Week 1, Day 2: Chapter 3 The Geography of the Verbal Section

Agenda: 

Quiz

Chapter 3 from Princeton

Unit 1 from Advanced Word Power

For Monday: Read Chapter 4 (P) and start Unit 2 (AWP)

TownsendPress.net Class Number 876-2398

Class Lab projects: www.mhpracticeplus.com/gre.php

Chapter 3 Verbal Reasoning

Emphasis on analysis, vocabulary in context

More textually based generally

Broader range of reading selections than older versions of the test

Skills more closely aligned with graduate school

Wider range of computer-enabled tasks

TLDR: no more analogies and antonyms; new question formats; you still have to study vocabulary

3 types of questions:

·       Text completion – one, two, or three blanks (no partial credit) (about 6 questions per section)

·       Sentence equivalence – one blank with exactly two correct answers (no partial credit) (about 4 questions per section)

·       Reading comprehension – one to five paragraphs with one to five questions concerning the text (about 10 questions per section)

 

3 types of answers:

·       Single-answer multiple-choice (circle buttons)

·       Select all that apply (one or more correct answers possible, no partial credit) (square boxes)

·       Select a sentence (highlight in passage)

 

About memorizing vocabulary:

The English language has over 1,000,000 words; only about 170,000 are currently in use, and college graduates have a vocabulary of about 20,000 words. This is too many to memorize before taking a test. However, English has its roots in many languages. The basic, simplest words in English tend to have Germanic roots, and the “intellectual” sounding words used by academics and professionals as part of their technical jargon tend to have Greek and Latin roots and affixes (prefixes and suffixes). What does this mean?

·       Test makers tend to prefer words with Greek and Latin roots

·       Exact definitions are unnecessary to find a word to fill in the blank

·       Roots are therefore very useful for improving the process of elimination

 

Other ways to improve your vocabulary:

·       READ READ READ – read as much as possible in whatever genres you like best: news media, fantasy/science fiction, mysteries, westerns, philosophy, science, politics, anything!

·       Take notes – keep a list of words to look up and add to your flashcards

·       Read on paper – reading and writing on paper seems to help the memory work better

·       Develop mnemonic devices for difficult words – little stories or tools that help you remember the meanings (e.g. Greg is gregarious/sociable).

·       FLASHCARDS are your friend, best on paper, but even digital is better than nothing

·       How to use flashcards:

o   Flashcards work best when you make your own on paper or index cards. I cut a 3x5 index card in half to get two flashcards; I carry them held together by a rubber band.

o   Triage into three groups:

§  Words I know (skip these)

§  Words I kind of know (focus here)

§  Words I don’t know at all (second focus)

o   When words in the second or third group become familiar, move them to the first group

o   Practice every day until the second and third groups shrink down

o   Add new words you encounter when reading!

·       ROOTS & AFFIXES – memorize Greco-Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes

·       Group synonyms into lists

·       Use many senses when learning a difficult word: speak * sing * write (poem) * draw * gesture * move

·       Practice your vocabulary on friends, family, strangers, anyone

·       Use other languages to help you remember the words – some cognates or even false cognates might help you

·       Online resources can help you with endless vocabulary quizzes (ixl.com, freerice.com, townsendpress.net for the vocabulary textbook, and for roots: www.learnthat.org/pages/view/roots.html).

 

About Reading Comprehension:

·       There are right and wrong answers – this is not subjective!

·       RC is ½ of the verbal sections

·       Predictable question types

·       The “open book” part of the test – all of the answers are in the passage

·       Ask questions and make notes while you read:

·       Rephrase and simplify the passage in your notes

·       Look for keywords

·       Practice reading everything this way

·       Most basic strategies:

o   Read ALL answer choices

o   Don’t fall for partially true answers – a good answer will be completely correct

o   Pay close attention to the context

o   Remember: some questions can and will have multiple correct answers

 

About Text Completion:

·       About 30% of each Verbal section

·       About 6 questions for passages of one to five sentences with one to three blanks

·       Read the whole passage

·       Each sentence should make sense as a whole

·       Relies on context

·       Identify significant words

·       Look for clues and structural indicators

·       Try to generate your OWN word to fill the blank before choosing an answer

·       Don’t assume the first blank is the easiest – the second or third might be instead

·       Double-check your answers

 

About Sentence Equivalence:

·       About 20% of each Verbal section

·       About 4 questions for passages of one sentence with one blank

·       Always 6 answer choices

·       You ALWAYS have to select EXACTLY TWO answers for each

·       NOT just synonyms, but BOTH words must make the sentence as a whole:

o   Make sense

o   And have equivalent meaning

·       Read the WHOLE sentence

·       Identify significant words

·       Look for clues and structural indicators

·       Try to generate you OWN words to fill the blanks

·       Double-check your answers