Social Studies
What are the three branches of the U.S. government?
The legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
An author writes, "Although some critics argue that public transportation is too expensive, cities that invest in reliable transit can reduce traffic and provide residents with greater access to jobs." What is the author's likely purpose?
To persuade readers that investing in public transportation can provide important benefits.
You're taking the GED and encounter a difficult reading question. You eliminate two answers, but you're unsure between the remaining two. What is a good strategy?
Go back to the passage, identify the evidence relevant to the question, compare the remaining choices to that evidence, and choose the answer best supported by the text.
Correct the punctuation:
After the meeting ended the students went home.
After the meeting ended, the students went home.
Two authors disagree about whether the government should raise the minimum wage.
Author A says raising wages will help workers afford basic necessities.
Author B says raising wages will cause some businesses to reduce hiring.
What should a GED student do when asked which argument is better supported?
They should not simply choose the argument they agree with. They should examine the evidence each author provides, consider whether the evidence is relevant and sufficient, and determine which argument is better supported by the information in the passages.
What is the primary purpose of the Constitution?
It establishes the structure and powers of the government and protects certain rights and liberties.
What is the difference between tone and point of view?
Tone is the author's attitude toward the subject. Point of view is the perspective from which the author presents the information.
A GED reading question has four answers. Three are statements that are true according to the passage, but only one actually answers the question being asked. Why might this happen?
The GED may include distractors that contain information from the passage but don't answer the specific question. Students must determine not only whether an answer is true, but whether it is relevant and best supported.
Which sentence is correctly capitalized?
A. The students visited the museum on monday.
B. The students visited the Museum on Monday.
C. The students visited the museum on Monday.
D. The Students visited the museum on Monday.
C. The students visited the museum on Monday.
A student is given an argumentative essay prompt on the GED.
Explain the complete process the student should use to produce a strong response, from reading the prompt to finishing the conclusion.
What is the difference between federalism and separation of powers?
Federalism divides power between the federal government and state governments. Separation of powers divides federal power among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
Two authors discuss the same issue. Author A argues that school uniforms improve student behavior. Author B argues that uniforms restrict student expression. What should you look for when deciding which argument is stronger?
The quality and relevance of the evidence, the reasoning connecting the evidence to the claim, and whether the evidence actually supports the author's argument.
A student says, "I need to memorize American history before taking the Social Studies test." Why is this an inefficient strategy?
The GED Social Studies test emphasizes interpreting information, analyzing arguments, understanding historical concepts, and using evidence, rather than simply recalling large numbers of dates and facts.
Which sentence correctly uses a comma?
A. The students studied for the test, and they passed.
B. The students studied for the test and, they passed.
C. The students studied, for the test and they passed.
D. The students, studied for the test and they passed.
A. The students studied for the test, and they passed.
A student is given two passages about whether schools should restrict cell phone use. Passage A supports restrictions; Passage B opposes them.
The question asks:
"Which position is better supported?"
What three things should the student compare?
The claims, the quality/relevance of the evidence, and the reasoning connecting the evidence to the claims.
A newspaper article argues that the federal government should raise taxes on imported goods to protect American manufacturers. What economic policy is the article discussing?
Tariffs.
Two passages discuss the effects of social media. Passage A argues that social media helps people maintain relationships. Passage B argues that excessive social media use can reduce face-to-face interaction. What would a strong synthesis of the passages say?
Both passages recognize that social media affects relationships, but they emphasize different effects. Social media can help people stay connected while excessive use may reduce direct interpersonal interaction.
A student encounters a question with four answer choices. One answer uses extremely complicated language, while another uses simple language. Which should they choose?
Neither should be selected based on how sophisticated the language sounds. They should choose the answer best supported by the information provided.
What is wrong with this sentence?
"Neither the teacher nor the students was prepared for the schedule change."
The verb does not agree with the nearer subject, students. It should be:
Neither the teacher nor the students were prepared for the schedule change.
A student writes:
"Schools should ban cell phones because they are distracting. Students use them during class. Phones are bad for students. Therefore, schools should ban them."
Identify two weaknesses in the argument and explain how to improve them.
Possible weaknesses:
A stronger version would provide specific evidence and explain how that evidence demonstrates that restricting phones improves learning.
A government lowers taxes on businesses hoping they will invest more money in factories and hire more workers. What is the government's intended economic effect, and what evidence would you need to determine whether the policy worked?
The government is trying to stimulate economic activity and employment. To evaluate the policy, you could examine changes in business investment, employment, wages, production, and potentially tax revenue before and after the policy.
An author writes about a proposed law. The author describes supporters' arguments in detail but describes opponents as "uninformed critics." What does this word choice suggest about the author's tone?
The tone is biased or critical toward the opponents rather than neutral.
Why might the GED include two answer choices that seem almost identical?
To test whether students can recognize a small but important difference in meaning, scope, evidence, or wording. Students need to read the question and answer choices carefully rather than choosing based on general similarity.
Which sentence correctly maintains person, number, and tense?
A. When a student studies regularly, they usually improved their grades.
B. When students study regularly, they usually improve their grades.
C. When students studied regularly, they usually improves their grades.
D. When a student study regularly, they usually improve their grades.
B. When students study regularly, they usually improve their grades.
The subject students is plural, so study/improve agree with it, and the general statement consistently uses the present tense.
ou are given a passage arguing that a city should raise taxes to fund public transportation.
The author says:
"Public transportation will reduce traffic, help people get to work, and improve the environment."
What would you need to know before deciding whether the author's argument is effective?
You would want to know: