even if you didn’t read it. (For more on guessing, patiently wait for Rule 3—and
see Chapter 7, page 323.)
*As in medicine, amputate only if absolutely necessary. Your score will lose a limb . . . or at least a foot.
—Samantha
RULE 2: TRUST THE PASSAGE MORE THAN YOUR OWN KNOWLEDGE.
Reading questions refer to what is “stated or implied in the passage.” You do not
need any outside information beyond general background knowledge. So if the
passage is about the history of celery and you happen to be an expert on stringy
green vegetables, you still have to read the passage. However, the passages
almost never contradict accepted outside knowledge. You won’t ever see a
passage that claims that the earth is flat or that celery is good. So never choose
an answer that you know is making a false statement.
On the other hand, never assume that you know the right answer just because
you know that one of the statements is true. There might be other true statements
among the choices that are more applicable to the passage.
Truth exists in layers. Chocolate cake also exists in layers, but that’s a different story.
—Samantha
RULE 3: ALWAYS GUESS.
If you skip a question because you don’t know the answer, you should always
give it your best guess (there is no penalty for guessing wrong and you might
just get lucky). Then put a mark next to it in the test booklet. We suggest an “X”
for the questions you don’t think you’ll be able to figure out and a “?” for the
ones you think you’d get if you have time left over at the end. If you want to be
really organized, put a “ ” next to the ones you did answer but aren’t sure
about. Then, when you get to the end of the test, do the “?” ones first, the “ ”
ones next, and the “X” ones last. (For more good guessing strategies, see
Chapter 7.)
RULE 4: KNOW THAT, FOR THE MOST PART, QUESTIONS WILL BE IN THE ORDER OF THE
PASSAGE.
That is, the answers to the first questions tend to be at the beginning of the
passage, the answers to the middle questions tend to be in the middle of the
passage, and the answers to the last questions tend to be at the end of the
passage. So if the answer to question 1 is about line 12 and the answer to
question 3 is about line 20, then the answer to question 2 can often be found
between line 12 and line 20.