SAT Reading

Information and Idea questions require you to do which of the following?

• Read closely

• Cite textual evidence

• Determine key ideas and themes

• Summarize

• Interpret words and phrases

• This is a Content Area question

• This is an Information and Ideas question

• This is a Rhetoric question

• This is a Synthesis question

• This is a Content Area question

• This is an Information and Ideas question

• This is a Rhetoric question

• This is a Synthesis question

The central idea of the passage is that

• a gloomy prison bears a hopeful symbol of comfort to prisoners and readers of this story

• nature finds a way to take a bleak and gloomy place and make it more pleasant

• founders of a new colony allotted a dismal plot of land to both a prison and a cemetery

• a rosebush has stood outside a prison for many centuries

Which choice provides the best evidence for the question....Why does the prison convey a feeling of doom, despite the beautiful rosebush near its entrance?

• Lines 4-5 ("a wooden edifice...timbered with oak")

• Lines 10-14 ("In accordance...first burial-ground")

• Lines 19-21 ("the wooden jail...and gloomy front")

• Lines 23-25 ("Like all...youthful era")

Which situation is most similar to the one described in lines 24-25 ("it seemed never to have known a youthful era")

• a playful bear cub

• a bitter old king

• a wandering fortune teller

• a naïve little child

Why does the prison convey a feeling of doom, despite the beautiful rosebush near its entrance?

• The building itself looked menacing

• A throng of prisoners has gathered in front of its door

• The building is old and from another era

• It was built in a declining section of Boston

Which of the following best describes the main purpose of a passage in SAT Reading?

• To entertain the reader

• To inform or explain a concept

• To persuade the reader

• To describe a historical event

In SAT Reading, what is the primary function of context clues?

• To confuse the reader

• To provide background information

• To help determine the meaning of unfamiliar words

• To summarize the passage

Which of the following is a common type of question in SAT Reading?

• Mathematical problem-solving

• Scientific hypothesis testing

• Identifying the author's tone

• Historical date recall