Words in Context, Fill-in-the-Blanks, and More Reading Questions for CBEST Exam Study Guide

Answer

The overall content of the passage is about the recent and, up until now, largely ignored research in the field of EI. For a more detailed clue, the answer can be deciphered by reading the sentence that follows the one with the word nascent in it. It reads: "This is quite unlike IQ, which has almost one hundred years of research to support it." Then, if EI is unlike, or opposite, IQ in the sense that the latter has "almost one hundred years of research to support it," it can be inferred that EI does not have as many years of research to support it. Therefore, it must be a new or emerging concept.

Two Success Steps for Order Questions

1. Skim the passage for key words found in the question.
2. Read the section mentioned and then read the sentences immediately after or before the section depending on the question. If the question asks what happened last, look toward the end of the passage and look for key words such as finally or in conclusion.

Opinion versus Fact

A statement is considered a fact if every person shares the experience that the statement is true, or if it is scientifically proven by repeated experimentation and research. An opinion is any statement that may be disputed by others. "Earth revolves around the sun" is a fact. Everyone knows this has been proven by scientific research. "What a beautiful, sunny day it is" is an opinion. Someone might not want to be in the sun or feel that it is too hot to be considered a beautiful day. Two people cannot disagree that Earth revolves around the sun, but they might disagree on what constitutes a beautiful day. Beautiful is a judgment or opinion.

Opinion-versus-fact questions have stems like these:

• Which of the following is a statement of fact?
• Which of the numbered sentences constitutes an opinion, not a fact?

How to Find Opinion-vs.-Fact Answers

You don't have to read the passage to find the answer if the statements and opinions are listed in the answers. If you are referred to numbered sentences, look there.

This question is based on the passage about intelligence on pages 86–87.

2. Which of the following statements is NOT a fact?
   1. People with high IQs are not necessarily more successful in life than people who have lower test scores.
   2. The most common method used to measure intelligence is the IQ Test.
   3. The IQ Test has been around for almost 100 years.
   4. There are several kinds of intelligence that cannot be measured by taking an IQ Test.
   5. Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to understand your emotions and those of people around you.

Answer

Choice d is the answer. All of the other answer choices are supported by research or statistical data, or are simply undisputable common knowledge. Choice d, however, is not a fact. The passage clearly states that many scientists believe that there are several kinds of intelligence, but this has not been proven as a fact according to the information in the passage. Therefore, it must be considered an opinion.

Seven Success Steps for Fill-in-the-Blank Questions

1. Read the entire sentence, or pair of sentences, that contains the blanks.
2. The sentences should give you all the clues you need. Each sentence is likely to be made up of two statements that are compatible or contradictory. If they are compatible, words like also or because should be used. If they are contradictory, you will need words such as while, even if, or although.
3. Decide whether the first or last blank has the most clues and work with that one first.
4. If one sentence gives you all the clues you need, look at the answer choices to see which one contains a word in the right location that will fit. For example, if the first sentence contains two statements that contradict each other, cover the second set of words in each choice and look only at the first words. Eliminate any choices such as because or since that do not suggest there will be a contradiction or turn in the sentence. Eliminate the whole answer. Do not even consider the second part of the answer.
5. Next, turn to the other blank. If it is a structure blank, the word might indicate its placement in the sentence. For example, finally or as a result would probably be answers for an end of a passage, not a beginning. However cannot begin a passage.
6. Note the type of passage. A story might use the word meanwhile, directions would use next or finally, and consequently or as a result might be used in a persuasive or scientific passage.
7. Substitute the remaining words in the remaining blank and choose the one that fits the best.

Order

Order questions are easy to spot; they ask you what comes before or after some other incident or event.

Question stems look like these:

• In the paragraph, what event immediately follows…?
• What incident precedes…?
• In what order should you…?
• According to the passage, what should you do after…?

How to Find Order Answers

Usually, a part of the passage is mentioned in order questions. The question will let you know whether to look after or before the section you found. The question could also point you directly to a specific part of the passage such as the beginning or the end.

Sample Passage and Question

So, how can people who do not intrinsically have high EIs help themselves deal with frustration and setbacks? One of the increasingly popular ways is through cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Proponents of CBT believe that it is not the ups and downs of life that cause you anxiety, but rather, how you interpret them. Here's how it works: First, there is a precipitating event. Next—usually immediately— you interpret the event by thinking about it. After you analyze the situation with your thoughts, or cognitions, you develop your feelings about it. In other words, you cannot derive an emotion, positive or negative, without first having a thought. Therefore, increasing EI involves helping people recognize their thought patterns and modifying them when necessary.

Four Success Steps for Additional Information Questions

1. If there is a blank to fill, read the passage up to the blank line and then the sentence following it. Notice the relationship between the sentence before and after it. If there is no blank, skim the passage for a main idea or hypothesis.
2. Choose the sentence to fit in the blank that best continues the flow of the paragraph. If the sentence after the blank shows there was a turn in thought, choose the answer that turns the thought.
3. If there is no blank, choose the answer that might complete the thought of the author.
4. If the question calls for the least likely statement, use a sentence that breaks the flow or contradicts the author. The same is true for a question that calls for a statement that would weaken the stand of the author.

3. According to the passage, proponents of CBT believe that which of the following events occurs last?
   1. frustration
   2. a precipitating event
   3. cognitions
   4. developing your feelings
   5. interpreting an event

Answer

The answer is choice d. The order in which events occur before feelings are derived is detailed in the fifth paragraph. Choices d, c, and e are all steps in the process, but none is the last step. Note, also, that choices c and e are essentially the same step. Choice a is incorrect because the passage states that feelings come last, not specifically the feeling of frustration.

Fill in the Blanks

Fill-in-the-blank questions come in two types. One type asks you to fill in a couple of words. The other type asks you to fill in a whole sentence. Turn to Additional Information (page 91) for the kind that deals with a whole sentence. Questions that ask you for a few words have stems like these:

• Which words, if inserted in order, would best complete the second paragraph?
• Which of the following phrases would best fit in the blank?

How to Find Fill-in-the-Blank Answers

There are two kinds of word blanks. One can be filled by reading the sentence. The other requires an understanding of the structure of the passage.

Sample Passage and Question

Typically, people think of genius, whether it manifests in Mozart's composing symphonies at age five or Einstein's discovery of relativity, as having a quality not just of the supernatural, but also of the eccentric. People see genius as a "good" abnormality; moreover, they think of genius as a completely unpredictable abnormality. Until recently, psychologists regarded the quirks of genius as too erratic to describe intelligibly; however, Anna Findley's groundbreaking study uncovers predictable patterns in the biographies of geniuses. These patterns do not dispel the common belief, however, that there is a kind of supernatural intervention in the lives of unusually talented men and women, even though they occur with regularity.—, Findley shows that all geniuses experience three intensely productive periods in their lives, one of which always occurs shortly before their deaths; this is true whether the genius lives to 19 or 90.

4. Which word or phrase, if inserted into the blank space, best defines the relationship of the last sentence in the passage to the one preceding it?
   1. For example
   2. Despite this
   3. However
   4. In other words

Answer

The correct answer is a. The final sentence is an instance of a regular pattern that still has an uncanny quality. Choices b and c would introduce a sentence with an idea contradicting the preceding. Choice d would indicate that the final sentence is a restatement of the preceding, which it is not.

Additional Information

Some questions may ask you to identify additional information that would fit in the passage, either in the form of a blank sentence that has been left in the passage or in the form of a question about what information would help or hurt the author's argument. The questions look like this:

• Which sentence, if inserted in the blank, would best complete the meaning of the paragraph?
• Which statement, if true, would most strengthen the author's argument?
• Which of the following facts would most weaken the author's argument?

How to Find Additional Information

Answers

To find the answer to these questions, you need to skim the paragraph or passage for a main idea, purpose, or hypothesis.

Sample Question

Go back to the passage on page 89 to answer this question.

5. Which of the following statements, if true, would be LEAST likely to strengthen the paragraph about CBT for emotion regulation?
   1. It is important to recognize that thoughts or cognitions are not facts, but rather interpretations that may or may not be true.
   2. Being mindful about initial cognitive reactions to events is crucial to modifying your emotions.
   3. Another effective way to regulate emotions is through dialectical behavior therapy.
   4. Here's an example: Your boss calls you into his office (the precipitating event). You assume you're being let go, reprimanded, or something equally unpleasant (thoughts). Suddenly, you're nervous and fearful (feeling).
   5. As you can see, your thoughts have a significant impact on your emotions.

Answer

The answer is choice c. This sentence does not strengthen the case about the effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy in emotion regulation. On the contrary, this would only distract from the main point of this paragraph, as well as interrupt the flow. Choices a and b add additional information about how CBT works; choice e is a concluding statement. Choice d would be a relevant example to the "steps" involved in how feelings are generated.

Three Success Steps for Working with Graphs

1. Read the graph carefully. Read all around the graph, including the title and the key.
2. Some questions may try to trick you by leaving out numbers. If all the numbers are not given, it is a very good idea to fill in all the missing numbers on the graph. To do this, you will need to know the value of each increment.
3. Sometimes, instead of reading bars or lines, you can compare differences by using a piece of paper to measure from one point to another or from the end of one bar to the end of another.