Critical Reading Mistakes

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o PRAISE = excited attitude
o NOT Curiosity
o Not ambivalence (although he is just stating facts, hes doing it in a
positive light)
The officials werent clever enough, or suspicious enough, to check my sister
and me
o Author views the police with: Disrespect
o NOT Skepticism = suspending judgment till more evidence is available ;
doubtful
o Assertion that they werent clever enough not commenting with a I am
not sure what the officials were up to. Maybe they werent doing their job
properly -> THAT is skepticism
When they say, the author mentions the anecdote about the person she met at
a stylish person in New York, they are referring to the whole paragraph that
had a message
o NOT referring to why the author mentioned the specific words in the
quotation marks
o Ans: to make an important point about childhood happiness
MAKE SURE TO ELIMINATE ALL OTHER 4 OPTIONS
Flamboyant appearance drawn ridicule but this same woman dedicated her
life to the public service indomitable spirit
o Not exploring both sides of a national controversy: that means ONE issue
and two different sides
o Here is was merely a description of what some people think of her and
what she has done in her life: character sketch
A cousin of the tenacious Asian Longhorned beetle which since its initial
discovery in 1996 tens of millions of damage the citrus longhorned beetle
was discovered on Washington
o *Compares means similarities and differences NOT just describing how 2
things are related
o Wrong ans : It compares the destructiveness of the citrus to the Asian
o Correct ans : It suggests the potential harm the citrus longhorned beetle
could cause in the United States
To stop the citrus beetle healthy trees were destroyed even though there
were no signs of infestation environmental regulations were suspended to
allow a rapid response to be mounted
o Not unprecedented and unfounded unfounded is wrong as the beetle
DOES have health concerns ; may be unprecedented yes.
o Correct ans : Preemptive and aggressive ; preemptive because no
infestation ; aggressive because nationwide environmental regulations
suspended
o * ENSURE THAT BOTH ADJECTIVES FIT THE DESCRIPTION COMFORTABLY
* = mostly to call attention to
* When they say what describes the relationship between 2 passages : Read the
entire passage again , not just the first few sentences and assume that
represents the passage; at times the last few sentences helps make you
understand a particular relationship.
The acting in silent was often very subtle despite legends to the contrary
o Not ancient folklore why will they lie

o Ans : Common misconceptions ; similar to rumor ; legend has it that

Tarzan is a king etc.
*Go through every option for passage reading and pretend its the correct
answer and defend it
Read small blurb before passage, it highlights important role characteristics
Incorrect data is different from using the wrong factor ; The data is correct, it is
just not as applicable
Wild tends to mean undeveloped, like Alaska , especially if the author says lets
go there before real estate gets their hands and changes it into one of their
heavens it means it is a raw area, so undeveloped is a better answer than
scenic
With its large circulation , Essence magazine has enjoyed --- only recently
challenged by a new publications aggressively seeking female African readers
o An aggregation
o A preeminence
o Ans : Preeminence because aggregate means whole formed by combining
small portions , which is not very applicable to newspapers
Two days later, I leaned against the wall of our apartment building on Mckibbin
Street wondering where New York ended and the rest of the world began. It was
hard to tell. There was no horizon in Brooklyn. Everywhere I looked, my eyes
met a vertical maze of gray and brown straight-edged buildings with sharp
corners and deep shadows. Every few blocks there was a cement playground
surrounded by chain-link fence. And in between, weedy lots mounded with
garbage and rusting cars.
o The narrator experienced Brooklyn as
Mysterious and unknowable
Uniform and Oppressive
Menacing yet alluring
Drab yet multifaceted
o Ans : Uniform and oppressive
Just understand the sentence meaning / implication for the sense of the word ,
should it be against or for
Understand this sentence : Freedom of expression is not necessarily a divisive
force : communities that encourage it often feel less threatened by social unrest
than do those in which dissent is restricted.
Surprisingly, there are old comic book fans who Fanzines
o The quotation marks are used to
Underscore a traditional definition
Set off a specialized term
o B because there ARE old comic book fans, and the term is not very
legitimate, so it is specialized
Benign monster
o Evoke sympathy for factory workers? NO.
o Such adjectives usually serve the purpose of characterizing a particular
process, etc.
Clovis is so and so Not supporting a provocative claim, but since many
archaeologists did research and all already, is helps to summarize a common
understanding
Be careful what you label as proof, might just be found for granting increased
plausibility to a particular theory

Understand : Not only was the science of Hildegard of Bingen inseparable from
her theology, but her religious visions helped give her scientific works
legitimacy by winning her the support of medieval church authorities
When they say both passages emphasize which part make sure that it is
exactly similar in both passages
TRICK : Compared to the author of Passage 2, the author of Passage 1 regards
Sam with more ___
o Dont get confused with who they are referring to
FOR SOME REASON, THE FIRST CHOICE I MAKE IS ALWAYS CORRECT. When I
swap it, it gets wrong . REALLY
When they quote a line --- read the sentence before and after to understand
the context in which it is written
PASSAGE READING
o They trick you with Primarily, most likely, etc. BUT there is only one
correct answer
o 4 wrong answer
Be decisive there will be something wrong about it every word is
put in plae for a reason
They like to use
Too broad ans.
Too specific ans
Reversed relationship ( means how humans influence ecology
becomes how ecology influenced humans )
Unrelated concept
All might be plausible . But plausible isn't good enough. The
right answer needs to be 100%, totally right. Wrong
answers might be off by even one word - you need to
eliminate these.
o Take the opposite approach. While you're reading the question, come up
with your own ideal answer to the question before reading the
answer choices. This prevents you from getting biased by the SAT's
answer choices, especially the incorrect ones.
o Skim the passage on the first read through. Don't try to understand
every single line, or write notes predicting what the questions will be.
Just get a general understanding of the passage. You want to try to finish
reading the passage in 3 minutes, if possible.

Practice skim reading the times

o Force yourself to care about what the passage is telling you. Pretend
that your LIFE depends on understanding this passage. Maybe
you're about to give a lecture on this subject. Or someone's holding a
puppy hostage if you don't answer enough questions correctly.
o TIME MANAGEMENT do not spend too much time on 1 question just mark
it and move on
But using one-sided and incomplete accounts of the state of scientific
knowledge has led to projections , predictions and warnings, etc.
o = rank / condition/ territory
o Condition

o * When asking you what this word most nearly means, do not try and
replace it in the sentence , it might not sound correct; just ensure that the
meaning is replicated somehow
Open mindedness is not = to general lack of stance
o Open mindedness means accepting attitude to NEW and DIFFERENT IDEAS
from the authors current standpoint
Just because you read from A onwards, and A seems correct does not mean you
do not consider the other options as seriously. Consider every option and FIND
OUT WHAT IS WRONG ABOUT EVERY OPTION
I understand that first you skim, but later when they quote lines 33-48, PLEASE
READ ALL THE LINES

* BUBBLING fill up OAS during last 3 minutes of the section ; instead of after every
question , yohu save alot of time

Pugnacious
Supercilious
Judicious
Haughty
Perfidy
Indigence
Aspersion
Diaphanous
Palpable
Dilettante
Dowager
Purveyor
Iconoclast

Writing Mistakes
Eager to argue ; pugnacious attitude of
right wing politicians
Behaving and looking like a superior to
everyone ; the Supercilious ladys maid
Having been done with good judgment ;
The judicious use of public funds
Arrogant and superior attitude
Act of being untrustworthy and deceitful ;
The general was suspected of perfidy
during the war
Extreme state of poverty / destitution ; He
contributed his time and effort towards
the relief of indigence
The act of attacking the reputation of
someone ; I dont think he is casting
aspersions on you
Light, delicate, translucent ; The fashion
designer favored fabrics so diaphanous
that they were virtually transparent.
Able to be touched or felt/ Tangible ; The
palpable sense of loss
Person interested in the arts, without real
commitment or knowledge
Widow with endowment from her late
husband ; The queen dowager
Person who sells and deals with a
particular good ; Range Rover has always
been a purveyor of large luxury vehicles
Person who attacks cherished
beliefs/organizations; Prof. Williams
frequently attacked churches and their

Profligate
Impugned
Mollified
Decimate
Reconnaissance
Raiment
Flotsam
Irascible / Cantankerous
Churlish
Disingenuous
Phlegmatic
Implacable
Mercurial

Emphatic

Concur
Languid
Omnipotent

Didactic
Impetuous

beliefs, earning a reputation as an

iconoclast
Recklessly extravagant/ waste in use of
resources ; He succumbed to a profligate
lifestyle
Dispute with ; The father does not impugn
her capacity as a good mother
Appease the anger of ; Nature reserves
were put up to mollify the local
conservationists
To kill; The inhabitants of the country have
been decimated
Military observation of an area ; An
excellent aircraft for low level
reconnaissance
Clothing ; Ladies clothed in raiment laded
with jewels
Wreckage ; Scientists wonder what to do
with the dead satellites, and other flotsam
orbiting Earth.
Tendency to be easily angered; Reaching a
deal with an irascible man is difficult
Rude in a surly way ; Churlishly
complained every step of the way
Not candid and sincere, typically by
pretending to know less than one really
does ; to describe journalists
Unemotional and stolid(calm) disposition
Unable to be appeased ; the implacable
enemy of Ted
Subject to sudden or unpredictable
changes of the mind ; The commentator
characterized the electorate as mercurial,
because it was given to constantly shifting
moods
Expressing something forcibly ; The idea
that the number of people per square mile
is a key determinant of population
pressure is as widespread as it is wrong
=> Emphatic tone
Agree with
Disinclination for physical exertion ; This
villa is perfect for spending languid days
of freedom
Having unlimited power ; When his hand
stopped, all the river and streams in the
map stopped as if waiting for him to finish
his point => The narrator suggests that
Lewiss hand is omnipotent
With the intention to teach ; Lewis is
sometimes didactic , he tells us about
value judgments, etc. like a teacher
Done quickly without care, recklessly ;
She will live to rue this impetuous decision

Edifying
Prognosis

Effusive
Tenuous
Ineffable
Unequivocal
Equivocal
Incorrigible
Gaudy
Misnomer
Curative
Prolific
Sundry
Bucolic

Lugubrious
Remonstrance
Erudition
Lassitude
Chicanery

Subterfuge
Bellicose

Morally instructive ; Seeing a blind drunk

is NOT an edifying sight
To make a medical prediction of the
course of action ; ( can also be used like
this ) Gloomy prognoses about
overpopulation
Expressing gratitude ; Giving an effusive
welcome
Weak/ Slight ; The tenuous link between
interest rates and investments
Too extreme to be expressed in words ;
The ineffable mysteries of the soul
Unambiguous ; The judges published
opinions were unequivocal : They left no
doubt of her intentions
Ambiguous ; He has always been
equivocal about the meaning of his lyrics
Cannot be changed ; She is an incorrigible
flirt
Cheap, showy and shiny ; Silver bows and
gaudy ribbons
Inaccurate name ; To call this work would
be a misnomer
Ability to cure ; The curative properties of
herbs
Producing a lot in quantity ; He was a
prolific composer of operas
Not very important to be mentioned ; The
store sells, newspapers, tobacco, and
sundries
Pleasant aspects of the countryside and
rural life ; Thomas Hardys novels are
bucolic due to their preoccupation with
daily life in rural and agricultural settings.
Looking sad/dismal; His face looked even
more lugubrious than usual upon
receiving his grades
Reproachful protest An angry
remonstrance in the factory
The quality of having a lot of knowledge ;
He was known for his wit and erudition.
The state of physical / mental weariness ;
She was overcome by lassitude and
retired to bed
The use of deception to achieve ones
purpose ; Some skeptics consider the
search for aliens to be wrongheaded,
others go so far as to accuse the scientists
of outright chicanery in applying skewed
data.
Deceit used to achieve ones goal ;
Journalists should not use subterfuge to
gain admission to peoples homes.
Belligerent ; The opposing politician

Sanctimonious
Allude
Anecdote
Personification
Totalitarian
Diametrically
Dichotomy
Bifurcations
Antipodes

Monarchy
Anachronism

Prodigious
Pliant
Arboreal
Brevity
Confound
Expedient

adopted a bellicose attitude

Self-righteous ; One tries to set a bit of an
example, if thats not too sanctimonious
Mention/ imply/ suggest ; The voice
principal alluded to the same idea
Recounting an experience or a story to
make a point
Embodiment /quintessence ; He was the
very personification of British diplomacy
Authoritarian, tyranny; Similar to
absolutism ( the belief that power should
be vested in one ruler)
Their behavior is diametrically opposite to
one another
Difference ; There is great dichotomy
between social theory and practice (Not to
be confused with opposite)
Splitting the main body into two parts
Opposites ; New Zealand and Spain can
accurately be described as antipodes
because they are diametrically opposite
one another on the globe.
Single ruler
Belonging to a period other than it is,
usually old-fashioned ; Opponents of the
research institute label it an elitist
anachronism, with its scholars having
perquisites rivaling those of perRevolutionary French nobility.
Remarkable / impressive ; To have
prodigious vocabulary
Easily bendable ; A more plaint prime
minister
Living in trees; arboreal rodents
Concise/ using exact words ; Edit these
manuscripts with a view to brevity and
clarity
Surprise/confusion ; The inflation figure
confounded economic analysts
Practical and convenient , but possibly
improper ; Either side could break the
resolution if it were expedient to do so

The derelict old house across from the warehouse and the even more
decrepit one just beside them have been placed on the list of historical
landmarks
o s perfectly fine
The regularly scheduled conference between my tutor and me is set for
Friday
o Yes its fine ; Remove and me and it works right
My low grades in chemistry requires me to arrange for tuition
o Wrong , should be require as gradeS ( plural )

Some, like castle are well-maintained tourists attractions. In one Welsh

village, the decaying remnants of castle sit beside cozy brick houses on an
ordinary street
o Between the sentences, which one to add?
However, many travelers prefer to avoid such tourists traps
Others crumble away in relative obscurity
Elsewhere, the environment may be a factor
o Ans : middle one ; because there is no mention of tourists visiting the
obscure castle to avoid tourists traps ; and because there is no
environmental difference in the first place.
For best version of sentence, read all options. Read it as if you are reading aloud
* At once annoying AND delightful because of his imagination
A mixture of jazz and classical idioms, the music of Beethoven was more
innovative than most of his contemporaries
o No ; more innovative that that of most of his contemporaries
Twice as many bird species inhabit Ecuador North America
o Options
as in
as inhabit
instead of in
when compared to
than
o Ans : as inhabit
During my most recent trip, I came across a wonderful antique store wandering
in the old quarter of the city.
o Store.. while wandering
Although its reputation is not as good as it once was, the university is still proud
of their productive, intelligent graduates.
o ITS
Just understand; He believed that peace has to start among the young, being
that the hatred of the adults in the campers homelands is very deeply
ingrained.
o Being that changes to SINCE
For sentences with options of grammar, remember to read the WHOLE sentence
offered, to understand the context of what should be placed in the blank
Brand name prescription drugs are often more familiar to consumers than
generic drugs, but the latter are not nearly as expensive than brand name drugs
o ASS
Because they painted scenes of life as ordinary people lived it , rather than
scenes from myths, many 19th century American artists differed from earlier
times
o Differed from artists of earlier times
o First underlined phrase is correct
The young fish were very tiny, yet each of them ate many times its own weight
in solid food every day.
o NO ERROR
Turn OF all appliances ; My boyfriend turns me OFF
Available through the schools guidance office is a job directory and a list of job
referral centers.
o ARE
FOR SOME REASON, THE FIRST CHOICE I MAKE IS ALWAYS CORRECT. When I
swap it, it gets wrong . REALLY

Essay
Seamless transitions ; one way is to end of the para with a key word that is
immediately used in the first line : like the New deal .. With the new deal

First and last paragraphs must stand out

ADD DETAILS (not just length matters)
Add vocabulary

Mathematics
Dont just do algebra or equations in your head OR in the calculator. Write them
down. You have the time. Really please write. You confused 23% for 23 instead
of 23/100
A sign needs to be painted using 2 different colors. I give you 5 different colors.
How many combinations? NOT 10. But 20. Because apparently can use the
same color as well ( WOW )
o Practice 1, Section 8 , qn 14
Consider all options ( visualize them )
Read the lengthy paragraphs carefully to understand what they are really asking
for
Volume of a sphere = 4/3 pi r^3
ASK SOMEONE
o Practise test 5 , Section 2, question 17
Even for simple calculations, just use the calculator
o Seriously, you wrote 180-40 = 120
Vertices the point at which lines meet
Edges of this 3-d picture = the lines that form the figure ( NOT THE PLANE AS AN
EDGE )
o For ref. Practise Paper 6, Section 4 Qn 17
When I say write the equations, that is a good thing, but dont write down and
make a copying error form the question
o + become in the equation VERY COSTLY
DOUBLE CHECK
REMEMBER AN INTEGER CAN BE A FRACTION
TRICK QN

o The number that results when an integer is multiplied by itself CANNOT

end in which of the following DIGITS
Not nuuumbers
o So 1/4/5/6/8
o Answer is 8 . like 6 x 6 = 36 thus ends with a number that ends with the
DIGIT 6
Remember what the question is ASKING for
o Asked for ratio of the second term to the first term , I happily found out
what the second term is and stopped there