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Note: Any SAT reading question followed by a second question asking, "Which answer choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?" is a Two Part Question.
Let's think of Two Part Questions as one big question with two parts. The first question is part 1 and the second question (asking about the evidence) is part 2. We can also use the 4 Symbols strategy with Two Part Questions as well, but with a couple tweaks. Here are the differences between Two Part Questions and the One Part questions we looked at in the previous sections. Notice that the first step for two part questions is exactly the same as the first step to one part questions: read the question and ignore the answer choices.
Steps for Two Part Reading Questions
Step 1: Read Question to Part 1
Read the question to part 1 and ignore the answer choices of part 1
Step 2: Refer to Line References of Part 2 and Eliminate
Refer to the answer choices in part 2 and read the specific line references in the passage. Your goal is to eliminate the 3 line references (that don't answer the question to part 1) until you're left with one answer choice.
Step 3: Refer to the Answer Choices in Part 1 and Eliminate
Paraphrase that answer choice and write it in the gray area next to the question in part 1. Refer to the answer choices in part 1 and eliminate the 3 choices that least match your paraphrased answer. Like one-part questions, box any flaws in that make the answer choice incorrect. Remember, your job isn't done until you've eliminated 3 answer choices.
Example:
Let's take a look at questions 4 and 5 in the first passage of SAT Practice Test 1 (Section 1: Reading):
Note: Any SAT reading question followed by a second question asking, "Which answer choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?" is a Two Part Question.
Let's think of Two Part Questions as one big question with two parts. The first question is part 1 and the second question (asking about the evidence) is part 2. We can also use the 4 Symbols strategy with Two Part Questions as well, but with a couple tweaks. Here are the differences between Two Part Questions and the One Part questions we looked at in the previous sections. Notice that the first step for two part questions is exactly the same as the first step to one part questions: read the question and ignore the answer choices.
Steps for Two Part Reading Questions
Step 1: Read Question to Part 1
Read the question to part 1 and ignore the answer choices of part 1
Step 2: Refer to Line References of Part 2 and Eliminate
Refer to the answer choices in part 2 and read the specific line references in the passage. Your goal is to eliminate the 3 line references (that don't answer the question to part 1) until you're left with one answer choice.
Step 3: Refer to the Answer Choices in Part 1 and Eliminate
Paraphrase that answer choice and write it in the gray area next to the question in part 1. Refer to the answer choices in part 1 and eliminate the 3 choices that least match your paraphrased answer. Like one-part questions, box any flaws in that make the answer choice incorrect. Remember, your job isn't done until you've eliminated 3 answer choices.
Example:
Let's take a look at questions 4 and 5 in the first passage of SAT Practice Test 1 (Section 1: Reading):
- Step 1: Read the question to Part 1: Which reaction does Akira most fear from Chie?
- Step 2: Refer to line references in Part 2. Eliminate the 3 that don't answer the questions to Part 1:
(A) Line 33 "His voice was soft, refined" : This just tells us that Akira's voice was soft and refined. It doesn't tell us anything about what Akira fears most from Chie. (ELIMINATE)
(B) Lines 49-51 "You know how children speak so earnestly, so hurriedly, so endearingly about things that have no importance in an adult’s mind?" - This line makes no direct reference to neither Akira nor Chie let alone what Akira fears most from Chie. (ELIMINATE)
(C) Lines 63-64 “Please don’t judge my candidacy by the unseemliness of this proposal." - I'm going to skip this one, because, unlike answer choice B, this is a direct quote of Akira talking to Chie. That alone gives me enough doubt to skip it. Don't waste time trying to see if this is the right answer. We're not trying to find the correct answer, but focusing on eliminating the 3 wrong answers. (SKIP)
D) Lines 71-72 "Eager to make his point, he’d been looking her full in the face." - This line reference only mentions that Akira was eager to make his point and looks Chie in the face. It contains absolutely zero info about what Akira fears most from Chie. (ELIMINATE)
Now that we've eliminated 3 answer choices [(A),(B),(D)] , we can select answer choice C: “Please don’t judge my candidacy by the unseemliness of this proposal." - Step 3: Use your answer in Part 2 to create answer to Part 1: The line reference we selected in part 2 was "Please don’t judge my candidacy by the unseemliness of this proposal." We will use this line reference to create our own answer to the question in Part 1- Which reaction does Akira most fear from Chie? Our answer: Akira fears Chie will think his proposal is unseemly. Now, let's eliminate the 3 answer choices that are least like the answer we created.
(A) She will consider his proposal inappropriate - Remember our job is to eliminate 3 answer choices. This answer choice sounds fairly close to our answer so we're going to skip it. (SKIP)
(B) She will mistake his earnestness for immaturity. - The answer we created states that Akira fears Chie will think his proposal is unseemly. It makes not mention about mistaking earnestness for immaturity. (ELIMINATE)
(C) She will consider his unscheduled visit an imposition. -The answer we created states that Akira fears Chie will think his proposal is unseemly. It makes not mention that Akira fears Chie will consider his unscheduled visit an imposition (ELIMINATE)
(D) She will underestimate the sincerity of his emotions. -The answer we created states that Akira fears Chie will think his proposal is unseemly. It makes not mention that Akira fears that Chie will mistake his earnestness for immaturity. (ELIMINATE)
Now that we've eliminated 3 answer choices [(B),(C),(D)] , we can select answer choice A: She will consider his proposal inappropriate. Note that this choice matches most closely with the answer we created: Akira fears Chie will think his proposal is unseemly.
Keys to Remember
- Complete Part 2 first before moving on to Part 1
- Focus on eliminating the 3 wrong answers, instead of trying to find the right answer
- You eliminate twice for Two Part Questions. Once for Part 2 and once for Part 1
- Once you're finished, your answer to part 1 should match your answer to part 2
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