The document provides an overview of strategies for critical reasoning questions on standardized tests like the SAT and GRE. It outlines 9 verbal skills being tested and a 5-step approach to answering reading comprehension questions, including strategically reading texts, understanding question stems, locating relevant information, predicting answers, and evaluating choices. The document also provides examples and guidelines for pacing practice questions.

1. CRITICAL REASONING
Class 1

2. GENERAL GUIDELINES
 SAT: 48/67 CR (40 L, 8 S) compared to 19 SC).
 GRE: 20/40 CR, 12 SC, 8 SE.

3. RC QUESTION FORMATS:
SAT:
 Select one answer choice (MCQ).
GRE:
 Select one or more answer choice (MCQ).
 Select a line in the passage.

4. RC QUESTION TYPES:
 Words in context
 Specific Information
 Attitude or tone
 Main & secondary Ideas
 Conclusion
 Implied Information
 Themes and Arguments
 Technique

5. THE 9 VERBAL SKILLS BEING TESTED:
1. Understanding the meaning of individual words and
sentences.
2. Understanding the meaning, relationship and
structure of paragraphs and larger bodies of text.
3. Distinguishing between minor and major points.
4. Summarizing a passage.
5. Drawing conclusions from the information provided
both the author’s conclusions and your own.
6. Identifying the author's assumptions and perspective.
7. Identifying strengths and weaknesses of a position.
8. Developing and considering alternative explanations.
9. Reasoning from incomplete data to infer missing
information.

6. PACING GUIDELINES:
The truth is that RC questions and passages differ so
much that in reality there is no easy rule in pacing
(Rule of thumb 1-1.5 minutes per question including
reading time).
 Know when to move on.
 Identify easy questions.
 Leave at least 1 long passage for the end.

7. TO SKIM OR NOT TO SKIM?
 What is skimming?
 Does it work for you?
 When does it become imperative?

8. MY PERSONAL PREFERENCE:
 Focus on ideas.
 Gloss over facts.
 I do my first read extensively for a global
understanding, reading critically, then I read the
question stem and scan, but if I am short on time I
skim.

9. 5-STEP APPROACH TO ANSWER ANY READING
COMPREHENSION
Step 1: Read the material strategically & critically.
Step 2: Read the question stem.
Step 3: Locate the material
Step 4: Predict an answer
Step 5: Evaluate the best answer choice

10. STEP 1. READING STRATEGICALLY: MENTAL
SUMMARY
 Put the thoughts in order do a quick review scan.

11. STEP 1. READING STRATEGICALLY: MAIN IDEAS,
SECONDARY IDEAS, DIFFERING PERSPECTIVE, EVIDENCE /
SUPPORT, CONCLUSION.

12. STEP 1 READING STRATEGICALLY: HOW TO DEAL
WITH MANY IDEAS IN A LONG PASSAGE
 Try to distinguish main ideas from supporting ideas
or evidence.
 Try to distinguish ideas that the author is advancing from
those he or she is merely reporting.
 Try to distinguish ideas that the author is strongly
committed to from those he or she advances as
hypothetical or speculative.
 Try to identify the main transitions from one idea to
the next.
 Try to identify the relationship between different ideas.
For example:
 Are they contrasting? Are they consistent?
 Does one support the other?
 Does one spell the other out in greater detail?
 Does one apply the other to a particular circumstance?

13. STEP 1. READING STRATEGICALLY: NOTE
TAKING / HIGHLIGHTING

14. STEP 1. INCORPORATING IDEAS IN STRATEGIC
READING: GUIDED PRACTICE SET
Example 1a:
Identify and make a mental summary of the main &
secondary ideas, the evidence, and the conclusion.
You may try skimming and scanning the passage or
extensive reading, you may also take minimal notes or
underline.

15. GUIDED PRACTICE SET: EXAMPLE 1A
Main Idea: Orion the hunter for whom a constellation
is named.
Secondary Idea: There is a second constellation
related to Orion.
Evidence / Support: Stories of how Orion was both
loved and hated by the Gods.
Conclusion: The Ancient Greek explanation of how
the Orion constellation and other stars were formed
is a myth in tribute of important Greeks.

16. STEP 1. READING CRITICALLY: GET INTO THE
AUTHORS MIND

17. STEP 1. READ STRATEGICALLY: GET INTO
THE AUTHORS MIND
Example 1b: For the last two hours I have been watching President Lincoln
and General McClellan as they sat together in earnest conversation on the
deck of a steamer close to us. I am thankful, I am happy, that the President
has come—has sprung across that dreadful intervening Washington, and
come to see and hear and judge for his own wise and noble self.
How does the author feel toward Lincoln?
(A) She trusts his judgment.
(B) She suspects his motives.
(C) She regrets his arrival.
(D) She finds him undistinguished.
(E) She has no opinion.

18. STEP 1. READ CRITICALLY: OVERALL
PICTURE, TONE, TOPIC, PURPOSE

19. STEP 1. READING CRITICALLY: OVERALL
PICTURE, TOPIC, TONE, PURPOSE
Example 1c: Identify and make a mental
summary of, overall picture, topic, purpose and
tone / attitude of both authors.

20. STEP 1. READING CRITICALLY: OVERALL
PICTURE, TOPIC, TONE, PURPOSE
Example 1c
Overall Picture: The cruel realities of servitude.
Topic: The biographical lives of slaves and servants
who took care of children.
Tone Author 1 “Curry”: Disgust
Tone Author 2 “Tagore” : Irony
Purpose: To provide two biographical accounts and
describe the life of slaves who were significant
caretakers.

21. STEP 1: READING STRATEGICALLY AND
CRITICALLY
 Saves time (have less to refer to).
 Analyzes, sorts, and evaluates information.
 Leads you to the best answer.

22. STEPS 2 & 3. STEM AND LOCATING
STRATEGIES: SIGNAL WORDS / KEY WORDS /
EMOTIONAL WORDS

23. STEP 4. STRATEGIES FOR PREDICTING: PREDICT
AN ANSWER / MAIN IDEA IN YOUR OWN WORDS

24. STEP 4. STRATEGIES FOR PREDICTING:
MAKING INFERENCES
She was wearing a
heavy over coat.
Q) What was the
weather like
outside?

25. STEP 4. STRATEGIES FOR PREDICTING:
MAKING INFERENCES
Example 4a: It can be inferred that the “reluctance”
mentioned in the passage is being ascribed to
A most composers since Mendelssohn
B Schumann and Brahms
C the music-listening public
D music critics generally
E Haggin exclusively

26. STEP 4. STRATEGIES FOR PREDICTING:
READING THE CONTEXTUAL CLUES

27. STEP 5. STRATEGIES FOR ANSWERING: THE
ROLE OF PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

28. STEP 5. STRATEGIES FOR ANSWERING: FACTUALLY
CORRECT BUT ACTUALLY WRONG

29. STEP 5. STRATEGIES FOR ANSWERING: FACTUALLY
CORRECT BUT ACTUALLY WRONG
Example 5a. A person who agrees to serve as mediator between
two warring factions at the request of both abandons by so
agreeing the right to take sides later. To take sides at a later point
would be to suggest that the earlier presumptive impartiality was a
sham.
The passage above emphasizes which of the following points
about mediators?
A) They should try to form no opinions of their own about any issue
that is related to the dispute.
B) They should not agree to serve unless they are committed to
maintaining a stance of impartiality.
C) They should not agree to serve unless they are equally
acceptable to all parties to a dispute.
D) They should feel free to take sides in the dispute right from the
start, provided that they make their biases publicly known.
E) They should reserve the right to abandon their impartiality so as
not to be open to the charge of having been deceitful.

30. STEP 5. STRATEGIES FOR ANSWERING:
WATCH OUT FOR EXTREME ANSWERS

31. STEP 5. STRATEGIES FOR ANSWERING: DON’T
BE A PERFECTIONIST

32. STEP 5: EVALUATING ANSWERS GUIDED
PRACTICE
 Example 5b: Evaluating Answers