Passages

Question 1

Differences btw Passages and Arguments (and one similarity)

Answer 1

1. Size of source text
2. Proportion of the content you actually need to understand
   (60-80% in Args and 5-10% in Passages)
3. Generally NOT supposed to question/criticize the Passages, whereas usually are in Args

Similarity: Best-of-five scenario, generally no mathematically correct answer
We’re back to using Formulas and making Precision distinctions

Question 2

“Find-and-match”

Answer 2

Credited responses are almost always just close paraphrases of 1-2 (worst case 4, but that’s rare) specific lines that you can identify from the Passage – modified in some cases to fulfill the demands of the question type

Your task:

1. read with just enough understanding to be able to play find-and-match
2. decode the question clues
3. find the source line(s)
4. match the answers as precisely as possible
5. avoid distractor traps

Question 3

You will often have no choice but to…

Answer 3

…look back to the Passage, to find the exact wording to compare carefully with each of the answers

And since you’re going to have to look back to the passage anyway for almost every question, you really don’t have to understand that much of the passage’s content up front

This is the part of the process that buys you points, so it makes sense that this is where you should spend your time

30-40% of time reading passage, 60-70% of time answering questions

Question 4

Question Clues (3 kinds)

Answer 4

Hints that the question often contains that tell you where in the passage to locate the source lines for that answer (3 formulas)

Question can…

1. cite an actual line number(s); source line usually near though not actually in the cited line
2. mention a topic; source lines near first introductory mention of that topic
3. include an exact word or phrase (but without quotation marks!); source line is right there

In all cases, you may have to follow internal clues (LinkWords or topical references) to track down the source line(s), starting from the indicated location

Question 5

Source Lines

Answer 5

Particular lines in passage that turn into answers

Question 6

Three way match

Answer 6

You’re looking to match the exact wording of each answer with the exact wording of the source line(s) and the specific requirements of the formulas for the question type you’re dealing with

Question 7

PreVue

Answer 7

Three possibilities:

1. Read the questions first
   (Q’s preview content and one will usually give away that passages main point in advance)
2. Skim the passage first, by reading the first line or so of each paragraph (THIS IS MY PREFERRED ONE)
   Abandon a sentence part way through if it gets overly technical, detailed, confusing
   Sometimes read beyond first sentence if first gave nothing substantial away
   This technique gives you insight into content AND organization/structure
3. Start reading slowly, actually aiming for understanding, for about the first paragraph or so, then predicting the content and structure of the rest of the passage from the clues that might be provided there
   Passage authors under no obligation to provide clues as to content of passage in first paragraph (though if there ARE clues they WILL be delivered on)

Some passages lend themselves more readily to certain preview techniques over others

And then you read the passage

Question 8

“Top 10”

Answer 8

Top 5-10% of material: the only part you’ll need to actually know to be able to locate the source lines that will then answer the question for you

Will directly provide the answers for certain Q types, e.g. Primary P and some Logic questions

Equals the Main Point of each Paragraph (the “paragraph points”) taken in turn
I.E. process of identifying Top 10 is the process of boiling each paragraph down to its crucial contribution to the passage as a whole

If the paragraph point is actually written in the passage, that will be the “paragraph summary line”; otherwise, it’s your own paraphrase

Three tools to rely on in separating out Top 10 content:

1. your own intuition
2. your PreVue
3. “4 signals of importance” formulas

Question 9

“I will never sweat…”

Answer 9

“…the details”

Understanding details is not relevant to understanding the paragraph’s contribution to the passage as a whole

You’ll have to look back to the passage anyway when you start answering questions
(Thus remembering WHERE the details are intuitively is important, although understanding what they mean is not)

Question 10

“4 Signals of Importance” formulas

Answer 10

1. Broad/Abstract/General > Narrow/Concrete/Specific
   especially when they Summarize or Incorporate multiple details (as a Conclusion would in Args)
2. Repeated or Referred-back-to terms or ideas
3. “Author’s Own” highlight: any wording a passage author uses to add emphasis
   e. g. “especially,” “particularly”, “crucial”, “more important”, “turning point in…”
4. Three of the five LinkWord categories

Question 11

LinkWords

Answer 11

Any connector-type word or phrase that defines the relationship of one idea to another

Allow you to distinguish better answers by their recognition of the correct relationship between ideas

They can also signal the relative important of ideas when reading through the passage

Question 12

Five categories of LinkWords

Answer 12

1. Continuation: more of the same; extension or elaboration of an idea or a parallel development
   (e. g. and, furthermore, moreover, additionally, along with, together with, plus, too, not only…but also, first, second, finally, etc.)
2. Contrast: diametric or partial opposition or the opposition of expectation; positive side more important than dismissed/negative side
   (e. g. but, yet, however, despite, although, rather than, nonetheless, nevertheless, notwithstanding, instead, on the other hand, whereas)
3. Cause-Effect/Evidence-Conclusion: same as in Args; effects usually more important than causes, conclusions usually more important than evidence
   (e. g. since, given, whereas, because, after all, thus, therefore, so, led to, resulted in, resulted from, yielded, hence, consequently, explains, indicates, clearly then)
4. Illustration/Explanation: either concrete examples or elaborations/clarifications of ideas, which almost always means subordination (to the more important thing it’s illustrating/explaining)
   (e. g. as, similarly, likewise, so too, for example, for instance, such as, as can be seen in)
5. Back-Reference: subject was already introduced
   (e. g. such, this, that, which, these, the former, the latter, those/the instead of a/an)