Ultimate word success - Peterson's 2009

Day 2 Discover the Secret to a High Score on Standardized Vocabulary Tests
Part I Get the Edge!

Different standardized tests include different types of vocabulary questions, depending on the test’s purpose. Sentence completions and vocabulary in context are the most common types. Let’s analyze both types of questions now so you can learn the test-taking strategies you need to succeed.

Conquer Sentence Completion Vocabulary Tests

On Day 1, you took a pretest involving sentence completions. This type of vocabulary test question appears on many standardized tests, especially the GED, ACT, SAT, PSAT/NMSQT, and TOEFL. As a result, it is important to know how to approach these test items.

You can often figure out what a new word means by seeing it in context, the surrounding words and phrases. That way, you can still get the gist (jist) of the conversation or reading, even if you have never seen the word before. Sentence completion questions build on this skill by requiring you to fill in one word or two words that have been removed from a sentence.

What NOT to Do…

Don’t just plug in answers and choose the one that sounds best. Consider the following sentence completion test item:

Increasingly, the previously __________ sources of disease have now been recognized through current research and analysis.

(A) perspicacious

(B) mysterious

(C) familiar

(D) remarkable

(E) salutary

The temptation is strong just to plug in each answer choice and choose the one that seems to fit and that sounds best. If you do this, here’s what you’ll get:

(A) Increasingly, the previously perspicacious sources of disease have now been recognized through current research and analysis. Sounds good, especially if you don’t know what “perspicacious” means.

(B) Increasingly, the previously mysterious sources of disease have now been recognized through current research and analysis. This sounds good, too.

(C) Increasingly, the previously familiar sources of disease have now been recognized through current research and analysis.” Nothing wrong here… or is there?

(D) Increasingly, the previously remarkable sources of disease have now been recognized through current research and analysis. This one sounds just as good as the previous choices.

(E) Increasingly, the previously salutary sources of disease have now been recognized through current research and analysis. This also makes perfect sense grammatically, and if you don’t know what the word “salutary” means, you’ve got nothing to go on but sound and grammatical form.

The correct answer is (B). Increasingly, the previously mysterious sources of disease have now been recognized through current research and analysis.

(A) Perspicacious means “perceptive, keen, acute.” This question tests your knowledge of test-worthy words.

(C) Familiar does not make sense in context because it is the exact opposite of the meaning you need. If the sources were already “familiar,” why would they now “be recognized”?

(D) Remarkable is a weak choice because why would sources be “remarkable”? Logic says that most diseases come from the same sources: bacteria, viruses, and poor sanitation.

(E) Salutary means “healthy, wholesome.” The “previously healthy sources of disease” is illogical. This question obviously tests your knowledge of test-worthy words.

What to Do…

If you start by trying to plug in the words that you have been given, you’ll waste valuable time and confuse yourself. That’s because the test writers are on to this approach. Try the following techniques instead.

To solve a one-blank sentence completion test item, follow these five steps:

1. Cover the answers. Read the sentence and substitute the word blank for the blank. Look for links in ideas and clues in the sentence that show how the sentence makes sense when complete.

2. Without looking at the answer choices, predict the word that would best complete the sentence.

3. Read the answer choices. Choose the one that best matches your choice. Use process of elimination to narrow the field. If you are very confused, start with the familiar, easier words and work toward the unfamiliar, difficult words.

4. Check your answers by reading the entire sentence. Rereading the answer you have chosen can help you decide if it makes sense. If not, revise your answer.

5. Use common sense to make sure your answer is logical. If your answer doesn’t match what you already know, make another choice.

To solve a two-blank sentence completion test item, follow these five steps:

1. Cover the answers, read the sentence, and focus on the blank that you find easier. Look for hints that point out the word needed to fill in the easier blank.

2. Provide your own answer, without looking at the choices.

3. Look at the answers, pick the one that best matches your word, and fill in the easier blank.

4. Follow the same process for the second blank.

5. Be sure to use process of elimination. As you read the answer choices, knock out the ones that are obviously incorrect.

Ace Critical Reading Tests

Practice is the best way to boost your critical reading comprehension skills, so read every minute you can. “I don’t have the time to read,” you say. Think about little bits of time that are otherwise wasted. Use the time you spend waiting in line at the bus stop, sitting in the dentist’s office, or waiting for class to start. You can use all of these “lost minutes” to read. Fifteen minutes here, 10 minutes there—by the end of the day, it adds up to at least an hour that you can use to sharpen your vocabulary and reading skills by actually reading.

Boost Your Vocabulary

When people say “I can’t read well,” what they often mean is “I get stuck on the hard words.” A bigger vocabulary and strong reading skills go hand-in-hand. The more words you know and understand, the more easily you will comprehend what you read. Since reading will be easier, you’ll do better on standardized tests, too. When you study words in this book as well as in other sources, mentally arrange them in these three categories:

1. Words you know

These are the words you can define. You should know secondary as well as primary definitions. You can comfortably use these words in a sentence, too.

For example:

behemoth (bi-hee-muhth; bee-uh-muhth)

n. something of monstrous size; a mighty animal:

My neighbor’s new car is a behemoth that takes up two parking spaces!

2. Words you think you know

These are words that you have seen before and perhaps even used in conversation and speech. However, you’re not exactly sure what they mean. As you read, you usually figure out these words by their context, the surrounding words and phrases. As you will learn on Day 3, there are three main types of context clues: restatement clues (there’s a synonym in the passage), inferential clues (you have to “read between the lines” to figure out the meaning), and contrast clues (the opposite of the unfamiliar word).

For example:

diligent (dil-i-jehnt)

adj. constant effort to accomplish something; done with attention; painstaking:

The diligent student conducted a diligent search of the library for the book.

3. Words you’ve seen only once or never

On every standardized test, you’ll find words that are completely new to you. Try to figure out these words through context clues, roots, suffixes, and prefixes, especially if the words are crucial to meaning. Being an involved reader will greatly increase your grasp of the writer’s point as well as the subtle elements of his or her style.

For example:

frugal (froo-guhl)

adj. economical, entailing little expense:

The frugal accountant brought her lunch to work every day.

Be an Active Reader

As an active reader, link what you read to what you already know—your prior knowledge—to clarify confusing ideas. The process looks like this:

Story Clues + What I Know = Inference

Below are some sample questions you can ask yourself as you read:

• What does this unfamiliar word mean? How can I use prefixes, roots, and suffixes to define the word? How can I use context clues?

• Am I confused because the word has multiple meanings? If so, which meaning is being used here?

• What point is the author making in this passage? Where is the topic sentence or main idea?

• What is the author’s purpose? Is it to tell a story? To explain or inform? To persuade? To describe?

• How is this passage organized? How is the text organization linked to the author’s purpose?

• Which details in the passage help me visualize or imagine the scene I’m reading?

Be Test-Smart

Standardized tests are similar to classroom tests in many ways, but they have a few significant differences. These differences change the strategies you use. First off, the test items on standardized tests are often arranged from easier to more difficult. As you work through the test, the questions will get more and more challenging. Therefore, you will have to budget your time differently. Spend less time on the first questions and more time on the last questions.

Be prepared not to know everything you’ll be asked on a standardized test. You can (and do!) study for a classroom test. As a result, you’re able to ace the test because you know the material and test-taking strategies. This is not true with most standardized tests. You can prepare by learning the types of information you can expect, but you can’t study the specific material because the content isn’t released beforehand. As a result, there will most likely be questions you can’t answer. Don’t be upset; this is the way the test is designed.

The Question of Guessing

Some tests penalize you for guessing, while others don’t. In general, many standardized tests try to discourage guessing by taking off points for incorrect answers. The PSAT/NMSQT, SAT, and SAT Subject Tests penalize you for guessing. On the other hand, most state assessments do not penalize you for guessing.

If there is no penalty for guessing, fill in every single answer—even if you have to guess. After all, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain!

If there is a penalty for guessing, try to reduce the odds. For example, if every multiple-choice question gives you four possible answers, you have a 25 percent chance of being right (and a 75 percent chance of being wrong) each time you have to guess. But if you can eliminate a single answer, your chance of being correct rises to 33 percent. And if you can get your choices down to two answers, you have a 50 percent chance of being right. Even if there is a penalty for guessing, pick one answer if you can reduce your choices to two. Fifty percent odds are good enough to chance a guess.

Before you give up on any question, always try to eliminate one or more of the answer choices. Remember: the more choices you can eliminate, the better your odds of choosing the right answer.

Dealing with Panic

Panic is a natural reaction to a pressure situation. Nonetheless, panic can prevent you from doing your best on tests, so let’s reduce or banish it. Here are some techniques that can help you deal with panic:

Don’t panic if some questions seem much harder than others.

They probably are! That’s the way the test was designed. This is especially true on standardized tests. Accept this and do the best you can. On standardized tests, you don’t have to answer each question to do well. That’s because you’re not being marked against yourself; rather, you’re being judged against all other test takers. They’re feeling the same way you are.

Don’t panic if you can’t get an answer.

Just skip the question and move on. If you have enough time, you can come back to it later. If you run out of time before you can return to it, you were still better off answering more questions than wasting time on a question you didn’t know.

Don’t panic if you blow the test all out of proportion.

It is true that some tests are more important than others, especially standardized college admission tests. But any test is only one factor in your overall education. Remind yourself that you have been working hard in class and keeping up with all your homework. Keep in mind that how you do on one test will not affect your entire academic career.

Don’t panic if you freeze and just can’t go on.

If this happens, remind yourself that you have studied and so you are well prepared. Remember that every question you have answered is worth points. Reassure yourself that you’re doing just fine. After all, you are! Stop working and close your eyes. Take two or three deep breaths. Breathe in and out to the count of five. Then, go on with the test.

And remember: A minor case of nerves can actually help you do well on a standardized test because it keeps you alert and focused.