Reading Study Guide for the PERT

Specific Skills to Practice

Being able to do the following things quickly will enhance your ability to score well on this test.

Picking Out the Most Important Information

Picking out important information requires first perusing the given passages. As you read, highlight (or simply make a note) of all information that directly supports or relates to the main idea, the topic sentence, or simply a given idea you are working to support. After separating these points from the rest of the text, sift through them to locate the ideas, sentences, or phrases that pertain wholly to the point you are working with―these will be the most important tidbits of information.

Finding Evidence

Finding evidence may, at first glance, seem difficult or daunting, but can actually be quite simple. When looking for evidence, first clearly identify what exactly you are working to support. From there, search the sentences and paragraphs surrounding the introduction of that idea, and identify facts and figures that directly support the idea. This is important because it allows you to either confirm an idea presented in the passage or refute that idea.

Using Context Clues

Context clues are an invaluable tool when analyzing a passage. Context clues may be used to determine the meaning of a single word, or the meaning of an entire passage. To use this tool effectively, you must conduct a close reading of the text. If you are searching for the meaning of a specific word, look at the words and information surrounding that word. The tone, topic, and word choice should make identifying the word an easy task. For instance:

“Violet and Ana were hesitant to invite Claudia to the senior recital. While she was talented, Claudia was known for her tempestuous temperament. The recital could go off without a hitch, or it could quickly morph into World War III.”

In this sentence, what is the meaning of the word tempestuous? Given that her friends are hesitant to invite her, and inviting her might mean the beginning of a world war, it is safe to assume that tempestuous is, first of all, a negative description. Next, given the mention again of a world war, it is safe to assume that the word suggests a violent or unpredictable temperament. Viola! You have the basic meaning of the word.

In a paragraph, this progress is even easier: simply read the sentences and ideas surrounding the confusing sentence or phrase, and determine the meaning based on the tone, ideas, and word choice immediately surrounding.

Analyzing Word Choices

Analyzing word choice is an integral part of evaluating a text. Word choice is important, in that it can lend insight into the tone, organization structure, and purpose of a text. Choosing emotional or descriptive language, for instance, will elicit a sympathetic response from the audience, resulting in a positive response to a persuasive essay, an emotional tie to a narrative, etc. Choosing formal or academic language will paint the author as an authority on the subject, and may sway skeptical readers, inform the uninformed, etc. Word choice lends tremendous insight into the purpose and rhetoric of a piece.

Studying the Organization of a Piece

Organization choice also lends insight into a piece and its author. The organization could be in chronological order (most often in narratives), but may also be laid out in another way. A cause-and-effect relationship denotes the passage of time and the effect one point has on another. A problem/solution organization structure provides readers with an in-depth analysis of a problem, before offering an equally extensive solution. Question and answer structures are typically used to address the most common questions posed about a subject, while organization structures using least to most important (or vice versa) are most often used to create a sense of urgency by building up to a large conclusion. Using the descriptions above, you can readily identify the type of organization used in a given work.

Analyzing the Relationship of Events

Analyzing the relationship of events in a piece is important because it can reveal the purpose of that piece and direct the audience to a conclusion more easily. The most common relationship of events is the cause-and-effect sequence. “Cause and effect,” as the name suggests, describes a relationship where something occurs, triggering a chain reaction. In a paper, this is characterized by bringing up a single point, which then brings up another point, etc.

Another relationship of events is the compare-and-contrast relationship. In writing, this involves taking an idea, and either comparing it (finding similarities) or contrasting it (finding disparities).

As you analyze the possible relationship of events, look at the beginnings of each paragraph―is the topic sentence a jumping-off of the preceding topic sentence? This is cause and effect. Is the topic sentence being compared to the preceding topic sentence? Contrasted? This is a compare-and-contrast relationship.

Determining Relationships within and between Sentences

There are four different relationships between sentences. These include: addition/listing, time order/process, restatement, and comparison.

Addition/listing is the most common relationship and is denoted by the presence of words such as and, also, too, in addition, etc.

Time order/process involves identifying a sequence of events or a process and usually includes words such as first, next, then, after, etc.

Restatement simply restates an idea from one sentence to another. These relationships are usually denoted by the use of small phrases, such as in other words, that is to say, etc.

Finally, comparative relationships compare two sentences and include words such as, similarly, in the same vein, etc.

Extracting Character Traits and Motivations from Text

Character traits and motivations are usually detailed in passing in texts, rather than being stated overtly. To extract these, pay close attention to the actions of characters, even in small passages. A character’s words, actions, and even word choices are all clues as to the character’s traits, motivations, thoughts, and purposes―in both fiction and nonfiction.

To find these traits, ask yourself, “why?” When a character says something, ask why. When a character completes an action, ask why. When a character has a thought or makes any move whatsoever, ask why. This will start you on the road to determining what your character’s traits and motivations are.

From there, start threading the answers to your “why” questions together. A pattern will likely emerge. Is a character constantly making self-focused decisions? Narcissism is both a trait and a motivation. Is a character regularly thinking negatively? Pessimism is a trait, while self-defeating may be a motivation. Though it may take some time, both traits and motivations may readily be discovered with a bit of digging.

Comparing Two or More Passages on Similar Topics

Comparing two or more passages on similar topics will usually lead you to analyze three different aspects of writing: style, point of view, and type of essay/argument. First up: style. Style is the manner in which an author delivers a piece. Is the pace quick and witty? Slow and methodical? Average, but passionate? These are different styles that may be used to discuss the same topic.

Point of view is next. There are numerous points of view, including first-person, second-person, and third-person (both limited, and omniscient). First-person uses I and we statements. Second-person uses you. Third-person limited is told from an outside perspective with a focus on one character, while third-person omniscient is an outside perspective with equal weight on and insight into multiple characters.

Finally, the type of essay/argument. The type of essay ranges, but it includes argumentative, persuasive, narrative, informative, etc. Although these types are quite different in delivery, they may each be used to cover the same topic.

Although these are only three ways essays may differ from each other despite covering similar or even identical topics, there are many ways to differentiate one similar article from another. The key is looking for nuanced differences.

Tips and Tricks

Read each passage and the accompanying questions thoroughly.
Be sure you know what the question is asking and that you know how to determine an author’s purpose and a main idea.
Practice finding things that are not exactly stated in a passage, but may be inferred from it.
It helps to note words in questions such as best choice and main purpose. This means that other answers may seem to be correct, but that there is only one that is the best.
You will notice that many questions include the phrase, according to the passage. This means that you are only to consider information that is written in that passage. You may have lots of background information on the topic, or your own opinion, but this is not to be considered when searching for the correct answer.
A phrase like the writer seems to is your cue that every single thing written by this writer may not lead to a certain conclusion, but that there are at least a few pieces of evidence within the passage that do.
Refrain from yielding to the temptation to choose one answer without thoroughly reading and considering all of them. There may be a one- or two-word difference in two answer choices, but those tiny differences can make one answer correct and the other incorrect.