Strategies to try:

1. Read the questions first to get context
2. Sketch a quick passage outline as you read

Sample passage 1: THE GOTHIC PALACES OF VENICE

First, preview just the questions.

• Ignore the answer choices for now.
• Notice what each question gives you:
  1. Topic information (what the question is about)
  2. Task (what you’ll need to do with the passage information)

Q1: Which of the following can be inferred about Venice during the Middle Ages based on information in the passage?

What topic information is there?

• Venice, Middle Ages.

What task will I need to do while reading?

• Use passage information to make an inference (it won’t be stated directly).

Q2: What can we assume about the houses of mainland Italian cities?

Identify the topic and task, then hover over the spoilers below to confirm.

Q3: Other historians note that noble families in other European cities were able to build broad estates with heavy materials such as marble without the limited space and soft ground of an island, while Venetians tended toward vertical dwellings with light materials expertly chiseled or mosaicked by artisans. Where and why might this piece of information best be integrated into the current passage?

Q4: The author would most likely agree with which of the following statements, based on information provided in the passage:

Now that you know what to look for and what you’ll be asked to do with the information, you can read more purposefully.

The second strategy is to make brief notes of key ideas as you go - usually 1-3 word phrases. The goal is to create quick reminders you can use when you return to the passage.

Read the passage, make brief notes/an outline, and then answer the questions that follow. You can hover over each “spoiler” to check your answer and read an explanation.

Passage 1: THE GOTHIC PALACES OF VENICE which can be found at Project Gutenburg.

    The location of Venice upon a group of islands, sufficiently removed from the mainland to make it impossible to effectually attack it from this side, and naturally defended on the side towards the sea by a long chain of low islands, separated by shallow inlets and winding channels, making it difficult to approach, has rendered the city peculiarly free from the disturbing influences which were constantly at work in the neighboring cities of Italy during the Middle Ages.
    While her neighbors were building strong encircling walls, each individual house a fortress in itself, Venice rested secure in her natural defences and built her palaces open down to the water’s edge, with no attempt at fortification. Her hardy and adventurous inhabitants rapidly extended their trade to all quarters of the world and accumulated vast wealth, which was freely lavished on public and private buildings. The magnificence of the former was only equaled in the days of ancient Rome, and it is doubtful if the latter have ever been surpassed in sumptuousness and splendor.
    The palaces of Venice form an architectural group of great interest, in many respects quite distinct from the contemporary buildings on the mainland. They were carefully planned to satisfy the demands for comfort and convenience as well as display. Most of them have the same arrangement of plan, and were commonly built of two lofty and two low stories. On the ground floor, or water level, is a hall running back from the gate to a bit of garden at the other side of the palace, and on either side of this hall, which was hung with the family trophies of the chase and war, are the porter’s lodge and gondoliers’ rooms. On the first and second stories are the family apartments, opening on either side from great halls, of the same extent as that below, but with loftier roofs, of heavy rafters gilded or painted. The fourth floor is of the same arrangement, but has a lower roof, and was devoted to the better class of servants. Of the two stories used by the family, the third is the loftier and airier, and was occupied in summer; the second was the winter apartment. On either hand the rooms open in suites. The courtyard at the rear usually had a well in its centre with an ornamental curb; and access to the upper floors of the house was gained by an exterior staircase in the court, which was often elaborately enriched with carved ornament.
    The materials used in construction are mostly red and white marbles, used with a fine color sense, and the desire for abundance of color was frequently further gratified by painting the exterior walls with elaborate pictorial decorations. The earliest palaces are Byzantine, but with the growth of the Gothic movement these were gradually superseded, although the Gothic influence worked more slowly here than on the mainland. The richest and most elaborate work was built at this period. Finally the Renaissance took the place of Gothic; and the later palaces, built in this style, show strongly the debased condition into which the art of Venice fell in the Dark Ages.

Hover here for a sample of notes (a simple passage outline):

Q1: Which of the following can be inferred about Venice during the Middle Ages based on information in the passage?

A. It formed alliances with all neighboring cities.
B. Its geography discouraged invasion.
C. Its wealth allowed it to pay off invaders.
D. Its location limited trade in the region.

Q2: What can we assume about the houses of mainland Italian cities?

A. They were built in a plain fashion with only one or two floors.
B. They were connected by secret tunnels to facilitate mass escape during attacks.
C. They had protection from both a city wall and individual home features.
D. They typically included an underground room to avoid attacks common at the time.

Q3: Other historians note that noble families in other European cities were able to build broad estates with heavy materials such as marble without the limited space and soft ground of an island, while Venetians tended toward vertical dwellings with light materials expertly chiseled or mosaicked by artisans. Where and why might this piece of information best be integrated into the current passage?

A. In paragraph 1, to further describe the role of the island location in Venice’s relative freedom from attempted attacks.
B. In paragraph 2, to strengthen the author’s assertion that Venetian homes were typically built as splendid fortresses.
C. In paragraph 3, to expand on the contrast with mainland homes through explaining the look and materials of upward design.
D. In paragraph 4, to provide examples of how the elaborate style of Gothic buildings common to Venice was achieved.

Q4: The author would most likely agree with which of the following statements, based on information provided in the passage:

A. There was a direct relationship between Venice’s role in trade and the ambiance of the city.
B. The opulence of Venetian life was a sign of excess and moral decline preceding the Dark Ages.
C. The location of Venice on a group of islands created a myriad of transportation difficulties.
D. Mainland Italians of the Middle Ages were dependent on Venice as a source of supplies.