THE READING TEST

1. THE READING TEST All information in this PowerPoint is taken from http://www.actstudent.org/.

2. Read the text and try to find the missing word(s). You have three minutes.

3. Language Skills Utilized: • First, you read for comprehension. • Second, you had to think of words/phrases, which calls for both their passive and active vocabulary stocks. • Third, you also had to practice your spelling. • Fourth, you absolutely had to use your grammar knowledge since you needed to know the parts of speech to guess the words. • Fifth, you practiced speaking and listening while you were discussing in pairs; you also had the opportunity to learn the different ways that others reason things.

4. Did you know?? • Business and employees face rising requirements for reading and math skills in today's workplaces. • An American Management Association survey in 2000 of midsized and larger businesses found that 38% of job applicants taking employer-administered tests lacked the reading and math skills needed in the jobs for which they applied.

5. The Reading Test is a 40-question, 35-minute test that measures your reading comprehension. You're asked to read four passages and answer questions that show your understanding of: • what is directly stated • statements with implied meanings

6. Specifically, questions will ask you to use referring and reasoning skills to: • determine main ideas • locate and interpret significant details • understand sequences of events • make comparisons • comprehend cause-effect relationships • determine the meaning of context-dependent words, phrases, and statements • draw generalizations • analyze the author's or narrator's voice and method

7. Content Areas of the Test • The Reading Test is based on four types of reading selections: social studies, natural sciences, prose fiction, and humanities. The Social Studies/Sciences subscore is based on the questions on the social studies and natural sciences passages, and the Arts/Literature subscore is based on the questions on the prose fiction and humanities passages. • Social Studies (25%). Questions in this category are based on passages in the content areas of anthropology, archaeology, biography, business, economics, education, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology. • Natural Sciences (25%). Questions in this category are based on passages in the content areas of anatomy, astronomy, biology, botany, chemistry, ecology, geology, medicine, meteorology, microbiology, natural history, physiology, physics, technology, and zoology. • Prose Fiction (25%). Questions in this category are based on intact short stories or excerpts from short stories or novels. • Humanities (25%). Questions in this category are based on passages from memoirs and personal essays and in the content areas of architecture, art, dance, ethics, film, language, literary criticism, music, philosophy, radio, television, and theater.

8. The test comprises four prose passages that are representative of the level and kind of reading required in first-year college courses; passages on topics in social studies, natural sciences, prose fiction, and the humanities are included. • Each passage is accompanied by a set of multiple-choice test questions. These questions do not test the rote recall of facts from outside the passage, isolated vocabulary items, or rules of formal logic. Instead, the test focuses on the complementary and supportive skills that readers must use in studying written materials across a range of subject areas.

9. TIPS!! • Carefully read the instructions on the cover of the test booklet. • Read the directions for each test carefully. • Read each question carefully. • Pace yourself—don't spend too much time on a single passage or question. • Pay attention to the announcement of five minutes remaining on each test. • Use a soft lead No. 2 pencil with a good eraser; do not use a mechanical pencil or ink pen. • Answer the easy questions first, then go back and answer the more difficult ones if you have time remaining on that test. • On difficult questions, eliminate as many incorrect answers as you can, then make an educated guess among those remaining. • Answer every question. Your scores on the multiple-choice tests are based on the number of questions you answer correctly. There is no penalty for guessing. • If you complete a test before time is called, recheck your work on that test. • Mark your answers properly. Erase any mark completely and cleanly without smudging. • Do not mark or alter any ovals on a test or continue writing the essay after time has been called. If you do, you will be dismissed and your answer document will not be scored.