Acing_the_GED_Exams.pdf

ACING THE

GED EXAMS

ACING THE

GED EXAMS

NEW YORK

®

Copyright © 2005 LearningExpress, LLC.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.

Published in the United States by LearningExpress, LLC, New York.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Acing the GED exams.

p. cm.

ISBN 1-57685-488-4

1. General educational development tests—Study guides. 2. High school equivalency

examinations—Study guides.

LB3060.33.G45A35 2005

373.126'2—dc22

2005044228

Printed in the United States of America

987654321

ISBN 1-57685-488-4

For more information or to place an order, contact LearningExpress at:

55 Broadway

8th Floor

New York, NY 10006

Or visit us at:

www.learnatest.com

Elizabeth Chesla is the author of many reading and writing guides for students, including TOEFL Exam Success.

She is from South Orange, NJ.

Jelena Matic is a chemist and contributing science writer for ACT Exam Success. She is from Queens, NY.

Maxwell Antor is a high school math teacher and math writer for SAT Exam Success. He is from Oakland, CA.

Margaret Muirhead was social studies contributor for this book and is a history and career writer from

Arlington, MA.

About the Contributors

v

PART I Preparing for the GED 1

Chapter 1 All about the GED 3

Chapter 2 Study Skills 11

Chapter 3 Learning Strategies 17

Chapter 4 Test-Taking Strategies 23

PART II The GED Language Arts, Writing Exam 29

Chapter 5 About the GED Language Arts, Writing Exam 35

Chapter 6 Sentence Structure 41

Chapter 7 Usage 49

Chapter 8 Mechanics 61

Chapter 9 Organization 69

Chapter 10 Writing an Effective Essay 75

Chapter 11 Tips and Strategies for the GED Language Arts, Writing Exam 87

Chapter 12 GED Language Arts, Writing Practice Questions 91

PART III The GED Social Studies Exam 123

Chapter 13 About the GED Social Studies Exam 129

Chapter 14 World History 133

Chapter 15 Civics and Government 143

Chapter 16 Economics 147

Chapter 17 Geography 151

Chapter 18 Tips and Strategies for the GED Social Studies Exam 155

Chapter 19 GED Social Studies Practice Questions 171

Contents

vii

–CONTENTS–

viii

PART IV The GED Science Exam 203

Chapter 20 About the GED Science Exam 209

Chapter 21 Unifying Concepts and Processes 213

Chapter 22 Science as Inquiry 217

Chapter 23 Physical Science 223

Chapter 24 Life Science 233

Chapter 25 Earth and Space Science 239

Chapter 26 Science and Technology 245

Chapter 27 Personal and Social Perspectives in Science 249

Chapter 28 History and Nature of Science 257

Chapter 29 Tips and Strategies for the GED Science Exam 261

Chapter 30 GED Science Practice Questions 265

PART V The GED Language Arts, Reading Exam 297

Chapter 31 About the GED Language Arts, Reading Exam 303

Chapter 32 Reading Comprehension Strategies 307

Chapter 33 Reading Literature 317

Chapter 34 Fiction 321

Chapter 35 Poetry 327

Chapter 36 Drama 331

Chapter 37 Nonfiction 337

Chapter 38 Tips and Strategies for the GED Language Arts, Reading Exam 341

Chapter 39 GED Literature and the Arts, Reading Practice Questions 347

PART VI The GED Mathematics Exam 379

Chapter 40 About the GED Mathematics Exam 385

Chapter 41 Measurement and Geometry 389

Chapter 42 Number Operations and Number Sense 405

Chapter 43 Algebra, Functions, and Patterns 411

Chapter 44 Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability 417

Chapter 45 GED Mathematics Practice Questions 423

APPENDIX A Online Resources 459

APPENDIX B Print Resources 461

ACING THE

GED EXAMS

1

PART

I Preparing for

the GED

Congratulations on your decision to take the GED, tests that can make

a dramatic difference in your life. Of course, you want to be prepared for

these important tests—that’s why you bought this book. There’s a lot more

to good preparation than just taking a practice exam or two. That’s why this book gives you

the opportunity to review the knowledge and build the skills you will need for the exams.

But first things first. Before you being studying the different subjects tested on the GED,

you need to learn as much as you can about the tests. That way, you will know exactly how

to prepare. Chapter 1 will tell you all about the GED, including the structure of the exams,

eligibility requirements, testing information, scoring, and fees.

Your time is valuable, and you will want to make the most of your study time. That’s

why the rest of this section is devoted to study strategies and test-taking skills. Chapter 2

reviews basic, effective study techniques. Chapter 3 shows you how to better learn and

remember material. Chapter 4 provides tips and strategies for tackling standardized tests

like the GED. Read the chapters in this section carefully so you can create an effective study

plan and study wisely.

Edward dropped out of high school at 16 when his mother became ill and could no longer work or take care of

Edward and his younger brother. He began working full time and never finished high school.

Rajesh came to America with the equivalent of a tenth-grade education from his native country. He dreamed

of becoming a computer programmer but had to work full time. He often worked extra shifts to help make ends

meet.

Marie was a certified nurse in her native Caribbean country. But when she immigrated, she found out her nurs￾ing certification was not valid in the United States. She could not apply to a U.S. nursing program without a

high school diploma.

Today, after taking the GED and earning their high school diplomas, Edward, Rajesh, and Marie—

like thousands of others who take the GED each year—are able to pursue the education and careers of

their dreams. For more than half a century, the GED diploma has given millions of people the opportu￾nity to find better employment, enroll in colleges and training programs, improve their standard of living, and feel

better about themselves and their futures.

3

CHAPTER

1 All about

the GED

PLANNING TO take the GED? Here’s what you need to know to

get started. This chapter covers the basic information about these

important exams. You will learn how the tests are structured, how to

register, and how the tests are scored.

What the Tests Are About

The General Educational Development (GED) exami￾nation is a series of tests covering the broad range of

knowledge and skills students are expected to master in

high school. They are tests for people who wish to earn

a high school diploma but who have been unable to

graduate in the traditional manner. Passing the GED cer￾tifies that you have a high school level education and

entitles you to a GED diploma, the equivalent of a high

school diploma. For hundreds of thousands of people

each year, the GED is an important stepping stone to a

better job and continued education.

Did You Know?

The GED was originally developed for veterans

returning from World War II to help them

complete their educations and earn their high

school credentials. The first test was adminis￾tered more than 60 years ago, in 1942. Since

then, an estimated 15.2 million people have

taken the GED.

The GED is jointly administered by the General Edu￾cation Development Testing Service, a program of the

American Council on Education (ACE) Center for Adult

Learning and Education Credentials, and the education

department of each participating state or province. The

GED exams are actually a battery of five tests that meas￾ure knowledge in five content and skills areas: writing,

reading comprehension (understanding literature), social

studies, mathematics, and science.

GED Components

The GED examinations are actually a battery of

five separate tests:

➧ Language Arts, Writing (Parts I and II)

➧ Social Studies

➧ Science

➧ Language Arts, Reading

➧ Mathematics (Parts I and II)

The complete battery of GED exams takes a total of

seven hours and five minutes. The level of difficulty is set

so that only two-thirds of traditional high school seniors

will pass. On average, at least two-thirds of adults who

take all five exams earn their diploma, and many states

report even higher pass rates. In Utah, for example,

nearly three-quarters (74%) of GED test takers passed

the exam last year. And Iowa boasts a remarkable 95%

pass rate for 2001.

In many testing centers, you can take the GED one test

at a time until you complete all five exams. In others,

you must take the entire battery of tests in one or two

sessions.

The questions on the GED are all multiple choice with

two important exceptions. Part II of the Language Arts,

Writing Test requires you to write an essay, and about

25% of math questions are “alternate format” questions

that may include short written responses. You will learn

details about each exam, including the specific material

covered and the kind of questions to expect, throughout

the rest of this book.

GED Fact Box

According to the American Council on Educa￾tion, which oversees the GED Testing Service:

➧ Over 860,000 adults around the world take

the GED tests each year.

➧ Test takers who pass the GED outperform

40% of high school seniors on the exam.

➧ Approximately 14% of the high school

diplomas distributed each year in the

United States are issued to adults who

pass the GED.

➧ Over 95% of U.S. colleges accept students

with GED credentials, and over 95% of

U.S. employers offer GED graduates the

same hiring, compensation, and promotion

opportunities as employees with a tradi￾tional high school diploma.

➧ Approximately 1 in 20 first-year college

students are GED graduates.

–ALL ABOUT THE GED–

4

Who Takes the GED—and Why

The 860,000 people who take the GED each year are a

very diverse group who come from a rich variety of back￾grounds. As different as their situations and experiences

may be, their main reasons for taking the GED are the

same. Passing the GED:

■ enables them to apply to colleges and universities

■ allows them to apply for jobs or promotions that

require a high school diploma

■ demonstrates to others the importance of

education

■ is a significant accomplishment that improves

self-esteem

GED candidates range in age from 16 to over 60. The

ACE’s publication Who Took the GED? reports that

slightly over half the GED candidates in 2001 were

between the ages of 20 and 39, with an average age of

25.2 years. Two-thirds of the test takers reported com￾pleting tenth grade; one-third had completed their jun￾ior or senior years. Nearly two-thirds of the test takers

reported plans to pursue higher education after earning

their GED diploma.

More GEDs Than Ever

2001 was a record year for the GED—over one

million people took all or part of the exams. The

record number was partly due to the new GED

2002 test series. Test takers had to complete

the old GED by December 31, 2001, or else

begin all over with the new exam. Of the

979,829 adults who took all five exams,

669,403 (68%) earned their high school equiv￾alency diplomas.

GED Eligibility Requirements

GED candidates must first meet certain eligibility

requirements set by the ACE and participating states and

territories. You are eligible to take the GED if you meet

the following conditions:

1. You are not enrolled in high school AND

2. You have not graduated from high school AND

3. You are at least 16 years of age AND

4. You meet the requirements of your state,

province, or territory regarding age, residency, and

the length of time since leaving school. Arkansas,

for example, requires that you be a “legal resident”

of the state, which means that you must spend

most of your time in Arkansas, pay property taxes,

and possess a valid Arkansas driver’s license or

state-issued identification card. Kentucky’s eligi￾bility requirements vary depending upon the can￾didate’s age. Be sure to check with your state

department of education or your local testing cen￾ter for specific eligibility requirements.

Testing Centers and Registration

There are approximately 3,400 GED testing centers

around the world. These centers are typically operated by

local school boards, community colleges, and/or centers

for adult education. Test takers outside the United States,

Canada, or their territories may be able to take the GED

at a Thomson Prometric facility.

Because test centers are run locally, registration pro￾cedures, fees, and testing times vary. You need to contact

the center where you would like to take the tests to find

specific registration, fee, and test time information.

If you live inside the United States, Canada, or their

territories, you can find the testing center nearest you by:

1. Calling 1-800-62-MY-GED OR

2. Checking in the blue pages of your local tele￾phone book (look for “GED Testing” under the

state department of education listing) OR

3. Going to www.acenet.edu/clll/ged/area-contacts￾TT.cfm. From there, select your specific area to

find out how to contact your local testing center.

International Testing

If you live outside the United States, Canada, or their

territories, you can still take the GED through one of

Thomson Prometric’s testing centers. Thomson Promet￾ric, in partnership with the ACE, offers a computer-based

GED and a high school diploma through the state of

–ALL ABOUT THE GED–

5