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Approaching Passages

Chris Lele
Lesson by Chris Lele
Magoosh Expert
Summary
The content provides a strategic overview of different approaches to tackling ACT reading passages, with a focus on the most effective method known as the Goldilocks approach.
  • Approach 1 involves reading questions first and then finding relevant parts in the passage, which may seem time-efficient but lacks context and understanding.
  • Approach 2 suggests a detailed reading and note-taking method, which is thorough but unnecessarily time-consuming and energy-draining for the ACT.
  • The Goldilocks approach, or Approach 3, recommends intelligent skimming of the passage for a big-picture understanding followed by focused reading of specific parts as guided by the questions.
  • Intelligent skimming involves quickly reading the passage to grasp the main ideas without getting bogged down by details or technical terms.
  • This approach saves time, provides context for better understanding questions and identifying correct answers, and requires practice to master.
Chapters
00:06
The Question-First Approach
01:51
The Detailed Reading Approach
03:09
The Goldilocks Approach: Intelligent Skimming
05:45
Practical Demonstration of Intelligent Skimming