I call our world Flatland, not because we call it so, but to make its nature clearer to you, my happy readers, who are privileged to live in Space.
Imagine a vast sheet of paper on which straight Lines, Triangles, Squares, Pentagons, Hexagons, and other figures, instead of remaining fixed in their places, move freely about, on or in the surface, but without the power of rising above or sinking below it, very much like shadows — only hard and with luminous edges — and you will then have a pretty correct notion of my country and countrymen. Alas! a few years ago, I should have said, “my universe;” but now my mind has been opened to higher views of things.
In such a country, you will perceive at once that it is impossible that there should be anything of what you call a “solid” kind; but I dare say you will suppose that we could at least distinguish by sight the Triangles, Squares, and other figures moving about as I have described them. On the contrary, we could see nothing of the kind, not at least so as to distinguish one figure from another. Nothing was visible, nor could be visible, to us, except straight Lines; and the necessity of this I will speedily demonstrate.
Place a penny on the middle of one of your tables in Space; and leaning over it, look down upon it. It will appear a circle.
But now, drawing back to the edge of the table, gradually lower your eye (thus bringing yourself more and more into the condition of the inhabitants of Flatland), and you will find the penny becoming more and more oval to your view; and at last when you have placed your eye exactly on the edge of a table (so that you are, as it were, actually a Flatland citizen) the penny will then have ceased to appear oval at all, and will have become, so far as you can see, a straight line.

I never thought about that! If you lived in a place that was flat, like you were really small and lived between two sheets of paper, you would only see lines. And so if you think about it, we only see two dimentions at one time, even though our world has three dimentions (like height, width, and depth). We can sorta see in 3D because we can tell if something’s close or far away, but we can’t see someone from the front, and the back, and the top and bottom all at the same time! So could there be like a 4th dimention or a 5th dimention? Could someone in a 4th dimentional world see us from the top and bottom and even our insides all at once? See, it gets really confusing! I bet this is the kind of thing Dwayne would like. It sounds all like science fiction! But I guess it’s just math, really. Here’s a practice question about the book.

According to the above passage, who is the narrator in Flatland?

1. A Man
2. A Line
3. A 2D Shape
4. A 3D Shape
5. Impossible to Know

At first I might think that answer 1 is right, because it’s not like a shape could write a book. But you gotta remember that the narrator and the author are two different things, so even though only a man or a woman could write the book, the narrator could be a shape or an animal or anything!

If you re-read the passage, you notice a line right away that mostly explains this answer.

“Imagine a vast sheet of paper on which straight Lines, Triangles, Squares, Pentagons, Hexagons, and other figures, instead of remaining fixed in their places, move freely about… and you will then have a pretty correct notion of my country and countrymen.”

He says right there that his “countrymen” are “Lines, Triangles, Squares, Pentagons, Hexagons, and other figures” all living in a “flat” land. So it can’t be a man or a 3D shape.

That means it’s either 2, 3 or 5. Later on, he talks about how things look like a line, but are really a shape. Like how he says that when you look at a penny with your eye right on the table its on, it looks like a line. So you might think the narrator is a shape. However, in that first line I quoted, it said, “Imagine a vast sheet of paper on which straight Lines, Triangles, Squares…” Lines were included! So that means some of his “countrymen” might be lines, and so he might be a line too. It’s impossible to know from just this passage. So, the answer is number 5.

Pretty loco, huh? This is the kinda book where it’s not like the words themselves are hard or anything. There’s not really anything I have to look up in the dictionary. But his ideas that he’s talking about are kinda weird and I’m not used to thinking that way, so I have to read it a few times to get what he’s really saying. But in the end, it’s fun to read things like this once you understand them. Now I can understand the things like 2D and 3D and maybe even 4D a little better. So if someone starts talking about it, I don’t feel completely lost (and by SOMEONE it’s probably going to be Dwayne)!

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

One author who has done a really good job of writing genre fiction that a lot of people consider to be “literature” is Stephen King. He writes mostly scary stories and some science fiction, and most authors who write those kinds of things aren’t thought of very highly in the literary world, but he’s won a lot of awards and gotten a lot of good review from critics. He’s also been writing for a really long time! His first novel, Carrie, was published in 1974, and his latest one, Under the Dome, was published just last  year in 2009. That’s 35 years of writing!

So, maybe Stephen King writes “literature.” Maybe not. Either way, our practice question today is about his short story, “Willa.”

The moon was high when he and Willa walked back to the road, holding hands. David didn’t see how that could be–they had stayed for only the first two songs of the next set–but there it was, floating all the way up there in the spangled black. That was troubling, but something else troubled him even more.
“Willa,” he said, “what year is it?”
She thought it over. The wind rippled her dress as it would the dress of any live woman. “I don’t exactly remember,” she said at last. “Isn’t that odd?”
“Considering I can’t remember the last time I ate a meal or drank a glass of water? Not too odd. If you had to guess, what would you say? Quick, without thinking.”
“Nineteen… eight-eight?”
He nodded. He would have said 1987 himself. “There was a girl in the there wearing a T-shirt that said Crowheart Springs High School, Class of ‘03. And if she was old enough to be in a roadhouse–”
“Then ‘03 must have been at least three years ago.”
“That’s what I was thinking.” He stopped. “It can’t be 2006, Willa, can it? I mean, the twenty-first century?”

According to the above passage, when was this story most likely written?

1. 1987
2. 1988
3. 2003
4. 2006
5. There’s no way to know.

Ok, so since Stephen King’s been writing from 1974 to the present day, we can’t really cross anything out. And besides, the question specifically asks, “according to the passage above.” So I can’t use outside information to answer this question. Like maybe I already knew when it was written before I read this question. That doesn’t count. I gotta read the text.

In the text, it mentions all the dates: 1987, 1988, 2003, and 2006. Also, the things they talk about in the text could have been written in any time period. Like, roadhouses and t-shirts existed in 1987 and also in 2006, right? It’s likely that it was written in 2006 because that’s when the story seems to take place. At least, that’s what I’d imagine from when he says, “It can’t be 2006, Willa, can it?” But even so, it might not be 2006 even in the story! Obviously, the two main characters are really confused. The only thing they’re going off of to guess that it’s 2006 is that the girl with a ‘03 t-shirt is at a roadhouse. But she could have graduated early or late. Or she could be in the Roadhouse and underage. Or she could look really young for her age, and she actually graduated 10 years ago! There’s really no way to even know what date it is in the book, and even if we knew that, we couldn’t be sure that the date in the book is the same date that the book was written.

What happens in the text of a story doesn’t really have anything to do with the circumstances or time period of the writer. And a book can even be written over a long time. Willa was actually published in 2006, but Stephen King coulda written it at any time. Maybe he even started it in 1974! There’s just no way to know. I’d go with #5.

Good luck studying for your GED, and keep reading!

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

It’s all interesting stuff, but sometimes if we want to know more about it, we gotta read science books, like On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. He’s the guy who came up with this idea of evolution. I don’t know if he thought we all came from some sorta primordial soup though. I think he just mostly noticed that animals can change to fit their environment, and that eventually all of that species changes too. Here’s a paragraph from his book:

If we suppose any habitual action to become inherited—and I think it can be shown that this does sometimes happen—then the resemblance between what originally was a habit and an instinct becomes so close as not to be distinguished. If Mozart, instead of playing the pianoforte at three years old with wonderfully little practice, had played a tune with no practice at all, he might truly be said to have done so instinctively. But it would be the most serious error to suppose that the greater number of instincts have been acquired by habit in one generation, and then transmitted by inheritance to succeeding generations. It can be clearly shown that the most wonderful instincts with which we are acquainted, namely, those of the hive-bee and of many ants, could not possibly have been thus acquired.

What point is the author trying to make in this passage?

1. Talented people inherit their abilities.

2. It is difficult to know the difference between a learned habit and an inherited one.

3. Learned habits and inherited habits are the same thing.

4. Animals can not learn.

5. People do not have instincts.

Ay, I had to read this several times to understand it all. Immediately, I understood about Mozart. I know about him, he was a famous composer. Darwin says that he could play piano when he was tres años. That’s impressive, but it doesn’t mean he was born being able to play piano, right? He had to practice a little. So I guess Darwin’s trying to make a point about what you’re born with, and what you’re not born with. Like he says about what instincts get acquired by habit. So if you play piano a lot, then you eventually can play it just like it was an instinct. But it’s not an instinct you were born with, so you don’t necessarily pass it down to your children, like a basic instinct to find food.

That means number one isn’t right, because Darwin says right in the Mozart part that “it would be the most serious error” to guess that someone could inherit their talent just because their father or mother could do it. There’s a possibility that maybe they could inherit it, but that’s not what the author is saying here.

I think number two is right. Darwin says something really similar at the beginning: “If we suppose any habitual action to become inherited—and I think it can be shown that this does sometimes happen—then the resemblance between what originally was a habit and an instinct becomes so close as not to be distinguished.” Look at the last part. “…so as not to be distinguished.” That means they’re almost the same, so you can’t tell the difference. If you can’t tell the difference, then it would be hard to know which is one and which is the other. That’s exactly what number two says!

Number three is really close to number two. How do we know that Darwin isn’t just saying that there’s no difference at all? Well, He says that it would be wrong to say that instincts developed by habit in one generation are transmitted down to their children through inheritance. That’s making a strong point that they’re not the same. Otherwise it wouldn’t matter if your parents developed something from habit or from inheritance themselves. You’d have an equal possibility of inheriting either.

Number four and five are both wrong. It doesn’t say anything about either of these. Though, I think it’s important to realize that they’re wrong because the passage doesn’t talk about them. I know that animals can learn. People teach dogs tricks all the time! And I’m pretty sure everyone has instincts. That’s how we survive! But the question doesn’t ask about what’s true and what’s not true. It asks about what the author is saying. But here, we can see that he doesn’t say anything about that. He mostly talks about the difference between instincts and whether they’re developed in your life or inherited from your parents. That’s why I’m pretty sure that number two is right.

This was a really challenging question. If you could answer it right, you’re doing really well! Challenging yourself with difficult readings can make the kind of things you normally read a lot easier! It’s like running a little extra sometimes so that when it’s time for the big race, you know you can do it and more!

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

What’s more frustrating is when I have to read English in a book with strange accents I’ve never heard before. A lot of books have different kinds of writing for the dialogue… you know, when people talk. Like different dialects. They can be so confusing. Here’s a GED practice question that shows what I mean. The passage is from “Pollyanna,” by Eleanor Hodgeman Porter.

“For the land’s sake, Miss Pollyanna, what a scare you did give me,” panted Nancy, hurrying up to the big rock, down which Pollyanna had just regretfully slid.

“Scare? Oh, I’m so sorry; but you mustn’t, really, ever get scared about me, Nancy. Father and the Ladies’ Aid used to do it, too, till they found I always came back all right.”

“But I didn’t even know you’d went,” cried Nancy, tucking the little girl’s hand under her arm and hurrying her down the hill. “I didn’t see you go, and nobody didn’t. I guess you flew right up through the roof; I do, I do.”

Pollyanna skipped gleefully.

“I did, ‘most—only I flew down instead of up. I came down the tree.”

Nancy stopped short.

“You did—what?”

“Came down the tree, outside my window.”

“My stars and stockings!” gasped Nancy, hurrying on again. “I’d like ter know what yer aunt would say ter that!”

What does this passage reveal about Pollyanna’s personality?

1) She is gloomy and pessimistic.

2) She is adventurous and carefree.

3) She is easily scared.

4) She is a mischievous troublemaker.

5) She is studious and strict.

When I first look at this passage, I immediately feel so confused. What does “For the land’s sake” mean? And what does she mean by, “Ladies’ Aid?” There are so many things they say here that I just don’t get. But I’ve figured out that you can’t get discouraged if you don’t understand everything in a passage. There are still a lot of things that I can understand, especially after I read the question.

It asks about Pollyanna’s personality. So, I look for things that answer the question, and don’t worry too much about what I don’t understand! Let’s see. In the second sentence, Pollyanna tells Nancy that “you mustn’t, really, ever get scared about me.” And later on she is skipping gleefully. Does that sound gloomy? I don’t think so. Gloomy is the opposite of gleefull!Even if I’m not sure what “gleeful” means, she’s skipping, and just doesn’t seem gloomy at all. Later it says that she just “came down the tree.” This scares Nancy! But it doesn’t scare Pollyanna, so I know #3 isn’t right. I don’t think studious and strict people would climb trees or run off without telling anyone, so #5 doesn’t sound right.

I think that #4 could be the answer. Troublemakers don’t always follow the rules (just look, it has the word “trouble” in it), and it doesn’t sound like Pollyanna is following them either. This is the one you might guess. But what does “mischievous” mean? Have you heard the word “mischief?” It’s more trouble. It’s kind of being mean and making problems. I think that Pollyanna might be causing trouble for Nancy, but she isn’t doing it to be harmful or mean. She even apologizes to Nancy when she realizes that she had scared her!

So, I think the best answer is #2. That one says “adventurous and carefree.” Pollyanna sure seems to like adventure… doing new things… and she doesn’t seem to worry, that makes her “carefree.” It’s a better answer, because Pollyanna doesn’t seem to want to cause trouble, particularly. She just seems to want to go out and have fun.

See, you can figure out the main idea of a reading, even if you can’t understand every word. Sometimes it’s important to look words up. But you don’t want to get bogged down with looking up every word! Especially if it seems likeit’s not part of the main point . Or like with the “Ladies’ Aid.” I don’t know exactly what that is, but I can guess that it is someone who most likely looked after Pollyanna, and that’s good enough for the time being. Unless, of course, the question asks specifically, “Who is the Ladies’ Aid?” Then we have some more thinking to do!

Good luck studying for the GED.

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

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.

I found books at the Online Books Page, Classic Reader and also Google Books (if you search for “full view”). It’s easy to find  a book to read, any time. I like to read mysteries, because they’re sort of like puzzles, to think about what the solution is. I started reading this one I found on Classic Reader, called Where There’s a Will. So, I thought I’d make a GED reading practice question from it… Here it is!

He sauntered over and dropped a quarter into the slot-machine by the door, but the thing was frozen up and refused to work. I’ve seen the time when Mr. Sam would have kicked it, but he merely looked at it and then at me.

“Turned virtuous, like everthing else around the place. Not that I don’t approve of virtue, Minnie, but I haven’t got used to putting my foot on the brass rail of the bar and ordering a nut sundae…”

When Mr. Sam says “ordering a nut sundae,” it’s a metaphor for:

1) going crazy

2) being virtuous

3) gambling

4) being sinful

What do you think? Can you answer the question?

Going into a bar and ordering an ice-cream sundae isn’t literal language, it’s not talking about really ordering  a sundae. It’s what’s called figurative language. It’s talking about something else. That’s what it means to be a “metaphor.” So, what’s it really talking about? What does it mean?

You need to read the passage to understand what he’s saying. He tries to use a slot machine, and it doesn’t work. He says it’s being virtuous… that’s because the slot-machine is “refusing” to gamble. That’s what’s called personification… he’s talking about the slot machine like it’s a person. So there’s lots of figurative language in this quote!

He says he doesn’t disapprove of virtue but he’s not used to going into a bar and ordering a sundae. The part about the sundae is the metaphor. So, what answer can replace the part about the sundae, and still make sense?

He doesn’t disapprove of virtue but he’s not used to going crazy? That doesn’t make sense. He doesn’t disapprove of virtue but he’s not used to being virtuous? That’s more like it. It makes sense! What about the next one? He doesn’t disapprove of virtue but he’s not used to gambling? That’s not very logical! What about, he doesn’t disapprove of virtue but he’s not used to being sinful? That doesn’t make sense, either, not as much as answer 2. Answer 2 is right… ordering a sundae is virtuous (instead of ordering liquor, at a bar). So, that’s the metaphor.

Good reading! And good GED studying!

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

Celebrate Banned Books Week

Banned Books Online

Controversial and Banned Books

Okay, now here’s the practice question… from William Faulkner’s book As I Lay Dying, which was banned in 1986 by the Graves County, Kentucky school board:

Jewel and I come up from the field, following the path in single file. Although I am fifteen feet ahead of him, anyone watching us from the cottonhouse can see Jewel’s frayed and broken straw hat a full head above my own.

The path runs straight as a plumb-line, worn smooth by feet and baked brick-hard by July, between the green rows of laidby cotton, to the cottonhouse in the center of the field, where it turns and circles the cottonhouse at four soft right angles and goes on across the field again, worn so by feet in fading precision.

The cottonhouse is of rough logs, from between which the chinking has long fallen. Square, with a broken roof set at a single pitch, it leans in empty and shimmering dilapidation in the sunlight, a single broad window in two opposite walls giving onto the approaches of the path. When we reach it I turn and follow the path which circles the house. Jewel, fifteen feet behind me, looking straight ahead, steps in a single stride through the window. Still staring straight ahead, his pale eyes like wood set into his wooden face, he crosses the floor in four strides with the rigid gravity of a cigar store Indian dressed in patched overalls and endued with life from the hips down, and steps in a single stride through the opposite window and into the path again just as I come around the corner. In single file and five feet apart and Jewel now in front, we go on up the path toward the foot of the bluff.

When the writer says Jewel has “the rigid gravity of a cigar store Indian,” he means:

1) Jewel is part Native American.

2) Jewel is not moving at all.

3) Jewel seems tense and stiff.

4) Jewel is smokng a cigar.

5) Jewel is excitable but hiding his feelngs.

So, what did you think? Do you find the answer? This is what’s called a metaphor. The author is comparing Jewel to a wooden Indian that stands outside a cigar store. Now, there aren’t any cigar stores with wooden Indians outside them anymore, anyway not a lot of them, so who knows anything about that? But you can probably tell that it’s a metaphor, he’s not really saying Jewel is an Indian or anything about Jewel smoking a cigar. It’s also not saying Jewel is not moving at all, because Jewel is walking. So that leaves answers 3 and 5. Answer 5 says Jewel is excitable… but there’s not anything in the passage to hint at that. It would be reading too much into it. The answer is 3… Jewel is stiff, like a wood statue of an Indian. Do you think you could think that one through?

Good luck on your GED!

Hello my name is jasmin, and I’m working on getting my ged. I just need some advice on how you think I can better myself in the mathmatics field. I used to be able to understand it fully, but now it’s like it goes in one ear and out the other. So I was wondering is you have any tricks to help me with understanding math a little better, as far as algerbra and geometry?

Hola, Jasmine! Well, my special area is reading. And I would definitely say, you should check out Curtis’s blog… he’s got a lot of help for GED math. But I do have some suggestions.

First, math is a step-by-step process. Think of it like building a tower. The higher floors all depend on the base. That means, you need to really know the basic math and the foundations first. If you’re having trouble, try taking a step back to a more basic idea, to build up your background knowledge.

Also–math is about doing but also about understanding. You’re learning a way to solve puzzles and problems. So, always ask yourself–why is the math done this way? Why is this thing true? It’s a lot easier to remember something if you know the ‘why’ of it, than just trying to remember it. Like math formulas. If you know why they’re true, you can remember how to do them.

Now the doing part… practice really helps with math. Here’s a good way to practice. Take a practice problem and write it down. Then, do each step. But don’t just do it. Write down why you’re doing it. This is just like my advice for taking notes or studying other stuff… you’re actively learning. Write yourself instructions for solving the problem as you go. This will help you get the way to solve it “set” in your mind. Here’s an example of what I would do:

The reason this helps is because writing down the steps you’re doing helps you think through the problem and remembering it. If you have someone who can study with you, explaining the problem and how you’re doing it to them can help, too. You’ll learn faster and remember better.

For more math help, check out Curtis’s blog. And let me know how you’re doing!

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

If I look for information on atoms on Google, here’s what I see:

If I have trouble reading the text, does it help me? Not too much. But if I click on “image” at the top of the page, I see pictures, and I can choose the one that looks most helpful. If I want something simple, I look for something easy to understand.

And looking at the picture and understanding it will help me read the website, too. And that improves my reading skills.

Here’s another thing you can do with Google. Say you don’t know a word, or don’t know how to spell it. Put your best guess into Google. Google will probably tell you the right way to spell it and show you where to get information about what it means.

So those are two ways to use Google to help you read, write, and study better… what do you think? Do you have other ideas?

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

I know, you probably never thought too much about taking notes while you were in school. I mean, what’s taking notes really for? How does it help? Well, I figured out that, if I’m taking notes, it makes me think about what I’m learning. You know, so it doesn’t just pass right in one ear and out the other. Thinking about your GED studying makes it “stick” better, and that means you learn more. And the more you learn from studying, the quicker you get your GED!

One way to take notes is called the Cornell Notes system. It’s just a way to keep your notes and thoughts organized while you’re studying. You could use it during a class or lesson, or even use it to take notes from a book you’re studying. Here’s what a Cornell Notes page looks like:

Remember, part of what you get out of your notes is looking over them afterwards, too, so you remember what you learned. Give it a try!

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