SAT Preparation & Review

SAT Preparation & Review

Welcome


Take out the orange sheet.

Take the five question test.

You have four minutes.

Start.


Take out the yellow sheet.

Let’s review your answers.


A 12 page packet is in the left side pocket of your folder that summarizes everything we will cover tonight.

There is also a handout on guessing in the left side pocket of the folder.


I’m not going to teach you math or English.

I’ll show you ways to save time and make fewer mistakes.

To improve you need to practice, practice, practice.

No break If you need to go, go quietly on your own.

General Preparation Before Test Day

Commit to Memory the Test Directions for Each Section

Have Everything Needed for the Test Assembled and Checked the Night before the Test

Know Where the Test is and Know the Directions to Get There

General Tricks of the Trade for the SAT

Eliminate the Wrong Answers to Find the Right One

Beware of the Answer that Jumps Out at You on Hard Questions

Don’t be Afraid to Guess. Understand how the test is graded

Write, Draw, Lineout in the Test Booklet

Mark the Correct Answer in the Booklet and Then Transfer Answers at the End of Each Section

Don’t Go so Fast on the Easy Questions that You Make a “Stupid” Mistake

Sentence Completion Strategies

READ THE ENTIRE SENTENCE TO GET A FEEL

USE YOUR OWN WORD OR WORDS TO FILL IN THE BLANK

“Dangerously high winds ------- attempts to begin the space shuttle mission on schedule, delaying the launch by nearly a week.”

What’s your word? __________________________


LOOK FOR THE CLUE

“A swindler’s ------ is usually a gullible person who is unable to resist the swindler’s traps.”

What’s the clue? ______________________


FORGET ALL THE EXTRA JUNK

“In Jamaica Kincaid’s novel Lucy, the West Indian heroine ------her employer’s world, critically examining its assumptions and values.”


LOOK FOR INTRODUCTORY OR TRANSITION WORDS

Because, And & Since = the thought or flow of the sentence is moving in the same tone or direction

However, Although, Though, But, Rather, Despite and Yet = the thought or flow of the sentence is moving in the opposite tone or direction


LOOK FOR INTRODUCTORY OR TRANSITION WORDS

“Since Polynesians live in mild climates, they experience ----- in adjusting to cold climates.”

“Polynesians live in mild climates; however, they adjust----- to cold climates.”


GOOD (POSITIVE) OR BAD (NEGATIVE) WORD

“The quest speaker on the Oprah Winfrey talk show offended the audience by first ----- them …”

Is the blank a good or bad word?


LET’S PRACTICE A FEW SENTENCE COMPLETIONS

Take out the green sentence completion practice questions in your packet.

Let’s work together using the strategies we learned.


Q1. Tame koala bears handled by tourists are ----, but wild koalas are hard to control and typically require two people to hold them.What’s the clue? What is the transition word?

Good word or Bad word? What’s your word?

(A) mischievous(B) gluttonous(C) supple(D) adroit(E) docile


Q2. Because of the ------- effects of the hot springs, tourists suffering from various ailments flocked to the village’s thermal pools.

What’s the clue? What is the transition word?



Q3. To avoid being ------, composer Stephen Sondheim strives for an element of surprise in his songs.



(A) erratic(B) informal(C) elaborate(D) predictable(E) idiosyncratic


Q4. Although easily angered by our mischievous behavior, our mother could be immediately ------ by our expressions of remorse.



(A) substantiated(B) impugned(C) protected(D) united(E) mollified

Sentence Completion Strategies – Two Blanks

Eliminate some choices based on just one blank;

usually the first one.

Once you have eliminated an answer based on the first word,

never go back to that answer again.

If one word is wrong, the answer is wrong.

Sentence Completion Strategies – Two BlanksQ5. The quest speaker on the Oprah Winfrey talk show offended the audience by first ----- them and then refusing to moderate these ------ remarks.



(A) flattering.. ? (B) haranguing.. ? (C) praising .. ? (D) enraging .. ? (E) accommodating .. ?

Q5. The quest speaker on the Oprah Winfrey talk show offended the audience by first ----- them and then refusing to moderate these ------ remarks.




Q6. Lewis Latimer’s inexpensive method of producing carbon filaments ------ the nascent electric industry by making electric lamps commercially ------.



(A) cheapened .. affordable (B) transformed .. viable (C) revolutionized .. prohibitive (D) provoked .. improbable (E) stimulated .. inaccessible


Q6. Lewis Latimer’s inexpensive method of producing carbon filaments ------ the nascent electric industry by making electric lamps commercially ------.


Q7. Although aging brings about profound physiological changes, it does not often alter an individual’s ------; an irascible thirty year old will probably still be ------ at seventy.

(A) disposition .. cantankerous (B) anatomy .. churlish (C) outlook .. benevolent (D) personality .. laconic (E) stature .. robust

Without prompts, take the steps to solve this sentence completion.


Q7. Although aging brings about profound physiological changes, it does not often alter an individual’s ------; an irascible thirty year old will probably still be ------ at seventy.


Q8. The general was so widely suspected of ------ during the war that his name eventually became synonymous with disloyalty.

(A) belligerence(B) indigence(C) perfidy(D) aspersion(E) tenacity


Sentence completions are essentially vocabulary questions. To improve your vocabulary, READ!

3 HOURS & 45 MINUTES

ESSAY FIRST AND 10-MIN WRITING SEGMENT LAST

SAT THE TEST

3 MATH SECTIONS

3 READING SECTIONS

1 WRITING SECTION

1 EXPERIMENTAL SECTION

Strategies for Long Passages

Go-To Questions: They tell you where the answer is.

Reasoning (Why or Interpret) Questions

Main Idea Questions: What is the passage about?

THREE TYPES OF QUESTIONS

As used in line 14, “consumption” most nearly means …

The author’s attitude can best be described …


The answer must appear in the passage

Don’t Read the Passage. That’s right. DON’T READ IT.

Read the introductory (italicized) statement


Go straight to the Go-To questions

Convert the SAT question into a real question

Go to the passage and read only what you need to

“The author most likely mentions Mount Everest (line 37) in order to.” “Why did the author mention Mount Everest?”


Answer the question in your own words.

Go to the answer choices and eliminate wrong answers.


Tricks to Avoid

The answer is a true statement but it’s not in the passage

Beware of extreme languageWomen are too emotional.Jazz is vastly superior to rock and roll.

Part of the answer is right and part is wrong

Exact restatement of a phrase from the passage in the answer is usually a trap

LET’S PRACTICE A LONG READING PASSAGE

Take out the blue long reading passage practice sheet in your packet.

Let’s work together using the strategies we learned.

Get your copy of The Official SAT Study Guide handy.



Turn to page 764 in The Official SAT Study Guide.

Answer in your own words.

Go to line 10.

Go to the answer choices.

Look at question 10 – the first question for this passage. Restate in your own words.

Go to the beginning of the sentence (line 5).Read.


Read italicized passage a top of passage.



Go to line 18.


Look at question 11 and restate in your own words.

Go to the beginning of the sentence (line 17).

Read.


If not clear go to the sentence before this one (line 14).



Rephrase the question _________________________.


Now answer question 12.

Go to line ___________.

Read.



By doing the Go-Tos first, you’ve read the passage in an efficient method

Look at questions 15 & 24

Turn to page 828 - 829

Answer these type questions last

By answering the Go-To questions first you will have read many parts of the passage


Attack short passages the same way as long ones BUT READ THE PASSAGE.

Turn to page 763 to see short passages.

Save the questions that deal with both until last.

For dual passages answer the questions that deal with each passage separately.

Short and Dual Passages

Turn to page 782 to see (long) dual passages.


Welcome

Strategies Math Reasoning

Don’t solve medium and hard problems the way you would in math class. You don’t have time.

Use your calculator

Review your math

Strategies Math Reasoning

Strategy 1a: Start with answer (C) then work up or down

Strategy 1: Plug in SAT answers that are numbers

Math Strategies Plug-in

The total daily profit, in dollars, from producing and selling x units of a certain product is given by the function p(x) = 17x – (10x + b), where b is a constant. If 300 units were produced and sold yesterday for a total profit of $1,900, what is the value of b? (A)-200 (B)-100 (C)0 8. Page 731(D)100(E)200


The total daily profit, in dollars, from producing and selling x units of a certain product is given by the function p(x) = 17x – (10x + b), where b is a constant. If 300 units were produced and sold yesterday for a total profit of $1,900, what is the value of b? (A)-200 (B)-100 (C)0 8. Page 731(D)100(E)200

Start with answer (C). Plug in 300 everywhere there is an x and a 0 for b. What answer gives you 1900 profit?

Profit = 17(300) – (10(300) + 0) = 5100 – (3000 + 0) = 21002100 ≠ 1900 so answer C is wrong.


p(x) = 17x – (10x + b). If 300 units were produced and sold yesterday for a total profit of $1,900, what is the value of b? (A)-200 (B)-100 (C)0 8. Page 731(D)100(E)200

17(300) – (10(300) + 0) = 5100 – (3000) = 21001900 ≠ 2100.] Since 0 (for b) makes the right side too large, a negative number such as -100 would make it even bigger, Therefore, we need to go to answer (D)

Therefore you can eliminate answers (A) & (B) without even trying them.


p(x) = 17x – (10x + b). If 300 units were produced and sold yesterday for a total profit of $1,900, what is the value of b? (A)-200 (B)-100 (C)0 8. Page 731(D)100(E)200

Go to answer (D) and see what you get. 17(300) – (10(300) + 100) = 5100 – (3000 + 100) = 2000; 1900 ≠ 2000. (D) is wrong.

The answer is (E). You don’t have to try (E). All the others are wrong & have been eliminated.


You “tested” all five answers and got the right answer by “working” only two.

Plugging in doesn’t mean plugging in every answer.


If (2x – 2)(2 – x) = 0, what are all possible values of x? (A)0 only(B)1 only(C)2 only 10. Page 787(D)1 and 2 only(E)0, 1 and 2

Solve this using the plug-in method, and I’ll call on someone to answer.

D is the correct answer.


Strategy 2: Plug in numbers for variables in SAT questions and answers

If x and y are positive consecutive odd integers, where y > x, which of the following is equal to y2 – x2? (A) 2x(B) 4X(C) 2x + 2 16. Page 642(D) 2x + 4(E) 4x + 4

Strategy 2a: Don’t use 0 & 1 as plug ins.


If x and y are positive consecutive odd integers, where y > x, which of the following is equal to y2 – x2? (A) 2x(B) 4X(C) 2x + 2 16. Page 642(D) 2x + 4(E) 4x + 4

Pick numbers for x and y. Remember to stay away from 0 and 1.Since y > x, make x = 3 and y = 5Plug in these numbers into the equation in the question.52 – 32 = 25 – 9 = 16

What expression in the answers gives you 16 when x = 3?

(E): (4 x 3) + 4 = 12 + 4 = 16


Pick numbers for x, say $10. and z, say $5.

If first shirt cost 10 and second 5, the total cost for 2 shirts is 15.

Plug in 2 for n, 10 for x and 5 for z into the answers.What expression in the answers gives you 15, when n = 2, x = 10 and z = 5?

During a sale, a customer can buy one shirt for x dollars. Each additional shirt the customer buys costs z dollars less than the first shirt. For example, the cost of the second shirt is x-z dollars. Which of the following represent the customer’s cost for n shirts bought during the sale?”13

(A) x + (n - 1)(x - z)(B) x = n(x - z)(C) n(x – z) 18. Page 585(D) x + (x – z)/n(E) (x – z) + (x – z)/n

(A) 10 + (2-1)(10-5) = 10 + (1)(5) = 10 + 5 = 15


Pick numbers for X, say 2.

If X = 2, then Y = 2 + ½ = 2½.

I. 2 ½ {which is Y} does not = 2 {which is X}; I is true II. Y {which is 2 ½} is not an integer; II is not true

If X is an integer greater than 1 and if Y = X + 1/X, which of the following must be true? I. y ≠ x (A) I onlyII. y is an integer (B) III onlyIII. xy > x2 (C) I & II only 16. Page 613

(D) I & III only(E) I, II & III

III. XY {which is 5} is > X squared {which is 4}; III is true

Math Strategies Plug-inAfter the first term, each term in a sequence is 3 greater than 1/3 of the preceding term. If t is the first term of the sequence and t does not equal 0, what is the ratio of the second term to the first term? (A) t + 9/3(B) t + 3/3(C) t + 9/3t 16. Page 733(D) t + 3/3t(E) 9 – 2t/3


If you make the first term 3, then the 2nd term is 4 {1/3 * 3 = 1}& 3 + 1 = 4, therefore, the ratio is 4/3. Answer C gives this ratio, 3 + 9/3 3 = 12/9 = 4/3.∙


How old was a person exactly 1 year ago if exactly X years ago the person was Y years old? (A) y - 1(B) y - x - 1(C) x - y -1 10. Page 702(D) y + x + 1(E) y + x - 1



If a + 2b is equal to 125 percent of 4b, what is the value of a/b? This is a grid in so there are no answers. 16. Page 655


Make b = 10, therefore, 4b = 40 and 125% of 4b (40) is 50.

Since a + 2b = 125% of 4b, a + 2b = 50

If a + 2b = 50 and b = 10, then a + 20 = 50, so a = 30

If a = 30 & b = 10, then a/b = 30/10 or 3

Math Strategies Trial & Error

When 15 is divided by the positive integer k, the remainder is 3. For how many different values of k is this true? (A) One(B) Two(C) Three 20. Page 643(D) Four(E) Five

Write out all the possible events and see what the answer is.

Math Strategies Trial & ErrorWhen 15 is divided by the positive integer k, the remainder is 3. For how

many different values of k is this true? (A) One(B) Two(C) Three 20. Page 643(D) Four(E) Five

Integer Times into 15 Remainder1 15 02 7 13 5 04 3 35 3 06 2 37 2 18 1 79 1 610 1 511 1 412 1 313 1 214 1 115 1 0

Math Strategies Look for Special Triangles

The right triangle is a 30-60-90 triangle. Find it on first page.

Side opposite the right angle is 2x , the side opposite the 30o angle is x and the side opposite the 60o angle is x√3.

In the figure above, ∆XYZ is equilateral, with side of length 2. If WY is a diameter of the circle with center O, then the area of the circle is a. √3∏/4 b. 2∏/3 c. 3∏/4 d. ∏ e. 3∏/2 19. Page 643


The side opposite the right angle is 2x , the side opposite the 30o angle is x and the side opposite the 60o angle is x√3.

If the side opposite the right angle is 2x and the value is 2 then x = 1, so the side opposite the 30o angle is 1. The side opposite the 60o angle is x√3 and since x = 1, the value is √3.



√3 is the value of the diameter of the circle. The radius is √3/2.

The area is ∏(√3/2)2 which = 3∏/4.



Turn to page 888 question 5.

Use special triangles to solve this problem.

Use 45-45-90 triangle

Hypotenuse = 2 √2, so other sides must be 2 each

So perimeter would be 2 + 2 + 2 √2 or 4 + 2 √2

Math Strategies Measure

Turn to page 584 question 14.

Does not say “Not Drawn to Scale”

Use paper to measure

Unknown sides are same (6) as known sides

Answer is 30

Math Strategies Reminders

In your packet under the math section are reminders and information you

should review before taking the SAT.


This review with several hours of practice should help improve your scores

But real improvement comes with lots of practice -- the SAT is like any other test. The more you prepare the better your score.


Thanks

And good luck

Documents

SAT Preparation & Review