Test Taking Strategies
What should you do if you start to get tired?
1. Chew on gum or a mint.
2. Drink some water.
3. Be sure to get up and stretch during the breaks; it helps your brain wake up!
4. Make notes on your scratch paper about what you're reading to keep you awake and focused.
What is the definition of theme AND how do you identify it in a fictional text?
What is text structure?
Theme is the overall message in a story.
To figure out the theme of a text, you have to read the ENTIRE passage. Ask yourself: What was the overall message the author was trying to get across to me? What was the point of their selection?
Text structure refers to the way a text is set up (stanzas for poetry, sections with subheadings for nonfiction, or chapters for fiction). Text structure can also relate the the way information is written (chronological or cause and effect, for instance).
What is the theme in the passage below?
Jill always pressed snooze on her alarm clock at least three times every morning before sluggishly getting out of bed. She spent her mornings rushing around, and she regularly got frustrated when she dropped multiple household items. She barely made it to work on time most mornings, and she was late at least a few mornings every week. On this particular morning, Jill was so focused on getting to work on time that she ran a red light. Before she knew it, she was being pulled over for both speeding and running a traffic light. As the officer walked away, she told herself it wasn't fair that she got a ticket.
Jill should stop sleeping in and get up earlier to avoid being late.
What are 5 names of figurative language terms you have learned this year?
Answers will vary - a few popular answers will be:
Simile
Metaphor
Personification
Idiom
Hyperbole
Imagery
Bonus: Define the terms you chose (100 points)
What are the definitions of direct and indirect characterization AND how can they help you in a fictional passage?
Direct characterization is when details about a character are directly stated in a text. Indirect characterization is when a reader must infer traits about a character in a text based on his/her actions and interactions with other characters.
They can help me understand information about characters in a difficult text. For instance, in the released text, "Mr. Wrenn is Lonely," the title gives me a direct characterization trait about Mr. Wrenn - he is lonely. Indirect characterization is used throughout the text to depict the extent of his loneliness.
Bonus: Name one direct and one indirect characterization trait for ANY character from ANY text we have read this year (100 points).
What should you look at first before you read a new passage?
You should look at the questions and pick out the key word(s) in each question to know what to look for as you read.
What does the term contradict mean?
Contradict means to oppose or state the opposite.
Check out this question from the Released Assessment:
"Which statement contradicts the idea that Lester B. Pearson was an important figure in Canadian History?"
To answer this, you will choose the answer that opposes the opinion that Lester B. Pearson was an important figure.
What's the overall message from Walter Elliot in the quote below?
"Perseverance is not a long race; it's many short races one after the other."
Achieving one's goal(s) takes time; good things do not always happen overnight.
Which figurative language terms are revealed in the following quote? (You need to choose at least 1 to get the answer correct)
"There's never any picture from a human being's brush / That has ever caught the redness of a single apple's blush." (Guest 5-6)
Source: Adapted from "The Apple Tree"
Possible Answer Choices: Personification, imagery, alliteration, hyperbole, rhyme
What is the definition of setting and how does it have an impact on the mood and tone of a text?
What is the definition of diction AND how does it affect the mood and tone of a text?
What is rhetoric?
Setting relates to where and when a story takes place. If the setting of a story is a foggy night, at an abandoned house, with no moon, it would create a suspenseful tone.
Diction is author's word choice. Authors use diction to set the mood and tone of a text. Which words from the excerpt below are examples of diction?
From "A Long Walk to Water" (Remember, novel titles are supposed to be italicized or underlined; you use quotation marks when you don't have either of those options).
"Salva had never been so hungry. He stumbled along, somehow moving one foot ahead of the other, not noticing the ground he walked on or the forest around him or the light in the sky. Nothing was real except his hunger, once a hollow in his stomach but now a deep buzzing pain in every part of him." (Park 23)
Rhetoric is when language is used effectively and persuasively. In the excerpt above, the author helps the reader grasp how truly hungry Salva is by using words/phrases such as, "never been so hungry," "stumbled along," "somehow moving," not noticing the scenery around him, "nothing was real except hunger," etc.
What should you do if you get a difficult passage that confuses you?
Pick out the information you DO KNOW and make inferences about the paragraph and look at the questions! There are often answers in the questions.
Use your scratch paper to take notes about what you DO KNOW. Be confident and don't doubt yourself.
What is the definition of an objective summary?
When a text asks me to choose the "best summary," how do I do that when there are so many words?
An objective summary is a summary without an opinion.
Which one is an objective statement AND why?
(A) The grass is green.
(B) The green grass is really pretty.
When you're being asked about an objective summary, look at the answer choices VERY carefully. Look for adjectives (words that describe nouns), adverbs (words that modify verbs), and verbs (action words) to help you decide on the right answer choice. These parts of speech often reflect bias (opinion).
When you're being asked about a summary of a passage, be sure to choose an answer choice that sums up the WHOLE passage and not one detail of the passage.
What's the theme of one of Michael Jordan's most famous quotes?
"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that's why I succeed."
Success means you continue to try even when you "fail" or don't reach a goal the first time you try. One can learn more from failure than from success. Difficult tasks/goals take effort and patience.
Bonus: Which figurative language term reveals itself in MJ's quote and what's it's significance? (100 points)
Identify at least one figurative language term that is being used the lines below and explain WHY the author used it (there are multiple answers).
"There's the promise of the apples, red and gleaming in the sun, / Like the medals worn by mortals as rewards for labors done." (Guest 20)
Possible Answers Include: Personification, simile, analogy, allusion, imagery, rhyme
What happens if I get a story that has a bunch of words I have never seen before?
#1: Don't panic!
#2: Read through the story, slowly, and see if you can find definitions to the words you do not know later in the text; look for the same phrasing with the definition of the word replacing the word you don't know. Remember, in "I Have Lived a Thousand Years," the author always told us the definitions for the difficult terms; however, sometimes, we had to be patient to find them.
"Mr. Wrenn is Lonely" Example for "cordial" --
"...and his nod is the most cordial in town." (1)
"He needed the FRIENDLY nod of the theater ticket taker." (3)
The definition for cordial is in the third paragraph.
What should you do when you're feeling overwhelmed or frustrated?
You should remember you have worked hard all year, and you've got this!
Take it one passage at a time and one question at a time; pay attention to the details. If you slow down and take your time, you're going to get more answers correct.
What is central idea AND in which genre of text would you be asked to identify it?
Central idea is the main idea of a text, and you will be asked to identify it in nonfiction passages (articles/informational texts).
Remember:
fiction = fake
nonfiction = real (not fake)
What's the theme in the passage below?
Atticus has dreams of being an architect one day and being the first one in his family to attend college. Since he was three, he has enjoyed building various items around his family's farm. Atticus must get up by 4 AM every morning to complete his morning chores, and it takes him 3 hours after school to complete his afternoon chores. Despite having a lot of chores, Atticus makes school a priority. On days when he has a significant amount of homework, he sets his alarm for 3:30 AM and makes sure he goes to bed early the night before. He also comes straight inside, after he finishes his afternoon chores, to get started on his school work. When his friends are fishing and going to the movies on the weekend, one can find Atticus studying. During his senior year of high school, he applied to UNC Charlotte with a 4.5 GPA and was accepted. His SAT and ACT scores were the highest in his class, so he received a full scholarship to attend UNCC. Atticus will have the opportunity to be an architect.
Do not give up on your dreams, even though the path to achieve them might be long and difficult.
Bonus: Do you think Atticus will be successful in college, why or why not. Use at least 1 quote from the text to support your answer. (100 points)
Explain why authors use figurative language in a text.
An author uses figurative language to help readers make connections to a text and to make reading more interesting. Can you imagine reading "A Long Walk to Water" without the imagery of the setting of Sudan? What if we read "The Outsiders" and the juxtaposition between the Socs and the Greasers wasn't obvious? In "Flowers for Algernon," how does Charlie achieve empathy from the reader? In "The Outsiders," we would have missed Johnny and Dally being compared to Southern gentlemen without the allusion "Gone with the Wind."
Figurative language such as similes, metaphors, personification and imagery brighten the words on the page.
The way a text is organized (text structure) is important because it makes it organized for the reader and categorizes ideas. Pay attention to the structure of every text you read.
What is the difference between the terms juxtaposition, oxymoron, and foil?
Juxtaposition: 2 IMAGES that contrast (a flowery field below a dark, ominous storm)
Oxymoron: 2 WORDS that contrast (jumbo shrimp)
Foil: 2 CHARACTERS that contrast (Soda and Dallas Winston in "The Outsiders")
What should you do to prepare for your test (name at least 3 to get the points)?
(1) Get a good night of rest (go to bed early).
(2) Turn the notifications off on your phone and put the ringer on silent/vibrate.
(3) Eat breakfast (protein).
(4) Limit your screen time in the days leading up to the test; challenge yourself to read a book/graphic novel/nonfiction articles/magazines instead.
(5) Don't doubt yourself; you've got this!
(6) Pack a water bottle.
(7) Bring a sweatshirt/jacket in case you are cold.
(8) Pack a book to read after the test.
(9) Bring gum/mints.
What is symbolism AND how do you identify it in a text?
What's the difference between a symbol and symbolism?
Symbolism is the representation of an idea in a text.
For instance, in "The Outsiders," a sunset symbolized a commonality between two different social classes of people. It showed that even though Ponyboy and Cherry lived on two different sides of town, and lived drastically different lives, they could still find the beauty in a sunset.
If a storm appears in a text, it could symbolize a handful of ideas: anger, frustration, sadness, or a release of stress. The meaning of the storm can change depending on the text you're reading.
A symbol is a physical representation of something. For instance, a ring symbolizes friendship or commitment.
What is the message in the quote below by William Faulkner?
"You cannot swim for new horizons unless you have courage to lose sight of the shore."
It takes courage to step away from what is comfortable to achieve one's dreams.
Explain what the following two lines of poetry are saying:
"There is nothing with a beauty so entrancing, so complete, / As an apple tree that's ready for the world to come and eat." (Guest 23 - 24)
There is nothing in the world that is as beautiful as an apple tree with apples that are ready to be eaten.
If you get a poem that seems straightforward, like this one, it IS straightforward. It does include figurative language, but this particular poem says exactly what it means.
Don't stress about the poetry! Preview the questions, write down what you DO know, and analyze it carefully.
How do you tell the difference between nonfiction and fiction on the EOG?
INFORMATIONAL/NONFICTION will have CENTRAL IDEA questions and be more straightforward. FICTION passages will likely say "Adapted from" and will always ask questions about THEME.