SSAT/ISEE SUCCESS 2005 SSAT/ISEE SUCCESS 2005 Reading: Elaine Bender, Jeffrey E. Levitsky Mathematics: Christi Heuer, Mark Weinfeld Verbal Analysis: Dominic Marullo, Patricia Burgess Writing: Jo Norris Palmore Includes a vocabulary-building chapter by Merriam-Webster–with Greek and Latin roots, quizzes, and a practice exam About Peterson’s, a Nelnet company Peterson’s (www.petersons.com) is a leading provider of education information and advice, with books and online resources focusing on education search, test preparation, and financial aid. Its Web site offers searchable databases and interactive tools for contacting educational institutions, online practice tests and instruction, and planning tools for securing financial aid. Peterson’s serves 110 million education consumers annually. Editorial Development: American BookWorks Corporation Special thanks to Joan Marie Rosebush and Amy Kierce Petersons.com/publishing Check out our Web site at www.petersons.com/publishing to see if there is any new information regarding the test and any revisions or corrections to the content of this book. We’ve made sure the information in this book is accurate and up-to-date; however, the test format or content may have changed since the time of publication. For more information, contact Peterson’s, 2000 Lenox Drive, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648; 800-338-3282; or find us on the World Wide Web at www.petersons.com/about. © 2004 Peterson’s, a Nelnet company Previous editions © 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003 “Merriam-Webster’s Roots to Word Mastery” copyright © 2003 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated Editor: Joe Ziegler; Production Editor: Teresina Jonkoski; Manufacturing Manager: Ray Golaszewski; Composition Manager: Gary Rozmierski; Interior and Cover Design: Allison Sullivan. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright herein may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution, or information storage and retrieval systems—without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission to use material from this text or product, complete the Permission Request Form at http://www.petersons.com/permissions. ISBN 0-7689-1612-7 Printed in the United States of America 10987654321060504 Fifth Edition CONTENTS Introduction ................................................ 1 About This Book ....................................... 1 About the Tests ........................................ 2 Peterson’s Private School Resources ....................... 5 Private School Snapshots................................. 5 SSAT DIAGNOSTIC TEST ............................ 47 Part I: Writing the Essay ............................... 48 Part II: Multiple Choice ................................ 51 Verbal............................................. 51 Quantitative (Math).................................. 54 Reading Comprehension ............................. 58 Explanatory Answers to the SSAT Diagnostic Test........ 62 Verbal............................................. 62 Quantitative (Math).................................. 64 Reading Comprehension ............................. 68 ISEE DIAGNOSTIC TEST ............................. 71 Verbal Reasoning ....................................... 72 Quantitative Reasoning .................................. 74 Reading Comprehension ................................. 77 Math Achievement ...................................... 81 Writing Sample......................................... 84 Explanatory Answers to the ISEE Diagnostic Test ........ 87 Verbal Reasoning.................................... 87 Quantitative Reasoning............................... 88 Reading Comprehension ............................. 91 Math Achievement .................................. 93 SUBJECT REVIEWS.................................. 99 Strategies for Verbal Analysis/Reasoning.................... 100 Verbal Analysis/Reasoning Review...................... 103 Strategies for Taking the Math Test........................ 112 Math Review........................................ 133 Strategies for Reading Comprehension ..................... 277 Sample Passages and Questions ........................ 282 Answers and Explanations ............................ 286 Strategies for Writing the Essay ........................... 288 English Grammar Review ............................. 299 CONTENTS Merriam-Webster’s Roots to Word Mastery ................ 339 SSAT PRACTICE TEST 1 ............................. 401 Part I: Writing the Essay ............................... 402 Part II: Multiple Choice ................................ 405 Verbal............................................. 405 Quantitative (Math) 1 ................................ 411 Reading Comprehension ............................. 414 Quantitative (Math) 2 ................................ 422 Explanatory Answers to the SSAT Practice Test 1 ........ 426 Verbal............................................. 426 Quantitative (Math) 1 ................................ 429 Reading Comprehension ............................. 433 Quantitative (Math) 2 ................................ 437 SSAT PRACTICE TEST 2 ............................. 443 Part I: Writing the Essay ............................... 444 Part II: Multiple Choice ................................ 447 Verbal............................................. 447 Quantitative (Math) 1 ................................ 453 Reading Comprehension ............................. 457 Quantitative (Math) 2 ................................ 466 Explanatory Answers to the SSAT Practice Test 2 ........ 470 Verbal............................................. 470 Quantitative (Math) 1 ................................ 475 Reading Comprehension ............................. 479 Quantitative (Math) 2 ................................ 482 ISEE PRACTICE TEST 1 .............................. 487 Verbal Reasoning ....................................... 488 Quantitative Reasoning .................................. 492 Reading Comprehension ................................. 496 Math Achievement ...................................... 506 Writing Sample......................................... 512 Explanatory Answers to the ISEE Practice Test 1......... 515 Verbal Reasoning.................................... 515 Quantitative Reasoning............................... 519 Reading Comprehension ............................. 523 Math Achievement .................................. 528 www.petersons.com vi CONTENTS ISEE PRACTICE TEST 2 .............................. 537 Verbal Reasoning ....................................... 538 Quantitative Reasoning .................................. 542 Reading Comprehension ................................. 546 Math Achievement ...................................... 555 Writing Sample......................................... 560 Explanatory Answers to the ISEE Practice Test 2......... 563 Verbal Reasoning.................................... 563 Quantitative Reasoning............................... 566 Reading Comprehension ............................. 570 Math Achievement .................................. 574 vii www.petersons.com INTRODUCTION ABOUT THIS BOOK If you’re reading this book now, it’s likely you’re planning to take a very important test—either the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) or the Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE). The results of these tests can well determine whether you’ll be accepted to your first-choice private high school. This book is part of our popular “Success” series and is designed to help you prepare for these tests. It is an accepted fact that the more you practice, the better you will do on the test. Therefore, we have provided plenty of practice material for you. The book is set up to take you step-by-step through each test. The first part of the book contains two diagnostic tests, one for the SSAT and one for the ISEE. Use the results of these diagnostics to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. While it is important to study and re- view everything that will appear on the test, the diagnostic test will help you focus on those subjects that need additional work. After the diagnostics, you will find review material for the four major areas covered on both exams: Verbal Analysis, Mathematics, Reading Comprehension, and Writing an Essay. Read through and study these chapters, answer the practice questions, and take notes on anything you don’t understand. You should then ask one of your teachers to help you. You will also find “Merriam-Webster’s Roots to Word Mastery,” a special vocabulary-building chapter. Written by the staff at Merriam-Webster exclusively for Peterson’s test-prep students, this chapter will help you prepare for your exam by building your vocabulary through Greek and Latin word roots. The third section of the book presents two full-length sample tests for both the SSAT and ISEE tests. Take the tests under conditions that are similar to the actual exam. For example, the actual SSAT consists of five sections, and you are given 25 minutes to complete the writing section and 30 minutes to complete each of the four multiple-choice sections. However, one section is experimental and does not count toward your final score. Therefore, you will have only four sections on the SSAT tests in this book, so allocate about 2 hours for each test. The actual ISEE contains five sections and takes almost 3 hours, so give yourself enough time to take the sample tests at the end of this