Long-Passage reading in the SAT

Person

Astha

Long-Passage reading in the SAT

Author: Astha

PASSAGE READING BASICS -

Reading - Passage reading is like hunting and gathering; hunting and gathering context clues. This includes searching for "passage evidence" (words, phrases or sentences that support the best answer choice). Listen (in your mind), to what the author is saying. There is just no scope for any personal conjecture or creativity. You must not "read into" anything. Abandon any feelings, biases and reasoning that you associate with the topic you are reading; read the passage with your mind as a clean slate. You must learn to look at the topic through the author's eyes and scrutinize his feelings, observations and reactions.
React - Reacting is not about having words, like raindrops, run over you head. It's about absorbing the words and letting them impact you. As you read, react to what you are reading! Using a pencil, you can jot down marginal notes or symbols next to the paragraph. For example: Great Idea! or conflict or fallacy or ?? or !! or *.
Interact - Try to connect to the passage. Get an internal dialogue started. For example:
- " I wouldn't stand that either! "
- " I know what it's like to lose a friend "
- " I never knew people could be so shrewd! "
Visualize - Open up your mind's eye, it really helps! Put you mind's eye to work as you read the passages in the critical reading sections. For many of us, vision is the predominant learning modality. Painting pictures of what you read helps you connect to the passage.

TACTICS -

Read long passages piece by piece - It's up to you to decide how big a "piece" is, but it is essential that while reading you fully grasp this chunk of the passage. The length of the "piece" may be quite a lot for an avid reader, but for those who have not yet developed a particular affinity towards reading, the "piece can be more compact. Whatever is comprehensible is fine!

Version 1 - Reading the passage in 5 pieces
(for a vigilant reader who wants to stay extremely focused)

The following passage discusses the scientific life of Galileo Galilee in reference to the political, religious, artistic, and scientific movements of the age.

Galileo Galilee was born in 1564 into a Europe wracked
by cultural ferment and religious strife. The popes of the
Roman Catholic Church, powerful in their roles as both
religious and secular leaders, had proven vulnerable to
the worldly and decadent spirit of the age, and their
personal immorality brought the reputation of the papacy
to historic lows. In 1517, Martin Luther, a former monk,
attacked Catholicism for having become too worldly and
politically corrupt and for obscuring the fundamentals
of Christianity with pagan elements. His reforming zeal,
which appealed to a notion of an original, "purified"
Christianity, set in motion the Protestant Reformation
and split European Christianity in two.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In response, Roman Catholicism steeled itself for
battle and launched the Counter-Reformation, which
emphasized orthodoxy and fidelity to the true church.
The Counter-Reformation reinvigorated the church and,
to some extent, eliminated its excesses. But the Counter-
Reformation also contributed to the decline of the Italian
Renaissance, a revival of arts and letters that sought
to recover and rework the classical art and philosophy
of ancient Greece and Rome. The popes had once been
great patrons of Renaissance arts and sciences, but the
Counter-Reformation put an end to the church's liberal
leniency in these areas. Further, the church's new
emphasis on religious orthodoxy would soon clash with
the emerging scientific revolution. Galileo, with his study
of astronomy, found himself at the center of this clash.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conservative astronomers of Galileo's time, working
without telescopes, ascribed without deviation to the
ancient theory of egocentricity. This theory of astronomy
held that the earth ("geo," as in "geography" or "geology")
lay at the center of the solar system, orbited by both the
sun and the other planets. Indeed, to the casual observer,
it seemed common sense that since the sun "rose" in the
morning and "set" at night, it must have circled around
the earth. Ancient authorities like Aristotle and the
Roman astronomer Ptolemy had championed this viewpoint,
and the notion also coincided with the Catholic
Church's view of the universe, which placed mankind,
God's principal creation, at the center of the cosmos.
Buttressed by common sense, the ancient philosophers,
and the church, the geocentric model of the universe
seemed secure in its authority. The Ptolemaic theory,
however, was not impervious to attack. In the 16th century,
astronomers strained to make modern observations
fit Ptolemy's geocentric model of the universe.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Increasingly complex mathematical systems
were necessary to reconcile these new observations
with Ptolemy's system of interlocking orbits. Nicholas
Copernicus, a Polish astronomer, openly questioned the
Ptolemaic system and proposed a heliocentric system
in which the planets "including Earth" orbited the sun
("Helios"). This more mathematically satisfying way of
arranging the solar system did not attract many supporters
at first, since the available data did not yet
support a wholesale abandonment of Ptolemy's system. By
the end of the 16th century, however, astronomers like
Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) had also begun to embrace
Copernicus's theory.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ultimately, Galileo's telescope struck a fatal blow
to the Ptolemaic system. But, in a sense, the telescope
was also nearly fatal to Galileo himself. The Catholic
Church, desperately trying to hold the Protestant heresy
at bay, could not accept a scientific assault on its
own theories of the universe. The pressures of the age
set in motion a historic confrontation between religion
and science, one which would culminate in 1633 when
the church put Galileo on trial, forced him to recant
his stated and published scientific beliefs, and put him
under permanent house arrest.

Version 2 - Reading the passage in 3 pieces
(for the more voracious reader who can sustain concentration with loner passages)

The following passage discusses the scientific life of Galileo Galilee in reference to the political, religious, artistic, and scientific movements of the age.

Galileo Galilee was

in 1564 into a Europe wracked
by cultural ferment and religious strife. The popes of the
Roman Catholic Church, powerful in their roles as both
religious and secular leaders, had proven vulnerable to
the worldly and decadent spirit of the age, and their
personal immorality brought the reputation of the papacy
to historic lows. In 1517, Martin Luther, a former monk,
attacked Catholicism for having become too worldly and
politically corrupt and for obscuring the fundamentals
of Christianity with pagan elements. His reforming zeal,
which appealed to a notion of an original, "purified"
Christianity, set in motion the Protestant Reformation
and split European Christianity in two.

In response, Roman Catholicism steeled itself for
battle and launched the Counter-Reformation, which
emphasized orthodoxy and fidelity to the true church.
The Counter-Reformation reinvigorated the church and,
to some extent, eliminated its excesses. But the Counter-
Reformation also contributed to the decline of the Italian
Renaissance, a revival of arts and letters that sought
to recover and rework the classical art and philosophy
of ancient Greece and Rome. The popes had once been
great patrons of Renaissance arts and sciences, but the
Counter-Reformation put an end to the church's liberal
leniency in these areas. Further, the church's new
emphasis on religious orthodoxy would soon clash with
the emerging scientific revolution. Galileo, with his study
of astronomy, found himself at the center of this clash.

Increasingly complex mathematical systems
were necessary to reconcile these new observations
with Ptolemy's system of interlocking orbits. Nicholas
Copernicus, a Polish astronomer, openly questioned the
Ptolemaic system and proposed a heliocentric system
in which the planets "including Earth" orbited the sun
("Helios"). This more mathematically satisfying way of
arranging the solar system did not attract many supporters
at first, since the available data did not yet
support a wholesale abandonment of Ptolemy's system. By
the end of the 16th century, however, astronomers like
Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) had also begun to embrace
Copernicus's theory.

Extract the main idea from the passage - Read with your eyes wide open for the main idea of the passage. Most often the main idea is found in one of the following places :
- The italicized blurb (the introductory sentence that precedes the paragraph.)
- The thesis (usually the last few lines of the first paragraph)
- Somewhere in the concluding paragraph (usually at the end)

First answer the line-reference and sidebar questions and then delve into the inference (global) questions - I suggest that after reading the first "piece" of the passage, you should answer any sidebars/line-references dealing with that portion of the passage. This maximizes the accuracy with which you answer the question. It is best to answer those questions when the text is still fresh in your mind! Since, Line-references and sidebars are straightforward questions, it best to first answer them and then try acing the more general, "global" questions. It is best to have read the whole passage before answering the inference questions because they require a higher level of acumen. They require a synthesis between what is stated and what you glean as insight. They require you to draw conclusions beyond the given facts. Examples of "global" questions:
- The author's attitude toward the individual discussed is primarily one of...
- Based on what is stated in the passage, the author's main purpose is...
- The author's overall tone s best described as....
- Which of the following provides the best title?
- Which of the following statements, if true, would most likely undermine the author's point of view?
- The mood conveyed by the author is primarily one of...

Identify the author's mood and tone as you read - This strategy is the toughest to apply. You may be a receptive reader , you may know that the author wants to relive his childhood years, but do you know if he is reminiscent or nostalgic? You get that the author is angry, but is he belligerent or indignant? These questions are not tough because we fail to acknowledge the author's feelings, they are tough because most often we do not know the right word to describe what we feel. The following list of vocabulary gives you an insight of what you may need to pass these questions with flying colors.

Vocabulary you may need:
(this is an extremely small part of what you actually need to know)

Term
	cynical		distrusting or disparaging the motives of others
	skeptical		having or showing doubt
	optimism		a disposition or tendency to look on the more favorable side of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome
	pessimism		the tendency to see, anticipate, or emphasize only bad or undesirable outcomes, results, conditions, problems, etc
	nostalgia		a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life, to one's home or homeland, or to one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time
	scorn		open or unqualified contempt; disdain
	indifference		lack of interest or concern
	sarcasm		1. harsh or bitter derision or irony. 2. a sharply ironical taunt; sneering or cutting remark
	ambivalence		uncertainty or fluctuation, esp. when caused by inability to make a choice or by a simultaneous desire to say or do two opposite or conflicting things.
	condescension		an act or instance of condescending; voluntary assumption of equality with a person regarded as inferior
	esteem		to regard highly or favorably; regard with respect or admiration
	flippant		frivolously disrespectful, shallow, or lacking in seriousness; characterized by levity
	indignant		feeling, characterized by, or expressing strong displeasure at something considered unjust, offensive, insulting, or base
	detached		not attached; separated; impartial or objective; disinterested; unbiased
	incredulity		inability or unwillingness to believe.
	satire		the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc.
	disdain		to look upon or treat with contempt; despise; scorn.
	bewilderment		a confusing maze or tangle, as of objects or conditions
	superciliousness		haughtily disdainful or contemptuous, as a person or a facial expression
	dubious		doubtful; marked by or occasioning doubt

P.S. - For more such vocabulary, you should post a discussion... or write to me!

The perennial decision: To read or not to read the questions first - There is no correct answer to this question, it's is purely a matter of choice. For some test readers reading a chunk of the passage and then reading (and sometimes answering) the set of related questions, straightaway, is the best strategy. For others reading the questions first is a mere waste of time, since they will end up reading it again anyways. So, it is best that you take some practice tests and see for yourself, which way suits you better.

Critical reading No-No's -
- No Guesswork
- No answering based on your outside reading or knowledge
- No "reading into" the passage, or reading beyond what the author is actually saying
- No answering based on opinions or beliefs
- No random guessing, without first trying hard to eliminate as many answer choices as possible (this is a strict no-no for ANY section if you are aiming for a perfect score!)
- No selecting answers which just APPEAR to be reasonable
- No selecting answers which are not sufficiently substantiated by words, phrases or sentences in the italicized blurb or passage
- No forgetting or purposely leaving the "globals"

These policies will help put you on the right track, but you can make your own strategies. Remember, your goal is to minimize your time consumption and maximize the accuracy of your answers. Whatever is instrumental in doing so is a clever approach. So, to brace yourself for the passage-based reading you must put in an adequate amount of hard work and practice, with speed being one of the most important considerations.