<p>Before you read the passage, skim over the question and see what they are asking. Its usually questions like message, author’s purpose, etc. Then when you are reading make notes in the passage about those questions.</p>
<p>I know. Once you get the hang of it, it gets better. When you are discussing tone you are looking at the mood the author is creating, by the word choice you can usually see if it is happy, sad, angry, etc. Look at the words, and try to think beyond the story, what is the author saying, like the message. That usually helps with the tone. </p>
<p>And also its multiple choice. There are usually at least 1 or 2 answers that are completely wrong, that you should just eliminate from the get-go. </p>
<p>Do you have a study-guide? If not I would suggest getting one, that might help you, as it would give explanations to why certain answers are correct.</p>
<p>I never used a practice book. But the trick is trying to read into what they are asking. Just doing a lot of practice questions should help you get there. I think that the questions are stupid, but you just have to figure out what they want. The best advice I have is to look for the answers in the passage.</p>
<p>I agree with what scarletleavy says about figuring what they want. It’s not what you think is right. It’s what they want. Usually, it’s the safe, middle of the road answer, not an extreme answer. Just do the practice tests and you will get the hang.</p>
<p>It is easier to improve in math than CR. My S dislikes fiction for instance and did not have the lifetime of reading habits behind him to understand tone and nuance…but he took many SAT CR reading practices until he broke into the 700s. Good luck. You will improve some. Focus on what is really possible to improve this late: Best Essay, Best Recommendation, Best Foot Forward in contacts with your schools, good AP or SATII scores. A 690 is a very good CR score regardless and a great essay can help.</p>