Language and Literature: Reading, Grammar, and Analysis
Core concepts to master
This section tests reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, and literary analysis. For comprehension, identify the main idea, supporting details, the author's purpose, and tone, and distinguish fact from opinion. Grammar questions cover subject-verb agreement, pronoun reference, tense consistency, punctuation, and sentence structure. Know the parts of speech and how to correct run-ons and fragments. Literary analysis requires recognizing theme, plot, characterization, setting, metaphor, simile, and irony. Vocabulary questions reward understanding of context clues and word roots.
Traps to watch
Do not choose an answer because it repeats words from the passage; correct answers often paraphrase. Watch for distractors that are true but do not answer the question asked. In grammar, locate the true subject when phrases separate it from the verb, and beware of indefinite pronouns such as everyone, which take singular verbs. Distinguish its from it's and their from there. In tone questions, avoid extremes unless the text strongly supports them.
Worked example
Choose the correct sentence: Neither of the students have finished, or Neither of the students has finished. The subject is neither, which is singular, so the verb must be has. The correct sentence is: Neither of the students has finished. Rule of thumb: strip away prepositional phrases to find the real subject before checking agreement.