Critical Reading- the answer is in the passage but I don't get the passage

andyis · August 6, 2014, 6:41pm

For example, passage:
I spend most of my waking hours worrying about how to reduce co2 and other greenhouse gases. yet my behavior seems to march to a different drummer. I need to get the best deal, and my values don’t get incorporated into the calculations. I am ATTUNED only to price. And I don’t think I am alone in this.

question: In line 32, attuned most nearly means
a. calibrated
b. sensitive
c. skeptical
d. assimilated
e. resistant

Ok. so now I go through 2 strategies. First, I read the context and make my own word that fits: I am attuned to price. So he only CARES or considers price. I try to compare my postulate to those of the answer choice but unfortunately it’s not there.

Strategy 2: plug in the word.(as I read on grammatrix)
I am calibrated to only price. as in he is adjusted to only price and that’s his only consideration… perhaps. a bit of a stretch but it’s ok
I am sensitive only to price. As in price makes him tear up and stuff?(I.e. stop being so sensitive) probably not. or he senses price really keenly… quite a stretch,
I am skeptical…NO
I am assimilated (absorbed)NO
I am resistant? NO

Now it’s time to choose. After much consideration I choose A (calibrated) between a and b.

Wonderful, I got it wrong, To my surprise, it was B.

Now let’s go to example number 2. Passage:

When it comes to pricing I am irrational, Offer me two washing machines, one of which is more expensive now but more efficient and hence cheaper over its lifetime. I can do the calculations in my head using a formula of discounted value of future savings to see how much they are worth in present-day dollars. But behavioral ECONOMISTS would say my actual discounting is hyperbolic. in the end, all I care about is the deal today

the economists are primarily focused on
A. anticipating future outcomes of current economic policies
B examining the effects of modern industry on global warming
c, analyzing how individuals make decisions
d. estimating the cost of reducing green house gas emissions
e. establishing sound tax policies.

Now I play the favorite of many critical readers, the renown devil’s advocate technique. Whether it be my body or soul, I shall sacrifice it all for a higher sat score. well, that aside, let’s get problem solving

Now I first try to understand the sentence, Behavioral economics…
so basically the actual discounting is hyperbolic. Now let’s think hyperbola. large gets down and large again. perhaps the cost of energy and fuel increases so the price is a hyperbola if one wishes a momentary discount. but let’s not be so hasty. as many say- Infer NOTHING. so maybe my hyperbola theory is a stretch. maybe not

Now that we understand the process let us try to solve the problem.
A. anticipating future outcomes of current economic POLICIES. no policies man, dude one strike, ur out
B examining effects of modern industry (like the washer) on global warming. dude we talking bout money here.
C. analyzing how individuals make decisions. Dude… what about the discounting. and our nice old hyperbola
D. estimating the cost of reducing Green house gas emissions. Like a hyperbola? Hmm me likeee(I like it Elmo style)
E. establishing sound tax policies (dude u high? cuz u sure ain’t sound. no tax and again no policies,)

After looking at my little devil, we agree it is D. after all, d stands for devil right? (don’t worry, I didn’t think that. I’m trying to liven it up. as TCB would ask, what is the use of after… right? Answer- to introduce a jocular (id say lighthearted but tcb never words it like I want. dem arcane wording as some like to say) tone to an otherwise monotonous passage).

Unfortunately, it is C. Crabs. I should have chosen C, the choice of highest incidence before the contingent nature of tests, including the sat. dang. I really messed up this time.

Now disappointed, I hop back to the back of the book for explanations.

Explanation for example 1: When the author states he is attuned to only price, he means he is only sensitive to the cost when making purchasing decisions… So why is calibrating wrong I ponder, lost in the chasms of the sat.

explanation for example 2: the economists are behavioral (and who isn’t) economists who have something to say about how the author does his discounting, that is how he makes the decision about which machine to buy.

wth, now why exactly are they NOT concerned about the cost.

now let’s see how we could have gotten these 2 correctly.

hmmm. attuned to cost. like he is sensitive to the cost. got it

hmmm. they say ur discounting is hyperbolic… they are analyzing U! they are analyzing ur decisions. got it

Now, after analyzing about 50 problems I got wrong this way, that’s basically all I can say. Try to develop the tiny things that let you see the differences I simply love how most guides say the answer is so obvious, so obvious in fact all but the test taker can see them. I have gone through most of xiggi’s thread (haha the debate between the tutors and him was interesting), used silverturtle’s guide(great grammar and college prep advice), gone through the grammatrix (it worked for over half,extra info, direct contra, irrelevant, confused. unfortunately, some problems did not seem to work that perfectly. nice and simply grammar chart though.).

I don’t know if there is something really obvious I’m missing, and if so, please enlighten me. I will be so very grateful. If not, and if you in turn were (if you were thinking you in turn was… watch out for grammar, take out useless stuff like in turn out) seeking advice, I would say try to know as many terms, even for specific fields and understand them inside out so yu don’t get these wrong. also, try to see which work, even if it’s a stretch, as long as it somehow works. I would say find the incorrect answers and prove the correct answer, and see if the text was really specific.

for example, earlier, behavioral economists would say MY discounting is hyperbolic. sure, one person could reduce some greenhouse emissions but they don’t appear to be concerned about the costs of reducing them, but rather, about my discounting. Also, as one may have noticed, the text did not directly say that more efficient washing machines reduce greenhouse emissions, Nonetheless, I would most definitely not say that it is so obvious. Or else all of us would get 2400s. Sure, it may be possible, but you need to notice tiny details. After going through the sections, I sometimes have time to spare, and I notice certain key words that completely change my answer. Lastly, I would like to point out I am not joking, ■■■■■■■■, or simply dumb ( at least not that much).

Thank you for reading and if you have any advice, please feel free to input. If not, don’t worry about it as I simply plan on taking like 10more tests, analyzing the tests, and trying to reduce these mistakes. Also, I am NOT suggesting against using techniques like the devil’s advocate or first think up of ur own answer. I may have simply done it wrong, and regardless, the techniques get me 600-700s (like 750,780,670,630) in critical reading. When I read something interesting that I understand the terminology, I can complete the section without error. that’s why terminology is essential (knowing the material also let’s you cross of certain choices that are blatantly wrong since the sat usually uses real materials). But again, if you are like me and saint enlightens us ( I was enlightened in writing tho thanks to useful cc posts) then try repetition, although I can’t voice for its effectiveness since my scores have yet to improve (in critical reading. writing…heck yes. get reading guys!)

Hunt · August 6, 2014, 6:53pm

On the first example, this is more evidence that the best way to do well on these kinds of questions is to read as much good prose in English as possible. The answer was obvious to me, because I am familiar with the phrase “price-sensitive.” If you read a lot of English prose, you probably would be, too. Why is “calibrated” wrong? Because you wouldn’t use that word in that sentence in English. (I don’t think it’s quite wrong enough for use in a test, but the answer was still clear).

In the second example, I think you got distracted by the presence of the word “hyperbolic,” and missed a simpler explanation. The question essentially asks what these economists do. Well, they’re behavioral economists, so they study behavior. So, clearly, C.

It’s fine to take more tests. But depending on how much time you have before you have to take the test again, it might be almost as helpful to read a bunch of articles in The New Yorker magazine, or in the New York Times.

CHD2013 · August 6, 2014, 7:00pm

^Do you have any evidence to back this up? What is the basis of the suggestion?

Hunt · August 6, 2014, 7:03pm

The basis of the suggestion is that I see, time and again, students come on here and ask critical reading questions that reveal they have been preparing by using vocabulary lists, rather than reading a lot of good English prose. As a result, they get questions wrong that an experienced reader of English would find obvious. The use of “sensitive” above is a prime example. If you’ve read a lot of English, you will have frequently read about people who are sensitive to price. You won’t need to think about the dictionary definition of sensitive.

Granted, my suggestion won’t help much if you are taking the SAT a month from now. But if you will be taking it six months or a year from now, it will.

CHD2013 · August 6, 2014, 7:06pm

^I understand your point, but studying vocab lists and taking and reviewing practice tests (the activities referenced above) are very different

Hunt · August 6, 2014, 7:11pm

I think practice tests are a good idea. But if you don’t already have a good handle on English prose, the amount they will help you is limited. I think to do really well, you should be able to say frequently, “I know this is wrong because you just wouldn’t say this in English.” Even if you can’t explain the rule. I don’t know any other way of achieving that level of comprehension other than a lot of reading. Again, looking at the first example above, I don’t know of any rule that says why “calibrated” is wrong in that sentence. It just is. Or, at least, “sensitive” is obviously more right.

CHD2013 · August 6, 2014, 7:39pm

It seems like your suggesting that a baseline comfort with medium-to higher level english writing is necessary before one could make the most of practice tests. If so, I agree.

andyis · August 6, 2014, 7:42pm

Thanks for the input Hunt. The problem for me is not so much the prose, but rather the manner in which I stretch out the word. As most would know, sensitive means to “quick to detect slight changes”. If I were to take another test in the same context, the chances of me choosing the right answer would be as high as getting the wrong answer. This is because I assumed calibrating, like calibrating a machine, could be applied to people as well. Despite choosing the better “sounding” word for better prose, many times that is the trap, leading me to be as inclined to choose the incorrect word as the correct word, if not strictly out of meaning.

Here’s an example to illustrate my point.

The chief loathed the ---- behavior of some medical students who would---- her excessively in an effort to win her favor.

Now from this, one could assume that the proper first word would be sucking up, more likely “obsequious” or “sycophant” as more SAT oriented words with the second word as compliment or praise, or perhaps a higher level word.

These are the choices
A. Sycophantic . complement
B. Recalcitrant…castigate
C. Obsequious… commend
D. unwitting… antagonize
E. gluttonous… belabor

Now, most who know the definitions of the words would be stuck between A and C

however, commend her excessively sounds more positive than negative, thus I chose A. For example, in association to commend, I thought Commend for her efforts, praise formally, positive, commend an award-winner.

However, if one scrutinized every word carefully, one would realize that for A, complement, as in complementary does not fit. Thus, I am confident I could have gotten this problem correct, although I was not able to because I was distracted by prose and connotation rather than the words themselves. In no way am I trying to criticize good prose, but I wish to point out the SAT does not necessarily always implement good prose, just as the pictures on the math are necessarily accurate, and the sentences in the writing section do not necessarily sound correct or proper, but as long as rules are properly followed, regardless of the sound or connotation, an answer could be correct.

For example, in the writing section,
The oldest known civilization in the Western Hemispher, the Norte Chico civilization—having comprised— many interconnected settlements leading the the Peruvian Coast.
A.having comprised
B. comprising
C. comprised
D. was comprising of
E. had been comprised

I was struggling between C and D, as I usually would use “comprised of” but was D was blatantly wrong, I ignored good prose and whatnot for C, the correct answer. Nonetheless, good prose in useful in 90% of the cases! but for us in cc! nothing less than 100% is acceptable.

Of course, I realize now that sensitive is the “best” answer, and if I had focused for 5 minutes, I could have reached the same conclusions. Unfortunately, the time limit is quite demanding and I rarely have 5 minutes to spare.

Hunt · August 6, 2014, 7:51pm

See, here’s the problem. “Sensitive” does mean that, but it doesn’t mean ONLY that. It means a lot of things. When you talk about somebody being “sensitive” to price, it means that they react strongly to price, or that price is important to them in decision-making. This is the devilish thing about English–it has a ton of words, and a lot of them have multiple meanings and nuances. You can only master this by reading.

In the example above, you have to know that complement and compliment are two different words. Although I have to say that a good writer would probably not use “commend” in that sentence–he would use “compliment” or “praise.” Are you sure it wasn’t “compliment?” In the second example, a, b, and e. result in non-sentences. No decent writer of English would ever use “was comprising of.” That couldn’t possibly be the answer. I don’t really like “comprised” in this sentence, either, but it’s the only possible answer. The more normal usage of that word would be in the phrase “was comprised of,” but that isn’t one of the choices.

Again, this is why reading a lot is important. If you really have English prose in your head, you would hardly even need to think about this question. Yeah, sensitive to price. Check.

andyis · August 6, 2014, 7:53pm

In addition, I’d like to say that I would consider myself as a person with relatively good prose, as I was brought up in an ok neighborhood with relatively few people who speak with grammatical errors, except for perhaps comedic effect. I have read several books considered “literature” such as Anna Karenina, The Catcher in the Rye, The Glass Castle, Shakespearean literature, Dickens, and other works. Nonetheless, the SAT has many ridiculously tiny mistakes, that one would simply skip over because one would not even stop to consider the possibility of such an asinine mistake. Now that is the biggest difference, in my opinion, between the SAT and school tests. If someone were to mispell compliment, it would not be viewed as harshly as completely wrong on the SAT. Or, if an essay had “synonymous to” an average reader would not regard such a use as a mistake. Another example would be the strict use of because of and due to, a concept that I do not fully understand yet. Despite this, if one does not have good prose and a relatively good understanding of the English language, it should be expected that he or she would not even be concerned with such issues, as that would be the basic level, which would then need to be built upon. Luckily, by simply growing up, most of us were able to encounter a wide range of uses of the English language. I remember being astonished by the number of my classmates that knew the word “jettison” by simply watching sponge bob.

I rambled on and on but my point is that both an understanding of English and the SAT specifically, are required to attain a high score, for most people, if not all.

Hunt · August 6, 2014, 7:56pm

It’s true that there are techniques to doing well on the SAT that are separate from just having a good command of English.

andyis · August 6, 2014, 8:05pm

But I do see your point, but the question is how exactly can one attain such a level of understanding? In what manner would one read, specifically which books, and how much time would the process require? I have no doubt that I have spent a large portion of my life reading, but even if someone were to have read the exact same books, I doubt our understanding of a English would be the same.

I would very much like to improve my prose, but in what manner could I do that? Should I read more Dickens? Virginia Wolfe? Scientific theses? Random online posts? Magazines? A textbook? Also, for those that say to read since childhood, I have, in fact, I slacked off all of middle school for the sake of reading because I felt classes were boring (can’t say it was the smartest thing I did).

Most of us have heard the many uses of sensitive, seen them in literature, but drawing the uses back into mind is a different story. For example, can you state the articles of clothing of people you have seen weeks ago?

Sensitive to price. check… but is collegeboard trying to bs me or not? Even if it sounds correct, many times, there may be a trick. As I have seen in other posts, “collegeboard puts in words that sound correct but aren’t really correct”. I think it’s the many different factors that i need to consider that throws me off. However, I will definitely try reading more literature in hopes that my cr score improves (The one that flew over the cuckoos nest definitely did NOT help.)

Nonetheless, thanks so much for your point of view- I will definitely pay more attention to certain constructions I see in literature and try to apply it.

Hunt · August 6, 2014, 8:14pm

What I like to suggest is that people read the New Yorker and the New York Times. You can probably get both at the public library, and you may be able to check out back issues of the New Yorker. Depending on where you live, your local paper may be a good thing to read as well. You should read a lot of different stuff, but look to read things that use English as it is currently used. In terms of online reading, you might try reading articles on Slate and Salon.

andyis · August 6, 2014, 8:26pm

How do you usually read the New York Times and the salon? would you read a passage and attempt to analyze it while reading or after reading it? Also, do you try to vary your subjects of reading(like read through the different sections, including sports and such?)? Which sections seem to be more enriching/ which are more for entertainment. For example, I have read a lot of scientific theses recently and I can usually ace critical reading with scientific portions. however, I do admit politics and history are weak points.

QuantMech · August 6, 2014, 8:55pm

andyis, on the “comprised/is comprised of” issue: The standard usage of the word “comprise” is undergoing a change. In the standard usage for most of the 20th century, the whole comprises its parts. It is not comprised of its parts. For further discussion of this point, see:

<a href=“Grammar Girl - Quick and Dirty Tips”>http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/comprise-versus-compose</a>

Grammar Girl claims that the phrase “is comprised of” is incorrect. “Comprise” probably comes from Latin, and the usage for most of the 20th century probably fits the Latin origin of the word.

However, the usage of comprise has definitely been changing. When I was a grad student, I wrote a sentence in which the whole was comprised of its parts, and my prof suggested changing it. Now, however, more people approve of “is comprised of” than disapprove of it.

My guess is that outside of practice tests, the SAT people are pretty careful to avoid questions about usage that is in flux. I wouldn’t worry about this one.

andyis · August 6, 2014, 9:02pm

thanks for the information quantmech! I think it’s just the practice tests I’ve been using (save the blue book for last). Another mistake I saw was when a sentence error was “liable to err” and liable had to be changed to likely. In reality, liable can also mean “likely to do or be something” rather than the common usage of required by law.

I’m glad that despite the weird diction, the answer was actually correct. it’s one of those things that can be strict in grammar, but is usually ignored ( I remember reading something about only using however as a conjunction).

TranquilMind · August 6, 2014, 9:18pm

You are really overthinking the passages.

Think about what the passage is trying to convey, don’t extrapolate outward into side issues.

Read a LOT. That’s all I can say. My kid who recently took this test got an 800 on this section of the SAT, so I guess this advice worked.

andyis · August 6, 2014, 9:39pm

The problem is that just reading for meaning doesn’t seem to have as much efficiency as reading while analyzing the passage. Simply reading for meaning, for books such as the hunger games, Harry potter series, or Percy Jackson series does not provide much help in analyzing passages with historical contexts. In fact, some books don’t even have proper grammar to convey a meaning, but it hardly does anything for the reader trying to understand and analyze passages.

I have read a lot and I plan on reading literature such as the New York Times and famous classics ( perhaps Macbeth or war and peace if I have the time). What I seem to think is that while reading, it would be advisable to annotate the passages and see WHY Tolstoy does this or how these words were able to combine in order to form a sentence full of meaning.

The negative part about simply reading is that one’s progress is not easily measured, perhaps part of the reason why I’m stressing a bit on critical reading. On writing, at least, I can measure the amount of new concepts I learn and assess my progress.

In contrast, if I were to read War and Peace, and not improve at all, that may demotivated me for some time.

In fact, I read a thread where someone was freaking out after not improving after taking 3 practice tests, which was quite funny to me since I have taken over 10 with little progress in critical reading despite heavy analysis.

However, reading is definitely golden, but how we can make it even more efficient, and be sure that we are improving is a matter of concern. As it is, many voracious readers have similar critical reading levels to people who may have read less, perhaps due to the unfamiliarity of the syntax or subject matter. But as I like to say, surrounding oneself with good literature and people who speak articulately is invaluable to ones progress.

Nonetheless, critical reading is undoubtably the most difficult section to improve, but it is definitely possible to improve, through an understanding of passages, collegeboard syntax, and logic. Even so, the road is difficult as a few errors is enough to drag one down from an 800

xiggi · August 6, 2014, 9:52pm

Forgive me skipping most of the posts except the first ones.

In a nutshell, while you quoted Grammatix, I would suggest to read Mike Barrett’s suggestions once again. Why? Because your approach is not very clear and seems wrong.

For instance, your choice of calibrated is not logical. Ask yourself what did calibrated YOU? Did the price calibrate you? Further, your logic about sensitive is also wrong!

If you read Grammatix or the more recent Black Book, give it another chance. Try to apply the techniques to real SAT tests, and for the love of all the saints, please do NOT use any other tests for the reading sections. The sections are already hard enough that using any of the other wannabe tests is pure masochism as you WILL pick up more of the incorrect techniques.

Lastly, keep working with tests --as many as you can-- and if you have a big stack (not hard to find) work through them with the ANSWERS in front of you. Try to identify why one answer is correct and why all the others are dead wrong.

In regards to having to learn more vocabulary or read contemporary articles, I would not do it. That does not appear to be your problem. Incorrect logic and comprehension are. That can be remedied by restarting your preparation.

Fwiw, that, in a nutshell, was a huge mistake. You probably will have to unlearn a couple of things you picked up using horrendous tests and problematic answers.

andyis · August 6, 2014, 10:15pm

Thanks for your very constructive post xiggi. I will definitely try reading the Grammatrix again (I do admit I usually read it when I’m too tired to do practice tests so I may not have followed the advice to its maximum potential).

I also agree that the real SAT tests are the best, however that is why I believe I should first be qualified to take them, as in being able to ace other tests before I use the blue book I purchased, as the number is very limited. As some may be aware, college board tends to pull tricks to unknowing test takers, so I believe one should be prepared for everything ( The AP test for Art History asked about contemporary art. Many got zeroes and I had to bs my way out without knowing Any art).

Nevertheless, I will be sure to use every test collegboard provides, to make sure my techniques work. In my opinion, one should practice for before using the blue book, and use the blue book to practice for the real SAT. Although the other books are not completely accurate, they are useful for leisurely reading at the very least ( although I will be the first to admit they make mistakes from time to time).

I will also try to work on my logic. I have to admit, I missed quite a few on logic, many of which were humorous mistakes, but disappointing nonetheless (When I read that a model was roaming, I figured it was a robot… never would have thought that I was the one roaming).

Although I’m not yet at the stage at which I would use the blue book (I need at least a 2300 in an imitation book first), I will definitely use your advice when I do.

But alas, I’m very grateful that you pointed out logic and comprehension were my issues. I now have a more clear objective to clear to overcome my weakness in critical reading (which ironically began as my strongest subject)

Critical Reading- the answer is in the passage but I don't get the passage

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