Section A rewards careful reading rather than outside knowledge. A useful practice routine is:

1. Identify the central issue being discussed.
2. Find the author’s main conclusion.
3. Separate supporting reasons from examples and background detail.
4. Notice assumptions, qualifications and changes in tone.
5. Answer from the passage rather than from your personal opinion.
6. Eliminate choices that are broader, stronger or less precise than the text supports.
7. Mark genuinely difficult questions for review rather than allowing one question to consume too much time.

When reviewing practice questions, do more than record whether an answer was right or wrong. Ask:

• What evidence in the passage supports the correct answer?
• Why is each alternative less convincing?
• Did I misread the passage, misunderstand the question or rush the decision?
• Is there a pattern to the questions I find difficult?

What Section A techniques have helped you—and which types of question cause you the most difficulty?