Testing Strategies
What are 1-2 things you can use a dictionary for on the test?
Look up words you don't know in the story
Look up words you don't know in the answer choices
Look up how to spell words
What is a thesis?
One sentence that states what the essay is about and gives your opinion about the prompt (usually in the first paragraph)
What does FANBOYS stand for?
For/And/Nor/But/Or/Yet/So
What is tone?
The author's attitude or feelings about their topic
You don't know the word "inevitable". Look it up in the dictionary and read aloud the definition word-for-word. You have 60 seconds.
Impossible to avoid or prevent.
Incapable of being avoided or evaded.
How can you increase your chances of guessing the right answer by 50%?
Eliminate 2 answer choices
What is a paragraph?
A chunk of text that is all about one idea. A new paragraph starts on a new line.
Do you put the comma before or after FANBOYS?
Before
What is the author's purpose?
Their main reason for writing, what they want the reader to learn/know/do, etc.
If a word has multiple definitions, how will that look in the dictionary?
There will be a numbered list of all the different definitions
If the question says, "In Paragraph 7"... what's the first thing you should do?
Go back to re-read Paragraph 7
What do the letters in the HELP chart stand for?
History, Experiences, Literature, Pop Culture
Should there be a comma in this sentence?
I want a burger and fries.
No. The word "and" isn't connecting 2 independent clauses.
What is an exaggeration?
Making something seem more dramatic, bigger, over the top, etc.
You don't know the word "pessimistic". Look it up in the dictionary and read the definition aloud word-for-word. You have 60 seconds.
A tendency to take the gloomiest possible view of a situation
An inclination to take the least favorable view
How can writing on the articles help you on the test?
Help you remember things, help you mark words you don't know, help you figure out the main ideas, etc.
How many specific examples or evidence should you provide in your essay to illustrate your points?
1-3
Where would you put the comma in this sentence?
Danielle and Jose wanted burgers instead of Mom's cooking so they decided to stop at Whataburger on the way home.
Danielle and Jose wanted burgers instead of Mom's cooking, so they decided to stop at Whataburger on the way home.
What is a contradiction?
Two things that seem to say the opposite things
If a word has (n) next to it in the dictionary, what does that mean?
The word is a noun.
What is a transition between paragraphs?
A sentence that closes out on paragraph's topics and introduces the next paragraph's topic.
Where should you put a comma in this sentence?
She is so talented as a singer but she is also very shy and quiet.
She is so talented as a singer, but she is also very shy and quiet.
What is an anecdote?
A short, interesting story about a real event or person
If the word you are looking up isn't in the dictionary, what could that mean?
Maybe you aren't spelling it right or it's a different form of the word (like you look up the word "happy" and it's only listed as "happiness")