SAT Reading & Writing: Identify how a passage is organized (compare/contrast, cause/effect, etc.)
20+ practice questions in Praczo
The concept, explained
- 1
Common SAT structures: problem/solution, cause/effect, compare/contrast, claim/evidence, chronological, and general-to-specific.
- 2
Sketch a one-word label for each paragraph (claim, example, counter, conclusion). The sequence of labels is the structure.
- 3
Signal phrases reveal structure: "however" / "by contrast" (compare), "as a result" / "because" (cause-effect), "first / next / finally" (chronological).
- 4
The correct answer must describe the entire passage, not just one paragraph. A passage with a single comparison paragraph is not a "compare/contrast" passage overall.
- 5
Watch for two-part structures (e.g., "presents a theory, then tests it against evidence") — these often match the correct choice exactly.
- ✗ Picking a structure that describes only the first paragraph or only the last paragraph.
- ✗ Calling any passage with two ideas "compare/contrast" — true comparison requires the passage to weigh similarities and differences across the whole text.
- ✗ Missing the outer frame: a passage may tell a story to illustrate a claim; the structure is claim-plus-illustration, not "narrative."
SAT-style practice
A passage opens by describing the sharp decline in pollinator populations, devotes two paragraphs to habitat loss and pesticide use as causes, and ends with a paragraph summarizing conservation programs that target those causes. Which best describes the overall structure?
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