When answering questions in the SAT Critical Reading sections take note of gender bias. I tell my students to view every answer concerning women was written about Hillary Clinton. Look for adjectives that are strong and powerful.
A female is NEVER weak. Nor is she frightened. She may not yet understand what is happening as a girl, but she will reflect on the whole later in life.
Non-caucasian women are particularly strong. Asian and Latino women and girls have made a regular appearance on recent tests. If you are studying for the SAT, get together with some high school friends and see if they have their old SAT booklets. Search for the critical reading passages that concern ethnic females and then look at the right and wrong answers.
Train your eye to pick up on the bias written into the test.
Up next: The daughter clause.
Showing posts with label sat sentence completion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sat sentence completion. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
SAT Critical Reading Bias, use it to score.
SAT Critical Reading is biased in many ways. Learn how and use the test's biases against it for an improved score. In this new series of blogs, I will show the most blatant bias, how the writers of college entrance exams have a tendency to be politically correct. Though this is not always true, it is mostly true and therefore a technique to know and follow.
They lean toward positive comments regarding females, as well as ethnic and racial minorities. Why? I don't really know, though I could speculate. But I don't really care. All I care about is that my students have an increased score. I do know this much, it does exist, it is recognizable, and mastering the technique of using the bias creates a higher score.
Today's CollegeBoard.org's question of the day is such a classic example that it was the catalyst to write about their leanings. The sentence completion question was about Shakespeare heroines. The answer choices were:
A). imperious
B). suffering
C). excitable
D). resourceful
E). precocious
The obvious answer is D, simply because it is the only 100% positive, pro-female, politically correct response. The first clue from the sentence that the answer MUST be positive is the use of "heroine" to identify the characteristic of the women. The second clue is that the answer is a modifier of a female.
Answer choices A, B, and C are not 100% positive and pro-female. E is not necessarily negative, but precocious means premature development and is used to modify a child. The term "women" in the sentence refers to mature females and not children.
Look for the positive responses in regard to SAT Critical Reading sentences and passages that deal with women and ethnic or racial minorities.
They lean toward positive comments regarding females, as well as ethnic and racial minorities. Why? I don't really know, though I could speculate. But I don't really care. All I care about is that my students have an increased score. I do know this much, it does exist, it is recognizable, and mastering the technique of using the bias creates a higher score.
Today's CollegeBoard.org's question of the day is such a classic example that it was the catalyst to write about their leanings. The sentence completion question was about Shakespeare heroines. The answer choices were:
A). imperious
B). suffering
C). excitable
D). resourceful
E). precocious
The obvious answer is D, simply because it is the only 100% positive, pro-female, politically correct response. The first clue from the sentence that the answer MUST be positive is the use of "heroine" to identify the characteristic of the women. The second clue is that the answer is a modifier of a female.
Answer choices A, B, and C are not 100% positive and pro-female. E is not necessarily negative, but precocious means premature development and is used to modify a child. The term "women" in the sentence refers to mature females and not children.
Look for the positive responses in regard to SAT Critical Reading sentences and passages that deal with women and ethnic or racial minorities.
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