SKILL 1: ANSWER MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS CORRECTLY

MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS

HOW TO On both  What is the topic of the passage?
IDENTIFY paper  What is the subject of the passage?
THE and  What is the main idea of the passage?
QUESTION computer  What is the author’s main point in the passage?
tests  With what is the author primarily concerned?
 Which of the following would be the best title?

WHERE TO
The answer to the type of question can generally be determined by
FIND THE
looking at the first sentence of each paragraph.
ANSWER
HOW TO 1. Read the first line of each paragraph.
ANSWER THE 2. Look for a common theme or idea in the first lines.
QUESTION 3. Pass your eyes quickly over the rest of the passage to check that you
have really found the topic sentence(s).
4. Eliminate any definitely wrong answers and choose the best answer
from the remaining choices.
SKILL 2: RECOGNIZE THE ORGANIZATION OF IDEAS

ORGANIZATION OF IDEAS
HOW TO On both  How is the information in the passage organized?
IDENTIFY paper  How is the information in the second paragraph related
THE and to the information in the first paragraph?
QUESTION computer
tests
On
computer Click on the paragraph that…
test only
WHERE TO
The answer to the type of question can generally be determined by
FIND THE
looking at the first sentence of the appropriate paragraphs.
ANSWER
HOW TO 1. Read the first line of each paragraph.
ANSWER THE 2. Look for words that show relationships among the paragraphs.
QUESTION 3. Choose the answer that best expresses the relationships.
SKILL 3: ANSWER STATED DETAIL QUESTIONS CORRECTLY

STATED DETAIL QUESTIONS

HOW TO On both According to the paragraph, …
IDENTIFY paper It is stated in the passage…
THE and The passage indicates that…
QUESTION computer Which of the following is true…?
tests
On
computer Click on the drawing that…
test only
WHERE TO
FIND THE The answers to these questions are found in order in the passage.
ANSWER
HOW TO 1. Choose a key word in the question.
ANSWER THE 2. Skim in the appropriate part of the passage for the key word or idea.
QUESTION 3. Read the sentence that contains the key word or idea carefully.
4. Eliminate the definitely wrong answer and choose the best answer
from the remaining choices.
SKILL 4: FIND “UNSTATED” DETAILS

“UNSTATED” DETAIL QUESTIONS

HOW TO On both Which of the following is not stated…?
IDENTIFY paper Which of the following is not mentioned…?
THE and Which of the following is not discussed…?
QUESTION computer All of the following are true except…
tests
WHERE TO
FIND THE The answers to these questions are found in order in the passage.
ANSWER
HOW TO 1. Choose a key word in the question.
ANSWER THE 2. Scan the appropriate part of the passage for the key word (or related
QUESTION idea).
3. Read the sentence that contains the key word or idea carefully.
4. Look for answers that definitely true according to the passage.
Eliminate those answers.
5. Choose the answer that not true or discussed in the passage.
SKILL 5: FIND PRONOUN REFERENTS

PRONOUN REFERENTS
HOW TO On paper The pronoun “…” in line X refers to which of the following?
IDENTIFY tests only
THE
QUESTION On Look at the word X. click on the word or phrase that X refers
computer to.
test only
WHERE TO On paper The line where the pronoun is located is given in the
FIND THE tests only question. The noun that the pronoun refers to is generally
ANSWER found before the pronoun.
On
The pronoun is highlighted in the passage. The noun that the
computer
pronoun refers to is generally found before the pronoun.
test only
HOW TO 1. Locate the pronoun in the passage.
ANSWER THE 2. Look before the pronoun for nouns that agree with the pronoun.
QUESTION 3. Try each of the nouns in the context in place of pronoun.
4. Eliminate any definitely wrong answers and choose the best answer
from the remaining choices.
SKILL 6: ANSWER IMPLIED DETAIL QUESTIONS CORRECTLY

IMPLIED DETAIL QUESTIONS

HOW TO On both It is implied the passage that…
IDENTIFY paper It can be inferred from the passage that…
THE and It is most likely that…
QUESTION computer What probably happened…?
tests
WHERE TO
FIND THE The answers to these questions are found in order in the passage.
ANSWER
HOW TO 1. Choose a key word in the question.
ANSWER THE 2. Scan the passage for the key word (or related idea).
QUESTION 3. Carefully read the sentence that contains the key word.
4. Look for an answer that could be true, according to that sentence.
SKILL 7: ANSWER TRANSITION QUESTION CORRECTLY

TRANSITION QUESTIONS
HOW TO On both The paragraph preceding the passage probably…
IDENTIFY paper and What is most likely in the paragraph following the
THE computer passage?
QUESTION tests
WHERE TO The answers can generally be found in the first line of the passage for a
FIND THE preceding question. The answer can generally be found in the last line
ANSWER for following question.
HOW TO 1. Read the first line for a preceding question.
ANSWER THE 2. Read the last line for a following question.
QUESTION 3. Draw a conclusion about what comes before or after.
4. Choose the answer that reflected in the first or last line of the
passage.
SKILL 8: FIND DEFINITIONS FROM STRUCTURAL CLUES

STRUCTURAL CLUES
On both What of the meaning of “X” in line Y?
paper and The word “X” in line Y closest in meaning to…
HOW TO computer The word “X” in line Y could best be replaced by…
IDENTIFY tests
THE On computer Look at the word “X” in paragraph Y. Click on
QUESTION tests only another word that is close in meaning to X.
Click on the word in paragraph Y that could best be
replaced by…
punctuation Comma, parentheses, dashes
TYPES OF
restatement Or, that is, in other word, i.e.
CLUE
examples Such as, for example, e.g.
WHERE TO Information to help you determine what something means will generally
FIND THE be found after the punctuation clue, the restatement clue, or the
ANSWER example clue.
HOW TO 1. Find the word in the passage.
ANSWER THE 2. Locate any structural clue.
QUESTION 3. Read the part of the passage after the structural clue carefully.
4. Eliminate any definitely wrong answer and choose the best answer
from the remaining choices.
SKILL 9: DETERMINE MEANINGS FROM WORD PARTS

A SHORT LIST OF WORD PARTS

PART MEANING EXAMPLE PART MEANING EXAMPLE
CONTRA (against) contrast DIC (say) dictate
MAL (bad) malcontent DOMIN (master) dominant
MIS (error) mistake JUD (judge) judgment
SUB (under) subway MOR (death) mortal
DEC (ten) decade SPEC (see) spectator
MULTI (many) multiple TERR (earth) territory
SOL (one) solo VER (turn) divert
TRI (three) triple VIV (live) revive
SKILL 10: USE CONTEXT TO DETERMINE MEANING OF DIFFICTULT WORDS

VOCABULARY QUESTION CONTAINING DIFFICULT WORDS

HOW TO On both What is the meaning of “X” in line Y?
IDENTIFY paper and The word “X” in line Y closest in meaning to…
THE computer
QUESTION tests
On computer Look at the word “X” in paragraph Y. Click on
test only another word that is close in meaning to “X”
Click on the word in paragraph Y that is closest in
meaning to “X”.
WHERE TO
Information to help you understand the meaning of an unknown word
FIND THE
can often be found in the context surrounding the unknown word.
ANSWER
HOW TO 1. Find the word in the passage.
ANSWER THE 2. Read the sentence that contains the word carefully.
QUESTION 3. Look for context clues to help you understand the meaning.
4. Choose the answer that the context indicates.
SKILL 11: USE CONTEXT TO DETERMINE MEANING OF SIMPLE WORDS

VOCABULARY QUESTION CONTAINING SIMPLE WORDS

HOW TO On both What is the meaning of “X” in line Y?
IDENTIFY paper and The word “X” in line Y closest in meaning to…
THE computer
QUESTION tests
On computer Look at the word “X” in paragraph Y. Click on
test only another word that is close in meaning to “X”
Click on the word in paragraph Y that is closest in
meaning to “X”.
WHERE TO
Information to help you understand the secondary meaning of a simple
FIND THE
word can often be found in the context surrounding the word.
ANSWER
HOW TO 1. Find the word in the passage.
ANSWER THE 2. Read the sentence that contains the word carefully.
QUESTION 3. Look for context clues to help you understand the meaning.
4. Choose the answer that the context indicates.