SAT Reading Comprehension: Line Questions

Line questions represent the vast majority of all the questions found in the SAT Reading sections. They refer you to a specific line or lines within the passage. They can include a lot of the question types that we've already seen: attitude questions (Lesson 3), structure questions (Lesson 5), definition-in-context questions    (Lesson 6), assumption questions (Lesson 7), inference questions (Lesson 8), and literal comprehension questions (Lesson 9 & Lesson 10).

The most common mistake made in these questions is to start searching other parts of the passage for answers. The SAT people know this, and so they always include answer choices from other parts of the passage. These choices sound good, are probably even true, but they are wrong, wrong, wrong. So, stay inside your box!

HOW TO BUILD YOUR BOX

Sample Passage

It was Karel Kapek, however, who popularized the term, “robot”. In a play entitled R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots) it was used in order to denote a class of forced laborers. The play was immensely successful in European countries and the United States. Interestingly, these countries still generally regard robots with the same attitudes embodied in the plot of Kapek’s play. That is, the word “robot” continues to hold the mixed emotions of skepticism, promise, and apprehension. In other countries, such as Japan, that inherited the word more indirectly, however, the connotations attached to the word “robot” diverge widely from those propagated by the play.

Let's say that the question asks you to go to line 2 of the passage. It's now time to carefully build your box:

In a play entitled R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots) it was used in order to denote a class of forced laborers. The play was immensely successful in European countries and the United States. Interestingly, these countries still generally regard robots with the same attitudes embodied in the plot of Kapek’s play.

Remember that the box includes the sentence before the referenced line, as well as the sentence after.

LIVING INSIDE YOUR BOX

It was Karel Kapek, however, who popularized the term, “robot”. In a play entitled R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots) it was used in order to denote a class of forced laborers. The play was immensely successful in European countries and the United States. Interestingly, these countries still generally regard robots with the same attitudes embodied in the plot of Kapek’s play. That is, the word “robot” continues to hold the mixed emotions of skepticism, promise, and apprehension. In other countries, such as Japan, that inherited the word more indirectly, however, the connotations attached to the word “robot” diverge widely from those propagated by the play.

The evil geniuses of the SAT know that you might be tempted to stray from the box. So they always offer you wrong choices that include words outside of the box but in the passage.

In this example, at least one wrong choice would include Kapek. Answer choices with Kapek would be especially tempting when you see Kapek's play. (Please remember that Kapek the man is not the same as Kapek's play in the same way that Bob the Builder is not the same as Bob's dog.) At least one other choice would include Japan.

These choices, based on ideas outside of the box, would always be wrong, wrong, wrong.

SAT Reading: Line Questions

Lesson Includes:

—Overview of Line Question

—Important Tips for Line Question

—How to Build Your Box

—Living Inside of Your Box

SAT Math

SAT Writing

SAT Reading

SAT Vocabulary