ShareThisDEAR DR. FOURNIER: I am a high-school counselor working with a student who is highly capable but exhibits some deficiencies in reading comprehension. He has recently completed psychological testing that revealed no significant problems. However, previous standardized test scores show a difference in areas specifically covering reading as compared with other areas tested. I am helping his parents find resources that may identify some specific skills he may lack and can improve upon if given the appropriate instruction. Is this an area that your program may benefit him?
WHAT TO DO: (Note to readers: You may remember that this question's answer was to be spread across two columns. Here's part 2, about reading comprehension for the ACT.) Read the questions before you read the passage. Underline key terms in the question that let you know the purpose with which you are to read the passage.
Focus on the main idea and main characters and underline anything that you believe helps you answer the questions you have previewed and underlined. Use the passage as a reference when you attack the questions, as most answers can be found in the passage.
Reread the questions and attempt to answer the questions in your own words without referring to the answer choices. Then match your answer with the choices. Remember that wrong choices are designed to mislead you. Set your own direction and you will not fall for these traps.
Focus on the easy paragraphs and questions first, and once you have completed the entire reading comprehension section, go back to the ones you marked with a "T" because you considered them "time traps." Respond to the time-trap questions without the pressure of being trapped due to time. When you practice, become astute at finding "time traps" and improving your analytical skills and strategic decision-making.
With less than nine minutes per passage, use an analog watch and determine where the big hand has to be when you finish with each passage and its questions. Then think, "This is how much space I have," and let go of the word "time." Practice this at home with homework, at school with tests and, of course, each time you take a practice ACT test. Soon time will no longer be a stressor because it is not on your mind.
Be sure to select an answer for each question before time expires. You are not penalized for wrong answers, so leave nothing blank.
Students should also practice for the scientific-reasoning section, which I consider to be the easiest part of this test. Scientific reasoning tests your ability to analyze and reason, with data presented in multiple formats, and whether you know how to separate useful data from useless data.
(Write Dr. Yvonne Fournier, Fournier Learning Strategies Inc., 5900 Poplar, Memphis, Tenn. 38119. E-mail her at drfournier(at)hfhw.net.)
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