RC Comparative Reading Question

[g_lawyered]

Hi P.S.,
I realize Lesson 8 has RC Comparative Reading. When I go on Lesson 8 on my student portal, I don't see Comparative Reading homework practice. The only RC homework I see is Economics & History Passages (neither of which are Comparative). Can someone please guide me where I can find Comparative Reading Practice (besides from the Lesson Book)?
Thanks

[Administrator]

Hi!

Thank you for the question! You can find Comparative Reading practice located under the "Optional" heading in the Lesson 8 Homework – Additional Reading circle in the Online Student Center. There is a PDF of those pages and the passage sets start on page 8-29.

Thank you!

Julie Lipscomb
Director of Tutoring and Admissions
PowerScore Test Preparation
1-800-545-1750

[g_lawyered]

Hi P.S.,
The explanations for this practice set is very broad. For this question, I was stuck on choosing either B or C. I picked C because I thought it best reflected the last paragraph for Passage B which is where I thought the author's "voice" was most in. I eliminated answer D because I thought the language of "if left unchecked the repercussions of the disease will be far- reaching" was extreme. As in, it didn't match the tone of Passage B. Can someone please explain what makes answer choice D correct and answer choice C incorrect?

Thanks in advance

[Adam Tyson]

I'm assuming that you are referring to question 2 in that first passage, the one about Alzheimer's Disease, GGIBA003@FIU.EDU? If so, consider the overall tone of Passage B. The author is very concerned about AD, and the tone is pretty gloomy. The author uses words and phrases like "disturbing" (first paragraph) and "major public health concern" and "single greatest threat." (both in the second paragraph). Overall, author B paints a grim picture for our future as that population ages and more and more patients suffer from the disease. It's that tone, and words and phrases like those, that support answer D as being the Main Point. A good prephrase might be along the lines of "AD is a big and growing problem, and we better start throwing lots of money at it if we are to avoid economic disaster."

Answer B is true, but is too meek and mild to capture the dire tone of the passage. A good main point answer will convey not only the topic, but the tone and author viewpoint.

Answer C is likewise true, but is incomplete. The author thinks we need to spend money not only on a cure, but also on informing the public of effective preventive measures. And this answer also does not convey that grim tone, that sense of warning of impending doom that hangs over it all.

In short, a good Main Point answer will capture the gist of the whole passage. It won't just be a true statement about a part of the passage, and it needs to convey the tone as well as the facts.

I hope that helps!

[Ryan Twomey]

Hey GGIBA,

I would agree that C is wrong because it does not discuss the problem at hand, which is alzheimers and the growing rate of the elderly population and thus the growing number of people effected by alzheimers. C is also wrong because I would say the author is focused on prevention as a solution just as much as the author is focused on the treatment of Alzheimers.

D perfectly addressed the problem presented in the passage, that is, the growing elderly population and thus the growing problem of Alzheimers disease.

I hope this helps.

Best,
Ryan

[g_lawyered]

Thank you Adam & Ryan! Your explanations both help and I just think I need to read closer to see the tone keywords that I didn't see when I originally worked on the passage. Any tips on how to include the tone of the paragraph onto the roadmap of the passage?
Thanks

[Jeremy Press]

Hi GGIBA,

I always tell my classroom students that tracking tone in RC passages involves paying close attention to descriptive words the author uses, particularly adjectives and adverbs, as well as nouns with clear negative or positive connotations.

Think about these two simple examples:

Miles Davis was a jazz trumpeter in the United States in the 20th century.

Miles Davis's jazz trumpet career was astonishingly productive, and his genius touched many phases of the jazz movement in the United States in the 20th century.

Those two underlined portions of the second sentence are descriptive phrases (containing adjective and adverbs, and a noun, "genius," with a clear positive connotation) that shade the second sentence with a positive tone (in contrast to the first sentence's flat/neutral tone). Those are the kinds of descriptions you want to be picking up on in any passage to track its tone.

Adam identified some similarly descriptive phrases above that indicate tone: "disturbing" (adjective); "major" public health "concern" (adjective, major; plus noun with negative connotation, concern); and "single greatest threat" (adjective, greatest; plus noun with negative connotation, threat).

I hope this helps!