One problem type regularly featured in the SAT critical reading section is the analysis of paired reading passages. These paired passages will share a common subject or theme, and the two passages will be related in some way, by the authors either sharing a similar viewpoint, opposing viewpoints, or partially agreeing with each other. These passages are then followed by a variety of questions, some of which are typical critical reading passage analysis questions. However, there are also questions unique to paired passage problems, which require a thorough understanding of both passages in order to compare or contrast them. For example, one type of question that might be asked is: “Which of the following statements would both authors agree with?”, and then the answers would be a list of statements related to the topic of the paired passages.
What makes these problems difficult is that it is not only necessary to analyze what one author is saying, but also interpret how the two authors are similar and different in order to answer questions that relate the two passages. This often requires extra time and thought, as there is additional evidence that must be found to support an answer involving both passages, and not understanding one of the passages can considerably damage ones chance of arriving at the correct answer.
Strategies
So what are some effective strategies for tacking these problems? When you see a question that requires detailed information from both passages, do not attempt to remember exactly what both authors said regarding the issue at hand. Instead, quickly skim the two passages to confirm that your answer is correct. It can be difficult to keep all of the facts straight regarding what each passage is saying. A second effective strategy that can be used is eliminating answers based on knowledge of one of the passages. For example, if you have a very clear understanding of the first passage, and the question asks you to identify something that is true in both passages, be sure to use the easier passage to eliminate the incorrect answers that you recognize. This will reduce the number of options to two or three, a significant improvement.
Another useful strategy is to briefly make a few notes regarding the main themes, viewpoints, and other general ideas in the first passage before reading the second passage. This should only take a few seconds, due to the time pressure of the SAT. This will reduce the likelihood that confusion between the passages will take place, since it is easy to accidentally attribute an idea or phrase to the wrong passage with disastrous results. Later, you can use this information to more easily answer the difficult questions involving overarching themes from the text.
This article was written for you by Tobias, one of the tutors with Test Prep Academy.
