EII
II. Examples 6 through 10
Three of these five examples are in the Free Practice Test, here. I have written the others to be like questions on the real test.
EXAMPLE 6 (This is Question 2 in the Free Practice Test)
(1) The Material: Two pages of text and a table. According to the titles and the topic sentences, the material is about a change in the method of electing U.S. senators.
(2) What is Asked: Which concern about the original method of selecting senators is implied in the excerpt?
(3) Format: Multiple Choice
(4) The Choices:
(5) Method: The word "implied" makes this an "apply/infer" question, which asks you to extend the main idea to a different situation. This suggests using the "main idea" method.
(6) You scan the material and find that the main idea is that "the selection method was changed to make the Senate more responsive to the people." Choices B and D may or may not be true, but they aren't related to the main idea. C might look good at first, but it is actually the opposite of the main idea. This leaves D, which is consistent with the main idea. So you choose D.
(7) Comment: Remember that in an "apply/infer" question, the answer is not in the material itself. If you had used the "details" method and scanned for the choices, you might not have found any of them. So the best choice is to first skim to find the main idea and then to compare that to the choices in order to see which one is most consistent. That's what you have done here.
(1) The Material: Two pages of text and a table. According to the titles and the topic sentences, the material is about a change in the method of electing U.S. senators.
(2) What is Asked: Which concern about the original method of selecting senators is implied in the excerpt?
(3) Format: Multiple Choice
(4) The Choices:
- A. It failed to limit the influence of the wealthy.
- B. It did not help to organize debates effectively.
- C. It neglected to limit the influence of the majority.
- D. It did not encourage an efficient lawmaking process.
(5) Method: The word "implied" makes this an "apply/infer" question, which asks you to extend the main idea to a different situation. This suggests using the "main idea" method.
(6) You scan the material and find that the main idea is that "the selection method was changed to make the Senate more responsive to the people." Choices B and D may or may not be true, but they aren't related to the main idea. C might look good at first, but it is actually the opposite of the main idea. This leaves D, which is consistent with the main idea. So you choose D.
(7) Comment: Remember that in an "apply/infer" question, the answer is not in the material itself. If you had used the "details" method and scanned for the choices, you might not have found any of them. So the best choice is to first skim to find the main idea and then to compare that to the choices in order to see which one is most consistent. That's what you have done here.
EXAMPLE 7 (This is Question 6 in the Free Practice Test)
(1) The Material: A text and a graph about "Women's Voting Rights."
(2) What is Asked: Which statement explains the number of women serving in the U.S. House of Representatives during the 65th congressional session?
(3) Format: Multiple Choice
(4) The Choices:
(5) Method: You don't see any clues for the "main idea" method, and there is a graph, so you decide to try the "details" method.
(6) Answer: You first have to determine "the number of women serving in the House of Representatives during the 65th session." Reading the graph, you see that the bottom scale shows the number of each session, and that the number in the 65th session was zero. So the question is really "Why it was zero?" You scan the text for each of the choices. Neither B, C or D is mentioned at all in the text, so you eliminate each of them. This leaves A. The text is about women's voting rights. So you choose A, which is correct.
(7) Comment: This question is complicated. If your scanning doesn't show you quickly that the last three choices don't work, you might well decide to guess and move on.
(1) The Material: A text and a graph about "Women's Voting Rights."
(2) What is Asked: Which statement explains the number of women serving in the U.S. House of Representatives during the 65th congressional session?
(3) Format: Multiple Choice
(4) The Choices:
- A. Women lacked suffrage rights at the national level.
- B. States used literacy tests to restrict women's rights.
- C. Women resisted involvement in politics at the national level.
- D. States prohibited political campaigns by women.
(5) Method: You don't see any clues for the "main idea" method, and there is a graph, so you decide to try the "details" method.
(6) Answer: You first have to determine "the number of women serving in the House of Representatives during the 65th session." Reading the graph, you see that the bottom scale shows the number of each session, and that the number in the 65th session was zero. So the question is really "Why it was zero?" You scan the text for each of the choices. Neither B, C or D is mentioned at all in the text, so you eliminate each of them. This leaves A. The text is about women's voting rights. So you choose A, which is correct.
(7) Comment: This question is complicated. If your scanning doesn't show you quickly that the last three choices don't work, you might well decide to guess and move on.
Example 8 (This is Question 1 in the Free Practice Test)
(1) The Material: A table and four texts. The table is labeled "Four Methods of Amending the U.S. Constitution".
(2) What is Asked: Which statement correctly describes an important way that the process of amending the U.S. Constitution is different from the process of creating federal laws?
(3) Format: Multiple Choice
(4) The Choices:
(5) Method: There is a table and the choices are details, which suggest the "details" method.
(6) Answer: You scan the table for each choice. Choice A seems consistent with the details of the table, since the legislative branch is involved but the executive and judicial branches are not. Choice B is apparently incorrect, because many state legislatures conclude the process. Choice C is apparently incorrect, because the U.S. Congress is also involved. Choice D is apparently incorrect, because the U.S. Congress can also start the process. So you guess A and move on.
(7) Comment: You have to know the branches of the federal government. It's not clear what the comparison with "the process of creating federal laws" is about. So you aren't sure, but A seems like a good guess.
(1) The Material: A table and four texts. The table is labeled "Four Methods of Amending the U.S. Constitution".
(2) What is Asked: Which statement correctly describes an important way that the process of amending the U.S. Constitution is different from the process of creating federal laws?
(3) Format: Multiple Choice
(4) The Choices:
- A. only one government branch is involved in the amendment process
- B. only one legislative body can conclude the amendment process
- C. only state legislatures are involved in the amendment process
- D. only state governments can start the amendment process
(5) Method: There is a table and the choices are details, which suggest the "details" method.
(6) Answer: You scan the table for each choice. Choice A seems consistent with the details of the table, since the legislative branch is involved but the executive and judicial branches are not. Choice B is apparently incorrect, because many state legislatures conclude the process. Choice C is apparently incorrect, because the U.S. Congress is also involved. Choice D is apparently incorrect, because the U.S. Congress can also start the process. So you guess A and move on.
(7) Comment: You have to know the branches of the federal government. It's not clear what the comparison with "the process of creating federal laws" is about. So you aren't sure, but A seems like a good guess.
Example 9
(1) The Material: A table labeled Measures of Development," together a short accompanying text.
(2) What is Asked: Based on the table, which group has the highest percentage of literacy?
(3) Format: Multiple Choice
(4) The Choices:
(5) Method: Emphasis on the table suggests the "details" method.
(6) Answer: You compare each of the choices against the table. The third column says "Literacy." The highest percentage in that column is for the "Asians" line.
So you choose D.
(7) Comment: This is one of the simplest questions you will see. You may be able to pick up some time on this one.
(1) The Material: A table labeled Measures of Development," together a short accompanying text.
(2) What is Asked: Based on the table, which group has the highest percentage of literacy?
(3) Format: Multiple Choice
(4) The Choices:
- A. African-Americans
- B. Whites
- C. Hispanics
- D. Asians
(5) Method: Emphasis on the table suggests the "details" method.
(6) Answer: You compare each of the choices against the table. The third column says "Literacy." The highest percentage in that column is for the "Asians" line.
So you choose D.
(7) Comment: This is one of the simplest questions you will see. You may be able to pick up some time on this one.
Example 10
(1) The Material: A short text describing John's decision to visit Chicago.
(2) What is Asked: Which statement expresses a direct causal relationship?
(3) Format: Multiple Choice
(3) The Choices:
(5) Method: The words "direct causal relationship" suggest the "direct" method. You compare each choice directly against what is asked.
(6) Answer: The good car and the tax refund may have helped John to visit Chicago, but he could have gone anywhere or stayed at home. They didn't cause his trip. So a and C are incorrect. D is better, but it still doesn't explain why he went to see baseball in Chicago rather than somewhere else. So B is correct, because the only choice that explains why he did it.
(7) Comment: You are likely to see a question like this on the test, so study the page here in the TOPICS section.
(1) The Material: A short text describing John's decision to visit Chicago.
(2) What is Asked: Which statement expresses a direct causal relationship?
(3) Format: Multiple Choice
(3) The Choices:
- A. John decided to visit Chicago because his car was running well.
- B. John decided to visit Chicago because he wanted to see a baseball game at Wrigley Field.
- C. John decided to visit Chicago because he received his tax refund.
- D. John decided to visit Chicago because he likes baseball.
(5) Method: The words "direct causal relationship" suggest the "direct" method. You compare each choice directly against what is asked.
(6) Answer: The good car and the tax refund may have helped John to visit Chicago, but he could have gone anywhere or stayed at home. They didn't cause his trip. So a and C are incorrect. D is better, but it still doesn't explain why he went to see baseball in Chicago rather than somewhere else. So B is correct, because the only choice that explains why he did it.
(7) Comment: You are likely to see a question like this on the test, so study the page here in the TOPICS section.
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