Charting
If a map tells you what the geography of a passage looks like then a chart tells you how to get through it. Our chart is a simplified distillation of the key relationships in the passage. Allowing us to reconceptualize jargon-filled pathways into a simpler and more approachable form.
Spotting Relationship Words
Our first task is to spot the relationships within the passage. The easiest way to do this is by looking out for relational words. Words that link ideas together such as causes, binds, induces, activates, and represses or phrases such as positively/negatively correlated with and associated with. This list isn’t exhaustive but is a sampling of some of the more common examples.
Now that you have an idea of what to look try spotting them here.
“The classical mechanism of androgen signaling involves binding of androgen to the cytosolic androgen receptor (AR), which dimerizes and moves into the nucleus to bind androgen response elements upstream of target genes to modulate gene expression and cause cellular proliferation. This genomic signaling by androgens is mediated in hours or days. However, studies over the last decade have established that androgens also initiate rapid, non-genomic changes in target cells, which may or may not involve the nuclear AR.”
Charting in Shorthand
We could write out the sentences in a simpler format, however, this is time consuming so we are better off using shorthand. I encourage you to create your own or use the one that I will detail below. Just make sure you are consistent and can understand what you have written.
In my shorthand, relationship words will become arrows that indicate how two components of the pathway interact. While the components themselves will become the acronyms used in the passage or a shortened version of a name or idea.
“The classical mechanism of androgen signaling involves binding of androgen to the cytosolic androgen receptor (AR), which dimerizes and moves into the nucleus to bind androgen response elements upstream of target genes to modulate gene expression and cause cellular proliferation. This genomic signaling by androgens is mediated in hours or days. However, studies over the last decade have established that androgens also initiate rapid, non-genomic changes in target cells, which may or may not involve the nuclear AR.”
We have seven relationship words to represent so let’s start by writing out a framework containing six arrows:
_______→_______→_______→_______→_______→_______→_______
Now we can begin to fill in the blanks with our relationships. We will start by breaking each relationship word out and filling in the blanks on either side. Here is the first one:
“The classical mechanism of androgen signaling involves binding of androgen to the cytosolic androgen receptor (AR)…”
Androgen→AR→_______→_______→_______→_______→_______
Now the second:
“…which dimerizes…”
Androgen→AR→AR dimer→_______→_______→_______→_______
Now try to fill out the rest:
“…and moves into the nucleus to bind androgen response elements upstream of target genes to modulate gene expression and cause cellular proliferation.”
[bg_collapse view=”link” color=”#5c84d9″ expand_text=”Show Shorthand” collapse_text=”Hide” ] Andro→AR→AR dimer→nucleus→andro RE→mod gene exprs→cell prolif[/bg_collapse]
Simplify the Chart
At this point, our chart is unwieldy with six arrows and seven different pieces of information it isn’t much simpler than the sentence itself. Additionally, the AAMC doesn’t typically expect us to be able to walk through each and every step. Our chart needs to be simplified!
We should understand what is going on at a big picture level and know a couple of the intermediate steps. Therefore, we will always keep our first and last step since they define the pathway as a whole. Then we will pick out one or two of the intermediate steps rather than all of them. If one of these steps was assigned an acronym we would choose that one since it is likely to come up in a question or later in the passage.
Here is the simplified version:
Andro→AR→mod gene exprs→cell prolif
I could have picked any number of intermediate step combinations, but it doesn’t really matter which ones I choose outside of acronyms. I personally omitted dimerizing and moving to the nucleus because they are specific details. Typically a question will reference those details and I can easily look them up later to fill myself in on where they fit in the pathway.
Visualized
Even after charting a passage I still might not understand exactly what the passage was saying. This is where visualizing what is going on can be helpful. We have to be careful with this strategy as it can be time-consuming, but it works better for me than simply re-reading the passage.
To begin visualizing I first focus on determining where this is happening. Since the passage mentioned the androgen receptor being cytosolic I will start my first drawing there. In the cytosol the androgen binds the androgen receptor, dimerizes and finally moves to the nucleus.
Then within the nucleus the androgen will act to modulate gene expression ultimately leading to cell proliferation.
My actual visual definitely wouldn’t be this detailed and would almost certainly end up looking like a series of boxes and blobs. In either case, I find that after drawing it out, even in blob form, helps me understand what seemed like gibberish at the start.
How this Helps
Our chart helps to clarify the passage relationships and makes them more intelligible. As such they are easier to manipulate when answering a question. Give the following questions a try and whenever possible use the map that we created.
End Goal
As with mapping, we will practice this strategy every time we encounter relationships in a passage. This enhances our ability to understand complicated passages making their interpretation easier. Eventually, our goal is to understand the passage without charting and use this skill only when a question requires it. That way we don’t waste time charting when we don’t need to.
How to practice then. Begin by charting every relationship you come across in practice. Start by identifying the relationship words, creating an arrow skeleton, and finally fill it in. Then take a look at your chart and make simplification until it is four or less steps. Repeat on 3-4 passages.
Now try to chart as you go pause to identify relationship words and at the same time fill in the blanks on either side. Once you finished move on to simplification. Repeat on 3-4 passages.
Then chart as you go skipping intermediate steps that seem less important, basically simplify as you go. Repeat on 3-4 passages.
Finally, don’t chart unless a question refers to a passage pathway at that point go ahead and chart.
Looking for More?
We will revisit this skill at the beginning of the CP, BB, and PS strategy modules. There we will look at several worked examples and discuss section specific applications of this skill. Feel free to skip there now if you want a more in-depth look at how to apply this skill.