What this lesson covers
All verse in this lesson was written for SAT Climb, so you are seeing the method rather than a memorized poem.
- Translate each line into ordinary words: who does what, literally
- Find the turn (but, yet, still, until, then, though); the answer usually lives after it
- A choice that describes only the first half is true and incomplete, which is the trap
- If you cannot underline the words behind a choice, it is not the answer
Questions worked in the video
- 0:52What does the orchard passage mainly do?
- 1:54Which choice is supported by the passage: the speaker mourns a lost love, or the speaker notes a small reward for long work?
- 2:21The station clock passage: what do these lines show the speaker doing?
Chapters
- 0:00Not a mood test
- 0:23Three steps
- 0:52Translate every line
- 1:29The turn
- 1:54The feeling trap
- 2:21Your turn
- 3:05Three traps
- 3:27Recap
Lesson transcript
The narration of the video, word for word, under its chapter headings.
0:00Not a mood test
Welcome to SAT Climb. Poetry on the SAT is not a mood test. It is a reading test wearing a costume. The trick is boring on purpose. Say each line back in plain English, then answer from your own words.
0:23Three steps
Three steps, every time. One, translate. Take the line and say what literally happens, who does what, in ordinary language. Two, find the turn. Literary excerpts almost always pivot, on a but, a yet, a still, or a then. Three, answer from your translation, never from the feeling. If your paraphrase does not support a choice, that choice is gone, no matter how beautiful it sounds.
0:52Translate every line
Here is the passage. For weeks the orchard gave us nothing back. We pruned, we watered, watched the branches stall. Then one cold Tuesday, past the point of hope, the smallest tree let go a single plum. Now translate. Lines one and two, they worked on the trees and nothing grew. Line three, then, that is the turn, and it lands after they had given up. Line four, one small tree produced one piece of fruit. The question asks what the passage mainly does. Your own words already answered it. Long effort, tiny reward, arriving late.
1:29The turn
About that turn. Circle it every time. But, yet, still, until, then, though. Before the turn is the situation. After the turn is the change, and the SAT answer almost always lives on the after side. A choice that only describes the first half of the excerpt is a real trap, because it is true, and it is incomplete.
1:54The feeling trap
Now the trap that ends most students. Two choices. The speaker mourns a lost love. The speaker notes a small reward for long work. The first one feels right, because the language is wistful. So go find the words. There is no love, no loss, and nobody leaves. There is an orchard, a Tuesday, and a plum. If you cannot underline it, it is not the answer.
2:21Your turn
Your turn. The station clock had stopped at half past four. I stood beneath it longer than I should, as if the hands might change their minds and move. What do these lines show the speaker doing? Pause. Translate literally. The clock is broken and stuck. The speaker stands under it longer than makes sense. And the last line says why, part of him still expects it to start again. So the lines show someone waiting under a stopped clock, half expecting it to move. Not fixing it. Not late for a train. Waiting.
3:05Three traps
Three traps. One, reading for beauty instead of action. Ask what physically happens first. Two, choosing the feeling. Every answer needs words you can point to. Three, skipping the turn, and picking a choice that describes only the opening lines. Translate, turn, evidence.
3:27Recap
Poetry and literature, solved. Say each line back in plain English, find the word where the passage turns, and make the answer point to something you can underline. Start free at satclimb.com.
Read the written version: the Central Ideas and Details strategy guide, then try 25 hard Central Ideas and Details questions with full explanations. Both are free, no account needed.