Reading Tips:
- Read passage pre-blurb (aka the short intro before the passage) identify any info to help you understand the topic of the passage or to anticipate what the author will discuss
- Read each paragraph actively
- Summarize the passage’s big picture
Answering tips:
- Determine the kind of question being asked, which indicates the kind of thinking and research the question inquires
- Look for clues in the question stem to tell them where in the passage to find the correct answer
- Use the passage text or their summaries of it to answer questions
- Avoid rereading most or all of the passage
- Predict, specifically or generally, what the correct answer will say
- Use their research or big-picture summaries to establish the criteria for the correct answer when a prediction is difficult to make
- Avoid comparing answer choices to each other
- Avoid rereading portions of the passage after each answer choice
- Confidently choose the answer that matches their prediction and rephrases their predictions when necessary to match the criteria for a correct answer