SAT 04

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School

Arizona State University *

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101

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Chemistry

Date

Oct 30, 2023

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docx

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A word of Caution: Speed with Accuracy Capacity to read fast is definitely an advantage, though you should bear in mind that reading for speed alone could be counter-productive. Speed reading is not the ultimate aim. The aim is to answer the questions correctly and to make the fullest use of your capacity. The need for assimilation: Reading is assimilation – learning – and all learning is a digestive process. On the face of things, it seems that there is a trade–off between speed and assimilation – if the reader goes twice as fast he assimilates half as much – but it need not be so. Assimilation is somewhat faster if you are able to relate your knowledge of the subject to the material you are reading . This is not to say that if you are not familiar with the subject matter you will not be able to assimilate well. You may just take a little longer and this will not reduce your speed drastically. Key Point: Assimilation is measured by the quality of retention of information and the ability to recall relevant information. If you try to look at words rather than look for their meaning, you are being passive instead of being proactive. This approach may increase your speed but do nothing for assimilation. It is therefore a question of striking the right balance between speed and comprehension and reading flexibly. RC tests your ability to answer the questions correctly rather than your ability to read faster. Hence, regardless of how fast you can read a given text, it is the accuracy of the answers to the questions that matters in the test. Even if your reading speed is just average, you can maximize the accuracy by using appropriate techniques. Cracking the RC is a right combination of speed and technique. What do the RC Questions Measure Reading Comprehension questions measure your ability to understand, analyze, and apply information and concepts presented in written form.This section evaluates the following abilities: Understanding words and statements in reading passages: Questions of this type test your understanding of and ability to comprehend terms used in the passage and your understanding of the English language. Understanding the logical relationships between significant points and concepts in the reading passages: Questions of this type ask you to determine the strong and weak points of an argument or to evaluate the importance of arguments and ideas in a passage. Drawing inferences from facts and statements in the reading passages: Questions of this type ask you to consider factual statements or information and, on the basis of that information, reach a general conclusion.

17 _ Understanding and following the development of quantitative concepts as they are presented in verbal material: Questions of this type involve the interpretation of numerical data or the use of simple arithmetic to reach conclusions about material in a passage. Consider the following passage: Producing and using biodiesel, a fuel derived from cultivated rapeseed, causes 35 percent less air pollution per gallon than does producing and using regular diesel fuel. The government plans to reduce diesel-related air pollution over the next decade by 25 percent, so replacing regular diesel with biodiesel would seem to be the obvious solution. Unfortunately, the greatest possible production of biodiesel would amount to only one percent of all diesel fuel to be produced during the next 15 years. Q. The passage is structured to lead to which of the following as a conclusion? . (A) The use of biodiesel will increase by less than one percent over the next 15 years. . (B) During the next 15 years, the production of biodiesel will be increased as fast as it is possible to increase it. . (C) During the next 15 years, it will be impossible, just by switching to biodiesel, to meet the government's stated goal with respect to reducing air pollution. . (D) Fifteen years from now, the air pollution caused by the production and use of one gallon of regular diesel fuel will be far less than it currently is. . (E) There will be no significant year-to-year increase in the amount of regular diesel fuel used during the next 15 years. How to answer the question: What are the “government’s plans”? What is the “obvious solution”? Reduce air pollution by 25% over the next decade Replace regular diesel with biodiesel What is “unfortunate”?So meeting the targets is “impossible” (C).

The greatest possible production of biodiesel would amount to only one percent of all diesel fuel 18 _ Lecture – II Read for the Main Idea Every discussion, every article, every write-up has a main idea. Likewise every RC passage has a main idea. The main idea is the nucleus of the passage. Most of the questions based on the passage reading not only concatenate, they also revolve around the main focus of the passage. So it is very important to catch the main idea of the passage to be able to get most of the answers right. How to get the main idea of the passage? The main idea is the idea that occurs repeatedly in the passage . So look for a repetitive words or phrases in the passage. The first sentence of a paragraph should always be read carefully since it is so often the key to understand the entire paragraph. Consider the following passage: One is faced then with the conflicting claims of Picasso and Kandinsky to the position of true leader of non- representative art. Picasso's admirers hail him, as a visual musician. The methods and ideas of each rival are so different that the title cannot be accorded to both. In his book, Kandinsky states his opinion of Cubism and its fatal weakness, and history goes to support his contention. The origin of Cubism in Cezanne, in a structural art that owes its very existence to matter, makes its claim to pure emotionalism seem untenable . Emotions are not composed of strata and conflicting pressures. What is the thematichighlight of the passage? . (A) The author agrees with Kadinsky’s criticism of cubism. . (B) The author validates the claim of Kadinsky to the position of true leader of non-

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representative art. . (C) The author is trying to assess as to who, between Picasso and Kadinsky, can be the true protagonist of non-representative art. . (D) Cubism is a non-representative art; but Kadinsky doesn’t agree with this assertion. . (E) Kadinsky is right in pointing out the fallacy in the claim to pure emotionalism in Cubism. Now, ask yourself: What's the gist of the argument?The author talks about the conflicting claims of Picasso and Kandinsky.What are the conflicting claims about?They are about cubism. The author states that “history goes to support his (Kandinsky’s) contention” and goes on to add that “its (cubism’s) claim to pure emotionalism seem untenable”By quickly determining the topic and scope while reading, we can easily deduce what the author is writing and why. Actively reading passages can save a considerable amount of time once you get to the questions. 19 _ Once you’ve got the main idea, it isn’t necessary to pay a lot of attention to the other sentences in the paragraph. For example, you would probably notice that while the second sentence included some specific FACTS, it adds nothing to your understanding of the main point of the paragraph. Later, if you are asked a specific question about this FACT, you can go back and find the answer; it will still be there. Don’t Be Dramatic The test makers realize that people have different points of view. They don’t want to be dogmatic, saying, ”This is the only way. Do not argue!” They do want to leave some space for personal interpretation. So if you have two answers, choose the more moderate one. For example: Two answer choices: . (A) The author hates discrimination. . (B) The author is saddened by discrimination and tries to go to its root levels. Choice (B) is kinder and gentler and would therefore, be the more probable answer

Trips and traps for main idea Questions Always remember that there need not be patently wrong answer options. The examiner may set a trap for you by presenting other than the best options as the right answers. Be on the look out for such traps. Some of these could be: Disputable statements: Authors of passages will never use strongly negative statements for other people or ideas. Extreme statements: A moderately worded statement is invariably more likely to be the right answer than a rather extreme and one sided statement. Direct repetitions (same language): Language directly picked up from the passage is more likely to be a trap. The right answer will possibly lie hidden in a heap of indirect references. Supporting Idea(s): The passage may have several supporting ideas, apart from one main idea. Don’t fall for the supplementary idea(s). Half truths: Don’t fall for an answer that may appear to be true, but may have a word/phrase that may render it false. ‘True statement’: Again don’t jump at an answer simply because it appears to be true as per the passage. Always proceed through the process of progressive elimination (POE). You need to be careful about many of the above traps in case of other question types also. 20 _ Key Point: The primary purpose of the passage, title, central idea etc is one, which is mentioned repeatedly in the passage. At times there is a strong temptation to choose an answer which has been mentioned only once or has been touched obliquely in the passage. Avoid these traps and reject these choices in favour of the one, which is referred to repeatedly in a major part of the passage. Again, although the main idea/theme/title of the passage and the author’s purpose could, in most cases, be the same, yet in some cases, there could be a fine line of distinction between the two. The author’s purpose may not be expressly stated in the passage, though it can always be inferred.