If you’re feeling like you could use a little extra Reading prep, look no further than our Reading and Writing Workout for the SAT, which provides additional strategy advice and focused practice.
In this chapter, we’ll take a look at some other types of questions you will see on the Reading Test, including general questions, paired questions, and quantitative questions. For the most part, these questions will follow the Basic Approach, but the general paired questions and quantitative questions will look a little different.
In this chapter, we’ll look at other question types you’ll see on the SAT Reading Test, including paired questions, main idea questions, general questions, questions featuring charts and graphs, and questions based on dual passage sets.
Remember the “Windshield-Pitting Mystery” passage from the last chapter? We’ll continue to use it for the questions in this chapter as well.
Questions 11–21 are based on the following passage.
This passage is adapted from Linton Weeks’s “The Windshield-Pitting Mystery of 1954.” © 2015 by NPR History Department.
You will notice that on every passage there is at least one set of questions that are paired together. The first question looks and sounds just like a regular question. It may ask about a detail, it may be an inference question, or it may be a main idea question. The second question in the pair will always ask, “Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?” There are two types of paired questions: specific and general.
The specific paired questions are a fabulous two-for-one deal. If you’re following all the steps of the Basic Approach, you’ll find when you get to the “best evidence” question of a specific paired set, you’ve already answered it. This is because you’ve already found the best evidence when you carefully read your window and underlined your prediction. Let’s take a look at a set.
16. According to the passage, what percent of cars in Washington suffered damage?
A) About 20%
B) Approximately 10%
C) Between 5% and 6%
D) Less than 1%
17. Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?
A) Lines 6–11 (“The epidemic’s…March”)
B) Lines 15–18 (“In Canton…April 17”)
C) Lines 44–48 (“There are…cars”)
D) Lines 55–57 (“The cause…them”)
Start with the first question. This question is very straightforward to answer by itself. All you need to do is find out what percent of the cars in Washington were damaged. Although there isn’t a given line reference, you can still skim through the text looking for the lead words Washington and percent. You’ll find these in the sixth paragraph, around lines 35–49. The text clearly states that less than 1% of cars suffered damage. Underline that line and choose (D) for question 16. Then, because you already have the “best evidence” underlined, when you get to question 17, you’ve already answered it. Just find your line reference in the answers, bubble it in, and move on.
Not all sets of paired questions will be as easy as specific paired sets, but they’ll still be approachable. If you have a question that is a main idea/general question or a question without a clear line reference or lead word, Parallel POE is a very useful strategy.
Using Parallel POE, you’ll be able to work through the questions at the same time! When you find yourself faced with a set of paired questions, you can start with the second question (the “best evidence” question) if (1) you aren’t sure where to look for the answer or (2) the first question is a general question about the passage. Because the second question in the pair asks which lines provide the best evidence for the previous question, you can use those lines to help work through the answers for the previous question. Let’s take a look.
20. Based on the passage, the author most likely agrees that “pitting” is
A) a coincidence based on group observations.
B) the result of cosmic rays and nuclear fallout.
C) an example of mass hysteria similar to the Salem Witch trials.
D) the result of a streak of vandalism in the spring of 1954.
21. Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?
A) Lines 12–14 (“Panicked residents…tests”)
B) Lines 30–32 (“As summer…shelters”)
C) Lines 60–64 (“The idea…guillotine”)
D) Lines 86–89 (“I suspect…it”)
When you read question 20, you might have an initial feeling of, “Well, that could be from anywhere in the passage.” Sure could. Now you’re faced with what is potentially the worst scavenger hunt ever. Instead of wading through the entire passage, though, and trying to find something you think answers the question and then hope it’s included in the “best evidence” question, go to the “best evidence” first! This is the Parallel POE strategy.
What’s great about Parallel POE is that, in the first instance, the original question does not even matter. Think for a moment about how paired questions operate. The correct answer to the first question must be supported by an answer to the evidence question, and the correct answer to the evidence question must support an answer to the first question. In other words, if there is an evidence answer that doesn’t support an answer to the first question, it is wrong. Likewise, if there is an answer to the first question that isn’t supported by an evidence answer, it too is wrong.
Use this to your advantage! Rather than worry about what the first question is asking and what the answer might be, just start making connections between the two answer sets. If an evidence answer supports a first question answer, literally draw a line connecting them. You should not expect to have four connections. If you are lucky, you will have only one connection, and you will therefore have your answer pair. Otherwise, you might have two or three connections and will then (and only then) worry about the first question. The important thing to remember is that any answer choice in the first question that isn’t physically connected to an evidence answer—and any evidence answer that isn’t connected to an answer in the first question—must be eliminated.
Let’s take a look at how this first Parallel POE pass would look. (The paired questions have been arranged in two columns to help understand this, and the lines have been written out for your convenience. This does not represent what you will see on the official test.)
Don’t worry about the question itself yet. Go straight to the “best evidence” lines.
(21A) says “Panicked residents” suspected “everything from cosmic rays to sand-flea eggs to fallout from H-bomb tests.” Read through all four answer choices for question 20. Do you see any answers that those lines support? Notice (20B) pretty much says the same thing? Draw a line connecting (21A) with (20B). Nothing else from question 20 matches with (21A), so let’s move on to (21B).
(21B) says As summer rolled on, reports of pitting decreased everywhere and the country moved on to building backyard fallout shelters. Looking through the answers for question 20, you find nothing that is supported by these lines, so you can eliminate (21B). It doesn’t matter what the question asks; if there’s no support, the answer cannot be right.
(21C) says “The idea came from Gustave Le Bon, a French theorist trying to explain the strange behavior of large groups during the French Revolution, in which average citizens began killing large numbers of people via the guillotine.” As with (21B), there are no answers in the first question that are supported by these lines, so (21C) is gone.
(21D) says “I suspect that most people already had these pits all along and only attributed it to the mysterious cause when they heard other people doing it,” which seems to pretty clearly support (20A). Draw a line physically connecting (21D) with (20A).
Now, notice that (C) and (D) in question 20 have no support? Regardless of the question or what you read in the text, if the answers have no support from the “best evidence” question, they cannot be right. Eliminate those two.
At this point, the questions should look something like this:
Now you’re down to a very nice 50/50 split. Go back to the question. Of the two pairs, which one best describes pitting in a way the author would most likely agree with? The author definitely did not believe the pitting was caused by cosmic rays or nuclear fallout, so you can eliminate the (20B)/(21A) pair, leaving you with the correct answer of (20A)/(21D).
On the actual test, it would be too complicated to draw a full table, so all you need to do is create a column to the left of the “best evidence” choices for the answers to the previous question. It should look something like this:
|
Q20 |
21. Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question? |
|
A B C D |
A) Lines 12–14 (“Panicked residents…tests”) B) Lines 30–32 (“As summer…shelters”) C) Lines 60–64 (“The idea…guillotine”) D) Lines 86–89 (“I suspect…it”) |
For many of the Reading passages, the very first question will ask a general question about the passage. It might ask about the main idea or purpose of the passage, the narrative point of view, or a shift that occurs through the passage. Remember the Select a Question step? Those general questions are not good to do first because you haven’t read the passage yet, but once you’ve done most of the other questions, you have a really good idea of the overall themes of the text.
Let’s take a look at the first question from the “Windshield-Pitting Mystery” passage:
11. The central claim of the passage is that
Because this question asks about the central claim of the passage, there’s no one place you can look. General questions don’t have line references or lead words, so there’s no way to use the text to predict an answer. It’s okay, though. By the time you get to answering this question, you’ve already answered almost all of the questions about the passage, so you know what the main idea of the passage is. Not only that, but you also have a good sense of what the test writers found most interesting about the passage. While having this knowledge does not always help, it surely can sometimes. If there are answer choices that have nothing to do with either the questions or the answers you’ve seen repeatedly, you can probably eliminate them and instead choose the one that is consistent with those questions and answers.
Let’s take a look at the answer choices:
A) windshield pitting was a major source of concern for most drivers in 1954.
B) windshield pitting turned out to be nothing but a prank.
C) widespread focus on a specific event can make random occurrences seem significant.
D) lack of consensus for an event’s explanation can cause hysteria.
Remember: If it’s a central claim, it’s a main point of the text. What can you eliminate?
Choice (A) might look good initially because it has the words windshield pitting, drivers, and 1954, but this is definitely not a central claim of the passage.
Choice (B) can be eliminated because the only mention of a prank was as a possible theory put forward by someone else.
Choice (C) looks pretty good. You’ve already answered several specific questions dealing with this idea.
Choice (D) might look pretty good at first too. When you go back to the text, though, you see that the author’s central claim is not about the lack of consensus causing the hysteria. That’s a part of it, but it’s not a complete answer.
Choice (C) is best supported by the text and all of the other questions you’ve answered.
Two passages on the Reading Test will contain one or two of what the College Board calls informational graphics, which are charts, tables, and graphs. That means that two of the four history/social studies and science passages will be accompanied by one or two figures that will provide additional information related to the passages. These passages will include a few questions that ask about the data presented in the graphics, either alone or in relation to the information in the passage. These figures might seem like they’ll require more work, but the charts, tables, and graphs and the questions about them are relatively straightforward. Let’s look at an example.
Data collected by Insurance Information Institute, http://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/auto-insurance.
Step 1: Read the graphic. Carefully look at the title, axis labels, and legend. Notice on this graph you’re looking at Average Expenditures for Auto Insurance from 2008 to 2012. The years are listed across the horizontal axis, and the amount, in dollars, is listed on the vertical axis. According to the legend, the graph compares the entire country to Alaska, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island.
Step 2: Read the question.
30. According to the graph, which of the following statements is most consistent with the data?
Since the question asks you which is consistent with the data, see if you can find specific reasons to eliminate three answer choices that are NOT consistent with the data. Another approach to questions featuring charts and graphs is to simply find the data point that answers the question.
Step 3: Read the answer choices.
A) Auto insurance expenditures have increased in all states from 2008 to 2012.
B) Of all the states shown on the graph, New York had the greatest total increase in auto insurance expenditures.
C) The states shown on the graph all have auto insurance expenditures higher than the United States’ average.
D) North Carolina drivers are better than New York drivers.
Take another look at the graph, this time looking for specific reasons to keep or eliminate answers.
Based on the data shown, (B) is the correct answer.
Now you try one.
31. Data in the graph indicate that Rhode Island’s average expenditure for auto insurance was closest to the national average in which year?
A) 2009
B) 2010
C) 2011
D) 2012
Here’s How to Crack It
The question asks only about Rhode Island and the national average (which indicates the United States line). That means you need to worry about only those two lines. Find the place where those two lines are the closest and put your pencil on it. Notice how the Rhode Island line is just about parallel to the United States line, except where it dips down before it goes back up. That dip is where the lines are closest together, which is in 2009. The answer is (A)! As you may have noticed, there was no need to eliminate the three wrong answer choices because you were able to simply find the data point that answered the question. Sometimes it really will be that simple. Just make sure you have the information to support your answer.
One of the science or history/social studies passages will be a set of dual passages, two shorter passages about one topic. Although the two passages will be about the same topic, there will also be differences that you’ll need to pay attention to. Rather than attempting to read and understand both passages at the same time, just follow the Basic Approach and focus on one passage at a time.
The questions for Passage 1 will come before the questions for Passage 2, and the questions for each passage follow the order of the passage, just like single-passage questions. The questions about both passages will follow the questions for Passage 2.
For questions asking to compare or contrast both passages, it’s helpful to consider one passage at a time rather than trying to juggle both passages at the same time. First, find the answer for the first passage (or the second passage if that one is easier) and use POE to narrow down the answer choices. Then find the answer in the other passage and use POE to arrive at the correct answer. This will save time and keep you from confusing the two passages when you’re evaluating the answer choices. Always keep in mind that the same POE criteria apply, no matter how two-passage questions are presented.
If a question is about what is supported by both passages, make sure that you find specific support in both passages, and be wary of all the usual trap answers.
If a question is about an issue on which the authors of the two passages disagree or on how the passages relate to one another, make sure you find support in each passage for the author’s particular opinion.
If the question asks how one author would respond to the other passage, find out what was said in that other passage, and then find out exactly what the author you are asked about said on that exact topic.
The bottom line: If you’re organized and remember the Basic Approach for reading comprehension, you’ll see that two-passage questions are no harder than single-passage questions! The following drill provides some practice with dual passages. Answers and explanations can be found at the end of the chapter.
Questions 12–22 are based on the following passages.
Passage 1 is adapted from Louisa Twining, “Workhouses and Women’s Work” © 1857 by The National Association for the Promotion of Social Science. Passage 2 is adapted from Florence Nightingale and William Rathbone, “Workhouse Nursing, the Story of a Successful Experiment” © 1867 by Macmillan and Co.
Passage 1
Passage 2
12. The primary purpose of Passage 1 is to
A) praise an effective structure.
B) criticize a social group.
C) examine the finances of a system.
D) advocate for a necessary change.
13. Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?
A) Lines 13–16 (“Efficient nurses…pay”)
B) Lines 16–19 (“One of…it”)
C) Lines 22–27 (“but in…week”)
D) Lines 28–32 (“Seeing how…law”)
14. As used in line 21, “maintained” most nearly means
A) provided for.
B) affirmed.
C) healed.
D) fixed.
15. The phrase in lines 34–35 (“we could hardly hope”) most directly suggests that
A) an ideal candidate should be found for a position.
B) people who go to hospitals should be critical of nurses.
C) allowances should be made, since no person is perfect.
D) an improvement is still likely to have some flaws.
16. Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?
A) Lines 13–16 (“Efficient nurses…pay”)
B) Lines 19–22 (“Of course…parish”)
C) Lines 29–32 (“it would…law”)
D) Lines 35–38 (“from what…plan”)
17. The final sentence of Passage 1 has which effect?
A) It emphasizes that the current situation is unpleasant.
B) It shares the author’s despair over the circumstances.
C) It casts an entirely optimistic light on a proposal.
D) It evokes the generally low opinion held for a certain group.
18. It can be most directly inferred from the second paragraph of Passage 2 (lines 46–56) that the first year of the experiment described in the passage was unusual in
A) having weather that caused an uncharacteristic amount of illness.
B) the overall number of people who required medical treatment.
C) that effective medical treatment exceeded statistical expectations.
D) the number of people who died from disease.
19. The author of Passage 2 references a “careful classified list of cases” (line 64) in order to
A) specify what will be required of all workhouses in the future, if the experiment continues.
B) explain a missing element that would have ensured an outcome.
C) reveal an inconsistency which made more accurate analysis impossible.
D) detail the extent to which records can be kept over a long period.
20. As used in line 69, the phrase “character of seasons” most nearly means
A) changes in morality.
B) weather patterns.
C) the overall health during a period.
D) the unpredictable nature of human behavior.
21. The author of Passage 1 would most likely respond to the phrase in lines 46–47 (“With the exception…class”) of Passage 2 by
A) expressing surprise at an unexpected result that is inconsistent with prior observations.
B) acknowledging that an ideal situation may not be practical to attain.
C) noting that intervention earlier in life may have changed an outcome.
D) suggesting that the data may not be entirely representative.
22. Which choice best describes the relationship between the two passages?
A) Passage 2 describes a scenario that addresses some elements of the situation shown in Passage 1.
B) Passage 2 discusses potential results of the overall problem reviewed in Passage 1.
C) Passage 2 underscores the futility of attempts to resolve the concerns of Passage 1.
D) Passage 2 resolves the issues brought to light in Passage 1.
12. D
Because this is a general question followed by a “best evidence” question, Parallel POE lets you use the answer choices for the next question to help with this one. Remember, you can look at the lines given in the “best evidence” question to see if they support any of these answer choices. None of the choices for the next question seem to support (A), so you can eliminate (A). Choice (B) might initially seem to be supported by (B) from the next question, so keep that pair. Choice (C) might have a connection with (D) from the next question, as it mentions matters of expense, so keep that pair as well. Choice (D) is supported by (C) from the next question. Now consider your remaining pairs. The passage discusses the evils of the employment of pauper nurses, and that in no case should they be left with the sole charge and responsibility of sick [patients], as they continually are at present; the passage is primarily concerned with describing a system that needs to be changed. The passage is not criticizing a social group or focusing specifically on financial matters. This leaves (D) as the correct answer, automatically making (C) the correct answer for the “best evidence” question.
13. C
Because this is a “best evidence” question following a general question, Parallel POE lets you use the answer choices for this question to help with the previous one. Remember, you can look at the lines given in the “best evidence” question to see if they support any of the answer choices for the previous question. Choice (A) does not support any of the answer choices from the previous question, so you can eliminate (A). Choice (B) in this question seems to support (B) in the previous question, since the lines refer to a woman who’s proud of being in jail, so keep that pair. Choice (C) in this question supports (D) in the previous question, as the lines show a problem that clearly needs to be changed. Choice (D) in this question seems to support (C) from the previous question, as it mentions matters of expense and finances of a system. Now you’re down to three pairs, so go back to the question, which asks about the primary purpose of the passage. The passage discusses the evils of the employment of pauper nurses, and that in no case should they be left with the sole charge and responsibility of sick [patients], as they continually are at present. Therefore, the passage is primarily concerned with describing a system that needs to be changed. The passage does not criticize a social group or focus specifically on financial matters. This leaves (D) as the correct answer to question 12, automatically making (C) the right answer for this “best evidence” question.
14. A
Careful reading is necessary in order to dissect the context of the word maintained in the passage. The passage draws a contrast between pauper and efficient nurses. Those refers to pauper nurses, since in no case should they be left with the sole charge…of sick [people], which the passage indicates immediately after referring to the evils of the employment of pauper nurses. Since a pauper is “one who relies on charity,” pauper nurses can be inferred to rely on charity. Thus, since these pauper nurses must be maintained at the cost of the parish, the word maintained can be inferred to mean at least “given assistance with basic needs.” Choice (A) is correct because it matches the predicted answer. Choice (B) is a secondary meaning of maintained, but it does not match the predicted answer; eliminate it. Choice (C) is tempting, as the passage discusses nurses, but it’s still incorrect because it does not match the predicted answer. Choice (D) also doesn’t match the predicted answer, so eliminate (D).
15. D
The phrase we could hardly hope refers to whether a paid nurse would be all [the author] could desire for so important a post, indicating that the author does not believe a paid nurse would do a perfect job. The author continues to say that the reason for this judgment is what we know of the paid nurses in hospitals, implying that paid nurses are known to have flaws. Finally, the author states that at any rate there would be a better chance of an effective system with a paid nurse. Thus, the correct answer should indicate that while a paid nurse would be an improvement, the author still expects there to be problems. Choice (A) is incorrect, as ideal is the opposite of the predicted answer. Choice (B) is incorrect because the author discusses paid nurses in hospitals in order to make a point about what could be expected from a paid nurse in general, not about hospitals themselves, and critical is too extreme. Choice (C) is incorrect because it does not match that there is evidence of a problem with paid nurses in hospitals, and the phrase we could hardly hope does not indicate that all people have flaws. Choice (D) is correct because it matches the prediction.
16. D
When you made your prediction for the previous question, you should have underlined that such a person would be…all we desire…we could hardly hope, from what we know of the paid nurses in hospitals…but better chance of efficiency and character than present plan. Therefore, (D) is correct.
17. A
In the final sentence of Passage 1, the author acknowledges that a solution has flaws but is nonetheless a preferable solution. By using the phrasing we could hardly hope, and at any rate…better…than…the present plan, the author attempts to gain sympathy for the perspective that the current situation is so negative that even a flawed solution is an improvement. Choice (A) is correct because it matches the prediction. Choice (B) is incorrect because the author is providing a potential solution, which doesn’t match despair. Choice (C) is also incorrect, since optimistic is the opposite of the predicted answer, and entirely is extreme language. Choice (D) is incorrect because the author is not trying to criticize a certain group, but rather show that the overall circumstances require even a flawed solution.
18. B
The second paragraph of Passage 2 indicates that the season was very unhealthy, which means that more people than usual became sick during a particular period. Eliminate (A), as the weather is not supported as the cause of sickness. Choice (B) matches the prediction, so keep it. Eliminate (C) because the passage indicates that it was impossible…to judge the result by statistics. Choice (D) may be true, but it is still incorrect because the third paragraph of Passage 2 implies only that the proportion of deaths may have been unusually high, not the number of people who required medical treatment. Choice (B) is the answer.
19. C
The author of Passage 2 states that It was impossible…to judge the result by statistics, and that even had there been no exceptional disturbing element, there is a defect in the statistics of workhouse hospitals. Thus, the author indicates that there were other reasons statistical results could not be drawn, but that even without those other reasons, workhouse hospitals lack a careful classified list of cases, which would be necessary for statistical analysis. Choices (A) and (D) are incorrect because they do not match the prediction. Choice (B) is also incorrect; the passage states that there were several reasons for the lack of evidence of success or failure, and the season [being] very unhealthy may still have made analysis impossible. Choice (C) is correct: while the author states that there were other reasons that the results could not be judged by statistics, a defect in the statistics…affects all inferences from them.
20. C
Passage 2 refers to a season as very unhealthy as part of the reason that statistics couldn’t be judged accurately. The reference to the character of seasons in the third paragraph of Passage 2 serves a similar purpose by listing reasons that statistical judgments are difficult to make in general. When compared with the earlier reference to an unhealthy season, the character of seasons refers most clearly to the health of the population during a certain period of time. Eliminate (A) and (B), which do not match the prediction. Choice (D) is incorrect because the predicted answer refers to the health of people, not their behavior; eliminate (D). Choice (C) matches the prediction and is the correct answer.
21. B
The phrase with the exception of the failure of the nurses taken from the pauper class very briefly indicates that the pauper nurses included in the experiment made in Passage 2 were not successful. The author of Passage 1 states that it is desirable, if possible, to employ [the pauper nurses], and that the only way…[such] employment…could be [successful]…would be under the constant supervision or trained nurses. The qualifying phrase, if possible, indicates that the author of Passage 2 would prefer that the pauper nurses be involved in a new system but is not certain this would be possible. Choice (A) is incorrect because the author of Passage 1 indicated prior observations, which were negative toward the pauper nurses. Choice (B) is correct because it matches the prediction. Choice (C) is incorrect; while it could be true, it is not directly supported by the information in Passage 1. Choice (D) is incorrect because it is not supported by Passage 1 and relies on the unrelated surrounding information in Passage 2.
22. A
Passage 1 describes an overall problem, and Passage 2 describes a specific attempt to solve the problem. Choice (A) is correct because it matches the prediction. Choice (B) is incorrect because it does not match the prediction, and (C) is wrong because futility is too extreme. Choice (D) can be eliminated because resolves is extreme as well.
For paired questions, make sure you’re following the right strategy.
Specific paired questions simply require you to follow the Basic Approach, making sure you’ve underlined the evidence for your prediction in the text.
General paired questions will be much more straightforward if you use Parallel POE to consider the “best evidence” in tandem with the previous question.
For dual passages, do questions about the first passage first, questions about the second passage second, and dual questions last. Remember that even with dual questions, you must find support in the passages.
Save main idea or general questions until the end of the passage. POE will be much more efficient once you’ve done all of the other questions.
Don’t get bogged down by hard or time-consuming questions! If you find yourself stuck or running short on time, use LOTD and move on.
