March 8, 2010
If you are just tuning in to http://www.coolrocketschool.org/ , I believe I can help with some powerful strategies to help you to get points for your answers on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). If you are taking this test March 13 (and some of you will succeed in getting in as a standby if you need to take it now), please
look over the archive here at http://www.coolrocketschool.org/. . I am a private tutor with several certifications, and I am using these SAT questions to prepare students to gather in more points on the Scholastic Aptitude tests. When it is down to the wire, I can help. I'm speaking to you personally. I teach one-on-one.
Over 200,000 tried this question, and I am stunned to see that over 35% missed it! It’s another easy one besides being fast. So, today, I have the question and the choices here on this site with a new mnemonic below—still emphasizing: Answer the question asked. Keep adding to your vocabulary. This week, just look at graphs and terminology in the glossaries of all your textbooks. Look at a page every day, and come here for advice. Mainly, though, if you are taking the test this week; you have done enough extensive test taking for practice. Whatever you have done is enough. Do the checklists on the college board site to make sure you get to the test site with your ticket and other items...on time and rested.
Why did so many miss the short one for March 8??? Use it as a pattern, and get these points on the test.
My theory is that some of you just went back and looked at the last part of this sentence with the blank. In that case, every one of the incorrect answers will fit nicely. If the correct theory of all the errors is due to difficulty with vocabulary (indecipherable, legible or boast???), when will you realize that knowing more words is going to help you in every area? These questions increase your vocabulary.
Additionally, this question can be answered even without knowing the word ‘indecipherable.’ Few people brag that their speech is garbled and messed up, BUT some people seem to show off ______(garbled?) handwriting.
Check and Eliminate all answers when the answers are one word.
There is just ONE WORD next to each letter, and you are looking for a word that means ‘messed up.’ Does garbled or messed up bring to mind: elegant, stylized, unusual, or legible? No. What about that word with negative stuff? The prefix means ‘not’ and decipherable has neat ‘code’ meanings.
March 8
Very few adults boast that no one can understand a word they say, but quite a few seem proud of _______ handwriting.
A) Elegant
B) Stylized
C) Indecipherable
D) unusual
E) legible
CHECK
Capture the correct question. The correct question is: Which word will indicate handwriting that nobody can understand? The sentence says almost nobody likes to speak without being misunderstood, BUT (ironically) people will not apologize for bad handwriting. Some people seem proud of _______(C. indecipherable) handwriting.
Eliminate the other answers. All the other answers indicate the writing is nice or interesting. No, these people may not want to have garbled speech; BUT quite a few seem almost PROUD of garbled handwriting.
Please look up indecipherable. It’s a nice combination of the prefix ‘in’ meaning ‘not’ and combinations of roots and affixes related to decoding.
Strategy: This is fast. Check it. See below for another mnemonic. Only 65% of over 200,000 respondents got this one. CHECK! Capture, Hit, Eliminate, Check, Kiss 1,2,3,4,5
Some educators, parents, and students are thinking you don’t know these words well enough if you miss these. That may be true. You need to add vocabulary and special terms constantly, so you can relax on all of the standardized tests. But I am guessing that many students missed this one because of the same problem I talk about constantly: You are using part of the right strategies and asking questions of yourself while you read. Thisconstant asking questions of yourself is necessary to get correct answers.
Notice, however, that to do this, you are constantly predicting, noticing what you know, noticing what you need to know. You keep asking and answering questions as you read. You KNOW many correct answers by the time you finish reading a portion of the test: To do well on standardized tests, you must be SURE you answer the question asked. Some of the multiple choice answers will be answers to OTHER questions.
USE THIS ONE AS AN EXAMPLE, A PATTERN:
For this one, many of you read the last part of the sentence and put in a word that fits.
If you read the last part of this sentence, every one of the other choices is a likely choice—a likely choice for only the last part of the sentence. Yes, quite a few adults do seem proud of elegant handwriting, stylized handwriting, unusual handwriting, AND legible handwriting. But (and I want you to notice the 'BUT') you need to be reading the ENTIRE sentence. Then, only ONE answer fits. The only negative connotation goes with the word meaning 'cannot be decoded'--indecipherable.
Your strategy is to read the ENTIRE sentence (noting that few adults would boast that nobody can understand their speech, BUT ‘quite a few’ even seem proud of (look for a word meaning ‘slurred’ handwriting).
Capture the question asked.
Hit a home run with this one you know.
Eliminate the other possibilities.
Check it BECAUSE you know it.
Kiss it goodbye when it has on mittens and galoshes and is sliding into home safe, not before.
Other side of the coin: When a question is slooooow, and you see many things you can do…maybe…and you are getting lost in the possibilities, then: ACT
Act to sketch out what you know and what you need to know about the question.
Capture the question asked from all the writer of the question COULD ask.
Teach yourself to apply all you know to make connections and to predict the correct answer.
ACT! And Move On when nothing is going on in your brain that feels like: Wow! I know this.
Do read the directions and the question. Do not be put off by unusual graphs, illustrations, or words. Most of them are not necessary to figure out the answer. Just read and note what you know and what you need to know. Figure out the exact question and write it down.
Put a dot in the center of a possibility on the answer sheet and MOVE ON.
Leave enough time every two or three answers to fill in dots on the answer sheet. Judiethcarol&Rocketcatmarch 2010
