Sunday, April 19, 2009

Understanding the Structure of Reading Passages

Often an excerpt from a novel or a short story will serve as an SAT reading passage. Novels are narratives with dialogue. It is important for the reader to identify the fictional characters and keep track of who is saying what. It is also important for the reader to understand who the narrator is, what the narrator's tone is, and what each character's attitude and agenda is. Once the reader is able to master this, the questions which follow are easy to answer.

The other type of reading passage is the more classic reference piece, much like what one would read in a textbook or encyclopedia. This passage will read like a classic essay. It will have an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion. Figure out the author's thesis. Highlight the topic sentence of each body paragraph. Understand the examples used to prove the thesis. Be aware of the essay's tone and key words. The questions which follow will be easy to answer.

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