Reading – ReWiser

Tips to Boost your ACT Reading Score

revsradmin — Sat, 17 Sep 2022 13:40:50 +0000

The ACT is different from the tests one gives in school, so you must approach it differently, too. Understand what types of reading test questions and passages you’ll actually face, and the act reading tips that can help you score well.

What’s on the ACT Reading Test?

At the beginning of each reading passage, the paragraph is in a different font. The paragraph is worth the 10 seconds. It provides you context for the passage and helps you prepare your mind for what you’re going to read.

This also helps you identify which of the 4 types of ACT Reading passages you’re starting:

Prose Fiction
Social Science
Humanities
Natural Science

After each passage, you’ll have to answer 10 questions that test you on what was directly stated and what meanings were inferred in the text.

	What is it?	What to expect?
Prose Fiction	Excerpts from short stories or novels Most passages are contemporary, emphasize diversity, and are often based on family relationships.	Setting, tone, and the relationships between characters are more important than facts Questions likely to involve recognizing the implied meanings vs. what was directly expressed
Social Science	Topics: Anthropology, Archaeology, Biography, Business, Economics, Education, Geography, History, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology	Organization flows logically with understandable topic sentences and selected shifts to developing the main idea The author may have a different viewpoint on the subject or may give informative facts in a neutral tone
Humanities	Nonfiction passages—mostly memoirs or personal essays Topics: Architecture, Art, Dance, Ethics, Film, Language, Literary Criticism, Music, Philosophy, Radio, Television, and Theater	A narrative may use a more organic development instead of a straight one The tone will be more direct and perhaps more emotional
Natural Science	Topics: Anatomy, Astronomy, Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Ecology, Geology, Medicine, Meteorology, Microbiology, Natural History, Physiology, Physics, Technology, and Zoology	Lots of details and a few times very technical descriptions A linear organization with clear topic sentences and shifts to developing the main concept The author may or may not have any point of view on the topic Questions generally track the text pretty closely and need you to make some inferences

Tackle the ACT Reading Test

Now that you understand what to expect, here are some ACT reading tips that can help you approach any passage:

Do the passages in any order

You’ll always see 4 passages and you must attempt all 40 questions. The ACT doesn’t have negative marks for wrong answers. As you practice, you’ll start to realize which passage types are easier and which are a bit challenging for you. For example: If Natural Science is your strength but Literary Narrative passages make you nervous, it may make sense for you to do the Natural Science passage first and save the Literary Narrative passage for last. Just make sure you’re bubbling in the right question number on your answer sheet.

Time yourself as you practice

If you’re taking more than 3 minutes to read a passage, you may not be able to finish all of the questions in the given time. As you become more and more confident with your preparation, try to get as exact as possible with the timing of your note-taking.

Underline or Circle key terms

As you read, underline or circle key details in the passage that might help you answer questions later. This generally includes names, dates, places, and numbers.

When you’ll keep practicing more and more passages, you’ll understand what to look for and what types of questions will be asked later in the section.

By marking up your passage, you’re helping your brain focus on the important terms and move through the passage so that you can utilize your time correctly.

Find the author’s point of view

Do you often find yourself getting lost in the middle, or reading too fast and missing a few important pieces of information? For the ACT Reading Test, you’ve got to find the right balance between reading from the author’s point of view and for the function of each paragraph, while also noting the location of important details just in case you need to come back later.

Look for Transition Words

Transition words are like road signs. They tell you the route, direct you to a detour, and get you back to the direction of the main idea.

Don’t be nervous if you don’t know the word

In a few questions, you’ll have to identify the meaning of a word or phrase as it’s used in context. Most of these questions generally use common words, but their definition in the passage can be figurative more than literal. If the question asks you about a new word, try to come up with your own word that fits correctly in the context, and then use the elimination process on the answers. If you’re unable to eliminate 3 choices, guess from what’s left and move on.

Do ACT Reading practice tests

Full-length practice tests are available, you need to find a quiet place where you can take the practice test, and clear off the table or desk. Try and eliminate all sorts of distractions and do your best to mimic the test-day environment. Keep an eye on the clock or timer so you can periodically check and see how you’re doing. Don’t rush, but make sure to move confidently from one passage to another and answer all questions in the given time.

Build the right preparation plan

At ReWiser, we will help you build a preparation plan that’s customized to your score goals, study habits, and schedule.

If you need any personal assistance, reach out to our experts here. We’re more than happy to help in whatever way we can.

Need more individualized advice?

With the help of this blog, we have certainly smoothed it over for you. If you want to find more amazing blogs, then make sure you keep visiting our website, follow our Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn channels, like, follow our Facebook channel, and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content like this in the future! From helping students prepare and score better in the areas of standardized testing: SAT, ACT, and AP tests to providing high school academic support requirements: IGCSE, IB Subjects, and AS/A Level classes; ReWiser is with you every step of the way!

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Tips to Boost your SAT Reading Section

revsradmin — Fri, 19 Aug 2022 12:59:08 +0000

We understand that the SAT Reading Section is definitely not one of the most amazing topics. Those passages? A one-way ticket to your dream college.

You don’t really need to have an interest in the SAT Reading Section, but it is important that you achieve a good SAT score, which can be pretty hard given a lack of interest.

But how can you make sure that you score well? There are a lot of study materials, test-taking tips, and strategies than we can count. In this vast sea of test preparation information, it can be really easy to drown in information and lose sight of what’s important, but have no fear! We’re here to help you out.

Follow these strategies and your SAT reading score is going to improve!

Manage Time Effectively

You only have 65 minutes to answer all the questions from 5 passages, you have an average of about 13 minutes to read a passage and answer the questions. So, it is important that you learn to manage your time effectively and plan your strategies.

And how will you do so?

Solve passages you’re comfortable with first

You know that the content of the passages is arranged from a wide range of genres. It would be a good idea to start your Reading section with the ones that are on the top of your comfort list; you don’t need to solve passages in the order in which they appear. For example:-If you’re comfortable with science-based passages, you would like to start with them. This will not only help you get some momentum but will also help you gain the much-required confidence to solve all the other passages.

Solve dual passages at the very end

To save time, you might want to solve the dual/paired passage at the end. Obviously, reading two passages instead of one will take twice the time. But, the returns that you get are the same because the total number of questions asked in a dual passage isn’t more than that of a regular passage.

While solving paired passages, take one at a time – read the 1st passage and answer all questions related to it. Then, read the 2nd passage and answer all the relevant questions. Those questions can be answered last which tests you on information from both the passages.

Solve easier questions first

While answering questions, don’t hesitate to skip or make an educated guess about a particularly easy or difficult question. If time allows, you can always work on it later. However, don’t miss out on easier questions that might follow if you spend much time working on the difficult/tricky ones.

Summarize Passages As You Read Them

As said earlier, the passages in the SAT Reading Section are not the most fantastic thing in this world.

Accordingly, it’s very easy to nap off when you’re in the middle of reading a passage and forget about it. Instead of going back to reread the passage, here is a useful little trick to help you understand what’s going on in each passage.

While reading a passage, stop after each paragraph and think about it what you just read for a few seconds. Ask yourself “What happened in the paragraph?” and “What lessons/points to take away from this paragraph?” Once you’ve thought about the paragraph for not more than 10 seconds, note or mark down a few words in the margin of the passage that explains the paragraph.

Try this and you will no longer have to waste your precious time rereading the whole paragraphs. This strategy will not only save time but will also help you to recall the plot/content of each passage better, which will help you in answering the multiple-choice questions that follow each passage more accurately.

Eliminate Answer Options

In the reading section, one of the best ways to solve questions is to eliminate answer options rather than pick the correct one. Remember that if you’re searching for the correct answer, make sure that every word in the right answer option is correct. On the other hand, if you apply the elimination strategy, only one incorrect word in an answer option can help you eliminate it. Doesn’t this look easier?

We have often noticed that students are able to eliminate three answer options. And then, they are only left with the last two answer options. Unfortunately, at this point, they become defensive and start to believe that both options can be right.

Although, you must remember that there is only one correct answer. Instead of going into the defensive mode, this is the time when you should go into the attacking mode. Rather than believing that both the answers could be correct, you must ask yourself – how to eliminate one of these two answers? What is wrong with one of these two choices?

As soon as you are able to solve these questions, you will definitely be able to select the right answer.

Having said that, how can one eliminate options? Generally, options can be eliminated based on these few pointers:

They contradict the information provided in the passage
They are irrelevant to the information given in the passage
They are too broad or narrow to be the right answers

Practice And Evaluate Errors

Practice makes a man perfect and It’s only more practice that can help you ace the SAT Reading Section. We would highly recommend that you solve all the passages and SAT previous year questions to feel more confident and comfortable in solving passages from various fields.

However, only practice won’t be sufficient. You must review and analyze factors that are affecting your performance. Only when you understand what’s going wrong you will be able to work on it. Isn’t it?

So, solving question papers without analyzing your performance is a waste. We would highly recommend maintaining an error log for yourself, in which you evaluate your weaknesses. Be particular in understanding where you are faltering. Ask why are you making those errors: Are you not reading the options carefully? Are you not eliminating options effectively? Are you not managing your time better?

Once you understand where you are lacking, chalk out a course of action to improve. And then work on weakening your weaknesses and strengthening your strengths! Only then will you start moving in the right direction.

If you need any personal assistance, reach out to our experts here. We’re more than happy to help in whatever way we can.

Need more individualized advice?

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SAT/ACT Reading List

revsradmin — Wed, 25 Aug 2021 11:07:40 +0000

“What books can help me enhance my Reading Test score in ACT/SAT?”

This is a common question posed by ambitious students. Although the solution is not as easy as you would think, the three simple ideas below can assist you in creating your own unique ACT/SAT reading list to prepare for your standardized exam!

1) Read whatever you can get your hands on.

If you don’t consider yourself to be a strong reader, pick any book or magazine that interests you and dive right in! Reading something you enjoy will keep you interested and help you become a more fluid reader without you realising it, whether you’re learning about cutting-edge technical breakthroughs or going on an epic fantasy journey.

2) Make active reading a habit.

Reading a book for school is typically a passive activity. You’re reading at a leisurely pace, following the plot and allowing information to sink in over the course of several hours or even days.

You’ll need to be an active reader on the ACT and SAT, skimming and scanning chapters to rapidly identify and decipher key information. As you read, move your pencil over the page, underlining key concepts such thesis statements and context hints from particular questions. This is not how you would read in school.

3) Concentrate on your flaws.

On both the ACT and the SAT, passages follow a highly predictable pattern:

ACT: each passage is around 800 words long and covers a variety of themes such as fiction, social science, humanities, and natural science.

SAT: each passage is 500-750 words long and covers themes from American/world literature, history/social studies, and science.

Knowing what sorts of passages to expect will help you select what you should concentrate on while you prepare for your reading test, as some genres may be more difficult than others. Some kids, for example, struggle with science sections that include unfamiliar vocabulary. Others have a harder time with narratives containing a lot of conversation. Others may have difficulty understanding historical sections written in an earlier form of English.

The books listed below have been carefully chosen to provide you a comprehensive overview of the sorts of texts you could face on a collegiate standardised test while also addressing typical student shortcomings.

Make sure to use active reading strategies while you read each speech, essay, or story—skim each piece (or at least the first few paragraphs) and attempt to focus on essential themes and crucial details. When you come across an unfamiliar term, attempt to develop your own guess based on the context. Consider the use of metaphors, repetition, and other rhetorical strategies in your writing. These books are excellent additions to your ACT/SAT reading list:

THE CLASSICS

Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History by William Safire
50 Essays: A Portable Anthology by Samuel Cohen
Crafting the Very Short Story: An Anthology of 100 Masterpieces by Mark Mills
Speed Reading in 60 Seconds: 100 One-Minute Speed Reading Sprints by David Butler

LESS THAN 100 PAGES

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott
Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville

THE LONGER ONES

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
Candide by Voltaire
Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

NOVELS FROM THE 19TH CENTURY

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe by George Eliot
Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

SOCIAL SCIENCE

Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work by Matthew B. Crawford
Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don’t Know by Malcolm Gladwell
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Steven Pinker

SCIENTIFIC SAGAS

Welcome to the Universe: An Astrophysical Tour by Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michael A. Strauss, and J. Richard Gott
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James D. Watson
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin

MAGAZINES

The New Yorker
Nature
Time
The Hindus

Good luck with your reading!! Please contact us for a free consultation if you have any questions concerning SAT/ACT test preparation.

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SAT READING TIPS

revsradmin — Fri, 12 Jun 2020 15:53:42 +0000

DON’T SPEND TOO MUCH TIME READING THE PASSAGE.

You will have 5 passage associate questions and 65 min time. Where in you can spend average of 13 minutes on each question. So read the passage by 5 minutes and without skipping any information to get main idea and start answering questions.

BEGIN WITH THE EASIEST PASSAGES.

There is no rule that says you must complete the passages in the order that they are presented to you. Always begin with the passage type that is easiest for you.

ANSWER EASIER QUESTIONS FIRST.

If you’re stumped on a passage, try finding quick, easy questions to answer. You will have a better understanding of the passage and can tackle the harder ones with less pressure.

IF YOU’RE ZONING OUT, CHANGE THE WAY YOU’RE SITTING AND TRY AGAIN.

A simple adjustment like slouching, sit up straight, leaning to one side as you read, upright posture can help you refocus on the task at hand and finish reading the passage or answering the question.

IF YOU’RE GOING TO SKIP A QUESTION TO TRY LATER, PUT A GUESS DOWN ANYWAY.

There’s no wrong answer penalty on the SAT, so you should make sure you answer every single question. If you need to skip a question, put a star next to it in your test booklet and enter a temporary guess.

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ACT Exam | Reading Section Overview

revsradmin — Sat, 16 Mar 2019 13:30:56 +0000

An earlier post gives insight into the ACT exam as a whole. Let’s look at the Reading section of the ACT exam. Reading section is the second section of the ACT which is to be attempted after the English section.

Reading section overview

Reading section in the ACT has 40 questions to be answered in 35 minutes. Your ability to understand the points put forward by the passage is tested in this section. You have about 68 seconds per question including the reading time on an average.

This test contains 4 sections. Three of them contain a long passage in topics ranging across social sciences, natural sciences, humanities, and prose. One section would contain paired passage. Questions are related to the passage and may related to both the passages in the paired passage section. It is not intended to test rote-recalling of facts from the passages but focus on more finer details.

The areas tested in this section are Key Ideas and Details, Craft and Structure, and Integration of ideas and details.

Key Ideas and Details (18 – 20 questions) – This area tests your ability to understand the key idea mentioned in the passage. What is the author trying to say? What is the central idea or theme behind this passage or paragraph? What is the flow of information like in the passage? Asking these questions when reading passages across subjects would be helpful to better place you to answering accurately.

Craft and Structure (10 – 12 questions) – This area tests your ability to understand the choices made by the author. Understanding the words rhetorically would make the meaning much more clear in these questions. A grasp of meanings across synonyms would help.

Example: He ought to have told me. He must’ve told me. He should’ve told me.

The first sentence tells that the person has a moral obligation to you . The second sentence implies that there would be negative consequences had he not told you that . The third sentence means that the person is recommended to tell you . Not doing so would not result in negative consequences.

Understanding how the meaning of a statement change as the word choice changes is the key to scoring better in the reading section.

Integration of ideas and details (8 – 12 questions) – This area tests your ability to understand logically and connect the idea of the passage with the details mentioned. What is the claim the author is trying to make? What details corroborate the truth of the author’s claim and what contradicts the same? Understanding how the author gathers and presents evidence, the reasoning behind the evaluation of an idea is important.

Sample questions can be practiced on the ACT page

Read about the Overview of the ACT
Read about the English Section of the ACT
Read about the Math Section of the ACT
Read about the Science Section of the ACT
Read about the Essay (Optional) Section of the ACT

In order to join our list of Star Achievers, you can contact us at contact@rewiser.in

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Reading – ReWiser

Tips to Boost your ACT Reading Score

What’s on the ACT Reading Test?

Tackle the ACT Reading Test

Do the passages in any order

Time yourself as you practice

Underline or Circle key terms

Find the author’s point of view

Look for Transition Words

Don’t be nervous if you don’t know the word

Do ACT Reading practice tests

Build the right preparation plan

Need more individualized advice?

Tips to Boost your SAT Reading Section

Manage Time Effectively

Solve passages you’re comfortable with first

Solve dual passages at the very end

Solve easier questions first

Summarize Passages As You Read Them

Eliminate Answer Options

Practice And Evaluate Errors

Need more individualized advice?

SAT/ACT Reading List

SAT READING TIPS

DON’T SPEND TOO MUCH TIME READING THE PASSAGE.

BEGIN WITH THE EASIEST PASSAGES.

ANSWER EASIER QUESTIONS FIRST.

IF YOU’RE ZONING OUT, CHANGE THE WAY YOU’RE SITTING AND TRY AGAIN.

IF YOU’RE GOING TO SKIP A QUESTION TO TRY LATER, PUT A GUESS DOWN ANYWAY.

ACT Exam | Reading Section Overview

Reading section overview

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