Carlo writes:

Hi Maria. I got a question. On the GED Test I had a couple of questions that I didn’t understand. Could you help me with these questions. I will type the poem and questions. Thanks.

Okay! Let’s go through the GED reading questions. Here’s the poem Carlo is asking about:

What Are the Fish At The Aquarium?

At the Aquarium

SERENE the silver fishes glide,
Stern-lipped, and pale, and wonder-eyed!
As through the aged deeps of ocean,
They glide with wan and wavy motion.
They have no pathway where they go,
They flow like water to and fro,
They watch with never-winking eyes,
They watch with staring, cold surprise,
The level people in the air,
The people peering, peering there:
Who wander also to and fro,
And know not why or where they go,
Yet have a wonder in their eyes,
Sometimes a pale and cold surprise.

Max Eastman. At The Aquarium, 1883: MODERN AMERICAN POETRY Louis Untermeyer, ed. 1919

That’s the poem. The important part, of course, is the questions… There are two questions to answer, and here’s the first one:

What feelings does the speaker attribute to the fish by calling them “wonder-eyed” (line 2)?

(1) fear of the crowds
(2) sadness at the plight
(3) interest in their surroundings
(4) anxiety about their fact service
(5) happiness with each other’s company

This one is a vocabulary question. What does “wonder-eyed” mean? It’s important to look at the context of the poem… it’s overall meaning. If you know what “wonder” is…. a feeling of amazement, kind of, like that things are WONDERful… then that will help eliminate some answers at least… “fear” isn’t wonderful, or “sadness,” or “anxiety.” That leaves two answers… “interest” or “happiness.”

So, what’s the poem say about the fishes? What’s the context? It’s at an aquarium. Can you kind of picture what an aquarium looks like? Like, the Monterey Bay Aquarium… that’s a big one. There are different ones, especially by the coast, and you go there to look at all the sea creatures, kind of like  a zoo, for fishes, sharks, octopuses… If you’ve seen one on TV or can connect it to your life, then you can picture the fish in your mind, and that can help. Well, what I’m getting out of this poem is that it’s got two parts. The first part is about the fishes swimming in the aquarium. They swim around, and they watch the people. The second part is about the people… how they look to the fishes, watching them. So, which feeling seems to fit most with what the poem’s about? Interest in their surroundings (what’s going on around them), or happiness with each other’s company? Since the poem talks about the fish watching people, but doesn’t really talk about what the fishes think about each other, I’ll have to say (3) interest in their surroundings. The fish are interested in the people that walk around outside the tank.

Here’s the next question:

Why do people appear “level… in the air” (line 9) to the fish?

(1) lying down on the beach
(2) waving frantically at the fish
(3) walking away from the water
(4) swimming around the ocean
(5) standing outside the fish tanks

Here’s where it helps to try to picture what’s happening. Say you’re a fish. You’re in, like, a big tank, looking out at the people. What do they look like? They’re not lying down on the beach, or swimming around the ocean. They might wave or walk away, but that doesn’t seem to go with what the poem’s saying. “Level” seems to mean that they’re not really moving. Think about what it says the people are doing: “peering, peering.” That means, they’re looking at the fish. So, if they’re looking at the fish, they must be standing outside the fish tanks. I’d go with (5) standing outside the fish tanks. It just makes the most sense!

I know the language of a poem can make it seem kind of difficult. Trying to picture it really helps, for me! Good luck on your GED, and let me know if you have any other GED questions.

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

How do you figure out Business Documents on the GED Reading Test?

One of the parts of the GED reading test is on Workplace and Community Documents. There will probably be 2 nonfiction readings on a full-length GED reading test, and they’ll either be nonfiction prose, workplace/community documents, or critical reviews. That means, you’ll likely have 1 workplace/community document on the test.

Workplace and community documents might be the easiest to understand because they’re the type of documents everyone has to deal with in everyday life. You’ll find memos, letters, manuals, forms, voter information pamphlets, and other everyday types of written communication. If you work in an office, just think of how much written material is part of your work. You have an employee manual, documentation about how to do your job or run machines, e-mails and letters, memos and forms, and all kinds of other written materials. The ones you find on the test should be straight-forward, easy-to-read documents.

The first thing to look at is, what kind of document is it? Is it a letter? If so, who’s it from and who’s it to? Is it a memo? Again, who’s it from and who’s it to? Is it part of a manual or book or pamphlet? What’s the purpose of it? Who’s supposed to read it?

If you understand the purpose (why it’s written) and audience (who’s supposed to read it) of the document, you’ll find it a lot easier to understand and get information from.

Here’s an example of a workplace and community document:

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IN AN EMERGENCY AT WORK?

Emergency Policies

A.    Emergency Warning Notifications

If an emergency or disaster in the community occurs, you may receive a warning from radio or television, government organizations such as NOAA, Internet web sites, the local or state police, or even friends or family members. In case of an emergency in the building, you may be warned by the smoke detectors, sprinkler system, an emergency siren, building security, or building management. In case of a suspected emergency, monitor several sources of information to gather as much relevant information as possible.

If you receive notification of a possible disaster or emergency situation, immediately notify your superior. If the situation requires urgent action, such as a fire, sound alarms and notify employees as quickly, calmly, and succinctly as possible. As necessary, take action to avoid further damage without risking harm to yourself or others.

B.    Sprinkler System, Smoke Detector, and Fire Alarm

In the event of a fire, the activation of the sprinkler system and/or smoke detector due to smoke and/or heat will automatically activate the fire alarm. The building management, company management, and fire department will all be notified by the alarm company. Pull-type manual alarms are located on every floor, as are fire extinguishers and fire evacuation plans. Do not use elevators in the event of a fire.

C.    Emergency Sirens

The building is equipped with emergency sirens that sound in the case of severe weather alerts and other situations that may require emergency action. Please use television, radio, or Internet to gather information if the siren sounds.

D.    Emergency Aid

First aid kits and emergency water and food are stored on each floor of the building.

The GED reading test gives you a question at the beginning of each reading, to help you think about what you’re going to read. The question gives you a clue what the reading is about. This one asks, “What should you do in an emergency at work?” So, you know it’s a document from a workplace, and you have an idea that it has to do with emergency situations. That gives you context to understand what you’re reading.

Since there are a lot of kinds of workplace and community documents, the first thing to ask is: what is this? It has a title at the top, “Emergency Policies.” Well, that just tells you again what you got from the question, this is a workplace document about emergencies. Who’s supposed to read it (audience)? Probably the people who work in an office. What’s it supposed to do (purpose)? It’s supposed to tell you what to do in an emergency.

The document explains information about emergencies and disasters. You might have similar documents at your work. If you can relate what you’re reading to something you’re familiar with, it will be easier to read and understand. Have you ever had your home smoke detector go off? Were you ever in an earthquake or tornado? And where did you get your information then? Workplace documents can often be related to your real life.

It’s important to see that the document is organized. It’s broken up into sections, and that will help you find information to answer questions quicker. Sometimes reading less is better. Instead of getting bogged down in trying to read through the whole document, skim the document quickly to get an idea what it’s about and then read the first question. It’ll tell you which section of the document to take a closer look at.

One thing about the workplace or office: it has its own vocabulary. Workplace and business vocabulary has words like “policy” “estimate” “invoice” “wage” or “employee,” things that affect businesses but not a lot else. So, brushing up on some business words can help. Here are some links to help you build your workplace and business vocabulary:

Workplace Vocabulary Crossword Puzzle

Workplace Vocabulary Quia Quiz

BBC Skillwise Workplace Vocabulary

Business English Vocabulary

Let me know if you need more information!

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

]]> http://www.passged.com/student_blogs/maria/2008/12/03/ged-reading-business-documents/feed/ 1 http://www.passged.com/student_blogs/maria/2008/11/17/ged-reading-how-to-tackle-tough-passages/ http://www.passged.com/student_blogs/maria/2008/11/17/ged-reading-how-to-tackle-tough-passages/#comments Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:39:25 +0000 Maria http://www.passged.com/student_blogs/maria/2008/11/17/ged-reading-how-to-tackle-tough-passages/ Hola, everyone! Hope the GED studying is going well. Here’s a comment from Sunflower on one of my blog posts, and I wanted to write some about it:

when I see a paragraph like this I get scared I feel like its to many words on the page can anyone give me suggestion on reading passage like these and understand what I’m reading I get lost after a few minutes of reading …

I know a lot of people feel this way! I guess the problem is that it’s just overwhelming! I mean, it kinda makes you just not want to even try to read it. Well. I really felt that way a lot when I was first learning English. You look at all the writing, and you don’t know all the words, and you don’t even know where to start or how to figure it out.

But it’s sorta like studying for the GED, you know. You can’t let it get to you, but just take it a little at a time. Here’s a strategy that helps me a lot:

1) When you first look at something you need to read, just look at the headline, the first sentence, the last sentence, and any pictures, diagrams, subheads, or labels you see. Try to get an overview of what it’s about from the clues in the title or in parts of the reading. If there’s just text, read the first sentence of each paragraph, and the last sentence, just to get an idea and start asking questions about it. What do you get from doing this? You get an idea of what the text is about, a background to read it. In your brain, you’re making connections between things you already know and the text you’ll need to read. Try to make as many connections as you can, by thinking of things you know about the topic and asking yourself questions about what you’re going to read!

2) If you’re reading a GED passage, read the questions first. Find out what it is they’re going to ask you about. Now, what are you get by reading the question? You get a goal! You get a real idea of why you actually want to read this. That means, your reading is directed. It gives you a way to make sense of what you’re getting out of reading.

3) Now, start reading, with the question in mind. You’re not just reading, you’re looking for the answer. That will help you understand what you’re reading. Think about it while you’re reading, and it’ll help.

4) What happens when you get to a word you don’t know? Try to understand the word by what the word sounds like or is similar to, and by the context of the word–what’s around it, what the sentence is saying. Don’t worry if you can’t understand every word. You can still get an idea of what the whole text is talking about.

5) Go back to the question after you finished reading. Does the question make more sense now? Do you know what the answer is? You might not be able to answer all the questions, but you’ll be able to improve a lot by taking reading one step at a time, giving it context, and thinking while you’re reading.

Good luck with your GED!

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

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.

From The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith:

Mma Ramotswe had a detective agency in Africa, at the foot of Kgale Hill. These were its assets: a tiny white van, two desks, two chairs, a telephone, and an old typewriter. Then there was a teapot, in which Mma Ramotswe–the only lady private detective in Botswana–brewed redbush tea. And three mugs–one for herself, one for her secretary, and one for the client. What else does a detective agency really need? Detective agencies rely on human intuition and intelligence, both of which Mma Ramotswe had in abundance. No inventory would ever include those, of course.

But there was also the view, which again could appear on no inventory. How could any such list describe what one saw when one looked out from Mma Ramotswe’s door? To the front, an acacia tree, the thorn tree which dots the wide edges of the Kalahari; the great white thorns, a warning; the olive-grey leaves, by contrast, so delicate. In its branches, in the late afternoon, or in the cool of the early morning, one might see a Go-Away Bird, or hear it, rather. And beyond the acacia, over the dusty road, the roofs of the town under a cover of trees and scrub bush; on the horizon, in a blue shimmer of heat, the hills, like improbable, overgrown termite mounds.

Everybody called her Mma Ramotswe, although if people had wanted to be formal, they would have addressed her as Mme Mma Ramotswe. This is the right thing for a person of stature, but which she had never used of herself. So it was always Mma Ramotswe, rather than Precious Ramotswe, a name which very few people employed.

She was a good detective, and a good woman. A good woman in a good country, one might say. She loved her country, Botswana, which is a place of peace, and she loved Africa, for all its trials. I am not ashamed to be called an African patriot, said Mma Ramotswe. I love all the people whom God made, but I especially know how to love the people who live in this place. They are my people, my brothers and sisters. It is my duty to help them to solve the mysteries in their lives. That is what I am called to do.

In idle moments, when there were no pressing matters to be dealt with, and when everybody seemed to be sleepy from the heat, she would sit under her acacia tree. It was a dusty place to sit, and the chickens would occasionally come and peck about her feet, but it was a place which seemed to encourage thought. It was here that Mma Ramotswe would contemplate some of the issues which, in everyday life, may so easily be pushed to one side.

What is the main character’s first name?

A) Mma

B) Kgale

C) Precious

D) Kalahari

E) Ramotswe

The question’s not too hard. The text is really long though! Finding the answer quickly is the trick to know for this one. And the best way to find the answer is to know what you’re looking for. That means, read the question, and figure out what you need to know. It asks for the first name of the main character.

If you skim the reading first, you see that the character is called Mma Ramotswe. You see that all over the place. What does Mma mean, though? It sounds kind of like “Mama,” so maybe it’s not a name. You can scan the text for the other answer choices, to see if one of them’s her first name.

“Kgale” isn’t it. That’s at the beginning, and it’s the name of a hill, not a person. “Precious” is a word, but is it a name? By scanning the article, you can find “Precious” capitalized in the third paragraph, near the end. Plus, it’s used with the character’s last name, Ramotswe. Here’s the sentence: “So it was always Mma Ramotswe, rather than Precious Ramotswe, a name which very few people employed.”

That’s saying, people called her “Mma Ramotswe,” instead of “Precious Ramotswe.” I think Mma is something like saying “mama,” and Precious is her real name.

What’s the other one, just to make sure? Kalahari. That’s in the second sentence. It seems like it’s a place name, though, not a person’s name. So, Precious is her first name, answer C. It’s a lot less time to scan for it than to read the whole thing! Hope this helps on your GED… a lot of the questions are about reading passages, and not just in the reading section, either.

Skimming means looking over the text quickly to try to get the main ideas. It can be good to skim the GED readings before looking at the questions, to get main ideas first. Then, when you know the questions, it’s easier to find the information you need.

To skim a reading, try reading the title, the first and last sentences of paragraphs and important words (especially capitalized names, dates, or other words that stand out.) Get as much important information as you can in a short period of time… and then ask yourself: what are the main ideas?

Scanning means looking for some specific information in the text. You can think of it like looking for a word in the dictionary. You don’t read the whole dictionary, but you find the right area and then look down the page to find the word.

You can do the same thing with GED text. Once you know the question, you know what specific information you need to find. You move your eyes quickly through the text to find key words from the question. Then, when you find them, you can slow down and read the text in that area. You’ll probably find the answer to the question!

Here, try using skimming and scanning on this practice question.

From The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith:

Mma Ramotswe had a detective agency in Africa, at the foot of Kgale Hill. These were its assets: a tiny white van, two desks, two chairs, a telephone, and an old typewriter. Then there was a teapot, in which Mma Ramotswe–the only lady private detective in Botswana–brewed redbush tea. And three mugs–one for herself, one for her secretary, and one for the client. What else does a detective agency really need? Detective agencies rely on human intuition and intelligence, both of which Mma Ramotswe had in abundance. No inventory would ever include those, of course.

But there was also the view, which again could appear on no inventory. How could any such list describe what one saw when one looked out from Mma Ramotswe’s door? To the front, an acacia tree, the thorn tree which dots the wide edges of the Kalahari; the great white thorns, a warning; the olive-grey leaves, by contrast, so delicate. In its branches, in the late afternoon, or in the cool of the early morning, one might see a Go-Away Bird, or hear it, rather. And beyond the acacia, over the dusty road, the roofs of the town under a cover of trees and scrub bush; on the horizon, in a blue shimmer of heat, the hills, like improbable, overgrown termite mounds.

Everybody called her Mma Ramotswe, although if people had wanted to be formal, they would have addressed her as Mme Mma Ramotswe. This is the right thing for a person of stature, but which she had never used of herself. So it was always Mma Ramotswe, rather than Precious Ramotswe, a name which very few people employed.

She was a good detective, and a good woman. A good woman in a good country, one might say. She loved her country, Botswana, which is a place of peace, and she loved Africa, for all its trials. I am not ashamed to be called an African patriot, said Mma Ramotswe. I love all the people whom God made, but I especially know how to love the people who live in this place. They are my people, my brothers and sisters. It is my duty to help them to solve the mysteries in their lives. That is what I am called to do.

In idle moments, when there were no pressing matters to be dealt with, and when everybody seemed to be sleepy from the heat, she would sit under her acacia tree. It was a dusty place to sit, and the chickens would occasionally come and peck about her feet, but it was a place which seemed to encourage thought. It was here that Mma Ramotswe would contemplate some of the issues which, in everyday life, may so easily be pushed to one side.

What is the main character’s first name?

A) Mma

B) Kgale

C) Precious

D) Kalahari

E) Ramotswe