line). That means you only need to worry about those two lines. Find the place where those two lines are
the closest and put your pencil on it. Notice the Rhode Island line is just about parallel to the United
States line, except where it dips down before it goes back up? That dip is where the lines are closest
together, which is in 2009. Your answer is (A)! Notice there was no need to eliminate the three wrong
answer choices because we were able to simply find the data point that answered the question?
Sometimes it really will be that simple. Just make sure you have the information to support your answer.
Dual Passages
One of your Science or History/Social Studies passages will be a set of dual passages. There will be two
shorter passages about one topic. Although the two passages will be about the same topic, there will also
be differences that you’ll need to pay attention to. Rather than attempting to read and understand both
passages at the same time, just follow the Basic Approach and focus on one at a time.
The questions for Passage 1 will come before the questions for Passage 2, and the questions for each
passage follow the order of the passage, just like single-passage questions. The questions about both
passages will follow the questions for Passage 2.
Two-Passage Questions
For questions asking to compare or contrast both passages, it’s helpful to consider one passage at a time
rather than trying to juggle both passages at the same time. First, find the answer for the first passage (or
the second passage if that one is easier) and use POE to narrow down the answer choices. Then find the
answer in the other passage and use POE to arrive at the correct answer. This will save time and keep you
from confusing the two passages when you’re evaluating the answer choices. Always keep in mind that
the same POE criteria apply, no matter how two-passage questions are presented.
- If a question is about what is supported by both passages, make sure that you find specific
support in both passages, and be wary of all the usual trap answers. - If a question is about an issue on which the authors of the two passages disagree or on how the
passages relate to one another, make sure you find support in each passage for the author’s
particular opinion. - If the question asks how one author would respond to the other passage, find out what was said
in that other passage, and then find out exactly what the author you are asked about said on that
exact topic.
The bottom line is that if you are organized and remember your basic reading comprehension strategy,
you’ll see that two-passage questions are no harder than single-passage questions! In the following drill,
you’ll have a chance to try a set of dual passages. Answers and explanations can be found at the end of the
chapter.