Chapter 5

Advanced Reading Skills

In this chapter, we’ll cover skills to use when you encounter more difficult passages, questions, or answer choices.

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH

SAT Reading passages cover a wide variety of topics and time periods. You may encounter passages on topics you find unfamiliar and difficult, or passages from as long ago as the 18th century. Likewise, you may encounter questions with confusing language in the answer choices. Your POOD should tell you to leave these passages and questions for last, or possibly to use your Letter of the Day. However, if your pacing goal requires you to work the toughest passages and questions, you will need a strategy to tackle them. In this chapter, we will look at skills for dealing with difficult passages and answer choices.

TRANSLATING

If you read the window for a question in the passage and you don’t understand what you’ve read, what can you do?

First, break the section of text down using Bite-Sized Pieces: focus on one sentence, or even one phrase, at a time. Start with whichever piece you find most straightforward, and work your way forward or backward from there, translating as you go.

Let’s look at an excerpt from a text written in 1774.

The following passage is excerpted from a speech given by Edmund Burke in 1774. Burke was a member of the British Parliament.

And, of course, the question to go with it:

12. In line 1, the words, “I am sorry” most nearly express the author’s regret that

And then our window:

I am sorry I cannot conclude without saying a word on a topic touched upon by my worthy colleague. I wish that topic had been passed by at a time when I have so little leisure to discuss it. But since he has thought proper to throw it out, I owe you a clear explanation of my poor sentiments on that 5 subject.

Imagine if you tried to just jump in and read this passage without a question to work on! Even with the question to guide your thought process, these few sentences are still a challenge to understand. So, let’s break this down using Bite-Sized Pieces.

Which part of this paragraph do you find most straightforward? You might start with the phrase I cannot conclude without saying a word on a topic. What does this tell you about what the author is doing? He is introducing a topic that he is going to speak about, and he says he cannot conclude without doing so, which indicates that this passage comes from the end of a longer speech or piece of writing.

Work forward or backward from this phrase. The sentence starts with I am sorry. Why does he feel sorry about speaking on this topic? Asking yourself questions about the text is an important reading comprehension skill. It tells you what to look for in the text and can help you understand the text more quickly and completely. As you read the rest of the paragraph, look for clues as to why the author is sorry.

Now consider the end of the first sentence: it says that the topic was touched upon by my worthy colleague. It sounds as though someone the speaker works with brought up the topic. What kind of work do the author and the colleague do? The blurb says that the speaker, Edmund Burke, was a member of British Parliament, so he and his colleague are politicians. Don’t forget to check the blurb! It may include information that will help you understand the passage.

In the next sentence, Burke states, I wish that topic had been passed by at a time when I have so little leisure to discuss it. What does this sentence tell you? It expresses the author’s wish about the topic and indicates that he has so little leisure to discuss it. The word leisure means something like “free time,” so the author is saying that he does not have much time to discuss the topic now. Now consider the phrase had been passed by—since the author does not have time to discuss the topic, he must be saying that he wishes they had skipped over it. Now, we understand why the author is sorry about having to speak on the topic—he doesn’t have as much time as he would like to talk about it now.

Now consider the final sentence: But since he has thought proper to throw it out, I owe you a clear explanation of my poor sentiments on that subject. The sentence starts with the transition word but. Transition words are important clues in understanding the text. Just before this, the author said that he does not have time to discuss the topic and wishes they had skipped over it. The word but indicates a change in direction, so it’s likely that the author is going to say that he will speak on the topic anyway. (This prediction is supported by the first sentence, too.)

Who do the pronouns he and it in this sentence refer to? Matching pronouns back to the nouns they replace is another important skill in translating convoluted text. Look at the previous sentences: he refers to Burke’s colleague, and it refers to the topic he brought up.

When you see the phrase throw it out, you may think about taking out the garbage, but use the context: we know the colleague brought up the topic, so it’s logical that throw it out means “bring it up.” The word proper means “right” or “correct.” Putting it all together, this phrase means, “But, since he thought it was right to bring it up…”

Finally, look at the last phrase: I owe you a clear explanation of my poor sentiments on that subject. What does my poor sentiments on that subject mean? Sentiments are feelings, or possibly thoughts. Burke is a politician: is it likely that he is about to share thoughts that he actually believes are poor? Probably not—he is likely just trying to sound humble. Who does you refer to? We don’t know yet who he is speaking to; this is another question to keep in mind as you read. We can also make a good guess based on the fact that he is a politician: he might be speaking to other politicians or to the people he represents.

As you translate, try to summarize periodically. Thinking about the main idea or purpose of each paragraph will help you understand the structure of the passage. Putting all the pieces together, what is Burke doing in this paragraph? He is introducing the topic he will speak on.

What do we know so far? We don’t know the topic of the speech yet, but we know it’s a subject that his colleague brought up, that Burke would rather have more time to talk about it, and that he is going to explain his thoughts on the topic anyway.

Now let’s use the translation to answer the question.

12. In line 1, the words, “I am sorry” most nearly express the author’s regret that

A) he is imposing on his audience by asking them to continue listening.

B) his colleague has dismissed an important topic.

C) he does not have more time to discuss his next subject.

D) he is a poor speaker and cannot express himself clearly.

Which answers can you eliminate based on your translation? Choice (A) implies that Burke is making an apology to the audience. This does not match the text: he regrets that he doesn’t have more time to speak. Eliminate (A). Choice (B) is a Right Words, Wrong Meaning trap based on the phrase throw it out. Based on the context, we translated that phrase as “bring up the topic,” so this answer is not supported by the text. Eliminate (B). Choice (C) is a good match for our translation: Burke regrets that he doesn’t have as much time as he would like to talk about this topic. Keep (C). Choice (D) is also a Right Words, Wrong Meaning trap based on the phrase I owe you a clear explanation of my poor sentiments, but we noted that Burke used the word poor to be humble, not because he actually thinks he is a poor speaker. Eliminate (D). The correct answer is (C).

Now try answering some questions based on the rest of this passage. Use the Basic Approach. As you Read What You Need, translate one bite-sized piece at time, starting with the piece that seems most straightforward. Don’t forget to underline a prediction of the correct answer in the text.

13. The “topic of instructions” can best be characterized as

He tells you that “the topic of instructions has occasioned much altercation and uneasiness in this city;” and he expresses himself (if I understand him rightly) in favour of the coercive authority of such instructions.

What is your translation?

14. As used in line 12, the word “weight” most nearly means

Certainly, gentlemen, it ought to be the happiness and glory of a representative to live in the strictest union, the closest correspondence, and the most unreserved communication with his constituents. Their wishes ought to have great weight with him; their opinion, high respect; their business, unremitted attention. It is his duty to sacrifice his repose, his pleasures, his satisfactions, to theirs; and above all, ever, and in all cases, to prefer their interest to his own. But his unbiassed opinion, his mature judgment, his enlightened conscience, he ought not to sacrifice to you, to any man, or to any set of men living. These he does not derive from your pleasure; no, nor from the law and the constitution. They are a trust from Providence, for the abuse of which he is deeply answerable. Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion.

What is your translation?

15. The fourth paragraph (lines 22–29) suggests Burke would be most likely to agree that legislation should

My worthy colleague says, his will ought to be subservient to yours. If that be all, the thing is innocent. If government were a matter of will upon any side, yours, without question, ought to be superior. But government and legislation are matters of reason and judgment, and not of inclination; and what sort of reason is that, in which the determination precedes the discussion; in which one set of men deliberate, and another decide; and where those who form the conclusion are perhaps three hundred miles distant from those who hear the arguments?

What is your translation?

16. As used in line 36, “a fundamental mistake” most nearly refers to

To deliver an opinion, is the right of all men; that of constituents is a weighty and respectable opinion, which a representative ought always to rejoice to hear; and which he ought always most seriously to consider. But authoritative instructions; mandates issued, which the member is bound blindly and implicitly to obey, to vote, and to argue for, though contrary to the clearest conviction of his judgment and conscience,—these are things utterly unknown to the laws of this land, and which arise from a fundamental mistake of the whole order and tenor of our constitution.

What is your translation?

Now, with your translations in mind, try the following questions on your own before reading the explanations.

13. The “topic of instructions” can best be characterized as

A) a popular policy.

B) a controversial subject.

C) an authoritative statement.

D) a settled matter.

Here’s How to Crack It

The question asks how best to characterize the topic of instructions. The paragraph states that the topic of instructions has occasioned much altercation and uneasiness in this city. Translate this phrase, starting with the most straightforward part: uneasiness indicates that something about the topic makes people uncomfortable. You may not know what altercation means, but the word and indicates that it goes in the same direction as uneasiness. Therefore, the topic of instructions has caused some kind of discomfort or disruption in the city. This paragraph also answers one of the questions that was brought up by the first paragraph: the topic of instructions is the subject that Burke is going to discuss.

Choice (A) is positive, and doesn’t match the negative tone of uneasiness, so eliminate it.

Choice (B) matches: a controversial subject could cause uneasiness, so keep it.

Choice (C) may be tempting because authoritative seems to match the idea of giving instructions, but use your prediction: authoritative doesn’t match uneasiness. In addition, one statement is not a topic. Eliminate (C).

Choice (D) does not match the prediction; if the topic is causing uneasiness, it must not be settled. Eliminate (D).

The correct answer is (B).

14. As used in line 12, the word “weight” most nearly means

A) significance.

B) heaviness.

C) measure.

D) burden.

Here’s How to Crack It

This is a vocabulary in context question that asks about the word weight. Go back to the passage, cross out the word weight, and use the surrounding lines to determine another word that would match the meaning. The previous phrase talks about communication between a representative and his constituents (the people he represents). The sentence with the word weight says, Their wishes ought to have great weight with him; their opinion, high respect; their business, unremitted attention. Use the next part of the sentence to help determine the meaning: it pairs the constituents’ opinion with high respect and the constituents’ business with attention. The text is saying that the representative should give the constituents his respect and attention, so the word weight must mean something like “importance.”

Choice (A), significance, matches “importance,” so keep it.

Choice (B), heaviness, does not match “importance,” so eliminate it. This is a Could Be True trap answer, based on another meaning of weight that is not supported by the context.

Choices (C) and (D) are also Could Be True trap answers: neither of these words matches “importance,” so eliminate both choices.

The correct answer is (A).

In your translation, did you notice that this paragraph also answers the question of whom Burke is speaking to? He discusses what a representative should and should not sacrifice to his constituents, and then he switches to the pronoun you. The last sentence says, Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion. Burke is speaking to his constituents.

15. The fourth paragraph (lines 22–29) suggests Burke would be most likely to agree that legislation should

A) follow guidelines established by the Constitution.

B) always reflect the opinions of those who correspond with their representatives.

C) reflect representatives’ knowledge of legal precedent.

D) be decided following debate of the relevant issues.

Here’s How to Crack It

The question asks which statement about legislation Burke would most likely agree with. In this paragraph, Burke begins by telling the audience what his colleague thinks: his will ought to be subservient to yours. Then, he makes a couple of statements that begin with the word if. If that be all, the thing is innocent. If government were a matter of will upon any side, yours, without question, ought to be superior. It sounds like, in some respects, Burke agrees with his colleague. However, in the next sentence, he uses the opposite-direction transition word but. But government and legislation are matters of reason and judgment, and not of inclination. Therefore, Burke does not agree entirely. In these lines, he echoes the statement he made at the end of the last paragraph: the representative should not sacrifice his judgement to the constituents’ opinion. He goes on to say, and what sort of reason is that, in which the determination precedes the discussion; in which one set of men deliberate, and another decide; and where those who form the conclusion are perhaps three hundred miles distant from those who hear the arguments? He supports his argument by pointing out that it doesn’t make sense to have one group of people (the legislators) debate an issue after another group of people (the constituents) has already made the decision.

Choice (A) is a Could Be True trap answer. It’s possible, even likely, that Burke does support following the Constitution. However, this is not discussed in the text, and on the SAT, the correct answer must be supported by the text. Eliminate (A).

Choice (B) says that legislation should always reflect the opinions of constituents. Burke does think that legislators should consider their constituents’ opinions, but he does not think they should sacrifice their judgement to the constituents’ opinions, so the word always is not supported. Eliminate (B).

Choice (C) is a Mostly Right/Slightly Wrong trap answer: Burke does think that legislation should reflect representatives’ judgement and reason, but he does not mention legal precedent. Eliminate (C).

Choice (D) matches the last sentence of the paragraph: Burke believes that decisions about legislation should be made after deliberation. The correct answer is (D).

16. As used in line 36, “a fundamental mistake” most nearly refers to

A) disregarding the opinions of constituents.

B) a misunderstanding of the constitution.

C) disobeying instructions.

D) a law that should be amended.

Here’s How to Crack It

The question asks what the phrase a fundamental mistake refers to. In this paragraph, Burke reiterates his argument. Representatives should consider and respect their constituents’ opinions but should not ignore good judgement and conscience to obey instructions from their constituents. He ends by saying that these approaches to governing are utterly unknown to the laws of this land, and that they arise from a fundamental mistake of the whole order and tenor of our constitution. In other words, the idea that legislators are meant to follow instructions from their constituents is not supported by the law; if people think so, they misunderstand.

Choice (A) is a Right Words, Wrong Meaning trap. Burke does state that representatives should consider their constituents’ opinions, but disregarding them is not the fundamental mistake that he discusses.

Choice (B) matches the passage, so keep it.

Choice (C) is another Right Words, Wrong Meaning trap. Obey and instructions appear in the passage, but Burke does not think it’s a mistake to disobey instructions. In fact, it’s just the opposite: he thinks representatives should not be expected to obey instructions.

Choice (D) mentions a law that needs to be changed, but the law is not a mistake; the mistake refers to misunderstanding the law. Eliminate (D).

The correct answer is (B).

And now try a general Paired Evidence question about this passage.

11. The central question that Burke and his colleague disagree over is whether

A) representatives should prioritize the will of their constituents.

B) important topics have been given due consideration in Parliament.

C) members of Parliament should vote according to constituents’ directives.

D) voters possess the reason and judgement necessary to make policy decisions.

12. Which choice provides the best evidence for the previous question?

A) Lines 3–5 (“But since…subject”)

B) Line 22 (“My worthy…yours”)

C) Lines 24–29 (“But government…arguments”)

D) Lines 30–32 (“To deliver…consider”)

Here’s How to Crack It

Since this is a general Paired Evidence question, use Parallel Process of Elimination. Question 11 asks for the central point of disagreement between Burke and his colleague.

The lines for (12A) say, But since he has thought proper to throw it out, I owe you a clear explanation of my poor sentiments on that subject. In these lines, Burke does not mention the topic he will discuss: he only says that his colleague has mentioned the topic and that he is going to talk about it. Therefore, these lines can’t give evidence of the central point of disagreement. They don’t address question 11, so eliminate (12A).

The lines for (12B) say, My worthy colleague says, his will ought to be subservient to yours. This certainly mentions the colleague’s opinion. However, Burke agrees with his colleague on this point. Burke says, If that be all, the thing is innocent. If government were a matter of will upon any side, yours, without question, ought to be superior. Therefore, these lines don’t provide evidence about a point of disagreement between the two men. They don’t address question 11, so eliminate (12B).

The lines for (12C) say, But government and legislation are matters of reason and judgment, and not of inclination; and what sort of reason is that, in which the determination precedes the discussion; in which one set of men deliberate, and another decide; and where those who form the conclusion are perhaps three hundred miles distant from those who hear the arguments? The opposite-direction transition But at the beginning of these lines indicates disagreement. In these lines, Burke states his argument against his colleague on the topic of instructions: government is a matter of reason, so representatives should deliberate issues and then make decisions. They should not have to follow instructions from constituents, who have made decisions ahead of time without the benefit of deliberation. This addresses the central point of disagreement between Burke and his colleague. Look to see if this supports an answer choice for question 11. It supports (11C), the question of whether members of Parliament (the representatives) should follow their constituents’ directives, or instructions. Draw a line connecting (12C) and (11C).

The lines for (12D) say, To deliver an opinion, is the right of all men; that of constituents is a weighty and respectable opinion, which a representative ought always to rejoice to hear; and which he ought always most seriously to consider. These lines convey a point of agreement between Burke and his colleague, who believes that a representative should put the constituents’ will above his own. These lines don’t address question 11, so eliminate (12D).

Without support from question 12, (11A), (11B), and (11D) can be eliminated. The correct answers are (11C) and (12C).

MATCHING BACK ANSWER CHOICES

Sometimes, even the answer choices require translation. This is especially true for answer choices that use very general language. Let’s look at some examples, based on the following passage.

This passage is from Charles Petit, “Hazy Days in Our Parks,” which originally appeared in Smithsonian magazine. ©2005 by Charles Petit

Ever since Congress created the first national park, at Yellowstone in 1872, the parks have enjoyed special legal protections. In 1916, the Line National Park Service was set up to maintain areas “unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.” Additional legal backing came in 1977 when amendments to the Clean Air Act gave parks the highest priority, designating them as Class I areas. The law is emphatic: “Congress hereby declares as a national goal the prevention of any future, and the remedying of any existing, impairment of visibility in mandatory class I Federal areas which impairment results from manmade air pollution.” “It was visionary to try to protect these areas without even knowing how difficult it would be,” says air resources division director Chris Shaver. The division has outfitted most major parks with filters to gather aerosols, or ultrafine solid
and liquid particles in the air; nephelometers to measure how haze scatters sunlight; and transmissometers that gauge scattering and absorption of light by pollution, dust, mist or other material in the air. Chemical samplers scrutinize the concentration of such problematic molecules as ozone, which can be harmful to humans at ground level. Shaver remembers standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon with her then 6-year-old daughter, Courtney, in 1990. The girl looked at the barely visible cliffs on the other side and said, “Mom, I don’t know how to tell you this, because I know how hard you are working, but you’re not doing a very good job.” Courtney graduated from college this year, and Shaver still sees haze in the park system. When researchers started measuring the Grand Canyon’s air quality in the 1970s, “Congress and most people thought we had a problem with [only] a few power plants in the four corners,” she says of the region where Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah meet. Since then, while these power plants have slashed their overall sulfur emissions by 72 percent, the canyon’s haze remains—evidence that the
problem isn’t merely local. The Clear Skies Initiative aims to replace the strict limits governing an individual power plant’s emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides with a “cap-and-trade” system. A plant that exceeds a limit for a pollutant would buy or trade credits from an operator that was under the limit for the same compound, keeping the nation’s overall pollution in check. Proponents say the plan is simpler, allows companies to be flexible, and lets some stay in business without buying expensive clean-up equipment. If a plant goes over its limit and has no credits to buy its way clear, EPA officials can levy fines with fewer hearings and lawsuits. But opponents see Clear Skies as a sellout to industry. They say the proposal is less aggressive than current regulations, and they complain that it would let dirty power plants operate as long as their owners buy credits elsewhere. Many environmental organizations have attacked the proposals. “Why is the Administration bragging about a plan that will actually result in more pollution than if we simply enforced the existing Clean Air Act?” the Sierra Club asks.
Clear Skies opponents also say the plan would put park air at risk because the cap-and-trade credit system takes the teeth out of the parks’ Class I designation. Park superintendents would no longer have clear authority to demand that the EPA or other agencies go after individual polluters. The Clear Skies legislation is currently stalled in a Senate committee. Bartering has worked in the past. Since 1990, power plants have been allowed to use a cap-and- trade system to help reduce acid rain, produced largely by coal-fired plants spewing nitrogen and sulfur. Consequently, sulfur emissions went from 17.3 million tons in 1980 to 10.6 million tons in 2003. Park service expert Mark Scruggs is guardedly optimistic about the Clear Skies Initiative. “If the caps are stiff enough, sure, it will help a lot,” he says. “A 70 percent cut in sulfur dioxide is going to make a difference, especially for the East Coast parks.” But Scruggs says that when the current system is at its best—when agencies work together to prosecute individual polluters—results are impressive. EPA
pressure on industry led to improvements in scrubber technologies, which reduce smokestack emissions, with 95 to 98 percent elimination of some pollutants now commonplace. Scruggs says similar improvements are possible for other pollutants.

23. The reference to amendments to the Clean Air Act primarily serves to

A) cite changes that had detrimental effects.

B) provide support for a previous statement.

C) introduce a controversial hypothesis.

D) offer an alternative proposal.

Here’s How to Crack It

Note that the answer choices contain general words such as effects, previous statement, hypothesis, and explanation, rather than naming specific things that were discussed in the passage. The key with these answers is to match the general terms back to specifics in the passage, eliminating answers that do not match up. Let’s try to match back the general terms. The amendments to the Clean Air Act are discussed in line 7, so the window for this question is the first paragraph.

Choice (A) mentions changes and detrimental effects. The word changes matches amendments, but the passage indicates that the effect of the amendments was to make the parks the highest priority. Therefore, the effects were not detrimental (harmful). Only part of (A) matches the passage.

Choice (B) mentions a previous statement and says that the amendments are referenced to support it. The first sentence states that the parks have enjoyed special legal protections. The passage also describes the amendments as additional legal backing for the protection provided by the National Park Service. This supports the previous statement that the parks have enjoyed special legal protections. Choice (B) matches the specifics of the paragraph.

Choice (C) mentions a hypothesis. A hypothesis provides an explanation for something and is an idea that has not been proven. However, this paragraph is not trying to explain anything, and the statements about the amendments are facts, not unproven ideas. Choice (C) does not match the passage.

Choice (D) mentions an alternative proposal, but this paragraph does not offer any proposals—it discusses past events. This answer does not match the passage.

The correct answer to this question is (B).

Matching back from the answer choices to the passage can be helpful when a question is very open-ended, making it difficult to identify a specific prediction in the text. Careful matching back will also help you avoid trap answers. Work the following questions using the Basic Approach. Try matching back the answers when you get to Step 5: Process of Elimination.

24. The reference to Shaver’s daughter’s graduation in lines 34–36 primarily serves to

A) highlight the scale of a problem.

B) celebrate progress made over time.

C) demonstrate the futility of continued efforts.

D) offer hope for the future.

Here’s How to Crack It

The question asks for the purpose of the reference to Shaver’s daughter’s graduation. Use the line reference to find the window for the question. Lines 28–34 indicate that when Shaver’s daughter was six years old, the cliffs at the Grand Canyon were barely visible because of the haze from air pollution, and that Shaver had been working hard. According to the previous paragraph, Shaver is working to reduce the air pollution in national parks. The reference to the daughter’s graduation says that she graduated from college this year, and Shaver still sees haze in the park system. The reference to the daughter’s graduation indicates that people have been working on the problem for more than a decade, and there is still haze from air pollution in the parks.

Choice (A), highlight the scale of a problem, matches the specifics in the text: the problem is air pollution in the national parks, and these lines highlight the scale of it by showing how long it is taking to solve.

Choice (B), celebrate progress made over time, does not match the specifics in the text. There has not been much progress made, since there is still haze in the park system. Notice that graduation might make you think of progress over time, so if you did not carefully read the window, this Right Words, Wrong Meaning trap answer might tempt you.

Choice (C), demonstrate the futility of continued efforts, does not match the specifics in the text. This paragraph indicates that the problem is not solved yet, but it does not indicate that it is futile, or useless, to keep trying to solve the problem. In fact, there’s no discussion of what will happen in the future in this paragraph.

Choice (D), offer hope for the future, does not match the specifics in the text. Again, there’s no discussion of what will happen in the future in this paragraph. Additionally, this paragraph talks about lack of progress, so it doesn’t offer hope. Notice that this choice might also be tempting if you read graduation without the context provided by the window.

The correct answer is (A).

25. Proponents of the Clear Skies Initiative would most likely agree with which of the following statements?

A) It puts strict limits on individual power plants’ emissions.

B) Its “cap-and-trade” system is less complex than current regulations.

C) It is the best option for reducing air pollution.

D) It supports both businesses and the environment by providing clean-up equipment.

Here’s How to Crack It

The question asks which statement proponents of the Clear Skies Initiative would most likely agree with. This question doesn’t have a line reference, but you can use the sequence of the questions, together with the lead words proponents and Clear Skies Initiative to help you find the window. The previous question asked about lines 34–36, so start with line 36 and scan for the lead words. The Clear Skies Initiative appears in line 46 and proponents appears in line 53. Read a window around these lines. This paragraph indicates that the Clear Skies Initiative proposes a cap-and-trade system to fight pollution. It states, Proponents say the plan is simpler, allows companies to be flexible, and lets some stay in business without buying expensive clean-up equipment.

Choice (A) says that proponents of the Clear Skies Initiative would agree that the initiative puts strict limits on individual power plants’ emissions. Match this answer back to the passage. The passage says, The Clear Skies Initiative aims to replace the strict limits governing an individual power plant’s emissions with a cap-and-trade system. Did you notice the word replace? Choice (A) is contradicted by the passage, but it is a Mostly Right/Slightly Wrong trap answer, and the difference between the answer and the passage comes down to one word. Careful matching back can help you avoid traps like this one.

Choice (B) says proponents would agree that the initiative’s “cap-and-trade” system is less complex than current regulations. Match this answer back to the text, which says, Proponents say the plan is simpler. Simpler matches less complex. Although the author doesn’t explicitly state what he is comparing the plan with, the first sentence of the paragraph says that The Clear Skies Initiative aims to replace the strict limits governing an individual power plant’s emissions, so it is reasonable to infer that the author is comparing the proposed plan to current emissions regulations.

Choice (C) says proponents would agree that the initiative is the best option for reducing air pollution. It’s certainly possible that people who support this plan think it is the best option, but match this answer back to the text. There is nothing in the text you can point to as evidence that proponents think this is the best plan. We only know that they think it is better than the current plan. This is a Could Be True trap answer; matching back to the passage can help you avoid traps like this one.

Choice (D) says proponents would agree that the initiative supports both businesses and the environment by providing clean-up equipment. Match this answer back to the text. The text says that the initiative’s cap-and-trade system lets some stay in business without buying expensive clean-up equipment. Choice (D) uses many of the same words from the passage, but it doesn’t quite match the meaning: the initiative doesn’t provide the equipment; instead it allows businesses to buy credits for pollution, so they don’t have to buy equipment to reduce the pollution. This is a Right Words, Wrong Meaning trap answer; careful matching back can help you avoid traps like this one.

The correct answer is (B).

26. Which choice best supports the claim that the Clean Air Act can successfully reduce air pollution?

A) Lines 15–17 (“It was…Chris Shaver”)

B) Lines 42–45 (“Since…local”)

C) Lines 88–90 (“A 70…parks”)

D) Lines 91–99 (“But Scruggs…commonplace”)

Here’s How to Crack It

The question asks which lines from the passage provide evidence that the Clean Air Act can successfully reduce air pollution. Consider the lines for each answer choice, and match them back to the claim in the question.

The lines for (A) state, “It was visionary to try to protect these areas without even knowing how difficult it would be,” says air resources division director Chris Shaver. Do these lines refer to the Clean Air Act? Yes. Widen the window for this line reference to include the previous paragraph: the protection that Shaver mentions came from the Clean Air Act. Do these lines support the claim that the Clean Air Act can successfully reduce air pollution? No. They indicate that it was visionary to try to provide protection, but that it was difficult. There is no evidence here that the Clean Air Act could successfully reduce air pollution.

The lines for (B) state, Since then, while these power plants have slashed their overall sulfur emissions by 72 percent, the canyon’s haze remains—evidence that the problem isn’t merely local. The beginning of these lines sounds promising: power plants have cut their sulfur emissions. However, there is a change in direction: the canyon’s haze remains. Despite some positive results, this does not demonstrate that the Clean Air Act can successfully reduce air pollution.

The lines for (C) state, “A 70 percent cut in sulfur dioxide is going to make a difference, especially for the East Coast parks.” Do these lines refer to the Clean Air Act? No. Widen the window to include the beginning of the paragraph: this quote refers to the promise of the Clear Skies Initiative.

The lines for (D) state, But Scruggs says that when the current system is at its best—when agencies work together to prosecute individual polluters—results are impressive. EPA pressure on industry led to improvements in scrubber technologies, which reduce smokestack emissions, with 95 to 98 percent elimination of some pollutants now commonplace. Do these lines refer to the Clean Air Act? Yes. These lines refer to the current system, and the passage as a whole indicates that the Clean Air Act is the legislation that created the current system. (The Clear Skies Initiative is a proposed plan to replace part of the current system.) These lines indicate that the current system has had impressive results, including reducing smokestack emissions by up to 98 percent.

The correct answer is (D).

Now, try a general question.

22. Which choice best reflects the overall structure of the passage?

A) A change in legislation is proposed; historical examples are given in support of the legislation; the legislation is favorably compared with an alternative policy.

B) A theoretical dilemma is outlined; two possible outcomes are compared; the outcomes are illustrated with real-life examples.

C) Ongoing efforts to solve a problem are discussed; opposing views on a proposed solution are described; an authority’s point of view is presented.

D) A challenge is presented; past attempts to solve the problem are analyzed; a new remedy is considered and dismissed.

Here’s How to Crack It

The question asks for the overall structure of the passage. Match the general language in each answer back to the specifics in the passage.

Choice (A) says, A change in legislation is proposed; historical examples are given in support of the legislation; the legislation is favorably compared with an alternative policy. Is a change in legislation discussed in the passage? Yes. The Clear Skies Initiative would create a change in legislation. Is the Clear Skies Initiative proposed at the beginning of the passage? No, it isn’t mentioned until the fourth paragraph. The first three paragraphs are about the history of efforts to reduce air pollution in the national parks. There’s another problem with this answer as well: the historical examples that are given illustrate the efforts made under the current legislation—the Clean Air Act—not the proposed legislation.

Choice (B) says, A theoretical dilemma is outlined; two possible outcomes are compared; the outcomes are illustrated with real-life examples. Does the passage begin by describing a theoretical dilemma? No. The dilemma, air pollution in the national parks, is a real problem, not a theoretical one. There are other problems with this answer as well: two approaches to solving the problem (the Clean Air Act and the Clear Skies Initiative) are compared, not two outcomes. Finally, only the outcomes from the Clean Air Act are illustrated with real-life examples; the text states that the Clear Skies legislation is currently stalled in a Senate committee, so it hasn’t produced any outcomes yet.

Choice (C) says, Ongoing efforts to solve a problem are discussed; opposing views on a proposed solution are described; an authority’s point of view is presented. The first three paragraphs describe the history of efforts to reduce air pollution in the national parks; this matches ongoing efforts to solve a problem. The next two paragraphs discuss what proponents and opponents think about the Clear Skies Initiative; this matches opposing views on a proposed solution. The final paragraph presents the views of Mark Skruggs, a park service expert; this matches an authority’s point of view. Choice (C) matches the structure of the passage.

Choice (D) says, A challenge is presented; past attempts to solve the problem are analyzed; a new remedy is considered and dismissed. Parts of this answer match the passage fairly well: the challenge of air pollution in the parks and past attempts to solve the problem are both discussed in the passage. The Clear Skies Initiative matches a new remedy. However, the Clear Skies Initiative is not dismissed. The passage offers both positive and negative views on the initiative, and the expert quoted in the last passage is guardedly optimistic about it.

The correct answer is (C).

Summary