Reading These questions test your understanding of fairly long passages. The passages, typically 400–850 words in length, are drawn from texts in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. There are also a variety of writing styles, including narrative, expository, and persuasive. You will have to analyze the passages in advanced ways, making inferences from the authors’ statements, inter- preting rhetorical and stylistic devices, and/or selecting the correct meaning of one of the words used. Again, practice will make perfect—or nearly so. Paragraph-Length Critical Reading Paragraph-length critical reading passages will be 100–200 words long, followed by two to five questions each. You will also find at least one (or more) pair of related passages. Like long-passage questions, the ques- tions following short passages test your ability to under- stand college-level readings on a range of topics and styles. And again, you will be asked about a range of reading comprehension issues, from specific details to the author’s purpose or main idea, from the meaning of specific vocabulary words to inferences that can log- ically be drawn from the text.  The Power of Words If you have a good vocabulary, you’re in good shape for the SAT. All three kinds of critical reading questions test your knowledge of and ability to use words. If you don’t consider yourself a word person, don’t despair. The fact is, we are all word people. Words shape our perceptions of the world. Even math can be thought of as another language; it is explained through the use of words. No matter what kind of word power you already possess, your SAT critical reading score will improve dramatically as you increase your vocabulary. Other than reading this book, the single most productive thing you can do in studying for the SAT is to learn additional vocabulary. The best way to go about this is to read; check out LearningExpress’s Vocabulary and Spelling Success in 20 Minutes a Day, which makes it easy to boost your vocabulary and your critical reading test score. 5658 SAT2006[03](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:42 PM Page 24  Test for Success Another important way to increase your chances for SAT success is to become familiar with the test itself. This sec- tion focuses on the critical reading test questions. The following pretest will help you assess what your strengths and weaknesses are when it comes to the critical reading skills tested on the SAT. Take this test without studying ahead in this book. Don’t worry if you don’t do as well as you wanted; there’s no better way to focus your studies than by pinpointing the topics and question types you know well and those in which you need more practice. Use the answer sheet below to record your answers. – LEARNINGEXPRESS ANSWER SHEET – 25 ANSWER SHEET 1.abcde 2.abcde 3.abcde 4.abcde 5.abcde 6.abcde 7.abcde 8.abcde 9.abcde 10.abcde 11.abcde 12.abcde 13.abcde 14.abcde 15.abcde 16.abcde 17.abcde 18.abcde 19.abcde 20.abcde 21.abcde 22.abcde 23.abcde 24.abcde 25.abcde 26.abcde 27.abcde 28.abcde 29.abcde 30.abcde 31.abcde 32.abcde 5658 SAT2006[03](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:42 PM Page 25 5658 SAT2006[03](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:42 PM Page 26  Critical Reading Pretest There are 32 questions in this section. Set a timer for 30 minutes. Stop working at the end of 30 minutes and check your answers. Sentence Completions In each of the following sentences, one or two words have been omitted (indicated by a blank). Choose the word(s) from the answer choices provided that makes the most sense in the context of the sentence. 1. Although skinny as a rail, the young girl had a(n) ------- appetite. a. eager b. demanding c. ravenous d. breathless e. primal 2. Because the rajah was sagacious, he ruled his subjects with -------. a. rapacity b. ignorance c. compassion d. fortitude e. willfulness 3. Percival’s ------- approach to life caused him to miss the kind of ------- experience his more friv- olous peers enjoyed. a. careless cerebral b. unhealthy choleric c. busy understated d. amiable intense e. utilitarian ecstatic 4. Scientific knowledge is usually --------, often resulting from years of hard work by numerous investigators. a. ponderous b. implacable c. precarious d. cumulative e. egregious 5. Even though -------- meals cause her digestive trouble, my grandmother insists on eating her food as -------- as possible. a. piquant spicy b. foreign often c. astringent slowly d. cold quickly e. purgative daintily 6. Although conditions in Antarctica are quite --------, scientists and others who go there to work have managed to create a comfortable envi- ronment for themselves. a. audacious b. inimical c. felicitous d. incalculable e. oblivious 7. Because the king was heedful of --------, he ensured that his -------- would survive him. a. posterity legacy b. venerability heir c. tradition sociopath d. empathy advisors e. artifice architect – THE SAT CRITICAL READING SECTION – 27 5658 SAT2006[03](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:42 PM Page 27 8. The famous daredevil was actually quite -------- by temperament, as illustrated by the fact that he did not -------- until he was two years old. a. daring tussle b. arbitrary contradict c. careful perambulate d. mendacious vocalize e. prosaic masticate – THE SAT CRITICAL READING SECTION – 28 Passage-Length Critical Reading Read the passage below and the questions that follow it. As you form your answers, be sure to base them on what is stated in the passage and introduction, or the inferences you can make from the material. This passage, written by John Fiske in the late 1800s, offers the author’s perspective on what he says are two kinds of genius. There are two contrasted kinds of genius, the poetical and the philosophical; or, to speak yet more generally, the artistic and the critical. The former is distinguished by a concrete, the latter by an abstract, imagination. The former sees things synthetically, in all their natural complexity; the latter pulls things to pieces analytically and scrutinizes their relations. The former sees a tree in all its glory, where the latter sees an exogen with a pair of cotyledons. The former sees wholes, where the latter sees aggregates. Corresponding with these two kinds of genius, there are two classes of artistic productions. When the critical genius writes a poem or a novel, he constructs his plot and his characters in conformity to some prearranged theory, or with a view to illustrate some favorite doctrine. When he paints a picture, he first thinks how certain persons would look under certain given circumstances, and paints them accordingly. When he writes a piece of music, he first decides that this phrase expresses joy, and that phrase disap- pointment, and the other phrase disgust, and he composes accordingly. We therefore say ordinarily that he does not create, but only constructs and combines. It is far different with the artistic genius, who, with- out stopping to think, sees the picture and hears the symphony with the eyes and ears of imagination, and paints and plays merely what he has seen and heard. When Dante, in imagination, arrived at the lowest circle of hell, where traitors like Judas and Brutus are punished, he came upon a terrible frozen lake, which, he says, “Ever makes me shudder at the sight of frozen pools.” I have always considered this line a marvelous instance of the intensity of Dante’s imagination. It shows, too, how Dante composed his poem. He did not take counsel of himself and say: “Go to, let us describe the traitors frozen up to their necks in a dismal lake, for that will be most terrible.” But the picture of the lake, in all its iciness, with the haggard faces staring out from its glassy crust, came unbidden before his mind with such intense reality that, for the rest of his life, he could not look at a frozen pool without a shudder of horror. He described it exactly as he saw it; and his description makes us shudder who read it after all the centuries that have intervened. So Michelangelo, a kindred genius, did not keep cutting and chipping away, thinking how Moses ought to look, and what sort of a nose he ought to have, and in what position his head might best rest upon Line (5) (10) (15) (20) 5658 SAT2006[03](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:42 PM Page 28 his shoulders. But, he looked at the rectangular block of Carrera marble, and beholding Moses grand and lifelike within it, knocked away the environing stone, that others also might see the mighty figure. And so Beethoven, an artist of the same colossal order, wrote out for us those mysterious harmonies which his ear had for the first time heard; and which, in his mournful old age, it heard none the less plainly because of its complete physical deafness. And in this way, Shakespeare wrote his Othello; spinning out no abstract thoughts about jealousy and its fearful effects upon a proud and ardent nature, but revealing to us the liv- ing concrete man, as his imperial imagination had spontaneously fashioned him. 9. In line 2 of this passage, the word concrete is con- trasted with the word a. imagination b. wholes c. complexity d. abstract e. aggregates 10. The author’s use of the phrase prearranged theory in line 8 suggests that a. it is wise to plan ahead b. a non-genius uses someone else’s theories c. a critical genius is not truly creative d. a true genius first learns from others e. a writer should follow an outline 11. In line 27, the use of the word colossal to describe Beethoven implies a. no one really understands Beethoven’s music b. Beethoven’s symphonies are often performed in coliseums c. Beethoven was a large man d. Beethoven wrote music to his patrons’ orders e. Beethoven was a musical genius 12. In lines 26–29, the author uses the example of Beethoven’s deafness to illustrate a. Beethoven’s sadness b. Beethoven’s inherent creativity c. Beethoven’s continuing musical relevance d. Beethoven’s genius at overcoming obstacles e. Beethoven’s analytical genius 13. In this passage, the author suggests that a. a good imagination is crucial to artistic genius b. a genius sees things that aren’t there c. no one understands a genius’s thought process d. many artists are unusual people e. a genius doesn’t need to think – THE SAT CRITICAL READING SECTION – 29 (25) (30) 5658 SAT2006[03](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:42 PM Page 29 The following passages are excerpted from Abraham Lincoln’s two inaugural addresses. The first was given in 1861, before the Civil War began. The second was delivered in 1865 as the fighting between North (anti-slavery) and South (pro-slavery) raged. (1865 was the final year of the Civil War.) Passage 1 One section of our country believes slavery is RIGHT, and ought to be extended, while the other believes it is WRONG, and ought not to be extended. This is the only substantial dispute. The fugitive-slave clause of the Constitution, and the law for the suppression of the foreign slave-trade, are each as well enforced, perhaps, as any law can ever be in a community where the moral sense of the people imperfectly supports the law itself. The great body of the people abide by the dry legal obligation in both cases, and a few break over in each. This, I think, cannot be perfectly cured; and it would be worse in both cases AFTER the sep- aration of the sections than BEFORE. The foreign slave-trade, now imperfectly suppressed, would be ulti- mately revived, without restriction, in one section, while fugitive slaves, now only partially surrendered, would not be surrendered at all by the other. Physically speaking, we cannot separate. We cannot remove our respective sections from each other, nor build an impassable wall between them. A husband and wife may be divorced, and go out of the pres- ence and beyond the reach of each other; but the different parts of our country cannot do this. They can- not but remain face to face, and intercourse, either amicable or hostile, must continue between them. Is it possible, then, to make that intercourse more advantageous or more satisfactory after separation than before? Can aliens make treaties easier than friends can make laws? Can treaties be more faithfully enforced between aliens than laws can among friends? Suppose you go to war, you cannot fight always; and when, after much loss on both sides, and no gain on either, you cease fighting, the identical old questions as to terms of intercourse are again upon you. This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their CONSTITUTIONAL right of amending it, or their REVOLUTIONARY right to dismember or overthrow it. I cannot be ignorant of the fact that many worthy and patriotic citizens are desirous of having the national Constitution amended. While I make no recommendation of amendments, I fully recognize the rightful authority of the people over the whole sub- ject, to be exercised in either of the modes prescribed in the instrument itself; and I should, under exist- ing circumstances, favor rather than oppose a fair opportunity being afforded the people to act upon it. I will venture to add that to me the convention mode seems preferable, in that it allows amendments to originate with the people themselves, instead of only permitting them to take or reject propositions orig- inated by others not especially chosen for the purpose, and which might not be precisely such as they would wish to either accept or refuse. I understand a proposed amendment to the Constitution—which amend- ment, however, I have not seen—has passed Congress, to the effect that the Federal Government shall never interfere with the domestic institutions of the States, including that of persons held to service. To avoid misconstruction of what I have said, I depart from my purpose not to speak of particular amendments so far as to say that, holding such a provision to now be implied Constitutional law, I have no objection to its being made express and irrevocable. – THE SAT CRITICAL READING SECTION – 30 Line (5) (10) (15) (20) (25) (30) 5658 SAT2006[03](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:42 PM Page 30 Passage 2 Fellow countrymen: At this second appearing to take the oath of the presidential office, there is less occa- sion for an extended address than there was at the first. Then a statement, somewhat in detail, of a course to be pursued, seemed fitting and proper. Now, at the expiration of four years, during which public dec- larations have been constantly called forth on every point and phase of the great contest which still absorbs the attention and engrosses the energies of the nation, little that is new could be presented. The progress of our arms, upon which all else chiefly depends, is as well known to the public as to myself; and it is, I trust, reasonably satisfactory and encouraging to all. With high hope for the future, no prediction in regard to it is ventured. On the occasion corresponding to this four years ago, all thoughts were anx- iously directed to an impending civil war. All dreaded it—all sought to avert it. While the inaugural address was being delivered from this place, devoted altogether to saving the Union without war, insurgent agents were in the city seeking to destroy it without war—seeking to dissolve the Union, and divide effects, by negotiation. Both parties deprecated war; but one of them would make war rather than let the nation sur- vive; and the other would accept war rather than let it perish. And the war came. One-eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the Southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was, somehow, the cause of the war. To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union, even by war; while the government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it. Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with, or even before, the conflict itself should cease. Each looked for an easier tri- umph, and a result less fundamental and astounding. – THE SAT CRITICAL READING SECTION – 31 (35) (40) (45) (50) (55) 14. In lines 4–5, when Lincoln says the moral sense of the people imperfectly supports the law itself,he means a. slavery is wrong b. the law is imperfect c. it is moral to follow the law d. not everyone agrees about the law e. some people in the community are law breakers 15. In line 6, why does Lincoln say it would be worse if the country’s sections separate? a. War is always undesirable. b. The disagreement would deepen in its expression. c. The slaves would not be freed. d. It would encourage law breakers. e. The wall between them would remain impassable. 16. What is Lincoln’s point in the second paragraph (lines 10–18) of Passage 1? a. Divorce leads to estrangement. b. It is better to make a treaty than to have war. c. Separation is not the solution to the country’s problems. d. It is better to be friends than aliens. e. You can’t fight forever. 17. In line 31, the phrase domestic institutions of the States refers to a. state schools b. state laws c. state churches d. state elections e. state political parties 5658 SAT2006[03](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:42 PM Page 31 18. Lincoln’s tone in the last paragraph of Passage 1 (lines 19–34) is a. conciliatory b. hostile c. grandiose d. humble e. firm 19. In Passage 2, lines 35–36, why does Lincoln say there is less occasion for an extended address? a. The war is going well. b. There is no time to speak at length. c. There is little interest in his speech. d. He doesn’t know what else to say. e. Everyone already knows his position. 20. In line 44, in referring to insurgent agents, Lincoln means a. foreign soldiers b. foreign spies c. secessionists d. southern spies e. slave traders 21. In Passage 2, whom does Lincoln blame for the war? a. the North b. the South c. both sides d. neither side e. himself 22. In line 52, the word it in the phrase the territorial enlargement of it refers to a. territory b. slavery c. interest d. government e. the Union – THE SAT CRITICAL READING SECTION – 32 5658 SAT2006[03](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:42 PM Page 32 [...]... Page 57 – THE SAT CRITICAL READING SECTION – for the reading comprehension questions Additionally, learning to make sense of complex passages will make your college career even more successful Part 2: Reading Is Critical There are approximately 40 long-passage critical reading questions on the SAT Each Critical Reading section contains at least one long passage, followed by questions about the passage... After using the phrase insurgent agents, Lincoln says what these agents were doing— seeking to dissolve the Union In other words, they were secessionists 5658 SAT2 006[03](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:42 PM Page 38 – THE SAT CRITICAL READING SECTION – 21 b When Lincoln says that one side would make war rather than let the nation survive, he is laying blame at the feet of the secessionists—in other words, the South... genius, the critical and the artistic To answer this question, you first have to read the entire paragraph In line 8, the author says the critical genius creates according to a prearranged theory In line 12, the author says 36 5658 SAT2 006[03](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:42 PM Page 37 – THE SAT CRITICAL READING SECTION – 11 e 12 b 13 a 14 d of the critical genius he does not create Any of the other answer choices... up the main thrust of the paragraph It is most often either the first or the last sentence, so if you’re having trouble determining the author’s point, reread the first and last sentences of each paragraph Once you’ve quickly but carefully read the entire passage, it’s time to tackle the questions On the SAT, the questions are organized roughly in the same order as the parts of the passage to which they... place of the unknown words The words something and what- 44 5658 SAT2 006[03](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:42 PM Page 45 – THE SAT CRITICAL READING SECTION – you don’t know the vocabulary Never rule out an answer because you don’t know the meaning of the word(s) Sometimes, in fact, you will be able to eliminate all the other answers, leaving you with the one answer you don’t understand, but which must be the correct...5658 SAT2 006[03](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:42 PM Page 33 – THE SAT CRITICAL READING SECTION – Paragraph-Length Critical Reading The passages below are followed by several questions about their content Read each passage carefully and answer the questions based on what is stated or implied in the text Questions 23–25 are based on the following passage about the Great Depression Line (5) (10) The worst... 5658 SAT2 006[03](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:42 PM Page 40 – THE SAT CRITICAL READING SECTION – Part 1: Complete That Sentence! buddy You and your friends can drill each other If you can make games out of learning vocabulary, studying will be more fun; and you will learn more, too! There will be approximately 19 sentence completion questions on the SAT You will find them in three of the critical reading sections,... mind the author’s purpose in writing the passage—to praise poetical genius Beethoven is the sole composer discussed along with other creative artists the author reveres While some of the other choices may be true, the author does not discuss them in this passage This is a question about the author’s main point, or purpose in writing the passage The word suggests tells you the exact phrasing of the answer... they refer In other words, the answer to the second question will most likely be found in the passage somewhere after the answer to the first question, and so forth All of the passages on the SAT are numbered every five lines Additionally, many of the questions contain the line number or numbers that will help you locate the answer Beware, though, that you don’t assume that the answer to the question will... understand the author’s meaning, so underline them or jot them down in the margin It’s also important to note the location of details that support the author’s main point(s) Of course, you were paying attention in English class when the teacher discussed topic sentences, so you know that most well-written paragraphs have at 57 5658 SAT2 006[03](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:42 PM Page 58 – THE SAT CRITICAL READING SECTION . in the Critical Reading Section The SAT has three critical reading sections: two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section. There are three types of critical. 11/21/05 6:42 PM Page 23 SAT Critical Reading Section at a Glance The critical reading section of the SAT has 67 questions. There are three kinds of questions: