SAT Skills Insight

Register Next Tests:
6/1

Using SAT Skills Insight

Select a score band

Organization and Ideas

Skills needed to score in this band

SKILL 1: Analyze main ideas and concepts within and across complex and sometimes opposing texts

SKILL 2: Compare and contrast explicit and implicit supporting ideas across texts

SKILL 3: Recognize components of an author’s argument within a text

1

Analyze main ideas and concepts within and across complex and sometimes opposing texts

Example

View Passage

Passage 1

A reading passage
Line Number	Text
	The bias against life on Venus is rooted in human presumption. From our limited observation of life on Earth we infer that liquid water, preferably lots of it, is essential for life everywhere. So, when searching
Line 5	for extraterrestrial life, we obsess over “rivulets” on Mars’ face—apparently carved by ancient gushes of water—and delight in hints of permafrost just under- neath the planet’s surface. (By comparison, Venus isn’t even that interesting to look at: A boring cue ball
Line 10	for backyard astronomers.) Attention and then funding follow the water: More space landers will depart for Mars, and serious plans for further missions hover in the future.

View Passage

Passage 2

A reading passage
Line Number	Text
	Is there life on Venus? Could there be life on Venus?
Line 15	The standard answers are “No” and “NO!” Venus is usu- ally dismissed in a paragraph or two before an extensive discussion of the prospects for life on Mars and other planets. This thinking presupposes knowledge of the universal nature of life and the general characteristics
Line 20	of inhabited planets—knowledge that we do not yet possess. Life is usually assumed to require organic molecules dissolved in liquid water. Discussions of other habitable places in the universe exclusively focus on planets with climates and atmospheric
Line 25	conditions that are “just right” for us. Venus, with its 850–900 degree Fahrenheit surface temperatures, is obviously sterile. Or is it?

The author of Passage 2 suggests that the “bias” mentioned in line 1, Passage 1, arises because people

Answer Choices

(A) find Venus less interesting to look at than other planets
(B) often ignore crucial information provided by experts
(C) assume that they know what they do not actually know
(D) are unaware of the atmospheric conditions on Venus
(E) believe that Earth has a unique status in the universe

Reveal Answer

2

Compare and contrast explicit and implicit supporting ideas across texts

Example

View Passage

Passage 1

A reading passage
Line Number	Text
	The bias against life on Venus is rooted in human presumption. From our limited observation of life on Earth we infer that liquid water, preferably lots of it, is essential for life everywhere. So, when searching
Line 5	for extraterrestrial life, we obsess over “rivulets” on Mars’ face—apparently carved by ancient gushes of water—and delight in hints of permafrost just under- neath the planet’s surface. (By comparison, Venus isn’t even that interesting to look at: A boring cue ball
Line 10	for backyard astronomers.) Attention and then funding follow the water: More space landers will depart for Mars, and serious plans for further missions hover in the future.

View Passage

Passage 2

A reading passage
Line Number	Text
	Is there life on Venus? Could there be life on Venus?
Line 15	The standard answers are “No” and “NO!” Venus is usu- ally dismissed in a paragraph or two before an extensive discussion of the prospects for life on Mars and other planets. This thinking presupposes knowledge of the universal nature of life and the general characteristics
Line 20	of inhabited planets—knowledge that we do not yet possess. Life is usually assumed to require organic molecules dissolved in liquid water. Discussions of other habitable places in the universe exclusively focus on planets with climates and atmospheric
Line 25	conditions that are “just right” for us. Venus, with its 850–900 degree Fahrenheit surface temperatures, is obviously sterile. Or is it?

On which point do the authors agree?

Answer Choices

(A) Earth is not the only planet in the universe where life exists.
(B) Life is more likely to be discovered on Venus than on Mars.
(C) People consider the possibility of life on Venus from too narrow a perspective.
(D) Humans have a natural inclination to explore other planets.
(E) Earth-based observation of Venus has given astronomers a false impression.

Reveal Answer

< Prev Skill Group | Next Skill Group >

Skills needed to score in the next band

As you read a text, look at its organization and its style. Consider how the organization and style work together to contribute to the work’s effectiveness.

As you read a text, think about the stated topic but also consider its larger meaning or purpose. Consider whether or not the text has a meaning beyond its stated intention.

Next Score Band