TIPS FOR TAKING THE AHSGE (Reading)

General information: A student must be able to recognize implied meaning (doesn’t come out and say the answer) and stated meaning (the answer is in the text).

I-I - Identify Supporting Details Picture a table. The surface is the main idea and the legs are the supporting details. They add detail and definition to the main idea.

I-2 - Determine Sequence of Events Sequential order: order in which things occur. May include dates; first, next, last; before and after. Order of events: when parts of a process are taken out of their logical order, the results are often unclear or the outcome is not the desired outcome.

I-3 - Follow Directions Identify the outcome or product of a set of directions. Recognize when a set of directions has been followed correctly.

II-I - Identify Main Idea Main idea may include the topic, subject, theme, central thought, message, lesson or moral thesis, author’s purpose and/or point of view. Main idea focuses on one particular aspect of the paragraph or passage. Main idea may appear at the beginning of the paragraph or it may appear elsewhere in the paragraph, or it may be implied or stated.

II-2 - Draw Conclusions Read the text and form ideas that are not specifically stated. Inference – conclusion or judgment

II-3 - Determine Cause and Effect A cause is a reason something happens. An effect is the result or what will eventually happen. Ex. A snake will not bite until it fears danger. A. Cause: it fears danger B. Effect: a snake bites

II-4 - Propaganda; Fact from Opinion Propaganda: a type of message aimed at influencing the opinions or behavior of others Identify an author’s purpose or point of view in one or more passages. Identify vocabulary or other uses of language that are intended to persuade or influence the reader to argue or disagree with a point of view and/or take a particular action. Identify the purpose of persuasive techniques . Distinguish fact (can be proven or verified) from opinion (personal judgments; “I think” or “I believe”) The point of view is the vantage point from which a narrative is told. Persuasive writing is intended to make the audience adopt a certain opinion or perform a certain action. Persuasion may be recognized in four basic ways: 1. The writer or speaker attempts to identify himself or herself as well qualified. 2. The material is designed to appeal to a certain audience. 3. The occasion which prompted the material to be written may be used to support the content’s persuasive purpose. 4. Means of persuasion usually include some combination of the following: A. argue logically. B. appeal to a past tradition or authority. C. work on the audience’s emotions.

II-5 - Recognize Summary Statements Read an unorganized passage and decide which sentence is the summary statement. A summary captures all the most important parts of the original, but expresses them in a shorter space. This will test one’s understanding of the original, and his/her ability to re-state its main purpose.

III-I - Recognize Fallacies of Logic and Strength of Argument An argument often presents opinions that have a positive or negative slant. A valid argument contains good logic, solid evidence, or clear reasons and examples from the reading selection. A fallacy or false argument contains poor logic, weak evidence, or faulty reasons and examples from the reading selection. Fallacies try to falsely persuade you to accept an opinion or viewpoint. Main types of fallacies: Jumping to Conclusions – a claim with little proof to support it. (Vote for the people’s choice!); Ad Hominem - attacking the person rather than his ideas. (Tom dresses like a nerd. How could he run for president of the Student Council!); Circular Argument - part of an argument is used as evidence to support it. (Looks are more important than talent because looks mean everything.); Testimonial - famous persons endorse a product, even though they aren’t experts. (Bill Cosby loves Jell-O.); Either-Or-Fallacy - there are only two sides to an issue. (Either we eliminate all weapons from this earth, or we’ll blow each other up!)

III-2 - Analyze Literary Elements Terms to know: theme - author’s insight about people or life characters - the people or animals in a story character - their personal attributes flat character - a one-dimensional character who behaves exactly as the reader expects round character - a character with depth; the actions of this character are not always predictable tone - author’s attitude about his subject, characters, and audience setting - the time and place of a story mood - the atmosphere of the story plot - the plan of the story; the main events that follow each other and cause other events to happen literary point of view - the perspective from which a story is told first person - the narrator is a character in the story and uses first-person pronouns (I, me, my, etc.) third-person point of view - the narrator is not a character; he or she tells the reader about the characters but does not know what every character is thinking; the narrator’s knowledge may be limited to the perspective of one character third person omniscient - the narrative is not a character; he or she tells us about the characters and can reveal the thoughts of each character

III-3 - Understand Figurative Language Terms to know: simile – comparison using “like” or “as”; metaphor – comparison not using “like” or “as”; personification – giving human qualities to something that isn’t human; hyperbole – overstatement or exaggeration; imagery – words that appeal to our senses

IV-I - Determine Meaning of Words through Context Clues Context Clues - hints in the text to help you conclude the definition of an unfamiliar word Ex. Cries of anguish could be heard from the crowd after they received the tragic news. A. glee B. sorrow C. relief D. harmony

IV-2 - Preview and Predict Preview text features to make a prediction about the text content. (headings, subheadings, illustrations, footnotes, captions, topic sentences, book jackets, introductory paragraphs, and graphic displays such as charts, maps, graphs, and timelines.)

IV-3 - Discern Organizational Patterns Chronological order - time order; first, next, last; dates Spatial order - space; to the left, to the right, above, below, etc. Order of importance - least to most, or most to least Comparison and contrast - similarities and differences Cause and effect - reason and result

IV-4 - Demonstrate Ability to Locate Information in Reference Material glossary - a short dictionary within a book defining major terms used dictionary - a book of words, pronunciations, and definitions index - an alphabetical set of topics in a book table of contents - a list of subjects in a book and their order; located at the beginning appendix - additional information at the end of a book atlas - a book of maps almanac - a summary of one year’s notable events encyclopedia - an alphabetical set of information in a book or in computer format on all branches of information Reader’s Guide - an index to periodical literature card catalog - an alphabetical listing of available authors, subjects, and titles of books