United States
Hong KongComparing two passages
Two skills put multiple texts in front of you: contrasting the point of view of two or more authors, and synthesizing information from a range of texts. Read for the claim, the reasoning and the evidence in each, and the comparison questions answer themselves.
A paired set is not two passages. It is one item set with two sources, and the questions come in a predictable order: about the first, about the second, then about both.
What the rule asks you to compare
Skill 4 of Competency 2 is specific about the axes: "Contrast the point of view of two or more authors on the same topic by analyzing their claims, reasoning, and evidence." Three things, named.
| Axis | Question | How they can differ |
|---|---|---|
| Claim | What does each author assert? | Opposed, or the same claim with different scope |
| Reasoning | How does each get there? | One argues from principle, one from consequences |
| Evidence | What does each offer? | Data against experience, or different populations |
Two authors can share a claim and reach it in completely different ways, which is the most common paired-passage design because it makes for harder questions than simple disagreement.
Read the pair once, in this order
- Read passage one. In your head, finish the sentence "this author thinks..." in ten words
- Read passage two and do the same
- Ask whether they conflict, overlap, or address different parts of the topic
- Only then look at the questions about both
Step three is the one that saves time. Most paired sets are not a straight disagreement. Very often the second author accepts the first author's facts and disputes what follows from them, and an option offering flat contradiction is then wrong.
Passage 1 argues that a new attendance policy worked, citing a rise in attendance. Passage 2 accepts the rise but points out that the school also changed its start time in the same year. How do the authors differ?
- They disagree about whether attendance rose.
- They agree on the facts and disagree about what caused the change.
- Passage 2 argues that attendance policies never work.
- Passage 1 offers evidence and Passage 2 offers none.
Synthesis questions are different
Skill 3 of Competency 3 asks you to "synthesize information from a range of texts to develop a coherent explanation". That question wants what the passages together support, not what either says alone.
The right answer is usually narrower than either passage, because it has to survive both. An option that restates passage one is wrong even when passage one is correct, and that is the failure most candidates make on this item type.
Differentiating approaches
Skill 4 of Competency 3 adds another comparison: how authors differ in developing similar themes, with mode, craft, genre and point of view given as examples. That is a question about method rather than content.
One passage may be a personal account and the other a report. Both may support the same theme. The item asks what each gains and loses by its form, and a first-person account gains immediacy and loses generality every time.
A time warning
Paired sets eat the clock. You get 1.83 minutes a question on this subtest, on our division of the published 30 questions and 55 minutes, and reading two passages is not free. Budget it as one long read and several fast answers, and do not go back to re-read passage one for a question about both.
What we do not know is how many paired sets appear, or whether they appear at all on a given version. The rule provides for them; FLDOE publishes nothing about form composition. Anyone telling you there are exactly two paired sets is inventing it.
Common questions
Does the FTCE Reading subtest use paired passages?
The rule provides for them. Skill 4 of Competency 2 asks you to contrast two or more authors on the same topic, and two skills in Competency 3 involve multiple texts. FLDOE publishes nothing about how many appear on a given version.
What should I compare between two passages?
The three things the rule names: each author’s claim, their reasoning, and their evidence. Two authors can share a claim and reach it differently, which makes for harder questions than straightforward disagreement and is a common design.
How is a synthesis question different from a comparison?
A comparison asks how the passages differ. A synthesis asks what they together support, so the answer has to survive both texts. It is usually narrower than either passage alone, and an option restating one passage is the standard wrong answer.
How should I manage time on a paired set?
Treat it as one long read followed by several fast answers. Form your sense of each author before looking at the questions, and never return to re-read the first passage for a question about both. Reading twice is where the 55 minutes goes.