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议论文旨在通过摆事实、列数据或举例等方式说服他人接受自己的观点或对某个事物或者人物的看法。议论文的形式多样，不拘泥于某种固定模式。
※在阅读议论文的时候需要明确作者的主要论点，这么做有利于回答主旨题。如果在确定主旨时有困难，可以重点关注文章第一段的论点。如果第一段也没有明确的论点，可以关注接下来每个段落的主题句或结尾段的最后一句话。如果整篇文章只有一个段落，关注段落第一句话和最后一句话。
※SSAT议论文的写作目的一般分为以下两类：
●纠正一个常见错误
●推动一个进程或者指出一个错误
在回答目的题时，需要谨记这两类写作目的。
※在判断作者态度时，需要注意各类传达强烈情绪和态度的词（比如形容词）和表达。例如，文章中出现“annihilation（湮灭）”或者“at the mercy（在浪涛中；在……支配下）”时，作者的态度就是比较negative（消极）和critical（批判）的。
※议论文的另一大特点就是任何观点或论点都需要有事实或数据的支持，即我们通常所说的论据的支持。所以，当我们阅读此类文章时，需对以下论据格外留意：
●个人经历、轶事
●引用名人名言
●假设情境分析
●对比、并列
●引用数据
●使用逻辑推理以上这些论据可以单独出现，也可以一起使用，论据的作用就是支持作者所提出的论点，使论点更深入人心并更具说服力。
※一般来说，阅读考试中议论文由两到三个段落组成，一个段落的文章较少出现。第一段用于介绍背景知识并提出观点，随后的段落做进一步的说明并给出论据。同信息类的文章一样，议论文也不一定需要总结段。
总而言之，在阅读议论文的同时问自己三个问题：
※作者的文章主题是什么？
※作者最初为什么要写这篇文章？
※作者的态度是什么？
Passage 1
Now answer the following questions :
⊙ What is the author’s topic?
⊙ What might the author’s primary purpose be in this passage? Can it be categorized as one of two common types of primary purposes?
⊙ What is the author’s tone when discussing the non-American rail systems? List some words orphrases from the passage that support your answer.
⊙What types of supporting ideas or evidence are used by the author?
1. This passage was probably taken from
（A） a railway magazine （B） a historical biography
（C） an editorial article （D） an international treatise
（E） a speech at a graduation ceremony
2. According to the passage, Europe’s InterRail is
（A） as advanced as Japan’s bullet trains
（B） faster than American transportation systems
（C） cheaper than Japan’s bullet trains
（D） more newly established than Japan’s bullet trains
（E） more extensive than rail systems on other continents
3. The passage is mostly about
（A） car ownership’s popular appeal
（B） rail transportation’s economic potential
（C） the environmental benefits of trains
（D） the extent of transportation networks overseas
（E） historical foundations of the European rail system
4. The passage provides information to answer which of the following questions?
（A） How are various countries meeting their transportation needs?
（B） What proportion of Japan’s national budget is used for public transit?
（C） How much on average do Europeans travel each year?
（D） Through which methods can current transportation habits in the United States be changed?
（E） When will the United States construct a high-speed rail system?
Passage 2
Now answer the following questions :
⊙ What is the author’s topic?
⊙ What might the author’s primary purpose be in this passage? Can it be categorized as one of two common types of primary purposes?
⊙ What is the author’s primary tone for each paragraph?
⊙ What types of supporting ideas or evidence are used by the author?
1. Which of the roles does the author NOT play in this passage?
（A） Connoisseur （B） Consumer
（C） Gastronomer （D） Performer
（E） Defender
2. The author attributes her attraction to Butterchum’s to her
（A） bodily reactions to special sugars （B） recollections of trips to stores
（C） parents’ influence （D） consumption of addictive chemicals
（E） mental connections to childhood events
3. The author deduces that sales of Butterchum’s are in decline mostly because
（A） consumers yearn for dying cultural values
（B） consumers desire an authentic product
（C） the industry has an influx of new, higher-quality brands
（D） Butterchum’s is being sold in fewer stores
（E） the public is more health conscious than before
4. The author’s main reaction to the claims from her old college friend is
（A） relief （B） dismay
（C） invigoration （D） indifference
（E） astonishment
5. The primary mode of argumentation the author employs in this passage is
（A） listing the cheap alternatives used in place of originalingredients in Butterchum’s products
（B） predicting a further decline in Butterchum’s prospects
（C） projecting into the future when this “hallowed” brand goes bankrupt
（D） describing Butterchum’s former popularity to draw the reader’s sympathy
（E） summarizing an informal account of the immoral corporatization of Butterchum’s
Passage 1
1. Which of the following is the author’s main point?
（A） It is impossible ever to bridge the divergence between modern historians and thirteenth-century biographers.
（B） Medieval Islamic inventors were more individually talented than those of preceding civilizations.
（C） The writing of biographies should emphasize individual accomplishments rather than cumulative efforts.
（D） It is possible for biographers to present an inaccurate view of an inventor because of their individualistic bias.
（E） A small number of Egyptian and Greek geniuses produced devices later imitated by medieval Islamic scientists.
2. In the author’s opinion, medieval Islamic civilizations were NOT superior to ancient civilizations in formulating
（A） philosophical questions （B） useful technology
（C） original conceptions （D） educational policies
（E） biographies
3. According to the author, the thirteenth-century biographers considered the medieval Islamicperiod to be a “golden age” (line 15) because
（A） scientific advancements flourished in particular
（B） ancient ideas were developed into actual tools
（C） the exchange of ideas between civilizations was frequent
（D） the years prior to the time period had been so uninspired
（E） scientists contributed ideas to help each other
4. The author apparently believes that biographies of inventors are more accurate if
（A） the biographies were written solely by thirteenth-century biographers
（B） collective contributions are viewed as subordinate to individual contributions
（C） biographers are required to define their terms
（D） inventors are not considered in isolation from contributors
（E） individual endeavors are taken more into account
Passage 2
5. According to the passage, Bosch’s paintings are often
（A） frightening （B） beautiful
（C） easy to interpret （D） colorful
（E） realistic
6. It can be inferred that Bosch was greatly concerned about
（A） being accepted into secret societies （B） warning against immorality
（C） making the visual arts more modern （D） impressing Philip II
（E） challenging conservative religious ideas
7. The author implies that some people today believe that
（A） Bosch supported the Spanish government
（B） Bosch held radical beliefs
（C） rock music was popular in Bosch’s time
（D） the symbols in Bosch’s paintings represent famous people
（E） Protestants should embrace Bosch
8. According to the author, social attitudes during the late Middle Ages were largely
（A） apathetic and pragmatic （B） aggressive but varied
（C） self-righteous and inflexible （D） passionate but marked with doubt
（E） celebratory and forward-thinking
9. According to the passage, Philip II valued Bosch’s work because
（A） Protestants urged him to do so
（B） he wished to maintain good relations with the Brotherhood of Our Lady
（C） he had grown tired of conservative art and wanted something new
（D） it condemned religious beliefs opposed to Catholicism
（E） it was popular with mystics and heretics
10. It can be inferred that Bosch strongly disapproved of
（A） the Catholic Church （B） painters’ guilds
（C） European identity （D） religious music
（E） sexual indiscretion
11. The author refers to horror films as works which
（A） modernist painters enjoy （B） inspire young people
（C） lead people to sin （D） teach universal truths
（E） reflect Bosch’s imagery
Passage 3
12. The author’s primary purpose in the passage is to present her views about
（A） governments’ stance on cost-reduction strategies
（B） the reliance of traditional corporate structures on hard labor
（C） the necessity of changes to labor rights in response to automation
（D） some examples of machines replacing human workers
（E） specific methods for balancing workers’ rights with the drive for automation
13. According to the author, why is the issue of automation so important to the human workforce?
（A） Laborers rely on machines.
（B） Automation will lead to a redistribution of power to dictators.
（C） Automation prevents workers from negotiating with corporations.
（D） Automation is undermining the effectiveness of workers’ rights.
（E） Social etiquette is incompatible with an increase in the use of automation.
14. The author suggests that all of the following is in danger EXCEPT
（A） prioritization of human workers （B） corporate financial gain
（C） society in its current form （D） the state’s care for its people
（E） wide scale human labor
15. In the sentence beginning “Instead of the individual” (line 6-7), a worker is compared to a
（A） hierarchy （B） farmer
（C） charity （D） flower
（E） fruit