Test Tips and Strategies: GED Test Prep (page 4)

The GED Language Arts, Reading Exam in a Nutshell

This GED Language Arts, Reading Exam consists of 40 multiple-choice questions about texts from three different time periods: pre-1920, 1920–1960, and 1960–present. Each exam will include a poem, an excerpt from a play, a commentary on the arts, a business-related document such as a memo or report, and at least one excerpt from a work of fiction. Each passage (except the poem) will be approximately 300–400 words long.

Questions will test your basic comprehension (20%) of the texts, your ability to analyze the texts (30–35%), your ability to "synthesize" (draw inferences from) ideas from the texts (30–35%), and your ability to apply information or ideas from the texts to different contexts (15%). You may be asked about the main idea or theme of a text, about a character's feelings or motivations, or the significance of a symbol. You may be asked to identify a specific fact or detail or to predict the effect of an action described or implied in the text. You might be asked about the effect of a rhetorical technique or to identify the tone of a passage.

Getting Ready for the Exam

The GED Language Arts, Reading Exam covers a lot of material. It tests your comprehension not just of functional texts but also of the many genres and time periods of literature. Between now and test time, one of the best things you can do is to read as much as possible, especially the genres with which you are least familiar. The more comfortable you are with literature, the easier it will be to understand what you read, and the more comfortable you will be at test time.

As you read various texts, remember that you don't necessarily have to like what you read. Hopefully, you will find the experience enjoyable and rewarding. But if you don't like every poem you read, that's okay. Different writers have different styles, and sometimes the writer's style and subject matter may simply not appeal to you. What matters is that you are able to appreciate the text and understand what the author is trying to say. Whether you like the writer's style or not, whether the subject matter thrills you or bores you, keep reading and developing your reading comprehension skills. You may find some authors and texts that have a profound impact on you. You might also develop a love for a genre that will last throughout your life.

Finding the Main Idea

Remember that the main idea is the thought that controls the text. What is the author trying to say? What point does he or she want to get across? The main idea may be explicitly stated in a topic sentence (for a paragraph) or a thesis statement (for a complete text). It can also be implied. In literature, the main idea is called the theme. The theme is the "sum" of all of the elements of literature, including plot, character, symbolism, tone, language, and style.

Here are some specific tips for finding the main idea:

1. Remember that themes and main ideas are general and should cast a "net" over the whole passage or text.
2. Consider the author's purpose. What do you think the writer is trying to accomplish with this text? Why do you think he or she wrote it?
3. Try to fill in the blanks:
   • This story (poem, play, essay, etc.) is about ______ (insert topic).
   • The writer seems to be saying ______ (general thematic statement) about this topic.

If you can support your statement with specific evidence from the text, and if that statement is general enough to encompass the whole passage, you have probably successfully identified the main idea or one of the themes of the text. (Literary texts, especially long ones such as novels, can have more than one theme.)

4. Try giving the text a new title that conveys the main idea or theme. What would you call the passage?

Finding Specific Facts and Details

Specific facts and details are often used to support the main idea of a text. Here are some tips for questions about specific facts and details:

1. Remember the difference between main ideas and their support. Note the specific examples, facts, and details the writer uses to develop his or her ideas.
2. Look for key words in the question to tell you exactly what information to look for in the passage.
3. Think about the structure of the passage and where that information is likely to be located.

Distinguishing between Fact and Opinion

An important reading comprehension skill is also a critical thinking skill: the ability to distinguish between fact and opinion. It is often important to know whether a writer is stating a fact or expressing an opinion. Here are two quick tips for distinguishing between the two:

1. When you are unsure whether something is a fact or opinion, ask yourself, Is this statement debatable? Can others take a different position?
2. Look for signal words and other clues that the author is expressing a fact or an opinion. Signal words include phrases such as I believe and words such as should and ought.
3. Remember that good writers will usually provide facts to support their opinions.

Making Inferences

The ability to draw logical conclusions from a text is essential to reading comprehension and to doing well on the GED Language Arts, Reading Exam. Remember that your conclusions must be based on evidence from the text. If a writer wants you to infer something, he or she will give you clues so you can make that inference. If you have a hunch about what the writer is trying to say, search for evidence in the text to support your ideas.

Here are some more specific tips for making effective inferences:

1. Pay careful attention to word choice, details, actions, and structure. If the writer wants you to infer something, he or she will leave you clues to guide you to the right conclusion.
2. Test your inference. Double back to find specific evidence that will support your conclusion.

Inferring Cause and Effect

1. Look for basic clues like transitions that signal cause and effect: since, because, therefore, as a result, etc.
2. Make sure you can establish a direct link between cause and effect. Remember that many effects have more than one cause and that there is often a chain of causes that lead to a specific event.
3. Again, make sure you have evidence to support your inferences about cause and effect.

Reading Fiction

When you read a work of fiction, remember the eight elements of fiction that work together to create meaning:

1. plot
2. character
3. setting
4. point of view
5. tone
6. language and style
7. symbolism
8. theme

Here are some specific tips for handling questions about fiction on the GED Language Arts, Reading Exam:

1. Pay attention to details, especially details about characters and setting.
2. Use your mind's eye to visualize people, places, and actions.
3. Think about motivations. Why do the characters say what they say, feel what they feel, do what they do? Many of the questions will be about the reasons for characters' thoughts and actions.
4. Remember that stories aim to help us better understand our world and ourselves. Think about what message the story might be sending that would meet this goal.

Reading Essays

You can expect nonfiction texts, like essays, to be more straightforward than stories and poems. But the main idea may not always be stated in a topic sentence or thesis statement.

Here are some tips for handling essays:

1. Determine the author's purpose. Is the author describing a person? Making an argument? Telling a story? Exploring an idea?
2. Use questions to determine the main idea of the essay. How does the author seem to feel about the person he or she is describing? Why? What sort of relationship did they have? What position has the author taken on the issue he or she is discussing? Why? Look for a thesis statement that expresses the main idea.
3. Look for topic sentences in the paragraphs you have been given. What are the controlling ideas of each paragraph? What larger idea might these ideas be supporting?
4. Use clues in word choice and tone to determine how the author feels about the subject.

Reading Commentary

Commentary on the arts aims to help readers better understand and appreciate a work of art.

Here are some specific tips for reading commentary:

1. When reading commentary, always be on the lookout for support. Whenever the author makes a claim, ask why? Look for the specific reasons the author has come to that conclusion.
2. A thoughtful commentary will look for both the good and the bad in its subject. It is rare that a review is entirely positive or that someone finds a work of art utterly worthless, without one redeeming quality. Look for both the positive and negative in the review.

Business Documents

All GED Language Arts, Reading Exams include at least one business document. This may be a memorandum, report, e-mail, or other business text. Here are some tips for dealing with questions about business documents:

1. Remember that business documents are written for specific audiences and for specific purposes. Determine the specific audience and the reason for the communication.
2. Business documents are often written so that specific actions will be taken. Are there any specific instructions or steps to follow? Look for lists and other clues regarding things to do or understand.
3. If a business document is making an argument, look for support. What facts or ideas are used to support the main idea?