Ultimate Guide for your EBWR (by 790/800 holder)

If your score range is 450-550, then…

1. Start with the grammar as it’s the easiest to begin with. Make sure
you cover the following topics in great detail just to understand how
things work.
● Parts of speech

● Parts of sentence

● Clauses

● Subject verb agreement

● Pronoun reference

● Verbs

● Full tenses recap

● Run-on

● Modifiers

● Fragments

● Prepositions

● Idioms

● Phrases
● Parallelism I, II, III
● Punctuation
2. Work on your Reading comprehension at the same time. Here is
how: solve old SAT passages without timing by following these two
approaches:
1. Passage-to-question approach.
Steps:
● Read the blurb(the title)
● Skim the passage (2.5-7mins)
 Important:
● Take notes to locate your answers easily(1-2 words)
● Set a balanced time. The point is you should not be
too relaxed or too rushed as both keep you rereading
the part.
● Solve questions one by one.
2. Question-to-passage approach.
Steps:
● Read the blurb(the title)
● Analyze the questions
Three types of questions: QS (question to skip), QU (question to
underline), and QR (question to remember)
Remember the first 2 QR questions at a time.
● Passage + questions

Both approaches work for different aspects. Passage-to-question

approach works best for improving contextual vocab and
concentration (ability to understand without rereading).
Passage-to-question, on the flip side, does improve the ability to
effectively search for the part and locate the answer.

How to use these approaches to get the best outcome?

For literature and history passages, use a passage-to-question
approach as they don’t usually have so much to tell.
For social and natural science passages, use the latter.
Steps:
● Organize a study environment free of distractions.
● Solve using both approaches (ideally). That means 2 passages
per day.
● Don’t set a timer; use a stopwatch instead
● Make someone check your work after you finish
 ● Try to resolve questions you couldn’t get (without knowing the
answer)
● Write translations of the words you don’t know on the paper.
● Refer to them 2-5 times before you throw them to trash. In this
way, you build your passive vocab base.

If your score range is 550-650+, then…

Have a diagnostic test. These 2 websites provide free DSAT mock
tests (1, 2). Now, you have more than what CB offers.
1. For improving your comprehension, use passage-to-question
and question-to-passage approaches consistently as they are
proven effective.
2. In terms of your writing, here are the topics and associated tests
from Question bank you might want to cover:
● Modifiers
● Punctuation (check my youtube video)
● Transition words
● Notes questions
3. For reading, i highly recommend going through all these main
question types and building your own strategies:
● Big picture
● Literal comprehension
● Vocab questions
● Inference questions/Logical Completions
● Function questions
● Supporting/Weakening/Illustrating questions
● Paired passages
● Graph questions
Answers to these files are here.
Additional books.
For EBWR daily practice -> book
For full DSAT mock tests -> book
 Assalamu Alaikum, everyone!

I do understand a lot of you guys are doing your best in this season as
application deadlines are approaching. I decided to help you as much as I
can and built this constructive EBRW study plan with study materials.
However, this is for those whose EBRW score is already at least 550-600+
since we won’t be covering comprehension classes here. Ok, let’s jump in!

Reading section
This is the most stressful section for most people, but let’s break it down!
Basically, it’s not a reading section, it’s just eight types of questions.
● Big picture questions
● Literal comprehension questions
● Inference questions
● Supporting/weakening/illustrating claim questions
● Function questions
● Vocabulary questions
● Cross-text connections questions
● Graph questions

Listen, it’s absolutely foolish to solve all these questions using the same
approach, and also, don’t solve endless full DSAT tests before focusing on
each of these questions. Let me make it easier for you.

1. Big picture questions contain these types: main idea, main

purpose, overall structure (my method might differ from others’). Even
if they slightly vary in what they ask, bear in mind this: THEY ALL
FOCUS ON ACCURACY/EVIDENCE.

For example: if the text says that videogames are bad and they have
a lot of disadvantages, it doesn’t mean its main idea should be
“parents should prevent their children from playing video games.”
Bro, why are you inferring? There is nothing written about parents like
this. These questions brutally stick to accuracy and fact checking.
Thus, prioritize accuracy.
 2. Literal comprehension questions are of two types: small scope and
big scope. Ok, you might have never heard these names because it’s
purely MJ’s naming. Let me explain. Small scope questions ask for
details in the text (e.g. According to the text, why does Bill regularly
ask about seafaring men?), and the only thing you have to do is
locate the answer and paraphrase. Big scope questions, on the other
hand, focus on the whole thing (e.g. Based on the text, what is true
about mother?) You have to understand it like you have 10 or so facts
about mother in the text, and all you have to do is to fact check. A
small detail is more than enough. Too easy, huh? These questions
are easiest and are meant to be easy. Now, practice these two topics
here and check them here

3. Inference questions are not just logical completions, beware.

Remember, literal comprehensions? They have their brother
questions, with a level of uncertainty, however. For example, it’s not
“Based on the text, what is true about mother?”; instead, it’s “Based
on the text, what is most likely true about mother?.” Did you feel it?
It’s adding most likely, which is signaling you that the answer is not
paraphrased but inferred. Here, you don’t necessarily fact check.
Instead, understand it like this. For example,
Question
What does the text suggest about Ali’s expected score before the
exam?
The text
- It’s been a good month since I saw you. How was your exam,
Ali? Was it satisfactory?
- Sighs.. Unfortunately, it’s not above 1500. I really thought I did
good. SAT sucks, overall!
Answer
He was expecting above 1500.
This was just a sample question with a short text. I think you got what
I meant. Now, practice a few of them here.
 Logical completion questions are just another type of inference.
Here, you have to give reason for whatever option you choose. Look, I am
not saying you should guess! YOU HAVE TO GIVE A REASON. Ok, bro let
me explain with examples. For example,
If Alisher is always late to the class, can we expect him to be late
today as well? Yes, for sure
The important thing to understand here is you don’t have to
guarantee him to be late. You are just asked to logically reason based on
what he’s been doing. Ok, another one.
If it’s been raining heavily for a week, can we expect our plans to
have a picnic to be canceled today as well?
Yes
Another thing to notice is picnic plans being canceled might not even
be in the text, and it’s ok. Read that again! Ok, one more
If Alex is allergic to nuts, can we expect him to not eat pistachio
croissant on John’s birthday?
Yes
This is the most reasonable way to think this way, and remember
pistachio croissants are not even given in the text, or you don’t have to
even guarantee Alex not eating them. You are just reasoning and this is the
most reasonable to think.

My advice in this question is to skim the whole passage and FOCUS

EXCLUSIVELY ON THE END! Also, take some time to think about what
your answer would be. Focus on transitions like however, therefore.. Ok,
practice them here and get answers here.

ENOUGH FOR PART 1! Solve them and come back to @marifatjamal

 Study plan part 2

Assalamu Alaikum, guys. Here is part 2 of our study plan. Please first finish
part 1 and come back unless you already did so. In this part, we will be
focusing on the remaining 5 question types from SAT reading and, to some
extent, writing part. Wish me patience and good luck to finish what I started
as I have an extremely tight schedule. Ok , let’s begin :)

Reading questions left to be covered

● Supporting/weakening/illustrating claim questions
● Function questions
● Vocabulary questions
● Cross-text connections questions
● Graph questions

4. Supporting/weakening/illustrating claim questions

Before using anyone’s strategy or following tips from books, let’s think very
logically about this question and what it asks. I’ll start with supporting and
weakening questions.
Which finding, if true, would most directly support the journalistʼs claim?
Try to analyze each word question has…
Ok, there are 3 important things to observe.
1. It’s saying support, not weaken (very basic, but pay attention)
2. It’s asking to support the journalist's claim. Look, what they ask you to
support always changes. The question is already navigating you
where to focus on.
3. The word ‘if true’ is suggesting that it might not even be true, yet
accept it as true. Ok, let me simplify. It’s basically suggesting that
those options given might not be written in the text, so don’t try to
check for accuracy!

Here my suggestion is to prioritize the journalist’s claim (it is always

different) and make a solid template out of it. Let’s solve
While attending school in New York City in the 1980s, Okwui Enwezor
encountered few works by African artists in
exhibitions, despite New Yorkʼs reputation as one of the best places to view
contemporary art from around the
world. According to an arts journalist, later in his career as a renowned
curator and art historian, Enwezor sought to
remedy this deficiency, not by focusing solely on modern African artists, but
by showing how their work fits into the
larger context of global modern art and art history.

Which finding, if true, would most directly support the journalistʼs claim?

Let’s first know where we have to focus mostly. Since it's a journalist's
claim, let’s find it. According to an arts journalist, later in his career as a
renowned curator and art historian, Enwezor sought to
remedy this deficiency, not by focusing solely on modern African artists, but
by showing how their work fits into the
larger context of global modern art and art history. This is your claim. Let’s
read and make a template. He doesn’t want to focus on artists, but wants to
show how their works fit into global art. Global means worldwide, so find an
option with this idea.

A. As curator of the Haus der Kunst in Munich, Germany, Enwezor

organized a retrospective of Ghanaian sculptor El
Anatsuiʼs work entitled El Anatsui: Triumphant Scale, one of the largest art
exhibitions devoted to a Black artist in
Europeʼs history.
B. In the exhibition Postwar: Art Between the Pacific and the Atlantic,
1945–1965, Enwezor and cocurator Katy
Siegel brought works by African artists such as Malangatana Ngwenya
together with pieces by major figures
from other countries, like US artist Andy Warhol and Mexicoʼs David
Siqueiros.
C. Enwezorʼs work as curator of the 2001 exhibition The Short Century:
Independence and Liberation Movements in
Africa, 1945–1994 showed how African movements for independence from
European colonial powers following
the Second World War profoundly influenced work by African artists of the
period, such as Kamala Ibrahim Ishaq
and Thomas Mukarobgwa.
D. Enwezor organized the exhibition In/sight: African Photographers, 1940
to the Present not to emphasize a
particular aesthetic trend but to demonstrate the broad range of ways in
which African artists have approached
the medium of photography.

Hope you aced it! Yes it’s C.

(Just kidding, it’s B )

Illustrating claim questions are easiest. Remember IELTS reading

matching heading questions? Just treat them in a similar way. Just imagine
that the text gives you the heading/main idea and options are like texts, so
you just get to match them. No complex thinking. Let’s do it

Accomplished printmaker and sculptor Elizabeth Catlett (1915–2012) used

her art to explore the Black experience in the United States. In a paper for
an art history class, a student claims that Catlett had a particular talent for
unifying various artistic traditions and styles in her work.

The idea/heading is ‘particular talent for unifying various artistic traditions

and styles in her work’. Find a text where it says about unifying (joining)
various styles.

Which quotation from a scholar describing Catlettʼs work would best

support the studentʼs claim?
A. “In Mother and Child, a sculpture of two Black figures, Catlett used an
ancient Indigenous sculpting technique and combined the visual aesthetic
of modern Mexican muralists with that of German artist Kathe Kollwitz.”
B. “In her collage New Generation, Catlett overlaid fabric onto the canvas
to represent the clothing of a father and
his toddler, positioned to evoke classic images of a mother and child.”
C. “Created in 1968, Catlettʼs sculpture Black Unity, a stylized fist sculpted
from mahogany and measuring two feet
across, remains an important piece and has received renewed and
well-deserved attention in recent years.”
D. “One series of Catlettʼs prints, made by the artist using the linoleum cut
method, depicts several notable African
American women, including Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth.”

Bro, you’ve got this. Congrats it’s A. Now, you want to solve questions from
this file and check them here. Solve the ones without a graph, for we didn’t
cover them yet.

2. Function questions. I don’t know why students suck at this question

type, but just know that these questions are the second most common
question type on SAT and PRIORITIZE ACCURACY. Yes, bro you got this
right. Like big picture and literal comprehension questions they prioritize
accuracy. There is no trick in them. They are of two types. They either ask
for the function/purpose of the whole passage or a specific part. Let’s see
the first type of them.
Early in the Great Migration of 1910–1970, which involved the mass
migration of Black people from the southern to the northern United States,
political activist and Chicago Defender writer Fannie Barrier Williams was
instrumental in helping other Black women establish themselves in the
North. Many women hoped for better employment opportunities in the
North because, in the South, they faced much competition for domestic
employment and men tended to get agricultural work. To aid with this
transition, Barrier Williams helped secure job placement in the North
for many women before they even began their journey.
Make sure you understand the gist of the passage instead of focusing on
the details. Time for evidence/accuracy checking

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. To introduce and illustrate Barrier Williamsʼs integral role in supporting
other Black women as their circumstances changed during part of the
Great Migration
B. To establish that Barrier Williams used her professional connections to
arrange employment for other Black women, including jobs with the
Chicago Defender
C. To demonstrate that the factors that motivated the start of the Great
Migration were different for Black women than they were for Black men
D. To provide an overview of the employment challenges faced by Black
women in the agricultural and domestic spheres in the southern United
States

You have got this. It’s A. Proud of you, bro!

Now let’s see another form, which asks you to focus on the part and not the
whole passage. Bear in mind, even if you are tempted to choose the idea
from the whole passage, THE CORRECT ANSWER HAS ALWAYS TO BE
TAKEN FROM THE UNDERLINED PORTION. Read that again! Let’s see
this example

“How lifelike are they?”. Many computer animators prioritize this question
as they strive to create ever more realistic environments and lighting.
Generally, while characters in computer-animated films appear highly
exaggerated, environments and lighting are carefully engineered to mimic
reality. But some animators, such as Pixarʼs Sanjay Patel, are focused on a
different question. Rather than asking first whether the environments and
lighting they're creating are convincingly lifelike, Patel and others are
asking whether these elements reflect their filmsʼ unique stories.

Yes, you should read the whole passage, but make sure you read the
underlined portion again exclusively.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined question in the
text as a whole?
A. It reflects a primary goal that many computer animators have for certain
components of the animations they
produce.
B. It represents a concern of computer animators who are more interested
in creating unique backgrounds and
lighting effects than realistic ones.
C. It conveys the uncertainty among many computer animators about how
to create realistic animations using
current technology.
D. It illustrates a reaction that audiences typically have to the appearance
of characters created by computer
animators.

I hope you chose the right answer. Make sure to proof-check it. How to do
it, though? Check if your answer is written in the underlined portion. It’s A.
Now, before moving to another question type, make sure you solve
questions for this type here and check them here

5. Vocab questions are the most common question type, I would say. You
always have 2-8 of them in the beginning, on average 5. One thing we all
have to admit is that unless we have enough vocab base, regardless of the
strategy we use, we can’t get them right. Before I move on to tips, start
learning our compiled words here. All credits go to Marstiff SAT academy
team)
Let’s begin. Vocab questions are of two types. Ok, it’s again my crazy way
of naming. These are “just vocab” and “vocab in context” questions. Just
vocab questions are the ones that come with a blank. Vocab in context
questions are the ones with their word(s) underlined. Think about them
logically. Let’s do this together.

The following text is adapted from Nathaniel Hawthorneʼs 1837 story “Dr.
Heideggerʼs Experiment.” The main character, a physician, is
experimenting with rehydrating a dried flower.

At first [the rose] lay lightly on the surface of the fluid, appearing to imbibe
none of its moisture. Soon, however, a singular change began to be visible.
The crushed and dried petals stirred and assumed a deepening tinge of
crimson, as if the flower were reviving from a deathlike slumber.

As used in the text, what does the phrase “a singular” most nearly mean?
A. A lonely
B. A disagreeable
C. An acceptable
D. An extraordinary

As you all noticed this is the “vocab in context” question and don’t rush to
choose something similar to the underlined word. Look, this word might just
be a placeholder. It might not come in its actual meaning. Firstly, from the
context, figure out what you need. In this question, you need to have
something great because it is saying “as if the flower were reviving from a
deathlike slumber”, which is indeed sth unusual. It’s in no way close to the
first meaning of the word singular which is alone or one. So, it’s D.

The second type which is ‘just vocab’ is the opposite of this, which asks for
the actual meanings of words. Your teachers might have said to just read
and predict, but I will add on that. Firstly, focus on FINDING A HINT before
predicting any word. Let’s see an example.

Some economic historians ______ that late nineteenth- and early

twentieth-century households in the United States experienced an
economy of scale when it came to food purchases—they assumed that
large households spent less on food per person than did small households.
Economist Trevon Logan showed, however, that a close look at the
available data disproves this supposition.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or
phrase?
A. surmised
B. contrived
C. questioned
D. regretted
The key hints here are “they assumed that” and “this supposition”, which
both mean to guess, so choose something similar. Good job! It’s A. Now
before moving to another question type, practice vocab questions here and
check them here.

7. Paired passages/cross-text questions are not a new type of

questions; rather, they are a new type of passages. These questions are
inference questions in disguise. You just want to treat them as two people
talking about the same topic in different rooms and then think about what is
asked. Their ideas should be related for sure; otherwise, they would not be
paired. The most common types of relationship are + -, + +, or - -. What I
want to say here is they might contradict each other, they might support the
idea from different perspectives, or they both might weaken the idea from
different perspectives. Whatever they are, treat them as two people talking
in different rooms. Ok, now for the question part. There are mostly two
types of questions. Relationship questions or overlap questions. Again
MJ-style foolish naming) Better to see than to be said.

Text 1
In 1916, H. Dugdale Sykes disputed claims that The Two Noble Kinsmen
was coauthored by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher. Sykes felt
Fletcherʼs contributions to the play were obvious—Fletcher had a distinct
style in his other plays, so much so that lines with that style were
considered sufficient evidence of Fletcherʼs authorship. But for the lines not
deemed to be by Fletcher, Sykes felt that their depiction of women
indicated that their author was not Shakespeare but Philip Massinger.
Text 2
Scholars have accepted The Two Noble Kinsmen as coauthored by
Shakespeare since the 1970s: it appears in all major one-volume editions
of Shakespeareʼs complete works. Though scholars disagree about who
wrote what exactly, it is generally held that on the basis of style,
Shakespeare wrote all of the first act and most of the last, while John
Fletcher authored most of the three middle acts.
Based on the texts, both Sykes in Text 1 and the scholars in Text 2 would
most likely agree with which statement?
Look at the question and guess which type I gave? It’s not a relationship
question. Otherwise, it might have asked for the relationship between texts
and not about both texts. It's obviously an “overlap question,” in which you
have to find a mentioned thing in both texts. Let’s do it.
A. John Fletcherʼs writing has a unique, readily identifiable style.
B. The women characters in John Fletcherʼs plays are similar to the women
characters in Philip Massingerʼs plays.
C. The Two Noble Kinsmen belongs in one-volume compilations of
Shakespeareʼs complete plays.
D. Philip Massingerʼs style in the first and last acts of The Two Noble
Kinsmen is an homage to Shakespeareʼs style.

Good job! The answer is A (again).

Public policy researcher Anthony Fowler studied the history of elections in

Australia, a country that requires citizens
to vote. Fowler argues that requiring citizens to vote leads to a significant
increase in voters who would otherwise
not have the time or motivation to vote. Thus, election results in countries
that require citizens to vote better reflect
the preferences of the country as a whole.
Text 2
Governments in democratic countries function better when more people
vote. However, forcing people to vote may
have negative consequences. Shane P. Singh and Jason Roy studied what
happens when a country requires its
citizens to vote. They found that when people feel forced to vote, they tend
to spend less time looking for
information about their choices when voting. As a result, votes from these
voters may not reflect their actual
preferences.
Based on the texts, how would Singh and Roy (Text 2) most likely respond
to the research discussed in Text 1?
Now, this is obviously asking for how text 2 would respond to text 1, in
which you have to identify their relationship. Let’s solve it. Try to be in the
shoes of text 2’s author and answer to text 1.

A. Only countries of a certain population size should implement mandatory

voting.
B. People who are forced to vote are likely to become politically engaged in
other ways, such as volunteering or
running for office.
C. Requiring people to vote does not necessarily lead to election outcomes
that better represent the preferences of
the country as a whole.
D. Countries that require voting must also make the process of voting
easier for their citizens.

Good job! It’s C (yes, life is harsh and unpredictable). Now before moving
to another question type, practice vocab questions here and check them
here.

8. Graph questions are thought to be hardest and time-consuming. Bro,

chill out! I’ll now suggest something great that will save up at least half of
your current time. These are either support/weakening questions or logical
completions. Do you remember them? Support/weakening questions
usually have a part that asks you to prioritize, and logical completions also
have the ending which is the most important. Just find them and choose an
answer that matches with either one (the part or the ending) and that
accurately reflects the graph. It’s just like you have two filters to pass from.
Now, before moving to another question type, you want to solve questions
from this file and check them here. Solve the ones with a graph!

We are now officially done with DSAT reading! Yaaayyy! Once you finish
them, go to part 3, which is the list of practice tests (the realest ones :))
Praying everyone to get their desired score and sending love to all of you
guys <3
ENOUGH FOR PART 2! Solve them and come back to @marifatjamal