Is 700+ a Good Reading Sat Score

"NOT READING!"  I tin can hear the cries of thousands of young SAT test takers equally they get to this section of their Saturday.  "This section is impossible! And subjective! And y'all tin can't written report for it!"  Dear student, you are incorrect on all accounts!  Not simply is this section as objective as any other section of the SAT, but it can also exist dominated like the other sections by taking into advisement a few elementary steps:

ane)  Read Actively & Look for the Main Thought!

Now if I remember myself as a young, high schoolhouse student, I would have read this 2nd step and scoffed.  "Of class you have to read actively!" I would have thought in my almost condescending 'I know everything' way, just this step is actually very important.  It'due south all well-nigh Attitude. If you approach the passage with the attitude that reading is STUPID and the SAT is STUPID and I wish I didn't have to exercise this STUPID work, then you lot will treat the passage like it is boring and unnecessary. If, however, you approach the passage with the thought, "I bet I will acquire something interesting in this passage," information technology is much more than likely that you will appoint in the material and try to understand it (which is really the whole point, correct?).  Let's look at an instance:

"The delicate tightrope that the Chinese regime is attempting to walk betwixt encouraging and punishing creativity is framed perfectly in the plight of artist and political dissident Ai Wei Wei.  Though he is considered one of the nigh of import artistic figures in the Eye Kingdom, Ai Wei Wei and his family have also been the subjects of numerous jailings, governmental attacks on their patriotism, and full general harassment."

How interesting!  I can only imagine what information technology must be like to be a political dissident in a country like Cathay.  Now that I am engaged I can more easily choice out what is important in this first paragraph. It seems like the outset paragraph is more often than not about Ai Wei Wei being lauded (praised) for his progressive art, but lambasted (criticized) for his progressive politics. I think we have a main idea! Let'southward get to the line specific questions.

2) Reply Line Specific Questions as You Go

Our first line specific question asks:

"In the lines iii-5 in the sections, "Though he is considered…full general harassment." the author is most likely trying to:

a) Question the stance of the Chinese authorities on internet censorship

b) Complaining the difficulties of being an avant garde artist.

c) Highlight the differences between how Ai Wei Wei is viewed every bit an artist and as an activist

d) Contrast artistic merit with political usefulness

Now, the reasons that nosotros answer these questions as nosotros go are that the material is fresh in our minds, and that we can't get distracted by other data in other parts of the passage.  Later in this passage, in that location volition be a discussion of the internet and the regime, but it's non inthis section so we tin can already throw out choice (a) and pat ourselves on the back for not beingness distracted by information technology. The internet hasn't been mentioned so far, so that reply can't be right because the respond will e'er be in the passage.

iii) THE Respond IS ALWAYS IN THE PASSAGE

This is the phrase I repeat to my students more than whatsoever other when first pedagogy about the reading department of the SAT. Reading questions are not OPINION questions they are FACT questions and must be supported by actual words from the passage.  If the content of the reply choice is non mentioned, or specifically implied by the passage, the reply choice is wrong.

4) Use Every Word to Help You

Every word in the reply must be correct in order for the answer option to be correct and so we should examine every word of our choices for clues.  I discover first words of reply choices to be specially helpful in questions where we are asked what the writer or the passage is doing.  Start by asking yourself "does this section of the passage primarily…" and then insert the get-go discussion of the reply pick. "Does this section primarily question?  Or lament? Or Highlight? Or contrast? Or criticize?" By asking ourselves this question, we can start to assail the incorrect respond choices.

five) Set on Incorrect Answer Choices

Nosotros already did this with choice (a), now allow'south endeavour it with the others.  This department really doesn't lament anything, nor does it really criticize.  Merely WAIT.  The writer doesn't really criticize Chinese practices just he or she could mean this in a critical way, right?  WRONG.

six) COULD = Incorrect

In the words of the swell Yoda, "Practise or do not, there is no endeavour."  Similarly, there is no "could exist."  Something either is or it isn't.  The writer does non criticize Chinese practices with this part of the passage, nor does he or she contrast between "artistic merit" and "political usefulness." "Merit" and "usefulness" are actually wholly absent from this section.  Thus, we are left with only answer (c).  The author DOES highlight differences in how Ai Wei Wei is treated as an artist and as an activist (OUR Main IDEA REMEMBER) so respond choice (c) is 100% true.

This section can experience like the hardest to master for some students, but it is as physical equally whatever other section of the SAT. If you use these steps and don't autumn asleep or zone out, you lot can principal the reading section and ace the Sat.  Happy reading test master-ers!

Check out related articles hither: 5 Ways to Score Higher in Math and 5 Ways to Score College in Writing.

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David Greenslade is a Veritas Prep SAT instructor based in New York. His passion for education began while tutoring students in underrepresented areas during his time at the Academy of N Carolina. After receiving a degree in Biology, he studied language in People's republic of china and and so moved to New York where he teaches SAT prep and participates in improv comedy. Read more of his manufactures here, including How I Scored in the 99th Percentile and How to Effectively Study for the Saturday.

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Source: https://www.veritasprep.com/blog/2014/02/7-ways-to-score-above-700-on-the-sat-reading-section/