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Text Structure and Purpose

I worked these out from the practice questions. Each code says where to start reading, where to stop, what you can skip, and why it is safe.

Start:: Start at sentence 1 and put a 2-word job label next to each sentence (claim, example, but, result).
Stop:: Stop when you have labeled the last sentence.
Skip:: Skip the details (dates, names, numbers) because they do not change the job.
Why:: In Q3, Q5 and Q7 the correct answer was just the labels in order. The names and numbers were never needed.

Used in questions 3, 5, 7

Start:: Find the first signal such as 'many think', 'often explained', 'long assumed'.
Stop:: Stop at the next sentence that starts with Yet, In fact, however or Then.
Skip:: Skip the rest until you need it for the conclusion.
Why:: In Q2, Q5, Q7 and Q8 the first idea was a belief and the next sentence turned against it. The question is usually about that turn.

Used in questions 2, 5, 7, 8

Start:: Start at the sentence just before the underlined one.
Stop:: Stop at the sentence just after it.
Skip:: Skip the sentences farther away.
Why:: In Q4, Q6 and Q8 the job of the sentence was shown by what came before (setup) and after (result). Far sentences were not needed.

Used in questions 4, 6, 8

Start:: Read your chosen choice slowly, word by word.
Stop:: Stop at the first word that the text does not support.
Skip:: Do not skip even one small detail like 'two experiments' or 'rejects'.
Why:: The trap options in Q5, Q6 and Q7 were nearly right but had one false part (two theories, resentment, disputes).

Used in questions 5, 6, 7

Start:: Read the question first, before the text, and see if it names a sentence.
Stop:: Stop after you decide the size: whole text, or one sentence.
Skip:: Skip choices that are too small or too big for that size.
Why:: Q1 asked for the whole text so a detail would be too small; Q4 asked for one sentence so the whole-text purpose would be too big.

Used in questions 1, 4

Start:: Look for emotion words in the choices such as resents, mocks, attacks, praises.
Stop:: Stop and look for a matching word in the text.
Skip:: Skip choices with strong emotions that the text never shows.
Why:: In Q6 the wrong answers added resentment and disrespect which the text never states.

Used in question 6

Start:: Start at the first step named in each choice, then compare it with the first sentence of the text.
Stop:: Stop at the last step named in the choice and compare it with the last sentence.
Skip:: Skip the middle steps until the first and last steps match.
Why:: In Q11, Q14 and Q16 two of the choices had the wrong opening or ending (experiments, two communities, defining a term), so I could remove them in seconds.

Used in questions 11, 14, 16

Start:: Find a concession such as 'partly true', 'admittedly', or a turn such as 'however', 'not everyone'.
Stop:: Stop at the sentence that follows it, since that is where the author's real point lies.
Skip:: Skip choices that say the sentence 'rejects entirely' or 'disputes' unless the text says so.
Why:: In Q13 and Q15 the sentence in question first agreed or showed one side, then the text turned. Choices that ignored the turn were the traps.

Used in questions 10, 13, 15

Start:: Start at the verb in the choice (explain, describe, argue, suggest).
Stop:: Stop when you have checked that every verb in the choice has a matching part in the text.
Skip:: Skip choices that cover only half of the text.
Why:: In Q9 and Q12 the text did two jobs (describe features and value; explain a finding and suggest a use). The correct choice named both, while the traps named one or invented a third.

Used in questions 9, 12