Cracking the GED test with with 2 practice exams all the strategies, review, and practice you need , 2019 edition (gnv64)

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Part I: The GED® Test and You

1 How to Use this Book to Achieve a Passing (or a College-Ready) Score

2 All About the GED® Test

3 Question Formats

4 The Habits of Effective Test Takers

Part II: Reasoning Through Language Arts: Reading

Part IV: Reasoning Through Language Arts: Extended Response

10 Extended Response Overview

11 Extended Response Writing

Part V: Mathematical Reasoning

12 Mathematical Reasoning Overview

13 Basic Arithmetic

14 Applied Arithmetic

15 Algebra

16 Geometry

Part VI: Social Studies

17 Social Studies Overview

18 Social Studies, Part One

19 Social Studies, Part Two

Part VII: Science

20 Science Overview

21 Life Science

22 Physical and Earth Sciences

Part VIII: Answer Key to Drills

Part IX: Practice Tests

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GED Ready®: The Official Practice Test

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Look For These Icons Throughout The Book

ONLINE PRACTICE DRILLS

Part I

The GED® Test and You

1 How to Use this Book to Achieve a Passing (or a College-Ready) Score

2 All About the GED® Test

3 Question Formats

4 The Habits of Effective Test Takers

Chapter 1

How to Use This Book to Achieve a Passing (or a College-Ready) Score

In this chapter, you will assess your goals and learn how to most effectively use this book

to ensure you perform your best on the GED® test

You are reading this book because you want to make a better future for yourself, and thatfuture begins with obtaining the equivalent of a high school degree The doors that willopen depend on your personal and professional goals, as the many successful people whoearned a GED® test degree—including some famous people listed nearby—can tell you

We admire your motivation and congratulate you on your decision

We are also delighted that you have chosen to use this book to prepare for the GED® test

We have helped millions of people achieve their goals, and we are honored to have theprivilege of helping you Your road to a passing—or even a College-Ready—score involves

a combination of content, reading skills, writing skills, test-taking skills, practice, andself-evaluation

The chapters in this book address the content and skills you need, and it is your job tolearn the content and practice the skills Most chapters contain drills that will help youassess your mastery Answers and explanations for these drills can be found in Part VIII.Moreover, there are two full-length practice tests (along with answers and explanations)

i n Part IX While the tests are not computer-based like the actual GED® test, they are

representative of the number and types of questions you will encounter You should takethese tests under simulated testing conditions In the pages that follow, we suggest whenyou should take each test

Famous People Who Earned Their GED® Test Credential

Wally Amos, founder of Famous Amos Cookies

Augusten Burroughs, bestselling author

Ben Nighthorse Campbell, former U.S Senator

Dr Richard Carmona, former U.S Surgeon General

Michael Chang, tennis champion

Eminem, rapper, actor, and record producer

Drake, rapper, songwriter, and actor

D L Hughley, political commentator and comedian

Bishop T D Jakes, pastor, author, and filmmaker

Peter Jennings, journalist and news anchor

Honorable Greg Mathis, U.S District Court judge

Ruth Ann Minner, former Governor of Delaware

F Story Musgrave, NASA shuttle astronaut

Danica Patrick, auto racing champion

Mary Lou Retton, Olympic gold medalist

Michelle Rodriguez, actor and screenwriter

Chris Rock, comedian and actor

Hilary Swank, Academy Award–winning actor

Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s

Mark Wahlberg, actor and producer

Of course, we understand that your needs may differ from someone else’s, and we want toensure that you get exactly what you need from this book To that end, this chapter willguide you on the proper use of this book based upon your particular knowledge, needs,and goals

Please begin by answering the three questions below and reading the Road Map thatfollows

SELF-ASSESSMENT: MY FAMILIARITY WITH THE GED®

TEST

1 I am familiar with the structure of the GED® test, how it is scored, and how to

register for the test Yes No

2 I am familiar with the look and feel of the GED® test, including various

functionalities, such as the calculator and review screens Yes No

3 I am familiar with the format of the question types that appear on the GED® test

Yes No

Pace Yourself

Doing a little studying each day is much better than trying

to cram it all into one week.

Road Map

If you answered No to either of questions 1 or 2, read Chapter 2 (or the relevant parts

of Chapter 2) before you complete this chapter.

If you answered No to question 3, read Chapter 3 You may do so now or after you

complete this chapter.

Even if you answered Yes to all three questions, we encourage you to read the Other

Resources section on this page of Chapter 2 You may do so now or after you

complete this chapter

Next, proceed through the following steps

Step One: Answer each group of questions below.

Step Two: Take the first practice test (Chapter 23).

Step Three: Review and, if appropriate, change your answers to the questions

below

Step Four: Read and follow the Road Map that follows each group of questions

below

Custom Answer Sheets!

When taking the Practice Tests, feel free to use the answer sheets at the back of this book These are also available to print out via your Student Tools when you register your book online (see this page for details).

SELF-ASSESSMENT: MY TEST-TAKING ABILITIES

4 I want to learn or to improve my ability to apply relevant test-taking strategies that

an effective tester utilizes Yes No

5 I want to improve my ability to read and analyze charts, graphs, and other data-based

figures Yes No

6 I want to improve my ability to read and understand text, regardless of which one ofthe four GED® tests I am taking Yes No

Road Map

If you answered Yes to question 4, complete Chapter 4.

If you answered Yes to question 5, complete the “Understanding Graphics” tutorial,

available for download when you register your book online

If you answered Yes to question 6, complete the “Reading Comprehension” tutorial,

also available for download

SELF-ASSESSMENT: MY LEVEL OF MASTERY—

REASONING THROUGH LANGUAGE ARTS

7 I want to improve my mastery of answering reading questions relating to

informational passages Yes No

8 I want to improve my mastery of answering reading questions relating to literary

passages Yes No

9 I want to improve my mastery of answering language questions Yes No

10 I want to improve my ability to write extended response answers Yes No

Road Map

If you answered Yes to question 7, complete Chapters 5 and 6.

If you answered Yes to question 8, complete Chapters 5 and 7.

If you answered Yes to question 9, complete Chapters 8 and 9.

If you answered Yes to question 10, complete Chapters 10 and 11.

Even if you answered No to any of questions 7 through 10, we recommend that you

complete Chapters 5, 8, and 10, as well as the drills in Chapters 6, 7, 9, and 11

SELF-ASSESSMENT: MY LEVEL OF MASTERY—

Order of operations (PEMDAS)

Commutative and distributive properties

Factors and multiples

Fractions

Decimals

12 I want to refine my mastery of one or more of the following concepts of applied

arithmetic Yes No

Setup problems

Mean, median, mode, range, and weighted mean

Ratios and proportions

Rate problems

Scale and unit conversion

Charts and graphs

Exponents

Radicals

Scientific notation

Probability

Combinations and permutations

13 I want to refine my mastery of one or more of the following concepts of algebra

14 I would like to learn a test-taking strategy that may, on certain algebra problems,

make those problems easier to solve Yes No

15 I want to refine my mastery of one or more of the following concepts of geometry

Yes No

Lines and angles

Rectangles and squares

Triangles and pyramids

Circles, spheres, cylinders, and cones

If you answered Yes to question 14, complete the Backsolving section in Chapter 15.

If you answered Yes to question 15, complete Chapter 12 and all or the relevant parts

of Chapter 16

Even if you answered No to any of questions 11 through 15, we recommend that you

complete Chapter 12, as well as the drills in Chapters 13 through 16

SELF-ASSESSMENT: MY LEVEL OF MASTERY—SOCIAL STUDIES

16 I want to refine my mastery of civics and government Yes No

17 I want to refine my mastery of United States history Yes No

18 I want to refine my mastery of economics Yes No

19 I want to refine my mastery of geography Yes No

If you answered Yes to question 19, complete Chapter 17 and all or the relevant part

of Chapter 19

Even if you answered No to any of questions 16 through 19, we recommend that you

complete Chapter 17, as well as the drills in Chapters 18 through 19

SELF-ASSESSMENT: MY LEVEL OF MASTERY—SCIENCE

21 I want to refine my mastery of one or more of the following concepts of life sciences

Yes No

The scientific method

Cell theory and the origins of life

Genetics

Evolution and natural selection

Plants

Ecosystems and food chains

The human body and human health

Bacteria and viruses

22 I want to refine my mastery of one or more of the following concepts of physical and

earth sciences Yes No

Energy and heat

Physical laws, work, and motion

Waves and radiation

Solids, liquids, and gases

Chemical reactions

The changing earth

Glaciers, erosion, and the ice ages

Natural resources and sustainability

If you answered Yes to question 22, complete Chapter 20 and all or the relevant parts

of Chapter 22

Even if you answered No to either of questions 21 or 22, we recommend that you

complete Chapter 20, as well as the drills in Chapters 21 and 22

SELF-ASSESSMENT: MY SCORE GOALS

23 My goal is to achieve a Passing/College-Ready score.

Road Map

If you answered College-Ready, we recommend that you complete all chapters in this

book, without regard to the Road Maps above

After you have completed the chapters according to your Road Map, you should take thesecond practice test (Chapter 25) If the test indicates areas on which you should try tofurther improve, revisit the appropriate chapters

Also, remember that you have access to other resources as described on this page

If you follow the steps outlined above, are diligent in your work, and assess your progressthroughout your preparation, by the time you sit for the GED® test, you should find itfamiliar and manageable, and you should be able to take it with confidence!

Happy studies and best wishes for a successful future!

Chapter 2

All About the GED ® Test

This chapter will summarize the structure, scoring, and look and feel of the GED® test,and provide important information about other available resources

WHAT IS THE GED® TEST?

The GED® test is actually four tests that you can take in one day or over a series of days.Many people refer to it as a high school equivalency test because when you pass the test,you earn a credential that most colleges and employers recognize as the equivalent of ahigh school diploma

G-E-D Spells Success!

Adults who earn a GED® credential can earn the same level of weekly wages as high school graduates,

increasing their earning potential by about $115 a week.

(Source: GED Testing Service)

The questions on the test come in several formats, which we’ll describe in Chapter 3 Thequestions are supposed to measure your knowledge of some of the subjects taught in highschool However, the GED® test writers don’t expect you to remember specific details

For example, you will not be asked what year Columbus came to America or which planet

is farthest away from the sun If the test writers want to ask about Columbus, they willfirst provide you with a short reading passage about him, and then they will ask questionsbased on that passage If the test writers want to ask about the planets, they will first giveyou a diagram of the solar system and then ask you questions based on that diagram

The Four GED® Tests

1 Reasoning Through Language Arts

(150 minutes, approximately 51 questions)

Section 1 (35 minutes)Section 2: One Extended Response question (45 minutes)Break (10 minutes)

Section 3 (60 minutes)

Sections 1 and 3 will contain a mixture of grammar and reading comprehensionquestions There will be six to eight reading passages with approximately sixquestions each and two language passages with four drop-down questions in each.The questions for the reading passages will be multiple choice or drag and drop.The reading texts will be in this approximate distribution:

Informational Texts: 75%

Literature: 25%

In Section 2, you’ll be asked to write an essay analyzing two passages that presentdifferent views on the same subject You’ll be asked to develop an opinion andsupport that opinion with specific examples from the text

2 Mathematical Reasoning

(115 minutes, 46 questions)

Part 1 (first 5 questions): calculator not allowed

Part 2 (remaining 41 questions): calculator allowed

The Mathematical Reasoning test comes in two parts In the first, you will not beallowed to use a calculator In the second, you will have access to the on-screencalculator The first section will test your ability to do basic calculations In thesecond section, you will be asked to answer questions common in many workscenarios

Many of these will be word problems About one-half of the questions will bebased on diagrams or charts These questions come in several formats includingmultiple choice, fill in the blank, drag and drop, hot spot, and drop down The testwill encompass the following mathematical concepts:

Quantitative Problem Solving

(arithmetic, averages, ratios, etc.): 45%

Algebraic Problem Solving: 55%

3 Social Studies

(70 minutes, approximately 35 questions)

You will find a mixture of passages, charts, graphs, and maps The questions will

be in multiple-choice, hot-spot, drag-and-drop, and fill-in-the-blank formats Thetest will cover the following areas of social studies:

Government and Civics: 50%

U.S History: 20%

(Source: GED Testing Service)

4 Science

(90 minutes, 1 section of approximately 34 questions)

The questions will be based on a variety of information ranging from shortpassages to graphs and charts The questions will be in multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, drop-down, drag-and-drop, and hot-spot formats You can also expect to see

two short-answer questions that will not be timed separately (Note that, according

to GED Testing Service, short-answer questions are not expected to appear on thetest forms in 2018 but may be included on future Science tests.) The answers tothe questions are almost always supplied in the passages or graphic materials You

need only a general knowledge of scientific principles The questions will be about

these general areas of science:

Life Science: 40%

Physics and Chemistry: 40%

Earth and Space Science: 20%

Do You Have to Take the Test All at Once?

The GED Testing Service does not require that students take the test all in one sitting.However, each state has its own rules about this To find out what your state’s policiesare, visit www.gedtestingservice.com/testers/2014policypages

How Is the GED® Test Scored?

For each of the four tests, you will receive a score between 100 and 200 Because each testhas a different number of available points, the GED Testing Service will standardize yourraw scores (or the number of questions you answered correctly for each test) through a

scoring metric to yield a score between 100 and 200 It’s important to remember that

there is no penalty for wrong answers or questions left blank, so it is to your

advantage to record an answer to every question

GED® Test Score Levels

145–164: Pass/High School Equivalency 165–174: GED® College Ready

175–200: GED® College Ready + Credit

The minimum score needed to pass any of the four subject tests on the GED® test is 145

In order to get your completion certificate, you must achieve at least this score on eachtest A higher score on one test will not make up for a lower score on another While apassing score is sufficient to obtain your certificate, you may want to strive for a score of

at least 165 Such a score entitles you to a GED® College-Ready Score, a distinction thatindicates college and career readiness And if you achieve a score of at least 175, you’llreceive the GED® College Ready + Credit designation, which means that in addition tobeing ready to take college courses, you qualify for up to 10 hours of college credit

Once you receive a passing score on a test, you do not need to retake that test If you want

to retake the test to receive a higher score, you may do so

If you do not receive your desired score on a particular test, you can retake that test twomore times without any waiting period, subject to scheduling availability After the thirdattempt, you will have to wait 60 days to test again This schedule allows for eight testingopportunities in a year, if you need that many to pass a section

Registering for the GED® Test

The best ways to register are to call the information number for your state and/or visitthe website www.ged.com Once you have registered on the site, you will be emailed aletter with instructions on how to schedule your exam online If you’ve been taking apreparation course, your teacher may take care of registration for you, but check to makesure this is the case The tests are administered year-round, and the new online formatallows for a lot more flexibility in scheduling, but in some of the larger states, it may take

a while for you to get a test date In most states, it now costs money to take the GED®test

—the fee could be as little as $10, but in some states it can run as high as $400

For information on registering to take the GED® test and for classes in your area, call877-392-6433 (877-EXAM-GED) To reach the individual state programs directly, goonline to www.ged.com where you can type in your ZIP code to find the nearest testing

centers and programs.

Need Information?

Call 877-EXAM-GED (877-392-6433).

A COMPUTER-BASED TEST

The GED® test is taken on a computer at a testing center

In some cases, a question will appear on a single screen In other cases there will be asplit screen, with a passage, chart, or other information on one side and the question onthe other At the bottom of each screen, you may click to move to the prior screen or thenext screen At the top, the question number, total number of questions, and timeremaining for the test are shown

Experience the Interface

You may experience the user interface and practice using the computer functionality by visiting

www.gedtestingservice.com/educators/freepracticetest , where you will also find a Computer Skills Tutorial.

You are able to highlight text, change the foreground and background colors, and adjustthe font size You may also flag a question for later review

For questions that require you to write, you will have access to cut, copy, and pastefunctions, as well as undo and redo Where appropriate, an on-screen calculator isprovided, as is a mathematical formulas sheet

The Review Screen

A useful feature to help you keep track is the review screen This screen is available at anytime during the test and indicates which questions you have answered, which you haveleft blank, and which you have not read It also indicates which questions you havemarked for later review From the review screen you can quickly jump to any questionsthat have been marked or left unanswered by clicking on the question number

Here’s an example of what your review screen will look like:

It is good practice to leave a few minutes at the end of each section of each test to checkthe review screen to make sure you have answered every question or to look up questionsthat you marked for later review For any question you need to answer or revisit, you canclick on the question number to go directly to the question Remember that there is noguessing penalty, so do not leave any questions unanswered.

THE ERASABLE NOTE BOARDS

When you take the test, you will not have scratch paper Rather, you will be provided withthree erasable note boards, which are laminated pieces of thick cardboard, each the size of

a sheet of legal paper (8.5 by 14 inches)—a little bit larger than a standard piece ofnotebook paper You will be given one at the beginning of your test, along with a dry-erasemarker If the marker runs out of ink or dries up, you may ask for a new one

Using a note board rather than writing directly on a test booklet takes practice Get intothe habit of working with practice scratch paper from the start (assuming that you don’thave access to an erasable note board at home)

We recommend that you lay out a note-board strategy as outlined in the different sections

of this book You will have to transfer most of the information on the screen to a note

board to work the problems This is especially true for the Mathematical Reasoning test.Having a consistent way of transferring that information in an organized fashion will helpyou perform better on the exam.

It is important to note that only three note boards are allowed at a time While you mayuse the front and back, you may have to erase work you did earlier once you’ve coveredthe entire surface of all three A good rule of thumb is to always try to completely finish aproblem before you move on to the next, to ensure you don’t have to restart a problemfrom, well, scratch

YOUR TEST RESULTS

One of the great features of a computer-based test is that you will receive your scores veryquickly In most cases you will receive your score within three hours of completion ofeach of the four tests

There are a few exceptions to this: Your test center may be late in uploading your testdata, or your test may be flagged by the computer for manual scoring If your test isflagged for manual scoring, it doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with your exam, orthat you did anything wrong It simply means that the computer randomly chose yourexam to assure accuracy in scoring If your test is flagged for manual scoring, your scoreshould be available to you in three business days

In either case, your scores will be available on MyGED™ at www.ged.com

More Great Books

Thinking about college? Check out our guide books: The

Best 382 Colleges, Paying for College Without Going Broke, and Colleges That Create Futures.

KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GED® TEST AND OUR PRACTICE TESTS

While the practice tests in this book are closely modeled on the types of questions you’llsee on the GED® test, there are some key differences you should know about

Our Practice Tests Are Paper-Based

We’ve slightly adapted the GED® test’s computer-based question formats to allow you toanswer them without needing a mouse and keyboard See the general directions at thebeginning of Part IX for more information

to pass if you get a certain number of questions right

GET GED READY®

Fortunately, we can point you to the best available indicator of how well you’ll do: GED®

Ready: The Official Practice Test

GED Ready® was written by the test creators and gives you the full computer-basedexperience, as well as an Enhanced Score Report Although GED Ready® is only half thelength of the actual GED® test and doesn’t require the same level of endurance, it willgive you accurate feedback on your mastery of the content and required skills You’ll beable to access your score report within about an hour of completing the test

Because you bought this book, you are entitled to a 20% discount off the price of GED

www.gedmarketplace.com/theprincetonreview

OTHER RESOURCES

If you are looking for additional support, here are several resources

PrincetonReview.com— I f you register this book at PrincetonReview.com, you willhave free access, via your Student Tools, to 350 more questions via eight computer-basedmultiple-choice drills, organized by subject For each drill, you will receive an instant,detailed score report

If you’re thinking about college, check out our exclusive interview with an admissions

counselor, who offers valuable insights on the GED® test credential and college success.

In addition, the college section of PrincetonReview.com contains detailed profiles of

colleges, ranking lists, and a free dynamic search engine to help you identify your best fit

college We also publish several books on colleges that you may find useful

Exclusive Interview

Register your book online to gain access to these exclusive insider tips on the GED® test and college success! See this page for details.

More Great Books—For more practice, check out our other titles 5 Practice Exams for

the GED ® Test gives you five full-length tests, and Math Workout for the GED ® Test is

chock-full of drills for every type of math question

GEDTestingService.com—The official website for the GED® test contains a wealth offree useful information, such as test specifications, sample problems, FAQs, a tutorial onhow to use the computer interface, and a short free practice test

Chapter 3

Question Formats

In this chapter, we’ll introduce you to the different question formats that you’ll encounter

on the GED® test

Because you’ll be taking this test on a computer, you will encounter several types ofquestions that may be unfamiliar to you In addition to traditional multiple-choicequestions, there are enhanced question formats that will require you to use the mouse toperform actions other than clicking the correct bubble.

In the following chapters, we’ll give you clear guidance on how to approach thesequestion formats as they apply to each of the four subjects In this chapter, we’llfamiliarize you with the look and feel of each type of question and show you how toanswer it

Online Practice Drills

Register your book to gain free access to 350 choice questions in all 4 GED® test subjects, via your Student Tools See this page for details.

multiple-Multiple Choice

You can expect to see this question format on each of the four tests Multiple-choicequestions typically present you with a scenario and ask a question about it There is onepossible answer out of the four choices provided In order to indicate your answer, useyour mouse to click the bubble that corresponds to your answer

Here is an example

Drag and Drop

Drag-and-drop questions ask you to choose from several options and drag each option tothe correct location in the question Not only must you choose the correct options, youmust also make sure to place them in the order requested This question format appears

in each of the four tests

Your computer screen will look similar to the following set of images Note that in order

to see the complete question, you will need to click on the tab marked “this page.”

Hot Spot

Hot-spot questions appear in the Social Studies, Science, and Mathematical Reasoningtests These questions give you a set of information and pose a question In order toindicate your answer, use your mouse to click on one or several points in a chart or graphthat represent possible answers

While this type of question may seem unusual at first, it’s really just a variation onmultiple choice When you have determined the answer, simply mouse over the area forthe right answer and click If you would like to erase a mark, click on it a second time.Make sure to read the question carefully to be sure you know the number of solutions thetest is asking for If it asks for two values and you click on only one, it could hurt yourscore

Here is an example

Fill in the Blank

Fill-in-the-blank questions are among the more difficult type of questions, and theyappear in each of the four tests These questions give you a set of information and ask aquestion There are no answers provided, and you have to type in your own answer usingyour keyboard

Because there are no answers to choose from, these questions are nearly impossible toguess on Test takers must take care to enter their answer using the correct units androunded to the correct place When faced with this type of question, always reread thequestion to be sure you are correctly following the directions in drafting your answer

Here is an example

Drop Down

A drop-down question is most similar to a traditional multiple-choice question It canappear on any of the four tests and is often used to place an answer in the context of asentence Use your mouse to click the arrow to the right of the box, and several answersappear in an expanded menu To select an answer, click on your choice

Because of their similarity to multiple-choice questions, drop-down questions should feelsomewhat familiar However, it is important to remember to open the box and see the

options before you try the question Doing so can greatly reduce the amount of time you

spend on the question, as it reduces the number of options to consider

Here is an example

Short Answer and Extended Response

In addition to the types of questions listed above, both the Social Studies and Sciencetests contain one or more short-answer questions These visually resemble and havesimilar functionality to the Extended Response question in the Reasoning ThroughLanguage Arts test The key difference is that an Extended Response question prompt islikely to be longer; you will need to toggle between the page tabs to read it in its entirety.Both short-answer and Extended Response questions require you to type your response

in the window provided

Here is an example of a short-answer question

We will show you an example of an Extended Response question, along with moreinformation about it, in Chapter 10.

Please note that while the test does offer some basic word-processing functions (such ascut and paste), the test does not contain many of the options test takers are used to in aword-processing program Also, the test does not indicate when you have made a possiblespelling or grammar mistake, and it does not have an autocorrect feature to fix commontypos Because many test takers are used to using more advanced word-processingprograms (such as Microsoft Word), it is important to save some time to proofread yourwork for typos as well as spelling or grammar mistakes

As mentioned earlier, please take some time to get comfortable with these questionformats Check out the GED Testing Service’s free practice test and computer skillstutorial at www.gedtestingservice.com/educators/freepracticetest for some hands-onpractice

Next, we’ll discuss how to use the format of the GED® test to your advantage