SAT Reading Strategy Session Notes

Small-Talk & Session Context

• Tutor and student briefly discuss upcoming travel plans:
  • Student will be in Boston from Friday to the following Thursday (≈ one-week trip).
  • Purpose: accompany cousin attending a soccer camp and do some sightseeing.
• Tutor signals that next lesson will cover right triangles & triples, but today’s focus is SAT Reading.

SAT Reading Section – Big Picture

• Tested skills: understanding central ideas, locating details, evaluating evidence, interpreting data displays.
• Question families repeatedly referenced by the College Board:
  • Information & Ideas (a.k.a. “central idea” or “main idea” questions).
  • Detail / Specific Information questions.
  • Evidence-Based questions (textual or data-driven).
  • Words in Context & Vocabulary (mentioned implicitly when discussing traps).

Standard Workflow for Any Reading Question

1. Read the question stem first.
2. Skim/scan the passage section relevant to that stem.
3. Predict an answer in your own words before opening choices.
4. Check every option:
   • Immediately cross out anything contradicted by the text.
   • Eliminate choices that introduce outside info or change scope.
5. Select the last surviving choice (or the one best matching prediction).
6. Mark doubtful answers for later review if time permits.

Central (Main) Idea Questions

• Look early in the passage; authors often state thesis up front.
• Example: Richard Hunt passage—main claim appears in first sentence: Hunt “uses broad forms rather than extreme accuracy.”
• Elimination tips:
  • Reject answers that add time-progression unless text mentions change over time.
  • Beware of “style drift” choices (e.g., claiming works became more realistic when passage says more abstract).

Detail / Specific-Information Questions

• Usually start with “According to the passage…”
• Strategy: locate key terms in stem, scan for them or synonyms in text.
• Example: “Why does the early phase of love weaken the immune system?”
  • Passage points to decreased serotonin → compromised immunity.
  • Correct answer focuses on hormone that suppresses immunity; wrong answers talk only about rash decisions.

Evidence-Based Questions (Textual)

• Two-step design:
  1. Choose claim/answer (Which statement is supported?).
  2. Pick line numbers or paragraph that best supports that claim.
• Key advice:
  • Do NOT assume background knowledge; answer must be directly quote-supported.
  • Strong language can be a trap; treat it as a red-flag to double-check, not an automatic reject.

Evidence-Based Questions (Data / Graphs)

• Added difficulty: must align both passage logic and graphical data.
• Recommended order:
  1. Read the graph title & axes; note overall trends.
  2. Glance at answer choices; mentally eliminate any numerical claims that graph disproves.
  3. Read passage segment; verify which remaining choice fits passage logic and graph.
• Tutor mnemonic: “Graph TRUE? Passage TRUE? If NO to either, eliminate.”

Common Numerical Data Cited

• ETL fabrication loss: up to 80\% nanoparticle solution wasted → higher cost.
• Poll gap example: May gap ≈ 11\%, October gap ≈ 5\% (shows closing spread).
• Employment projections:
  • Urban & regional planners: projected 16\% growth vs. total occupations 14\% (2010-2020 window).
• Bird migration example: common swift can fly 600\text{ km} in a single day with modest wingspan (16–17 cm).

Trap Types & Elimination Techniques

• "Too specific": Mentions details not in text (e.g., nutrients when only feed types discussed).
• "Other approaches" trap: Answer references comparisons the passage never made.
• "Copy-Paste lure": Choice lifts exact wording from passage but twists scope or causal link.
• Strong wording (“always,” “only,” “must”)—verify against text nuance.

Worked Examples Recapped

• Richard Hunt Sculpture: correct detail distinguished “increasingly abstract” vs. “time-based progression.”
• Love Hormone / Immune System: picked hormone-suppression answer over rash-decision distractor.
• Conventional ETL Fabrication: eliminated answer referencing “other nanoparticle approaches” not discussed; correct focused on manufacturing at scale.
• Bird Wing-Span vs. Migration (Park & Kim): support statement needed to show long-distance flight by small-wing birds or presence of non-wing adaptations.
• Truman-Dewey Gallup Graph: selected claim about October gap still favoring Dewey yet narrowing (aligns with data and narrative).
• Urban & Regional Planners Bar Chart: correct completion expressed 16 % projected growth—neither under- nor overstated.
• Catherine Bergson Quote (“deep emotional connection to nature”): correct option (A) paired powerful emotional language with nature imagery; other choices talked about community or lacked nature component.
• Bronze-Age Herds (Isotope Study): support that cattle were closer to human settlements by showing higher wheat consumption isotope signature.
• Subspecies Feather-Pitch Hypothesis: required example of females’ preference driving genetic divergence; eliminated options about pitch alone.
• Debate vs. Presentation Formats: evidence had to show debates simplify issues + presentations answer more accurately; choice (C) hit both parts.

General Test-Taking Mindset

• Predict first: A self-generated answer acts as a filter.
• Mark & Move: Cross out definite wrongs quickly; don’t agonize.
• Evidence first, opinion second: Personal hunches must be backed by text.
• Use strong wording as a checklist—ask “Does the passage actually say ‘always’?”
• For graphs: jot arrows (↑, ↓, flat) or quick percentages beside bars for instant reference.

Next Steps & Scheduling

• Student expects next session Monday after returning from Boston (exact date TBD).
• Upcoming math topic teased: Right triangles & Pythagorean triples.

Ethical / Practical Implications Mentioned

• Accurate reading skill prevents misinterpretation in real-world contexts (e.g., polling errors, scientific claims).
• Understanding cost implications (e.g., 80\% material loss) ties reading to economic decision-making.