Worked examples
Two examples
Example 1
Height of four kinds of seedling after three weeks
Made-up numbers, for practice.
According to the table, which plant did NOT grow taller than 10 cm?| Plant | Height (cm) |
|---|---|
| Bean | 14 |
| Pea | 11 |
| Radish | 8 |
| Corn | 16 |
- Read the whole question, to the end, before you look for the answer.
- The word NOT turns the question around. Three of the plants did grow taller than 10 cm. You want the one that did not.
- Check each row against 10 cm: bean 14, taller; pea 11, taller; radish 8, not taller; corn 16, taller.
- Corn is the tallest, and a student who skips the NOT may choose it. The question asks for the one plant that is not above 10 cm.
Answer: Radish
Example 2
A passage written for this example
According to the passage, what did the second test find?A class tested paper airplanes. In the first test, they folded planes with three wing shapes, and the planes with pointed wings flew farthest. In the second test, every plane had pointed wings, and they changed the weight of the paper. The planes made of the lightest paper flew farthest.
- The question names one test: the second. Only that test counts.
- Find where the second test begins: “In the second test, every plane had pointed wings, and they changed the weight of the paper.”
- Its result is in the next sentence: the planes made of the lightest paper flew farthest.
- A common mistake is to choose “the planes with pointed wings flew farthest.” That is true, but it is what the first test found.
Answer: The planes made of the lightest paper flew farthest.
Where this is taught: Science Practices, part 2: Reading a science passage · Look Again Quiz 1: Reading Science
In your Kaplan book: Unit 4, Chapter 1, Lesson 1: Comprehend Scientific Presentations · Map of the Terrain, topic 1: Reading science
The drill
Ten questions
How many:
Read what is in the box first, if there is one. Then tap your answer; a few questions ask you to choose words from a drop-down instead, the way the GED test does. Press Check my answers at the bottom.Read what is in the box first, if there is one. Circle your answer; where there are brackets, circle the choice that fits. The answer key, with the reasoning, is on the last page.