Using the process of elimination 9 pdf

Because you are being asked to look up each answer in the passage to see whether it is there, this is really four questions in one.. Even though the author doesn’t directly say this, it

For detail questions, you don’t necessarily have to work

through all the steps Here are some tips on how you

might have answered the questions

10. Because you are being asked to look up each

answer in the passage to see whether it is there,

this is really four questions in one If you

decide to take the time to answer this question

at all, you should leave it until you have

answered the other questions about this

pas-sage By then, you will have discovered how the

passage is arranged, and you may have even

noticed some of the facts in the passage

Choice a is found in the last sentence Choices

b and d are also contained in the paragraph.

You can find all the answers but c in the

pas-sage The passage states that producing

alu-minum (not plastic) from recycled materials

lowers air pollution by over 90% (not 70%)

The answer is c.

11 The answer is d The other choices all contain

one or more items that are not discussed in the

passage

12. Use the process of elimination for this

ques-tion Choices a and d are in direct opposition to

the other ideas expressed in the passage Choice

c is not related to the overall message of the

passage and is contrary to the writer’s purpose

The answer is b Even though the author doesn’t

directly say this, it can be inferred from the first

sentence of the passage: “Recycling goods gives

communities the opportunity to lower their

waste output, reduce disposal costs, and most

importantly, combat global environmental

problems.” Another hint is the phrase “it also

saves trees.”

 Wo r d s i n C o n t ex t

Another type of question on the THEA has to do with

words in context You will have to look for clues to

answer these kinds of questions Questions on words in context have stems like these:

■ What is the best synonym for as it is used in the passage?

■ Which of the following is the best meaning of as it is used in the second sentence?

How to Find Words-in-Context Answers

Answers to words-in-context questions are found in the sentences immediately preceding, including, and fol-lowing the word Usually there is some explanation nearby—some synonym for the word or paraphrase of its meaning

Practice Passage and Question

In his famous study of myth, The Hero With a Thou-sand Faces, Joseph Campbell writes about the

arche-typal hero who has ventured outside the boundaries

of the village and, after many trials and adventures, has returned with the boon that will save or enlighten his fellows Like Carl Jung, Campell believes that the story of the hero is part of the col-lective unconscious of all human kind He likens the returning hero to the sacred or tabooed

person-age described by James Frazier in The Golden Bough.

Such an individual must, in many instances of myth,

be insulated from the rest of society, “not merely for his own sake but for the sake of others; for since the virtue of holiness is, so to say, a powerful explosive which the smallest touch can detonate, it is necessary

in the interest of the general safety to keep it within narrow bounds.”

There is much similarity between the arche-typal hero who has journeyed into the wilderness and the poet who has journeyed into the realm of imagination Both places are dangerous and full of wonders, and both, at their deepest level, are jour-neys that take place into the kingdom of the uncon-scious mind, a place that, in Campbell’s words, “goes down into unsuspected Aladdin caves There not only jewels but dangerous jinn abide ”

–T H E A R E A D I N G R E V I E W–

13 Which of the following is the most accurate

definition of the word boon as it is used in the

passage?

a present

b blessing

c charm

d curse

Answer

Even if you don’t know the definition of the word boon,

you can determine its meaning from the context of the

passage You can determine that boon is a positive term

because the passage states that the hero’s boon will

save or enlighten his fellows Therefore, you can

elim-inate choice d, curse, which is negative You can also

guess from the context of the passage that a boon is

likely to be intangible and not a concrete present or

charm, (choices a and c) Choice b offers the most

accurate definition of boon, which is a timely benefit,

favor, or blessing

 I n f e r e n c e s a n d

F i l l i n t h e B l a n k s

Inference and fill-in-the-blank questions are both

challenging However, many test takers claim that

inference questions are one of the most difficult on the exam Inference questions are sometimes confused with detail questions The same answer that might be correct for a detail question, however, will be wrong for an inference question Knowing how inference questions are likely to be phrased will help you distin-guish them from detail questions Inference question stems usually include words like those highlighted below:

■ The author implies that

■ The author suggests that

■ It can be concluded from this passage that

■ The passage implies that

■ The narrator hints that

■ It can be inferred from the passage that

■ Which of the following is closest to the author’s outlook on ?

■ The feature that and have in common is

How to Find Inference Answers

Inferences are not directly stated in the passage If an answer choice can be found in the passage, it is not the right answer Look, however, for items, people, events,

or ideas in the passage that might relate to other items, people, events, or ideas in the passage

Six Steps for Words-in-Context Questions

1 Locate the word and read at least five lines above the word to catch the context Notice any context

clues—words or phrases that explain the meaning of the word

2 Eliminate all answers that have nothing to do with the passage or the context.

3 If you are lucky, you may encounter an answer choice that is a different part of speech from the word or

phrase in question Think for a minute to make sure this answer choice doesn’t have an alternate mean-ing that is the same part of speech, and if it doesn’t, eliminate it

4 Place the remaining words in the blank and read to see which one fits best.

5 If you think you know the word, make sure the passage uses the word in the same way Many of the

answers will be different possible meanings of the word in question

6 Look for clues in root words, prefixes, and suffixes.

Practice Passage and Question

Many educational reformers have focused their

efforts over the last decade on instructional practices

such as cooperative learning that emphasize problem

solving and decision making over solitary reliance on

memorization of facts and theories Furthermore,

programs that emphasize problem solving and

deci-sion making directly address the national education

goal of helping prepare students “for responsible

citi-zenship, further learning, and productive

employ-ment in our modern economy.” Several programs

offer strategies for addressing problem solving and

decision making, ranging from in-class discussions

and the use of board games to designing and

con-ducting community service activities For example,

tutors at Raising Academic Achievement focus on

problem-solving skills and are trained to help

stu-dents “think, explore, solve, and look back” when

working on mathematics problems

14 Which of the following can be inferred from the

information in the passage?

a Tutors at Raising Academic Achievement help

ensure that students will be productively

employed when they become adults

b Cooperative learning emphasizes

problem-solving techniques

c Playing board games increases

problem-solving skills

d Responsible citizenship should be taught in

school

Answer

Go through the steps

1 The passage is short and the question offers no

topic or location clues

2 It looks as though d is off the topic since the

paragraph is not about teaching responsible citi-zenship; it is only mentioned in passing

3 Choice b is mentioned in the first sentence Choice c is mentioned further on These two answers can be eliminated That leaves choice a.

The passage does not explicitly state that the tutors will help future employment, but it does say tutors help with problem-solving skills and that problem-solving skills will help with future

employment Choice a is one step removed from

the facts of the passage, so it is the right answer (You didn’t need to use steps 4–6.)

Graphs

Graphs are found in both the reading and the math sec-tions of the THEA For more information on graphs, please see Chapter 5

Now that you have reviewed your reading skills, turn to Chapter 5 for a math review

Six Steps for Inference Questions

1 Skim the passage to see how it is organized Find the main ideas.

2 Eliminate any answers that are off the topic.

3 Look for an answer choice that says the same thing in an opposite way

4 Eliminate any answers that are unreasonable or that cannot be drawn from the facts in the passage.

5 Eliminate any answers that can be concluded from the statements in the passage, but do not answer the

question

6 Choose the answer that is most clearly concluded from the statements in the passage.

The THEA Mathematics section measures those mathematical skills and concepts that an

edu-cated adult might need Many of the problems require the integration of multiple skills to achieve a solution It is composed of between 40 and 50 multiple-choice questions

 A r i t h m e t i c

This section covers the basics of mathematical operations and their sequence It also reviews variables, inte-gers, fractions, decimals, and square roots

Numbers and Symbols

N UMBERS AND THE N UMBER L INE

■ Counting numbers (or natural numbers): 1, 2, 3,

■ Whole numbers include the counting numbers and zero: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,

C H A P T E R

THEA Math Review

C H A P T E R S U M M A R Y

This review covers the math skills you need to know for the THEA Math-ematics test You will learn about arithmetic, measurement, algebra, geometry, and data analysis

5

■ Integers include the whole numbers and their opposites Remember, the opposite of zero is

zero: –3, –2, –1, 0, 1, 2, 3,

■ Rational numbers are all numbers that can be written as fractions, where the numerator and

denomina-tor are both integers, but the denominadenomina-tor is not zero For example,23is a rational number, as is56 The decimal form of these numbers is either a terminating (ending) decimal, such as the decimal form of34 which is 0.75; or a repeating decimal, such as the decimal form of13which is 0.3333333

■ Irrational numbers are numbers that cannot be expressed as terminating or repeating decimals (i.e

non-repeating, non-terminating decimals such as π, 2 , 12)

The number line is a graphical representation of the order of numbers As you move to the right, the value increases As you move to the left, the value decreases

If we need a number line to reflect certain rational or irrational numbers, we can estimate where they should be

C OMPARISON S YMBOLS

The following table will illustrate some comparison symbols:

> is greater than 5 > 3

≥ is greater than or equal to x≥ 5

(x can be 5 or any number > 5)

≤ is less than or equal to x≤ 3

(x can be 3 or any number < 3)

–6 –5 –4 –3 –2 –1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

–7 –6 –5 –4 –3 –2 –1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Greater Than

Less Than

–T H E A M AT H R E V I E W–

– 34 2 

S YMBOLS OF A DDITION

In addition, the numbers being added are called addends The result is called a sum The symbol for addition is called a plus sign In the following example, 4 and 5 are addends and 9 is the sum:

4 + 5 = 9

S YMBOLS OF S UBTRACTION

In subtraction, the number being subtracted is called the subtrahend The number being subtracted FROM is called the minuend The answer to a subtraction problem is called a difference The symbol for subtraction is called a minus sign In the following example, 15 is the minuend, 4 is the subtrahend, and 11 is the difference:

15 – 4 = 11

S YMBOLS OF M ULTIPLICATION

When two or more numbers are being multiplied, they are called factors The answer that results is called the prod-uct In the following example, 5 and 6 are factors and 30 is their product:

5  6 = 30

There are several ways to represent multiplication in the above mathematical statement

■ A dot between factors indicates multiplication:

5 • 6 = 30

■ Parentheses around any one or more factors indicate multiplication:

(5)6 = 30, 5(6) = 30, and (5)(6) = 30

■ Multiplication is also indicated when a number is placed next to a variable: 5a = 30 In this equation,

5 is being multiplied by a.

S YMBOLS OF D IVISION

In division, the number being divided BY is called the divisor The number being divided INTO is called the div-idend The answer to a division problem is called the quotient.

There are a few different ways to represent division with symbols In each of the following equivalent expressions, 3 is the divisor and 8 is the dividend:

8 ÷ 3, 8/3, 83, 38

–T H E A M AT H R E V I E W–