2016年新SAT考试改革，整体考试更侧重考察学生高中阶段学习的课业知识，相较于老SAT考试而言，难度更接地气儿，对于绝大多数考生而言也更为公平。写作部分从以往的语法客观题+Essay作文的形式，在以往的语法点考核之外，更多加入文章行文规则的考察，也就是说，不仅仅要求考生语法知识过关，同样对文章的把握也需要十拿九稳。这其中就包括文章的development，organization，以及effective language use三大部分，考察文章行文模式，例子和观点的对应关系，段落结构层级是否清晰，书面语言是否简洁达意等。3月5日首考中纽约考区试卷中篇章类型的题目占到了大约一半以上的比重，其中Syntax出现的比较多，introductions(段落主题)，transitions(过渡)，conclusions(总结)类型的题目也作为重点考察，这些出题比例无疑也使篇章类题目成为备考要攻克的重难点。
那么后续的新SAT备考中，我们该如何解决篇章题目?
首先，要掌握的第一大重点就是文章段落结构的特征。新SAT考试中，文法部分涉及的文章体裁包括记叙文、议论文、说明文三大类，一般段落结构需要有一个核心的主题，以及主题对应的特征或者例子。新SAT文法中文章的段落结构大体上可以分为两大常考类目：顺序型段落，论证型段落。
顺序性多为记叙文或说明文，分为时间顺序、步骤顺序等等。例如下面一个段落：
(1)Through the 1920s, waist overalls or jeans were primarily considered work pants. However, in the 1930s, due to the increasingly admired image of the rugged, jeans-wearing Western cowboy, jeans became associated with adventure and inpidualism. In the 1950s, young film stars such as James Dean and Marlon Brando, T-shirted and jeans-wearing renegades who listened to rock music, wore their blue jeans in the spirit of rebellion. In the 1960s and 1970s, hippies personalized their jeans-which had taken on the relaxed look of the wide “bell” bottom-with embroidery, quilted patches, and beads.
(1)Given that all the following statements are true, which one, if added here, would most clearly and effectively introduce the main subject of this paragraph?
A. The cultural message jeans convey has changed over the years.
B. Many people believe the word denim is a derivative of serge de Nimes, the name of a French fabric made of silk and wool.
C. In 1864, one East Coast store advertised that it carried ten varieties of denim.
D. Jacob Davis, a tailor from Reno, Nevada, worked closely with Strauss in manufacturing riveted waist overalls.
通过skimming&scanning的方法我们很快可以看出段落发展是由一条时间主线穿引着的：19世纪20年代…，30年代…，50年代…，60和70年代……整个段落从时间顺序上清晰的描述了jeans的发展变化。因此，我们看到这道题目不难发现正确的introduction应该是A.
论证型多为主旨句和分论点、例证之间的关系，通过段落逻辑结构完成清晰的论证。
(2)As Ortiz well knows, the castaneros must time their nut gathering perfectly. The mature pods, each holding up to twenty-five Brazil nuts, fall during Peru’s rainy season. If the castaneros arrive too early, they must wait for the pods to fall. If they arrive too late, large rodents called agoutis will have buried the bods for future meals.
(2)Given that all the choices are true, which one most effectively lead the reader to the subject of this paragraph?
A. NO CHANGE
B. As he continues his work in Peru, Ortiz has several future goals in mind.
C. After the castaneros gather their nuts, the nuts are picked up and taken to market.
D. A sack of Brazil nuts weighs up to 140 pounds.
这个段落我们可以通过as...if...if...等连接词
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，发现该段落后面论证的部分都是为了描述不同时间nuts的状态，too...to...结构的复用说明了时间点需要在一个特定的范围内才能够奏效，因此强调时间重要性的A项正确。因此，在复习篇章类考点的时候，要掌握段落结构的分析方法，熟悉表示各种逻辑关系的transitional words，在实战中才能够最快速度解出篇章题目。