the dancing mouse is superior? (Never mind how that sounds.) Reread the paragraph and focus on its abilities. In a full-length passage, you’d skim for the keyword “weakness.”

      Seems that the mouse only has weakness, but it’s tireless in dancing. Keep that in mind now, and cross off the wrong answers:

      (A) endurance

      (B) muscle strength

      (C) visual acuity

      (D) tenacity

      Did you cross off Choices (B), (C), and (D)? They’re so impossible that it has to be Choice (A). Here’s the process:

(A)	endurance	Place a dot. “Endurance” is in the ballpark of “tireless.”
(B)	muscle strength	Cross this off: It has nothing to do with “tireless.”
(C)	visual acuity	Cross this off: It’s not even close (though the passage mentions the mouse’s eyes, don’t misinterpret this).
(D)	tenacity	Cross this off: Tenacity means “ability to cling,” and though it may relate to “tireless,” the passage refers to dancing, not clinging.

       The word “tireless” by itself could match “tenacity,” like when you’re clinging to the handles of a jet ski. Be sure to keep the context in mind when checking the answer choices.

      Ending with the inference and main idea questions

An inference is a conclusion that you reach based on evidence, and the SAT Reading section features many of these questions. You get a certain amount of information, and then you have to stretch it a little. The questions may resemble the following:

       The authors imply which of the following about success and the SAT For Dummies?

       Which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with regarding college and career path?

      Inference questions require a certain understanding of the whole passage, so be sure to work these after the line-number and detail questions. Now you read the whole passage, then do what you did before: Cover the answer choices, answer the question yourself, and cross off wrong answers.

      Try this inference question, based on these sentences about the westward journey of settlers during the 19th century.

       The women generally do the driving, while the men and boys bring up the rear with horses and cattle of all grades, from poor weak calves to fine, fat animals, that show they have had a good living where they came from.

      With which statement would the travelers described in this passage probably agree?

      Cover the answers! Of course, you can’t predict “which one,” but you can think of what the answer could be. What do you think the travelers’ attitude would be like? How about, “The women are sick of driving and the men are sick of handling animals.”

      Now: Cross off wrong answers.

      (A) Only healthy animals can survive a long journey.

      (B) All livestock should be treated equally.

      (C) Gender distinctions are considerations in assigning work.

      (D) Many pioneers are motivated by greed.

      Did you cross off Choices (A), (B), and (D)? They’re so impossible that it must be Choice (C). Here’s the detail:

(A)	Only healthy animals can survive a long journey.	Cross this off.
(B)	All livestock should be treated equally.	Cross this off as well.
(C)	Gender distinctions are considerations in assigning work.	Maybe. The men handled animals and the women drove. Place a dot.
(D)	Many pioneers are motivated by greed.	This may be true, but it doesn’t match your answer and it’s not supported by anything in the passage.

      Now for a main idea question from the same short passage. Remember, if this were a longer passage, now would be the time to read the whole thing.

       Which of the following is closest to the main idea of the passage?

      Hide those answers. What do you think the main idea is? Something like, “The settlers went west.” Keep it simple.

Now cross off wrong answers:

      (A) The cattle varied in quality.

      (B) The westward journey was slow.

      (C) Horses brought up the rear.

      (D) Women were better drivers even then.

      Did you cross off Choices (A), (C), and (D)? They’re so far out there that it must be Choice (B). Here’s why:

(A)	The cattle varied in quality.	Cross this off: It may be true, but it’s not the main idea, and it doesn’t match your answer.
(B)	The westward journey was slow.	Place a dot: It’s not far from your answer.
(C)	Horses brought up the rear.	Cross this off: Also true, but it’s not the main idea, and it also doesn’t match your answer.
(D)	Women were better drivers even then.	Cross this off: It’s true through the ages, but it doesn’t match your answer.

      Note a pattern in these main idea answer choices: Even the wrong answers may be true and/or stated somewhere in the passage, but being true or stated doesn’t make it the main idea.

Taking On the Reading Passages

      SAT Reading passages come in three flavors: Literature, Social Studies, and Science. The Literature passage is always first, but work it last because it takes the most time. If you’re geared toward science, you could work the Science passages first; or if you’re history/humanities oriented, you could start with Social Studies. Either way, Literature goes last.

      Distancing with social studies

      You wish it were distant, but it’s social. Anyway, if the passage is about social studies (history, anthropology, sociology, education, cultural studies, and so on), keep these tips in mind:

       Go for the positive. The SAT doesn’t criticize anyone with the power to sue or contact the media. So if you see a question about the author’s tone or viewpoint, look for a positive answer.

       Note