SAT阅读主旨题解法简析

在SAT阅读当中,主旨题往往出现频繁，占比不低。这种题型不仅考察学生的理解能力,还考察归纳能力,错误选项又往往具有迷惑性，因此学生得分率并不高。如何又快又好的答题得分，就是我们今天讨论的范围。
　　主旨题提问句中经常出现以下单词，如mainly discuss, main idea, purpose, title, topic。
　　出题方式举例如下：
　　The passage serves mainly to ____________________________
　　The passage primarily focuses on _________________________
　　The passage is primarily concerned with ____________________
　　The main idea/ point/purpose of the passage is _______
　　The passage as a whole is best described as ___________________
　　The passage as a whole answers which of the following question?
　　所有的SAT阅读问题，都有两种方法应对：正向法，反向法。正向法就是选择之前自己有了答案，然后看看答案有没有跟自己不谋而合的，有的话就选择它;反向法就是我们说的排除法，把错误的舍弃，留下的就是正确答案。那么如何总结自己的答案，哪些答案应该排除，才是我们解决问题的关键。下面，我们用一篇短单篇文章来说明一下。
　　In 1843 Augusta Ada King published an influential set of notes describing Charles Babbage's conception of an "analytical engine" --- the first design for an automatic computer. King's notes, which included her program for computing a series of figures called Bernoulli numbers, established her importance in computer science. However, her fascinating life and lineage (she was the daughter of the flamboyant poet Lord Byron) --- and her role as a female pioneer in her field --- have turned her into an icon. She has inspired biographies, plays, novels, and even a feature film. And whereas many women have helped to advance computer science, only King has had a computer language named after her: Ada.
　　The passage is primarily concerned with
　　A. Explaining Augusta Ada King’s interest in computer science
　　B. Providing a character analysis of Augusta Ada King
　　C. Summarizing how and why Augusta Ada King is celebrated
　　D. Tracing the developing of the modern-day computer
　　E. Encouraging more women to pursue careers in computer science
　　该题是典型的主旨题，如果用正向法，第一种是连接每句的重点词，合在一起就是文章主旨，重点词也就是每句主谓宾，文中用红色标出，句子中其他细节部分可以略读。“Ada发表注解，奠定地位。人生及血统也起到作用，她变得非常有名”，答案C. 总结Ada如何有名为何有名，跟我们的总结是一个意思。第二种称为3W1H法，代表的是WHO+WHAT+HOW/WHY，文章描写哪个对象，侧重它的哪个方面，该方面如何体现，文章当中分别对应的是：Ada, influential, note/lineage, 再次与C相同。
　　那反向法该排除哪些答案呢：细节、未提、极端、相反。答案A. 解释Ada对电脑科技的兴趣，属于细节;B. 分析Ada性格，文章未提及;D. 追踪现代电脑的发展，文章未提及;E. 鼓励女性投身电脑科技领域，文章未提及。
　　正向法和反向法都表明正确答案是C，建议同学们在做题过程中两种方法结合使用，可以更好保证正确率。