more lucrative—than earnest evaluation, open-minded consideration,
or plain thought.Passage 2
When Passionate Hearts opened, the filmerati were unimpressed.
The Los Angeles Times called it “a paean to stupidity,” and A. O. Scott
of The New York Times wrote a notorious, one-word review: “Dreck.”The author of passage 1 would most likely agree with which of the
following statements about the “filmerati” in passage 2?
A) They are often mischaracterized as vindictive.
B) Their opinions, though logically sound, are stylistically
questionable.
C) They dumb themselves down for their readership.
D) Their critical goals are insincere.To answer this question, we need to summarize passage 1 (critics care more
about their reputations than the act of reviewing) and apply this to passage 2.
Here, the answer choice that best accounts for passage 1 is D.
Make sure you don’t mix up the passages and attribute something you read in passage 2 to passage 1. Again, circling and underlininghere will help you avoid that.
—Samantha
DIFFERENT READERS, DIFFERENT
STRATEGIES
There are many different types of readers. Some skim through The Wall Street
Journal, searching for the most important percentages and tables. Others
luxuriate over a page of James Joyce’s Ulysses repeating each pun and
portmanteau. Reading, in other words, is a rich activity, and there are many ways
to do it. Similarly, there are a few different strategies that may be useful for
taking the test. Try them all and determine which ones work for you. We
recommend, however, that you not luxuriate, as you only have a few minutes.
STRATEGY 1: SKIM THE QUESTIONS BEFORE READING THE PASSAGE.