2. Multiple Choice
Short Answer
Different question types.
3. Base your answer only on the passage.
The state test does not try to find out how
much you know about any given topic.
It only tests HOW WELL YOU READ.
Just use the information in front
of you.
4. Read each question CAREFULLY!
Skimming vs. Reading
5. Skimming= is a quick search through a
passage for a word or fact.
Skimming should be used in moderation;
never skim during the “first read.” After
you read run your eyes over the passage
looking for a specific word or phrase.
Don’t stop until you find what you are
looking for.
6. ANSWER EVERY QUESTION
You can improve your luck. Even though
you don’t know which answer is correct,
you may know enough to recognize some
of the choices in multiple choice are
incorrect.
Guessing can’t hurt your score
(That’s only on the SAT!)
EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO GUESS!
7. Tell me in one sentence what
“Finding Nemo” is about.
MAIN IDEA --- the BIG picture
8. Beware of answer choices that are details,
not main ideas. READ ALL OF THE
CHOICES!
Summary questions are another form of
main idea questions.
* Titles often point out the main
idea of a passage!
9. Asks question about the message of a
passage.
THEME IS DIFFERENT THAN THE SUBJECT
A passage may have more than one
theme or subject!
THEME
10. Main idea generally comes FIRST
Supporting Details FOLLOW IT!
Main idea is Supporting
like the details are like
foundation of a the
house landscaping
and trees.
Which would you build first? The house or the landscaping?
Critical and Supporting Details
11. Look at the question for a phrase or key word:
Example: “Who is Mr. Whitney?”
Skim your reading until you find what you are
looking for.
READ the passage from“The Shoeshine Boy”
Find Key words or phrases
12. Most people’s vocabulary can be
broken down into three
categories:
Words they know well
Words they sort of know
Words they don’t know at all
Lesson 3 Vocabulary
13. Look in the passage for other words with similar meaning from
“Life on the Mississippi” by Mark Twain
“All the grace, beauty, the poetry had
gone out of the majestic river!”
In the passage, what is the meaning of the
word majestic?
A) STORMY B) ENERGETIC
C) DIGNIFIED D) CROWDED
14. Sometimes you can figure out the meaning of a word by
determining what might cause the thing it describes.
“I drank it in, in a speechless rapture. The
world was new to me, and I had never seen
anything like this at home.”
In the passage, what does rapture mean?
A) SLEEP B) TRANCE
C) SADNESS D) FIT OF RAGE
Look for the cause of the unknown
word.
15. Sometimes a new word will fit into a
group of other similar words. Once you
determine into what group the word fits,
you’ll better be able to figure out its
meaning.
This technique works well with specialized
or technical terms.
Try a new word
16. “A broad expanse of the river was turned to
blood; in the middle distance the red hue
brightened into gold.”
A question about this excerpt might ask:
What is the meaning of hue in this
passage?
A) color B) sky
C) sun D) blood
17. Antonyms (opposite meaning)
“The somber shadow that fell from this forest was
broken in one place by a long ruffled trail that shown
like silver.”
In this passage, what is the meaning of somber?
A) Ugly B) Dark
C) Bright D) Frightening
The passage tells us “the somber shadow…was broken
in one place …trail that shown like silver.” This sets
up an opposite in our mind’s eye. A somber trail
broken by a shining place. Since the shining place is
bright, the somber trail must be the opposite dark.
Opposites Attract!
