Preview McGrawHill Education Preparation for the GED Test, 4th Edition by McGraw Hill Editors (2021)

Preview McGrawHill Education Preparation for the GED Test, 4th Edition by McGraw Hill Editors (2021) Preview McGrawHill Education Preparation for the GED Test, 4th Edition by McGraw Hill Editors (2021) Preview McGrawHill Education Preparation for the GED Test, 4th Edition by McGraw Hill Editors (2021) Preview McGrawHill Education Preparation for the GED Test, 4th Edition by McGraw Hill Editors (2021) Preview McGrawHill Education Preparation for the GED Test, 4th Edition by McGraw Hill Editors (2021)

Copyright © 2021, 2018, 2015, 2014 by McGraw Hill All rights reserved Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher ISBN: 978-1-26-425823-9 MHID: 1-26-425823-2 The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: ISBN: 978-1-26-425822-2, MHID: 1-26-425822-4 eBook conversion by codeMantra Version 1.0 All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners Rather than put a trademark symbol after every occurrence of a trademarked name, we use names in an editorial fashion only, and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark Where such designations appear in this book, they have been printed with initial caps McGraw-Hill Education eBooks are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales promotions or for use in corporate training programs To contact a representative, please visit the Contact Us page at www.mhprofessional.com GED® is a registered trademark of the American Council on Education (ACE) and administered exclusively by GED Testing Service LLC under license This content is not endorsed or approved by ACE or GED Testing Service TERMS OF USE This is a copyrighted work and McGraw-Hill Education and its licensors reserve all rights in and to the work Use of this work is subject to these terms Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976 and the right to store and retrieve one copy of the work, you may not decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, reproduce, modify, create derivative works based upon, transmit, distribute, disseminate, sell, publish or sublicense the work or any part of it without McGraw-Hill Education’s prior consent You may use the work for your own noncommercial and personal use; any other use of the work is strictly prohibited Your right to use the work may be terminated if you fail to comply with these terms THE WORK IS PROVIDED “AS IS.” McGRAW-HILL EDUCATION AND ITS LICENSORS MAKE NO GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES AS TO THE ACCURACY, ADEQUACY OR COMPLETENESS OF OR RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED FROM USING THE WORK, INCLUDING ANY INFORMATION THAT CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE WORK VIA HYPERLINK OR OTHERWISE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE McGraw-Hill Education and its licensors not warrant or guarantee that the functions contained in the work will meet your requirements or that its operation will be uninterrupted or error free Neither McGraw-Hill Education nor its licensors shall be liable to you or anyone else for any inaccuracy, error or omission, regardless of cause, in the work or for any damages resulting therefrom McGraw-Hill Education has no responsibility for the content of any information accessed through the work Under no circumstances shall McGraw-Hill Education and/or its licensors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, consequential or similar damages that result from the use of or inability to use the work, even if any of them has been advised of the possibility of such damages This limitation of liability shall apply to any claim or cause whatsoever whether such claim or cause arises in contract, tort or otherwise Contents How to Use This Book Introducing the GED® Test About the GED® Test How Do I Register? Question Formats The Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA) Test The Mathematical Reasoning Test The Science Test The Social Studies Test More About the Test Interface How the Tests Are Scored General Test-Taking Tips Analyze Documents Read Critically Use the Process of Elimination Watch Out for Extreme Answer Choices Find the Answer in the Passage Use the Answers Estimate Values Essay Tips Time Management Tips Test Day Tips How to Use This Book to Set Up a Study Plan Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA) One-Month Study Plan Mathematical Reasoning One-Month Study Plan Science One-Month Study Plan Social Studies One-Month Study Plan PRETESTS How to Use the Pretests Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA) Pretest Part 1: Multiple Choice Part 2: Extended Response Part 3: Multiple Choice Answers and Explanations Evaluation Chart Mathematical Reasoning Pretest Mathematics Formula Sheet Part 1, Questions 1–5: No calculator allowed Part 2: Calculator allowed Answers and Explanations Evaluation Chart Science Pretest Answers and Explanations Evaluation Chart Social Studies Pretest Answers and Explanations Evaluation Chart REASONING THROUGH LANGUAGE ARTS (RLA) INTRODUCTION The Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA) Test The Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA) Review The Top 25 Things You Need to Know for the GED® RLA Test CHAPTER Testing Basic English Usage Standard English “Drop Down” Questions Editing Mechanics Capitalization Punctuation Sentence Fragments Run-on Sentences Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers Parallel Structure Improving Awkward Sentences Eliminating Informal or Nonstandard Words Subject-Verb Agreement Verb Tenses Pronoun Usage Apostrophes and Possessive Nouns Transitional Words and Expressions Frequently Confused Words Practice: Testing Basic English Usage CHAPTER Testing Reading Comprehension Reading Comprehension on the GED® Test Question Types Multiple-Choice Questions “Drag and Drop” Questions Fill-in-the-Blank Questions Basic Critical Reading Skills Identifying the Main Idea in a Text Finding Details in a Text Analyzing Implicit Main Ideas Making Inferences and Drawing Conclusions Identifying Textual Evidence Making Connections Between Ideas Practice: Testing Reading Comprehension CHAPTER Structure and Author’s Choices Sequence of Events Structural Relationships Author’s Language Transitional Words Context Clues Connotation Tone Figurative Language Practice: Structure and Author’s Choices CHAPTER Literary Texts Using Textual Evidence to Analyze Elements of Fiction Theme Plot or Events in a Story Characters Motivation Character Traits Interaction Between Characters Setting Character and Narrator Viewpoint Practice: Literary Texts CHAPTER Informational Texts Foundational Texts Inferring Relationships Between Ideas Cause and Effect Compare and Contrast Parallel Ideas Author’s Viewpoint and Purpose Analyzing Arguments Fact Versus Opinion Source Reliability Evaluating Claims Rhetorical Techniques for wrong answers, so if you don’t know the answer to a question, you have nothing to lose by guessing And if you must guess, you can improve your chances of guessing correctly by using the “process of elimination,” or POE Think about it this way: on the GED® test, multiple-choice items have four answer choices If you just guess randomly, you still have a one-in-four chance of being correct What if you know that one of the answer choices is definitely wrong? Go ahead and eliminate that option Now you have a onein-three chance of guessing correctly Your odds have just improved considerably If you can eliminate two options, you are up to a 50% chance of selecting the correct answer That’s even better Here is an example of how this works: Use the passage for Item Texas is now ours Her star and her stripe may already be said to have taken their place in the glorious blazon of our common nationality; and the sweep of our eagle’s wing already includes within its circuit the wide extent of her fair and fertile land She is no longer to us a mere geographical space —a certain combination of coast, plain, mountain, valley, forest and stream She is no longer to us a mere country on the map She comes within the dear and sacred designation of Our Country other nations have undertaken to intrude themselves in a spirit of hostile interference against us, for the avowed object of thwarting our policy and hampering our power, limiting our greatness and checking the fulfillment of our manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions John L O’Sullivan, “Annexation,” The United States Magazine and Democratic Review (1845) What does O’Sullivan mean when he claims that annexing Texas is part of the “manifest destiny” of the United States? A The United States has a divine right to spread across the North American continent B Adding Texas to the Union can help stop the spread of slavery C The population of the United States is destined to grow and strengthen D Texas is destined to help the Union win the Civil War Let’s say you have no idea what manifest destiny is Reading the passage will tell you that it doesn’t seem to have anything to with slavery or the Civil War Just realizing that one thing allows you to eliminate answer choices B and D Now you have a 50/50 chance of getting the question correct if you have to guess Not bad! By the way, manifest destiny is the idea that the United States is divinely destined to expand across the entire North American continent This doctrine was believed by many to justify the annexation of Texas Watch Out for Extreme Answer Choices When you are using the process of elimination, beware of extreme words such as all, every, or none These are unlikely to be the correct answer What is the difference between these two statements? A Everyone likes vanilla ice cream B Many people like vanilla ice cream Statement A is extreme It can be argued that surely somewhere there is someone who doesn’t like vanilla ice cream How would you argue with Statement B? You can’t, really What does many people even mean? How many? Vague is good Let’s look at an example from the RLA test: Based on the speech, what generalization could be made about the possibility of long-term economic growth? A The goal of any government is long-term economic growth B It may be preferable to sacrifice some short-term growth in order to achieve long-term growth C Long-term economic growth is simply not sustainable D Some private companies see long-term economic growth as secondary to immediate profits Wait We haven’t even read this passage We don’t even have this passage Still, we can use the process of elimination to get rid of any extreme answer choices Take a look at choice A The goal of any government? That means all of them Not likely What about choice C? No long-term growth ever? No matter what? That’s pretty extreme too We can eliminate both those choices and we are down to only two That’s a 50/50 chance of getting the correct answer and we don’t even have the passage Find the Answer in the Passage Since the GED® tests now feature more passage-based items that require critical reading and thinking skills, it is more important than ever that you are comfortable finding information in a text and being able to draw conclusions from what you read Here’s the good news: the correct answer is always right there in front of you Every correct answer is based on something in the text You won’t need any outside knowledge or supernatural powers Here are the most important skills you will need: • Know how to locate information in the text quickly You don’t have all day You can’t afford to read the entire passage every time you need to find something Use the question to help you identify some key words to scan for in the passage • Paraphrase information The best way to well on passage-based questions is to answer the question in your own words before you look at the answer choices This means you will need to paraphrase what you read in the passage • Verify your answer choice When you choose an answer, you should be able to point to the spot in the passage where the passage says the same thing • Focus on the main idea Even a question about a specific detail will basically be asking you how that detail relates to the main idea When you first read the passage, find the main idea Keep it in mind as you answer all the questions for that passage • Have an awareness of the tone of the passage Often you will find two answer choices that basically say what you are looking for The difference may be the tone If the author is writing persuasively, the correct answer may also have the persuasive tone Use the Answers You probably will not know the answer to every question That’s okay For most question types, you can use the answer choices to help you Let’s look at an example from the Social Studies test: Which of the following is an example of a freedom that is guaranteed by the Bill of Rights? A A magazine advertisement encourages people to join the Coast Guard B An eighteen-year-old girl registers to vote in an upcoming presidential election C A television host publicly criticizes the performance of a government official D A man is apprehended after he broke into a home and stole a television Maybe you can’t remember everything that is in the Bill of Rights Maybe you know the Bill of Rights really well, but you think there are too many rights listed in it to know where to start You’ve got to use the answers Read through them and see if anything rings a bell Choices A and C seem to be about free speech Choice B is about the right to vote Choice D doesn’t seem to be about a right, so eliminate that one Now, which of A, B, and C you think is guaranteed by the Bill of Rights? You probably remember that free speech is in the Bill of Rights, so let’s look at A and C again Choice A is about an advertisement and choice C is about criticizing the government That might jar your memory of the First Amendment, which states that the government cannot restrict freedom of speech and freedom of the press Choice C is the best On some math questions, it may actually be easier to work backward If a question asks, “What is x?” and you solve for x, how you know you are right? You plug in the value you found for x and see if it works It might be easier to just try each of the answer choices for x to see which one works Let’s try it: The mean of the data set below is What is the value of x? {7, 3, 14, x, 6} A B C D 10 13 If you don’t know how to find the answer to this question directly, work it backward Try each answer as the value of x To find the mean of a data set, we add up the values and divide by the number of values There are five numbers in this data set, so we will divide the total by Add up the numbers we know so far: + + 14 + = 30 A x = 5, so the sum of the data set will be 30 + = 35 Is the mean 8? No, it’s Try again B x = 8, which is probably a trap since the mean is Let’s see: 30 + = 38, which isn’t evenly divisible by Try again C x = 10, so the sum of the data set will be 30 + 10 = 40 Is the mean 8? Yes We found the right answer! Estimate Values You will see questions that involve math not only on the Mathematics test but also on the Science test and the Social Studies test You can save yourself time and effort if you know that you can estimate your answer Some questions ask you to “approximate,” but it may be possible to estimate even on ones that don’t Let’s look at an example from the Mathematics test: A gallon of paint will cover about 400 square feet To the nearest tenth, how many gallons of paint will be required to paint the top of a circular table with a diameter of 12 feet? A 0.03 gallons B 0.28 gallons C 0.49 gallons D 1.13 gallons First, we need to figure out how many square feet the tabletop is The formula for the area of a circle is A = πr2 Since the diameter is 12, the radius is A = π(62) = 36π You can probably that much in your head Let’s keep doing that and skip the calculator We can estimate the value of pi as 3, so the area is about 108 square feet The question asks how many gallons of paint we will need if a gallon covers about 400 square feet We only need 108 square feet, so we need about 1/4 of a gallon The only answer close to that is choice B Essay Tips • Read the texts carefully and think before you write Your job is to analyze the two arguments and discuss which one you find more persuasive and why • Use your erasable note board to outline your extended response Think for a minute or two about what you want to say, in what order, and how you intend to support your opinions or assertions Make a quick outline It does not have to follow a formal format Just know where you are going with a response before you start typing • Organize your response Make an outline and stick to it The classic five-paragraph essay format works beautifully for an extended response Begin with an introductory paragraph that sums up each of the two arguments and states clearly which one you find more persuasive Then write three body paragraphs, each detailing a reason why you chose the argument you did Finally, write a conclusion paragraph to sum it up and restate your position • Use clear, simple sentences On the extended-response question, not try to get too fancy You can always make sure you are being grammatically correct if you keep your sentences simple and clear Don’t use big vocabulary words just to show off • Proofread your work Once you finish your extended response, read through it carefully to make sure there are no obvious mistakes Time Management Tips • Keep an eye on the clock The GED® testing software has a timer that will appear in the upper right-hand corner of your screen You can minimize the timer or keep in view Do not minimize it! Keep your eye on the clock, especially toward the end of the test The timer cannot be minimized during the final few minutes of the test in any case You definitely want to know when time is running out • Pace yourself You have 90 minutes to complete the Science test You should be working at a pace of approximately two minutes per question If 30 minutes have passed, you should be on question number 14 or 15 After 60 minutes, you should be on Question 29 or 30 This pace will leave you a few minutes at the end of the test to return to any questions you skipped or flagged • Do not get up on a difficult question It may be tempting to keep wrestling with a difficult question until you have it mastered, but remember that you not have all day You have a set amount of time, and your goal should be to at least attempt every single question on the test If you some quick math based on the time limits and question totals, you will see that the longest you should spend on any given question is about two minutes If you have been struggling and coming up empty for three or four minutes, mark an answer and click “Flag for Review.” Then move on You probably have many questions ahead of you that you can answer correctly, so go get those points! If you have a few minutes at the end of the test, you can return to flagged questions and think about them a bit more to try to make better guesses • Save the last five minutes for guessing When the timer shows five minutes left, mark an answer for any remaining questions Then return to them and use process of elimination to make more educated guesses If you have no questions remaining at the five-minute mark, return to any items you flagged and see if you can make better guesses on them ã Answer every question The GEDđ test does not penalize you for wrong answers They simply count as zeros, so why miss out on possible points? Pick something, even on one of the new question types Put down some kind of answer Never leave a question unanswered Test Day Tips This will all sound like very commonsense advice, but you would be surprised at how often people not prepare properly for test day Here is your pretest and test-day checklist: Pretest Congratulate yourself for having used McGraw-Hill Education: Preparation for the GED® Test to prepare yourself thoroughly for your test You are ready At least a day or two before the test, make a dry run at getting yourself to the test-taking facility Are you sure you know exactly where to show up —not just which building, but which room on which floor? If you are driving, is there parking available? Where, and how far from the facility? How much does it cost? What is traffic like at the time your test is scheduled? Is there gas in the car? If you are taking public transportation, you know the quickest, best route to your test-taking facility? Plan to arrive 30 minutes early Yes, that seems like it is very early You are expected to check in 15 minutes before your scheduled testing time, so you want to leave time for unexpected events If you are early, so what? Sit down, relax, and visualize yourself acing the test If there is unexpected road construction or if the subway or bus is delayed, you will be glad you had a little time cushion You not want to arrive barely in the nick of time, and you definitely not want to be late At many facilities, you will not even be admitted if you are late Don’t stay up all night studying the night before the test Go ahead and review a little, but a good night’s sleep is more beneficial than lastminute cramming Test Day Eat breakfast, or lunch, or whatever meal comes right before your test time Just not let yourself go into the test hungry and thirsty Dress in layers Some testing facilities are as cold as freezers Others are as hot as ovens Be ready for anything so you can stay comfortable Bring your photo ID If you are using your own TI-30XS calculator, bring it If you are taking multiple tests on the same day, bring a snack for during breaks between sections Maybe a bottle of water and a granola bar How to Use This Book to Set Up a Study Plan This book features pretests and posttests in all four subject areas Before you begin your course of study, take the pretest in the subject you plan to tackle first Use the answer explanations and scoring rubric to see how well you performed Your performance on the pretest will give you a good idea of which areas you need to work on and which areas you have already mastered How much time you decide to devote to each subject area depends completely on your own schedule and your level of mastery of each subject area There is no set prescription This book is broken into short, manageable chunks of information, so you can take it one step at a time at your own pace Here is a sample study plan for each test that you can use or modify to meet your needs Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA) OneMonth Study Plan Mathematical Reasoning One-Month Study Plan Science One-Month Study Plan Social Studies One-Month Study Plan If you have a packed daily schedule with very little time to devote to studying and you find that you need a lot of review in a given area, you will probably need to give yourself plenty of time For example, if you are a parent with a full-time job, you may find that by the time you get the children to bed, you only have enough energy for 30 minutes of studying That’s fine Just try to one topic a night, and give yourself at least six weeks to finish your study for each test You can extend the time allowed in the study plans to accommodate your busy schedule On the other hand, if you want to get through your series of GED® tests as quickly as possible in order to achieve some further goal (get a certain job or promotion, apply to college, or the like) and you have several hours or more of free time every day, you could conceivably prepare yourself for one test in two weeks You can compress the study plans in order to shorten your preparation time You may find that you need more time for one subject than you for another Adjust the study plans accordingly Whatever you decide, write down your plan on a calendar (how many pages per night, for example) and stick to it It may take a lot of determination, but you can it Finally, turn to family and friends for support and encouragement What you are doing is important, hard work You deserve plenty of praise and pats on the back We wish you the best of luck—on the test and beyond! Bonus Apps Flashcard App As you progress in your studies, you will find the flashcard app that accompanies this book to be a useful tool for reviewing key topics The app includes 100 cards, 25 for each of the test’s four subjects: Reasoning Through Language Arts, Mathematical Reasoning, Science, and Social Studies To access the flashcard app, go to the iTunes or Google Play app store Once you are at the appropriate store, search “MHE Flashcard App for the GED® Test” and download For an online version of the app, visit mhprofessional.com/GEDTest Below the book’s illustration, open the tab “Downloads & Resources.” Here, click on the link under “Flashcards” and you will be able to use the flashcards on your laptop or home computer Test Planner App The test planner app will enable you to create your own customized study schedule To access this app, go to the iTunes or Google Play app store Once you are at the appropriate store, search “MHE Preparation for GED® Test” and download ... therefrom McGraw- Hill Education has no responsibility for the content of any information accessed through the work Under no circumstances shall McGraw- Hill Education and/or its licensors be liable for. .. Important GED? ? RLA Terms Important GED? ? Math Terms Important GED? ? Science Terms Important GED? ? Social Studies Terms How to Use This Book Welcome to McGraw- Hill Education: Preparation for the GED? ?... Welcome to McGraw- Hill Education: Preparation for the GED? ? Test! Congratulations on choosing the preparation guide from America’s leading educational publisher You probably know us from many of the