Reading and Writing: Evidence, Structure, and Conventions
The Reading and Writing domain rewards careful reading more than fast reading. Two skill families dominate: information and ideas (what the passage says, what evidence supports it) and craft and structure (how words, sentences, and paragraphs function). A third family, conventions of standard English, asks you to fix or choose grammar and punctuation.
For information questions, locate the exact lines that answer the question before looking at choices. A frequent trap is the choice that is true in the real world but not stated or supported by the passage. Another trap is the nearly-right answer that overstates: watch for absolutes like always, never, proves, and all. When asked which choice best supports a claim, test each option against the claim itself, not against the passage as a whole.
For structure questions, name what a sentence or paragraph does: introduces a counterargument, gives an example, defines a term, or shifts focus. For vocabulary-in-context, predict a plain synonym from the surrounding sentence first, then match it; words like arrest or novel have everyday meanings that differ from their technical ones.
Conventions questions usually hinge on boundaries. A comma cannot join two complete sentences by itself; use a period, semicolon, or comma plus a conjunction. Check subject-verb agreement by isolating the true subject from interrupting phrases. Modifiers must sit next to what they describe.
Worked rule of thumb: To test a sentence boundary, cover the punctuation and ask whether each side can stand alone as a sentence. If both can, a lone comma is wrong. For example, The lab closed early, the samples were moved needs a semicolon or a conjunction: The lab closed early, so the samples were moved.