Literature
SAT Subject Test in Literature Practice
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Next Tests:
3/13
, 5/1
Introduction
The Literature Subject Test measures how well you have learned to read and interpret literature. There are six to eight sets of questions on the test, each based on a different literary text. The examination usually contains about 60 multiple-choice questions.
Each set of questions addresses some features of the literary selection that may be distinctive or even unique. For example, because this poem presents a complex reading task, the set includes some questions that focus on the meaning of specific words or lines in order to measure your ability to read and understand the poem accurately.
Test Basics
| Points | Minutes | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| 200-800 | 60 | ≈60 |
Topics on the Test
Three sets of classifications describe the selections on the SAT Subject Tests Literature Test
| Genre | Period | National Tradition | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A breakdown of the topics and how the questions are distributed: | |||||
| ≈50% |
Prose Passages primarily excerpts from fiction and essays |
≈30% |
Written before 1700 |
≈50% |
were written by authors from the United States |
| ≈50% |
Poetry primarily entire poems, although some selections are excerpted from longer works |
≈30% |
Written between 1701 and 1900 |
≈50% |
were written by British authors |
|
Note: As much as 20% may be excerpts from drama |
≈40% |
were written after 1900 |
Note: As much as 20% may be written by authors from other English-speaking traditions (with past tests having included writers from India, Ireland, Canada and the Caribbean) |
||
Questions ask you to demonstrate how well you understand the following literary concepts:
- meaning, including theme, argument and specific connotations of words
- form, including genre, structure and organization
- tone, including diction, syntax and emphasis
- figurative language, including imagery
- narrative voice
- characterization
The best way to prepare for the test is through close critical reading of English and American literature from a variety of historical periods and in a variety of genres. The more skilled you become at understanding and analyzing literary texts, the better prepared you will be.
There is no reading list for the Literature test. It doesn't cover specific facts or background information about particular books or writers. If you have practiced your interpretive skills thoroughly and can apply them to a number of different types of literary works, you are ready to take the test.
