after the literature passage on the new sat, you\u2019ll see two history\/social studies passages and two science passages–typically alternated. these passages should be approached a little differently than the fiction passage. here\u2019s what you need to know:<\/p>\n
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we\u2019ll talk about how to deal with questions on graphics in the next section, but for now, i would suggest not focusing on the chart or graph at all when you are reading until you get to the question(s) on it. the questions might be very specific or more general, and you never know exactly what they are going to ask. there is going to be a lot more information on the graphic than you need to answer the question, so don\u2019t waste your time until the question tells you exactly what you need to find.<\/p>\n
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it\u2019s particularly important to check the author and the date on these passages, which will appear in smaller font before the passage. you may be familiar with the author (\u201coh hello there again, dr. martin luther king or harriet tubman!\u201d) or the time period in which it was written (\u201chmmm, 1775 sounds suspiciously like the start of the american revolution\u201d). although the questions will never rely on outside knowledge, some familiarity with the author or situation will orient you before you begin reading so you can get more out of the passage without having to piece together the clues.<\/p>\n
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the history\/social studies passage may be something like a memoir; in this case, it may sound almost like a fiction passage. or it might be a letter or a speech that is making a persuasive (and personal) argument. if it seems pretty personal, be prepared for questions that ask about the author\u2019s feelings or attitudes.<\/u> you can bet your bottom dollar there will be one or two.<\/p>\n
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there\u2019s a range of subjects that can be drawn on in these passages, but there tends to be a heavier focus on sociology, psychology, economics and political science. as a sampling, the official practice tests in the college board guide have passages on the psychology of gift giving, ethical economics, public transportation, theories on education in 18th century america, growth of cities, speeches by virginia woolf and elizabeth cady stanton on the roles of women, and the french revolution.<\/p>\n
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don\u2019t be too intimidated by the science passages, although they will often include some jargon, they are written for everyday people. however, at the same time don\u2019t be lulled into a false sense of belief that a strong background in science won\u2019t help you out here. it\u2019s a lot easier to make sense of theories on the dna double helix if you\u2019ve studied them in class. if you are uncomfortable reading about science, we suggest reading some articles written for the everyday person on science topics. scientific american, national geographic, <\/em>or discover <\/em>magazines will give you a good feel for the type of passages you might encounter on the sat.<\/p>\n the science passages pull from a range of topics in the natural sciences: this means earth science, biology, chemistry, and physics. a sampling from the official guide includes passages about dna, the prospect of mining in space, the effect of the internet on our brains, ocean waves, evolution of birds, the disappearance of honeybees, genetic modification, and sources of volcanic eruptions.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n the sat calls most of the nonfiction passages \u201cinformational passages\u201d because this is precisely what they do: communicate information. your job is to distill this information into its most important elements:<\/p>\n if you can do this, you will be prepared for almost all of the questions that follow.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" after the literature passage on the new sat, you\u2019ll see two history\/social studies passages and two science passages–typically alternated. these passages should be approached a little differently than the fiction passage. here\u2019s what you need to know:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[91],"tags":[85],"ppma_author":[24868],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nthe takeaway<\/h2>\n
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