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You know, one thing about the GED reading test that you need to know is literature terms. If you come across a term you don’t know, you can still try to figure out the question, but it really helps to know the terms! This GED reading practice question is more about literature terms than actually reading. It’s another question from the Study Guide Zone, which has a big, long text, questions, and some brief answers…so I’m giving explanations of how I’d answer the questions. Well, forget the big, long text, because for this question, you don’t even need to read it. If you understand the question, you can get the answer.

Here’s your GED practice question: 7. What is one irony of the Declaration of Independence?
A: It was written on parchment paper.
B: It borrowed many of its ideas from the English thinker John Locke.
C: It was composed in Philadelphia.
D: It was composed in 1775.

What’s the one most important thing that will help you understand this question? Well, you have to understand what the Declaration of Independence is, I guess. But it’s most important to know what “irony” means. The answers all give you true things about the Declaration of Independence. But you have to figure out which one is an “irony.”

Could you guess the answer without knowing what “irony” is, or without being sure? You probably can. Which thing might have some special meaning? That’s what you’d need to figure out. The Declaration of Independence was composed in 1775. Does that have some special meaning? Is it strange or unusual or important in any way? I guess it’s important because it’s right before the beginning of the U.S., but that’s just logical (it was written then BECAUSE the colonies wanted to form the United States).

What about that it was written in Philadelphia? Does that have any special meaning? The Declaration of Independence and Philadelphia? I can’t think of any, and the answer probably won’t depend on my having any special knowledge about Philadelphia.

What about that it’s on parchment paper? Is there anything special about the Declaration of Independence being written on parchment paper? I guess not. I mean, I guess a lot of things were probably written on parchment paper back then. I don’t really know anything about parchment paper! And remember, the test won’t expect you to have any special knowledge about something like that.

The only other answer is B, it took ideas from an English guy named John Locke. Does that have special meaning? I don’t know anything about this Locke guy, except what it says…that he’s English. Well, that’s sort of different, right? I mean, you wouldn’t expect ideas from an ENGLISH guy in the Declaration of Independence, which was AGAINST English rule. So, it’s like it used English ideas against England. That’s at least some kind of special connection or meaning that might be “irony.” So, if I’m not sure, I can probably guess that it’s answer B.

If you know what “irony” means, you can be pretty sure the answer is B. A lot of literary glossaries have too many words to remember, and you don’t need lots of difficult words. Here’s a glossary that’s more my speed…not too many words, not too difficult:

http://www.redcreekcsd.k12.ny.us/RKeim/Lit%20Terms.htm 

For irony, it says “unexpected idea.” Well, it is pretty unexpected that a document against England would be based on an English guy’s ideas. Nothing else on the answer choices seems unexpected at all. So, the answer is B… and you can figure it out, even if you’re not sure what the term means!

Good GED studying!

For more information about the GED test and GED test preparation, visit The GED Academy at http://www.passged.com.

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