PSAT 8/9 Reading & Writing: Mastering Craft and Structure

Words in Context

Understanding the meaning of a word or phrase as it is used in a specific passage.

Multiple-meaning words

Words that have more than one definition and can be interpreted differently depending on context.

Connotation

The positive, negative, or neutral feeling a word suggests beyond its basic definition.

Denotation

The basic, literal definition of a word without any emotional association.

Context clues

Hints or additional information in the surrounding text that help determine the meaning of a word.

Text Structure

The organization of a passage and how ideas are arranged from sentence to sentence and paragraph to paragraph.

Purpose of Text

The reason behind the author's choices and what a specific part of the text is trying to accomplish.

Chronological order

A text structure that presents events or steps in the order they occur in time.

Cause and Effect

Text structure that explains reasons and results.

Compare and Contrast

Text structure that highlights similarities and differences between two or more things.

Problem and Solution

Description of a challenge followed by responses or solutions proposed by the author.

Claim and Evidence

Text structure that presents a claim and supports it with reasons, examples, or data.

Agreement

A type of relationship in cross-text connections where both texts share similar viewpoints.

Disagreement

A type of relationship where two texts reach different conclusions or explain the same issue differently.

Complementary Relationship

When two texts provide different pieces of information that together form a bigger picture.

Refinement or Qualification

When one text partially agrees with another but adds limits or exceptions.

Transition words

Words that signal relationships between ideas such as contrast or cause and effect.

Emotional Tone

The emotional quality or attitude conveyed through the author's word choice.

Evidence-based Thinking

Making deductions based on specific examples or lines from each text rather than general assumptions.

Summarizing

Condensing the main ideas of each text into a single sentence for clear understanding.

Contextual Prediction

Predicting the meaning of a word based on surrounding sentences before looking at answer choices.

Function verbs

Action words that describe what a sentence or paragraph does, like 'introduces', 'contrasts', or 'supports'.

Logical Response

The inferred reply of one author to another based on their stated beliefs and claims.

Analysis of Relationships

Evaluating how two texts interact by comparing claims, evidence, tone, and approach.

Qualifying Statements

Phrases that indicate partial agreement or nuance in arguments, often using words like 'may' or 'often'.