ISEE reading - The ISEE

Cracking the SSAT & ISEE - The Princeton Review 2019

ISEE reading
The ISEE

AN OPEN BOOK TEST

Keep in mind when you approach the Reading Section of the ISEE that it is an open book test. But you can’t read the passages in advance of the test to prepare, and you have a limited amount of time to get through the passages and questions. What does this all mean? You will be much better served to take a strategic approach.

Read with a Purpose

When you read for school, you have to read everything—carefully. Not only is there no time for such an approach on the ISEE, but reading carefully at the outset does not even make sense. Each passage has only six questions (five for Lower Level), and all you need to read and process is the information that will provide answers to those questions. As only questions can generate points, your goal is to get to the questions as quickly as possible.

Even so, it does help to have a high-level overview of the passage before you attack the questions. There are two ways to accomplish this goal.

· If you are a fairly fast reader, get through the passage quickly, ignoring the nitty-gritty and focusing on the overall point of each paragraph.

· If you don’t read quickly enough to read the entire passage in a way that will provide you with the overall point of the paragraphs, read the first sentence of each paragraph.

Once you have identified the point of each paragraph, those points will flow into the overall purpose of the passage and also provide a map of where to find detailed information. Once you have established the purpose and map, you should go right to the questions.

Answering Questions

Some questions are about particular parts of a passage, while others are about the passage as a whole. Depending on how well you understood the purpose of the passage, you may be able to answer big picture questions quite easily. Detail questions, on the other hand, will require some work; after all, you didn’t get lost in the details when you got through the passage quickly!

By reading more quickly up front, you have more time to spend on finding the answer to a particular question.

For a particular detail question, you will need to go back to the passage with the question in mind and find the answer in the passage. Let’s repeat that last part: you should find the answer in the passage. If you know what the answer should look like, it is much easier to evaluate the choices. True, some questions cannot be answered in advance, such as “Which one of the following questions is answered in the passage?” But the general rule is find the answer before you go to the choices.

In all cases, you should use effective Process of Elimination. Correct answers are fully supported by the text of the passage. There is no reading between the lines, connecting the dots, or getting inside the author’s head. If you are down to two answers, determine which one is not supported by the text of the passage. It takes only one word to doom an otherwise good answer.

In short, follow this process for detail questions:

· Read and understand the question.

· Go to the passage and find the answer (unless the question is too open-ended).

· Use Process of Elimination, getting rid of any answer that is not consistent with the answer you found and/or is not fully supported by the text of the passage.

We will look at some specific question types shortly, but if you follow the general approach outlined here, you will be able to answer more questions accurately.

Pacing

Let’s amend that last statement: you will be able to answer more questions accurately if you have a sound pacing plan. While reading up front more quickly will generate more time for the questions, getting through all the passages and all the questions in the time allotted is difficult for almost all students.

There are six passages on the ISEE (five for Lower Level), some short and some quite long. Some might seem like fairly quick reads and some might seem a bit dense. They cover a broad array of topics, from history to science to fiction. You may relate to some passages but not to others. On top of that, if you are rushing through the section to make sure you answer every single question, you are likely making a lot of mistakes. Slow down to increase your accuracy.

How many passages should you do? That depends on you. You should attack as many passages as you can while still maintaining a high degree of accuracy. If, for example, dropping to five passages allows you to answer all but one or two questions correctly, while rushing through six creates a lot of silly mistakes, do five.

Doing fewer passages accurately can generate more points than rushing through more passages.

Always pick your passages wisely. You don’t get extra credit for answering questions on a more complex passage correctly. If you begin a passage and are thinking “Uh, what?” move on to another passage. You might end up coming back to the passage or you may never look at it again. What is most important is that you nail the easier passages before you hit the more complicated ones.

STEP ONE: READING THE PASSAGE

Let’s put the new reading approach into practice.

Label the Paragraphs

After you read each paragraph, ask yourself what you just read. Put it in your own words—just a couple of words—and label the side of the paragraph with your summary. This way you’ll have something to guide you back to the relevant part of the passage when you answer a question. The key to labeling the paragraphs is practice—you need to do it quickly, coming up with one or two words that accurately remind you of what’s in the paragraph.

If the passage has only one paragraph, come up with a single label.

State the Main Idea

After you have read the entire passage, ask yourself two questions.

· “What?” What is the passage about?

· “So what?” What’s the author’s point about this topic?

The answers to these questions will show you the main idea of the passage. Scribble down this main idea in just a few words. The answer to “What?” is the thing that was being talked about: “bees” or “weather forecasting.” The answer to “So what?” gives you the rest of the sentence: “Bees do little dances that tell other bees where to go for pollen” or “Weather forecasting is complicated by many problems.”

Don’t assume you will find the main idea in the first sentence. While often the main idea is in the beginning of the passage, it is not always in the first sentence. The beginning may just be a lead-in to the main point.

PRACTICE DRILL 1—GETTING THROUGH THE PASSAGE

As you quickly read each paragraph, label it. When you finish the passage, answer “What?” and “So what?” to get the main idea.

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“What” is this passage about?

“So what?” What’s the author’s point?

What type of passage is this?

Check your answers in Chapter 17 to be sure you’re on the right track. You can find detailed explanations in your Student Tools.

STEP TWO: ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS

Now, we’re getting to the important part of the Reading Comprehension section. This is where you need to spend time to avoid careless errors. After reading a passage, you’ll have a group of questions that are in no particular order. The first thing you need to decide is whether the question you’re answering is general or specific.

General Questions

General questions are about the passage as a whole. They come in a variety of forms but ideally all can be answered based on your initial read.

Main idea

· Which of the following best expresses the main point?

· The passage is primarily about

· The main idea of the passage is

· The best title for this passage would be

Purpose

· The purpose of the passage is

· The author wrote this passage to

Tone/attitude

· The author’s tone is

· The attitude of the author is one of

Organization and Structure

· Which one of the following best describes the organization of the passage as a whole?

· Which one of the following best describes the organization of the second paragraph?

Notice that these questions all require you to know the main idea, but the ones at the beginning of the list don’t require anything else, and the ones toward the end require you to use your map.

Answering a General Question

Keep your answers to “What? So what?” in mind. The answer to a general question will concern the main idea. If it helps, you can go back to your paragraph labels. The labels will allow you to look at the passage again without getting bogged down in the details.

· For a straight main idea question, just ask yourself, “What was the ’What? So what?’ for this passage?”

· For a general purpose question, ask yourself, “Why did the author write this?”

· For a tone/attitude question, ask yourself, “How did the author feel about the subject?”

· For an organization and structure question, use your map for questions about the entire passage, and use Process of Elimination for questions about a paragraph.

Answer the question in your own words before looking at the choices. Eliminate answers that are not consistent with your predicted answer, as well as those that are too broad or too narrow. They should be “just right.”

PRACTICE DRILL 2—ANSWERING A GENERAL QUESTION

Use the passage about Vikings that you just read and labeled. Reread your main idea and answer the following questions. Use the questions above to help you paraphrase your own answer before looking at the choices. When you’re done, check your answers in Chapter 17. For more detailed explanations, go to your Student Tools.

What was the answer to “What? So what?” for this passage?

1.This passage is primarily about

(A)the Vikings and their civilization

(B)the waves of Viking immigration

(C)sailing techniques of Bjarni Herjolfsson

(D)one Viking’s glimpse of the New World

2.What was the author’s purpose in writing this passage?

(A)To turn the reader against Italian adventurers

(B)To show his disdain for Eric the Red

(C)To demonstrate the Vikings’ nautical skills

(D)To correct a common misconception about the European discovery of America

Specific Questions

Specific questions are about a detail or section of the passage. While the questions can be presented in a number of different ways, they boil down to questions about WHAT the author said, WHY the author said something, and Vocab-in-Context.

What?

· According to the passage/author

· The author states that

· Which of these questions is answered by the passage?

· The author implies in line X

· It can be inferred from paragraph X

· The most likely interpretation of X is

Why?

· The author uses X to

· Why does the author say X?

Which answer is closest to what the author said overall?

Vocab-in-Context

· What does the passage mean by X?

· X probably represents/means

· Which word best replaces the word X without changing the meaning?

· As it is used in X, _____ most nearly means

Why did the author write this passage? Think about the main idea.

Specific interpretation

· The author would be most likely to agree with which one of the following?

· Which one of the following questions is answered in the passage?

Once you have read and understood the question, go to the passage to find the answer. You should be able to find the answer quickly:

· Use your paragraph labels to go straight to the information you need.

· Use the line or paragraph reference, if there is one, but be careful. With a line reference (“In line 10…”), be sure to read the whole surrounding paragraph, not just the line. If the question says, “In line 10…,” then you need to read lines 5 through 15 to actually find the answer.

· Use words that stand out in the question and passage. Names, places, and long words will be easy to find back in the passage. We call these lead words because they lead you back to the right place in the passage.

Once you’re in the right area, answer the question in your own words. Then look at the choices and eliminate any that aren’t like your answer or are not supported by the text of the passage.

For Vocab-in-Context questions, be sure to come up with your own word based on the surrounding sentences. It does not matter if you do not know the word being tested, as long as you can figure it out from context. Even if you do know the word, it may be used in an unusual way. So, always ignore the word and come up with your own before using Process of Elimination.

Questions with Special Formats

I, II, III questions The questions that have three Roman numerals are confusing and time consuming. They look like this.

According to the passage, which of the following is true?

I.The sky is blue.

II.Nothing rhymes with “orange.”

III.Smoking cigarettes increases lung capacity.

(A)I only

(B)II only

(C)I and II only

(D)I, II, and III

On the ISEE, you will need to look up each of the three statements in the passage. This will always be time-consuming, but you can make them less confusing by making sure you look up just one statement at a time.

For instance, look at the question above. You might look back at the passage and see that the passage says I is true. Write a big “T” next to it. What can you eliminate now? (B). Now, you check out II, and you find that sure enough, the passage says that too. II gets a big “T” and you cross off (A). Next, looking in the paragraph that you labeled “smoking is bad,” you find that the passage actually says that smoking decreases lung capacity. What can you eliminate? Choice (D).

You may want to skip a I, II, III question because it will be time-consuming, especially if you’re on your last passage and there are other questions you can answer instead. If you skip it, remember to fill in your letter-of-the-day.

EXCEPT/LEAST/NOT Questions This is another confusing type of question. The test writers are reversing what you need to look for, asking you which answer is false.

All of the following can be inferred from the passage EXCEPT

Before you go any further, cross out “EXCEPT.” Now, you have a much more positive question to answer. Of course, as always, you will go through all the choices, but for this type of question you will put a “T” or “F” next to the answers as you check them out. Let’s say we’ve checked out these answers.

(A)Americans are patriotic.    T

(B)Americans have great ingenuity.  T

(C)Americans love war.      F

(D)Americans do what they can to help one another.  T

Which one stands out? The one with the “F.” That’s your answer. You made a confusing question much simpler than the test writers wanted it to be. If you don’t go through all the choices and mark them, you run the risk of accidentally picking one of the choices that you know is true because that’s what you usually look for on reading comp questions.

You should skip an EXCEPT/LEAST/NOT question if you’re on your last passage and there are other questions you can try instead—just fill in your letter-of-the-day on your answer sheet.

PRACTICE DRILL 3—ANSWERING A SPECIFIC QUESTION

Use the passage about Vikings that you just read and labeled. Use your paragraph labels and the lead words in each question to get to the part of the passage you need, and then put the answer in your own words before going back to the choices.

1.According to the passage, Bjarni Herjolfsson left Norway to

(A)found a new colony

(B)open trading lanes

(C)visit a relative

(D)map the North Sea

What’s the lead word here? Norway. Norway should also be in one of your labels.

2.Bjarni’s reaction upon landing in Iceland can best be described as

(A)disappointed

(B)satisfied

(C)amused

(D)indifferent

What’s the lead word here? Iceland. Again, this should be in one of your labels. Go back and read this part.

3.“The crew lost their bearings” probably means that

(A)the ship was damaged beyond repair

(B)the crew became disoriented

(C)the crew decided to mutiny

(D)the crew went insane

Go back and read this part. Replace the words they’ve quoted with your own.

4.It can be inferred from the passage that, prior to Bjarni Herjolfsson’s voyage, Greenland

(A)was covered in grass and shrubs

(B)was overrun with Vikings

(C)was rich in fish and game

(D)was as far west as the Vikings had traveled

What’s the lead word here? Greenland. Is it in one of your labels? What does that part of the passage say about Greenland? Paraphrase before looking at the answers!

5.With which of the following statements about Viking explorers would the author most probably agree?

(A)Greenland and Iceland were the Vikings’ final discoveries.

(B)Viking explorers were cruel and savage.

(C)The Vikings’ most startling discovery was an accidental one.

(D)Bjarni Herjolfsson was the first settler of America.

Check your answers in Chapter 17. For more detailed explanations, go to your Student Tools.

STEP THREE: PROCESS OF ELIMINATION

Before you ever look at an choice, you’ve come up with your own answer, in your own words. What do you do next?

Well, you’re looking for the closest answer to yours, but it’s much easier to eliminate answers than to try to magically zoom in on the best one. Work through the answers using Process of Elimination. As soon as you eliminate an answer, cross off the letter in your test booklet so that you no longer think of that choice as a possibility.

How Do I Eliminate Choices?

On a General Question

Eliminate an answer that is:

· Too small. The passage may mention it, but it’s only a detail—not a main idea.

· Not mentioned in the passage.

· In contradiction to the passage—it says the opposite of what you read.

· Too big. The answer tries to say that more was discussed than really was.

· Too extreme. An extreme answer is one that is too negative or too positive, or uses absolute words like all, every, never, or always. Eliminating extreme answers makes tone/attitude questions especially quick.

· Going against common sense. The passage is not likely to back up answers that just don’t make sense at all.

On a Specific Question

Eliminate any choice that is:

· Too extreme

· In contradiction to passage details

· Not mentioned in the passage

· Against common sense

If you look back at the questions you did for the Viking passage, you’ll see that many of the wrong choices fit into the categories above.

On a Tone Question

Eliminate any choice that is:

· Too extreme

· Opposite meaning

· Against common sense. These are answers that make the author seem confused or uninterested—an ISEE author won’t be either.

What Kinds of Answers Do I Keep?

Best answers are likely to be:

· Paraphrases of the words in the passage

· Traditional and conservative in their outlook

· Moderate, using words like may, can, and often

When You’ve Got It Down to Two

If you’ve eliminated all but two answers, don’t get stuck and waste time. Keep the main idea in the back of your mind and step back.

· Reread the question.

· Look at what makes the two answers different.

· Go back to the passage.

· Which answer is worse? Eliminate it.

REVIEW—THE READING PLAN

The Passages

After I read each paragraph, I _________________ it.

After I read an entire passage, I ask myself __________? and __________?

The Questions

The five main types of general questions, and the questions I can ask myself to answer them, are:

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To find the answer to a specific question, I can use three clues.

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If the question says “in line 22,” where do I begin reading for the answer?

The Answers

On a general question, I eliminate answers that are:

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On a specific question, I eliminate answers that are:

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When I’ve got it down to two possible answers, I should:

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If you had any trouble with these questions, reread this section of the chapter before going further.

Check your answers in Chapter 17. For more detailed explanations, go to your Student Tools.

PRACTICE DRILL 4—ALL READING TECHNIQUES—LOWER LEVEL

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1.Which one of the following is the most obvious effect of the tides?

(A)A part of the beach that was once dry is now under water.

(B)Floods cause great damage during heavy rainstorms.

(C)The moon is not visible.

(D)Water falls.

2.The word “lunar” most nearly means

(A)weak

(B)strong

(C)destructive

(D)related to the moon

3.It can be inferred from the passage that if one were to travel to the moon

(A)that water would be found on its surface

(B)that an object, if dropped, would float away from the surface of the moon

(C)that tides are more dramatic during the day than during the night

(D)that an object, if dropped, would fall to the moon’s surface

4.The author’s primary purpose in writing this passage is to

(A)prove the existence of water on the moon

(B)refute claims that tides are caused by the moon

(C)explain the main cause of the ocean’s tides

(D)argue that humans should not interfere with the processes of nature

Check your answers in Chapter 17. For more detailed explanations, go to your Student Tools.

PRACTICE DRILL 5—ALL READING TECHNIQUES—LOWER LEVEL

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1.The primary purpose of the passage is to

(A)convince the reader that the Brooklyn Bridge is the longest suspension bridge in the world

(B)describe Washington Roebling’s rise to success

(C)show that Americans have an inborn talent for inventiveness

(D)describe how the Brooklyn Bridge was a great success despite the hardships faced in building it

2.It can be inferred from the third paragraph that Washington Roebling

(A)was injured by a ferry

(B)was determined to build the bridge despite many setbacks

(C)suffered from depression after his injury

(D)had a son who completed the building of the bridge

3.Which one of the following is given as a difficulty faced in building the Brooklyn Bridge?

(A)An excessive number of pylons in the East River

(B)An outbreak of tetanus among the workers

(C)The death of the man who envisioned the bridge

(D)A lack of funds to keep building

4.Washington Roebling can best be described as

(A)persistent

(B)weak

(C)clumsy

(D)dangerous

5.Which of the following is NOT stated about the Brooklyn Bridge?

(A)It was a sign of American power.

(B)It cost millions of dollars to build.

(C)It was not worth the money lost in building it.

(D)It has been seen in the movies.

Check your answers in Chapter 17. For more detailed explanations, go to your Student Tools.

PRACTICE DRILL 6—ALL READING TECHNIQUES—ALL LEVELS

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1.The primary purpose of the passage is to

(A)discuss the final days of World War II

(B)suggest that suburban housing is unaffordable

(C)describe one person’s contribution to an industry

(D)prove that the economy changed after World War II

2.Which of the following statements about William Levitt is best supported by the passage?

(A)He invented the word “suburb.”

(B)He was unconcerned with the appearance of the homes he built.

(C)His homes were built in Ford-style factories.

(D)His efficient methods helped make homes more affordable.

3.Which of the following best describes Levitt?

(A)Courageous patriot

(B)Strict businessman

(C)Ground-breaking entrepreneur

(D)Financial mastermind

4.It can be inferred from the passage that

(A)Levitt was the only developer working in New York following World War II

(B)Levitt and Henry Ford created homes the same way

(C)other developers did not know how to use the concept of assembly line construction

(D)Levitt built homes much faster than was customary before World War II

5.The passage mentions all of the following as reasons for the postwar housing demand EXCEPT the

(A)destruction of American homes during the war

(B)difficulty of saving money during the war

(C)search for new jobs and new homes by returning soldiers

(D)use of home-building materials elsewhere during the war

6.The passage suggests that a potential drawback to “assembly-line style” houses is that they can be

(A)hard to sell

(B)not very sturdy

(C)similar-looking

(D)horrible for the environment

Check your answers in Chapter 17. For more detailed explanations, go to your Student Tools.

PRACTICE DRILL 7—ALL READING TECHNIQUES—ALL LEVELS

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1.It can be inferred from the second paragraph that English vocabulary

(A)is easy to learn for speakers of other languages

(B)can claim many sources

(C)has a longer history than that of many other languages

(D)affects American politics

2.The author mentions the words “kindergarten,” “croissant,” and “cheetah” most likely because

(A)they are words with unknown origins

(B)etymologists dispute words like these

(C)they represent words that are similarly spelled and spoken in two languages

(D)English speakers find them difficult to pronounce

3.According to the passage, etymologists are

(A)investigators of word history

(B)lovers of vocabulary words

(C)scientists of the five senses

(D)archeologists of extinct languages

4.Which of the following best states the purpose of the fourth and fifth paragraphs?

(A)To illustrate another non-English word

(B)To define the phrase “OK”

(C)To show an interesting aspect of etymology

(D)To compare American phrases

5.The primary purpose of the passage is to

(A)provide information about the English language

(B)discuss enjoyable aspects of the study of words

(C)show that language plays an important role in politics

(D)describe the origin of the phrase “OK”

Check your answers in Chapter 17. For more detailed explanations, go to your Student Tools.

PRACTICE DRILL 8—ALL READING TECHNIQUES—UPPER LEVEL

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1.Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage?

(A)The beginning of Bob Dylan’s music career is similar to the beginnings of the careers of most other musicians.

(B)It is extremely important to follow your dreams.

(C)Bob Dylan never really knew what he wanted to be in life.

(D)Bob Dylan had great success despite his unusual style of singing.

2.The word “prominence” at the end of the third paragraph most nearly means

(A)perception

(B)status

(C)obviousness

(D)protrusion

3.The passage most strongly supports which of the following statements about Joan Baez?

(A)She was jealous of Bob Dylan’s superior vocal training.

(B)She grew up in Minnesota.

(C)She has performed more of Bob Dylan’s songs than of her own.

(D)She helped Bob Dylan to become a music legend.

4.The phrase “king of songs” near the beginning of the fourth paragraph refers to

(A)Bob Dylan’s prolific nature as a singer/songwriter

(B)Bob Dylan’s ownership of Rolling Stone magazine

(C)how most musicians regarded Bob Dylan as a king

(D)Bob Dylan’s perception of himself

5.Which of the following is best supported by the passage?

(A)Bob Dylan has two brothers.

(B)Bob Dylan was reviewed by Columbia Records his first year in New York.

(C)“Like a Rolling Stone” is considered by some to be the best song of all time.

(D)Without Joan Baez, Bob Dylan would never have succeeded.

Check your answers in Chapter 17. For more detailed explanations, go to your Student Tools.

PRACTICE DRILL 9—ALL READING TECHNIQUES—MIDDLE AND UPPER LEVELS

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1.Which of the following best tells what this passage is about?

(A)How the large variety of factors some scientists deal with makes absolute scientific accuracy impossible

(B)How Newton solved the problem of accuracy and science

(C)How “hard” science is more important than “soft” science

(D)Why science now uses less and less conclusive evidence

2.According to the passage, it can be inferred that the scientific method would work best in which of the following situations?

(A)Predicting public reactions to a set of policy decisions

(B)Identifying the factors that will predict a California earthquake

(C)Predicting the amount of corn that an acre will yield when a particular type of fertilizer is used

(D)Calculating how much a cubic centimeter of water will weigh when cooled under controlled conditions

3.The author suggests that accurately predicting the path of a planetary probe is more difficult than

(A)forecasting the weather

(B)determining when an earthquake will occur

(C)predicting economic behavior

(D)determining the gravitational influence of one planet

4.According to the passage, “hard” science can be distinguished from “soft” science by which of the following characteristics?

(A)Finding precise answers to its questions

(B)Identifying important questions that need answers

(C)Making significant contributions to human welfare

(D)Creating debates about unresolved issues

5.The author implies that when confronted with complex questions, scientists base their opinions

(A)on theoretical foundations

(B)more on intuition than on science

(C)on science and intuition, in varying degrees

(D)on experimental procedures

Check your answers in Chapter 17. For more detailed explanations, go to your Student Tools.