You breathe a sigh of relief. Your hand survived the brutal and furious scribblings of the English Writing section’s dual responses, the personal and critical, where you developed your ideas in a logical manner using your best vocabulary and sentence structure. And while you get to breathe a little bit easier, you are still not done with the English section. No, now you must read and answer multiple choice questions based on unfamiliar readings. Your breath catches. A single tear falls onto your desk, smearing ink. Alas, who said English was going to be easy? I think it pertinent that, with what life remains in your writing hand, you can better your chances of success on part II by knowing exactly what to expect and how to approach each question type on this section. Here goes!
The Test
This exam tests your reading comprehension and vocabulary skills in a mammoth 3 hour exam. Brutal. You don’t not have to write anything, but you do need to complete 70 multiple choice questions. These questions are based on four different types of texts: Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and drama, all of which you have studied over the past 3 years in high school. Seeing these different types of texts should come as no surprise. Additionally, you cannot use any reference materials. That means no dictionaries, thesauruses, or style guides.
For each separate article, the questions are organized in a very particular way. The initial question of the group announces a concept that will better assist your comprehension of the text. In the middle cluster of questions, you will see a variety of different question types, ranging from vocabulary to questions of tone and mood. You may have to contrast or compare information. And finally, the last question requires you to find the main idea, for example, what the entire article is about or what the purpose of the article is.
I won’t go into more detail, but if you need it, you may find more information here (much of the information in the remainder of the article discusses concepts mentioned in this article, so I do advise you read it):
https://education.alberta.ca/media/3272918/04-ela30-1-studentguide-2016-17_20160822.pdf
The Prep
Now that you know what to expect on the exam, I will discuss strategies for tackling problems. The first thing you should know is that there are different strategies for each type of reading, be it fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or drama. Therefore, I will initially discuss strategies for each of the four types of readings and then go into more detail about specific question types.
Non-fiction: When reading fiction, realize that, most often, it is organized in some kind of logical way. It could be organized chronologically, topically, in order of importance, whatever. And, with that said, you should read non-fiction like an essay. It should have a brief intro, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Pay special attention to the topic sentences in your body paragraphs! They will help you eliminate extra reading when looking for an answer.
Fiction: Look for conflict. What problems are the characters facing? In no circumstance will things be going smoothly for these characters, so find out what the issue is, fast. Additionally, look for a resolution to that conflict. It may not always appear, as the excerpts are short, but keep your eye out for resolutions.
Poetry: look for detailed descriptions in the first three quarters of the poem. The poem could be about a road, a snowy field, a snake. At the end, you will get something called the turn, which is the poet’s message to you, the reader. Find it.
Drama: Activate your imagination. Picture the setting. Use the stage notes to your advantage. Reading drama is like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. Some pieces fit, others don’t. Imagine what the characters look like and how they speak, how they say their lines. Ask yourself: How would I act if I was in their situation? Realize that these are characters who face conflict as well, very much like those in fiction.
Tone: Think of tone as either casual or formal. You can get more specific—and you’ll need to—but initially, try to decide if it is a professional, and therefore formal tone, or a conversational, casual tone. Doing so will help you complete your process of elimination. Options for tone include: Legal, conversational, humorous, sarcastic, etc.
Mood: If tone is a tenor, then mood is the emotion he puts out. Or rather, the emotion the author/writer wants you to feel. A good clue for this section is to look at the adjectives. Adjectives carry certain connotations; for example, “dreary” has a dark, depressing quality whereas “humdrum” has a boorishness to it. Try to go back and find some adjectives to back up your best multiple choice option.
Theme: This one is a bit different. If you get a theme question, look for a life lesson. A moral. I know that, typically, themes are repeated ideas in a story, but you’ll have to take this one step further on this section of the test and find the author’s message. In poetry, you can find the theme in the turn, near the end. You can find more info on this in a previous poetry entry.
Writer’s purpose: Simply answer the “why.” Is it to inform? To compare? To contrast? Or simply to entertain? It may be helpful to look at the title and the author, often footnoted at the bottom of the excerpt. An excellent habit to develop, looking at that.
I realize that this article is a tad fragmented. A tad. Unfortunately, I took on more than I could chew and had to keep to the most essential of information. Just remember, the English Reading section is a 3 hour, 70 question monster. Prepare for it by understanding the different requirements of the different excerpts and recognizing the key words in each question. Each question type has its own requirements. Know them, and you’ll be fine.