The SAT critical reading section gives you a chance to show how well you understand what you read. There are two types of multiple-choice questions in the critical reading section:

Sentence completion questions test your vocabulary and your understanding of sentence structure. (19 questions)

For example:

Directions: Each sentence below has one or two blanks, each blank indicating that something has been omitted. Beneath the sentence are five words or sets of words labeled A through E. Choose the word or set of words that, when inserted in the sentence, best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

Example:

Hoping to ------- the dispute, negotiators proposed a compromise that they felt would be ------- to both labor and management.

1. enforce . . useful
2. end . . divisive
3. overcome . . unattractive
4. extend . . satisfactory
5. resolve . . acceptable

Explanation

One way to answer a sentence completion question with two words missing is to focus first on just one of the two blanks. If one of the words in an answer choice is logically wrong, then you can eliminate the entire choice from consideration.

Correct answer: E

Passage-based reading questions test your comprehension of what is stated in or implied by the passage, not your prior knowledge of the topic. (48 questions)

Approaching Passage-based Reading

Below are samples of the kind of reading passages and questions that may appear on your test. For each set of sample materials, you should:

• Read the passage carefully
• Decide on the best answer to each question
• Read the explanation for the correct answer

Directions

The passages below are followed by questions based on their content; questions following a pair of related passages may also be based on the relationship between the paired passages. Answer the questions on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passages and in any introductory material that may be provided.

The questions below are based on the following passage:

Some of the reading passages in the SAT are as short as a paragraph or two, about 100 words in length. You will also find one or more pairs of related short passages in each edition of the test. Such material can be followed by two to five questions that measure the same kinds of reading skills as are measured by the questions following longer passages.

Practice Questions

Some questions ask you to recognize the meaning of a word as it is used in the context of the passage.

In line 5, "surveying" most nearly means

1. calculating the value of
2. examining comprehensively
3. determining the boundaries of
4. polling randomly
5. conducting a statistical study of

Explanation

The word "surveying" has a number of meanings, several of which are included in the choices above. In the context of this passage, however, only (B) makes sense. A student in the field of "paleontology" is one who studies prehistoric life as recorded in fossil remains. One of the activities of such a student would be to examine rocks carefully and "comprehensively" while looking for fossils.

• A, C, and E are incorrect because someone who studies fossils would not calculate the “value” of rocks, or determine the “boundaries” of rocks, or conduct a “statistical study” of rocks.
• D is wrong because “polling” rocks makes no sense at all.

Correct answer : B