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Accuplacer Reading Comprehension Test. The Accuplacer Reading Comprehension section tests critical thinking skills, which means that it tests ones ability to understand and apply information that is read.
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Accuplacer Reading Comprehension Test • The Accuplacer Reading Comprehension section tests critical thinking skills, which means that it tests ones ability to understand and apply information that is read. • All of the paragraphs on the Accuplacer Reading Comprehension test are short; usually not more than 4 sentences. However, there is plenty of information in those few sentences for you to analyze. Most questions ask you to either: • 1. Determine the main idea; • 2. Make an inference based on the information in the paragraph; • 3. Judge the relationship between 2 separate sentences;
Accuplacer Reading is a CAT Test • The Accuplacer Reading Comprehension test is computer adaptive. This means that you must answer each question in order to move on and once you have moved on, you cannot go back to previous questions. The Accuplacer Reading Comprehension Test is comprised of 20 questions.
If you have time, a good way to prepare for the Accuplacer Reading Comprehension test is to read as much as possible and quiz yourself upon finishing individual paragraphs. You can read newspaper and magazine articles, or books. After reading a paragraph, ask yourself what point the author was making. If you do not know or did not understand what was being discussed, then try to examine the paragraph more closely in order to uncover the big picture. From information you read, try to make conclusions. For example, if it was cold when someone shoveled his driveway, there was probably snow on the ground.
Tips for taking the test • Take your time. Read slowly and repeat as necessary. Look for details as you read. When reading passages you can following along with your mouse. • You are allowed to use scratch paper. Use it to paraphrase what you have read. This is the only way to make sure you have understood what you have read. • Reread a passage before confirming your answer choice and moving on to the next question. Remember, you cannot go back. • When an answer is based on an implied idea, one of the answer choices may be a restatement of a sentence in the passage.
Finding the relationship between 2 sentences • You will be given 2 sentences and asked to find the relationship between the two. • The only way to figure out the relationship between the sentences is to make sure you understand what they mean. PARAPHRASE! • You must also have a good understanding of writing patterns
Your answer choices may include: • The sentence offers an effect • The sentence states a cause • The sentence restates or repeats the first • The sentence states a contrasting /contradicting idea • The sentence gives an example • The sentence proposes a solution • The sentence expands on the first • The sentence reinforces what is stated in the first sentence • The second sentence explains the first • The second sentence expands on the first • The second sentence draws a conclusion
Sample question in which you must infer information: 1. Cheating is the ultimate trick a student plays on him or herself. Aside from the primary point of making an absolute mockery of the purpose of a college education, there is also the fact that there is no way a student can avoid being found out - there is at least one person who will always know about it. With which of the following statements would the author agree? a. Students should not cheat because someone will find out and report it. b. Cheating really hurts the cheater. c. Professors should expect students to cheat.
Sample question about the main idea: 2. Many college students do not want to take a math class. When they learn that math is requirement, these students hope for a way to avoid it. These students may be suffering from math anxiety, an overwhelming fear of the subject, rather than an intellectual impairment. The main idea of this passage is: a. Many students are bad at math b. Students who are bad at math can avoid taking it. c. Students who hope to avoid math may have math anxiety.
Do not get discouraged by unfamiliar words. You can often figure out what the answer is even if you do not know the definitions of all of the words in a paragraph. Also, you can often figure out the definition of a word by its context.
Sample Question in which you Compare Two Sentences • The owning of an automobile allows Americans the opportunity to explore this vast country. • In failing to develop a national public transportation system the ability of Americans to travel is severely limited. 4. The above 2 sentences: • a. Contradict each other • b. The second sentence supports the first • c. The first sentence introduces the second.
Sample Question in which you Compare Two Sentences • The Midwest is experiencing its worst drought in fifteen years. • Corn and soybean prices are expected to be very high this year. 5. What does the second sentence do? • a. It restates the idea found in the first sentence. • b. It states an effect. • c. It gives an example.
Websites to help you Prepare • http://english.glendale.cc.ca.us/topic.html This site has interactive practice questions that focus on finding main ideas in paragraphs. • http://www.gsu.edu/~wwwrtp/instrdg.htm This site provides a general reading practice test. • http://literacynet.org/cnnsf/ This site provides an extensive archive of stories; each one accompanied by an outline, questions and activities.
Reading 90- Accuplacer 61-77 or THEA 200-229 (or passing grade on reading 80) Reading 80- Accuplacer 44-60 or THEA 180-199 (or passing grade on reading 70) Reading 70 Accuplacer 0-43 or THEA 100-179
