GED Practice Question 2
For the GED, it’s important not just to take practice questions, but to think about how to answer GED questions. That’s why I’m taking some GED practice questions in reading from this site: http://www.studyguidezone.com/ged_reading.htm, and explaining how I thought them through to come up with the answers.
Here’s the next GED question, based on the reading on the site:
2. What was the Olive Branch petition?
A: an attempt to reconcile with France
B: an attempt to reconcile with King George II
C: a declaration of war against England
D: a plan of military strategy
This question is called a comprehension question. That means it tests whether you can understand what you read. These can be pretty easy to answer, but they can also take a long time… and the GED is a timed test, so time is important! That’s why I use skimming and scanning to answer GED questions, especially if the reading is long, like this one.
So, first I read the question. It’s about the Olive Branch petition. Then, I scan the reading…move my eyes quickly to find the words I’m looking for, “Olive Branch.” I find it in the first paragraph:
This Congress also drew up the Olive Branch petition, a peace offering made to the King of England.
So, the question is, what is it? The reading says “a peace offering made to the King of England,” but that’s not in the answers. It’s worded different to see if you really understand. The first answer says it’s an attempt to reconcile with France, but it doesn’t have anything to do with France! The second answer says an attempt to reconcile with King George II. Well, a peace offering is a way to reconcile… that is, make up. If you don’t know what reconcile means or who King George II is, you can skip this answer for now…it’s at least a maybe. Still, it’s about a king, and the reading says the peace offering is to a king.
The third answer says “a declaration of war against England.” Even if I don’t know what a declaration is, I know that war isn’t peace! It’s like, the opposite. The last answer says “a plan of military strategy.” Well, a plan isn’t a peace offering, so that’s not right.
If you know what “reconcile” means, you should be pretty sure the answer is B. But to be sure, you can see if “King George II” is somewhere in the reading…he’s in the second paragraph:
The minds of many of these reluctant colonists were changed, however, by the Battle of Bunker Hill, which was won by the British. After this battle, King George II declared that the colonists were in a state of rebellion.
That sure sounds like he’s the King of England, right? The answer is B. That’s a pretty easy one! I’ll go through another question next week.
Good luck on your GED… and let me know if you have any questions or issues with reading. Hey, and if you’ve got an election on “Super Tuesday,” Curtis says to get out and vote!
To find out more about the GED test and GED test preparation, visit The GED Academy at passGED.com.