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/ 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.

So, here’s an example practice question about tone:

Fragment of a poem by Sappho:

Raise up the roof-tree—
a wedding song!
High up, carpenters—
a wedding song!
The bridegroom is coming,
the equal of Ares,
much bigger than a big man.

Which word best describes this poem’s tone?

1)  straightforward

2)  celebratory

3)  frustrated

4)  exhausted

5)  nagging

So, since the tone is the mood of the whole thing, you need to look at the whole idea… The poem is about a wedding, and it repeats “a wedding song!” twice. It praises the groom for being a big man. It tells the carpenters to raise the roof, but it’s not nagging. It’s doesn’t seem exhausted or frustrated. It’s celebratory! It’s a poem for a wedding, a celebration.

The other answer choice it gives is “straightforward.” You’ll sometimes see words like “straightforward” or “informational” to describe tone. Usually, these words mean that the writing is like an encyclopedia. It doesn’t have emotion. It just gives the facts. Well, that doesn’t apply here! The best answer is 2, celebratory.

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

A GED reading synthesis question has two parts to read. First, there’s the main reading, like this one, from The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck:

They arose in the dark no more to hear the sleepy birds’ first chittering, and the morning wind around the house while they waited for the first light to go out to the dear acres. These things were lost, and crops were reckoned in dollars, and land was valued by principal plus interest, and crops were bought and sold before they were planted. Then crop failure, drought, and flood were no longer little deaths within life, but simple losses of money. And all their love was thinned with money, and all their fierceness dribbled away in interest until they were no longer farmers at all, buy little shopkeepers of crops, little manufacturers who must sell before they can make, Then those farmers who were not good shopkeepers lost their land to good shopkeepers. No matter how clever, how loving a man might be with earth and growing things, he could not survive if he were not also a good shopkeeper. And as time went on, the business men had the farms, and the farms grew larger, but there were fewer of them.

Now farming became industry, and the owners followed Rome, although they did not know it. They imported slaves, although they did not call them slaves: Chinese, Japanese, Mexicans, Filipinos. They live on rice and beans, the business men said. They don’t need much. They couldn’t know what to do with good wages. Why, look how they live. Why, look what they eat. And if they get funny–deport them.

And all the time the farms grew larger and the owners fewer. And there were pitifully few farmers on the land any more. And the imported serfs were beaten and frightened and starved until some went home again, and some grew fierce and were killed or driven from the country. And farms grew larger and the owners fewer.

Then, the synthesis question gives you another piece of information, like this:

John Steinbeck made ends meet by working as a farm laborer while he was studying at Stanford University.

And then, there’s a question that asks you to use information from both:

John Steinbeck’s experience working on farms probably:

A)  Made him an expert in California history

B)  Contributed to his writing about gourmet foods

C)  Contributed to his writing about farm workers

D)  Led to him owning a farm

E)  Led to him writing about husbandry

Basically, you have to see how the two things relate to each other. In the passage, Steinbeck talks about how farms have changed over time and how the big, modern farms treat the farm workers badly. Then, you learn that Steinbeck worked on a farm while he was going to college. It seems likely that his experiences on a farm made him want to write about what farm workers were going through… remember, it’s got to relate both the new information and the information from the reading together. So, answer C is the best.

Keep a lookout for synthesis questions on the GED, and you’ll know how to do them!

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

From The Pearl, by John Steinbeck.

Kino awakened in the near dark. The stars still shone and the day had drawn only a pale wash of light in the lower sky to the east. The roosters had been crowing for some time, and the early pigs were already beginning their ceaseless turning of twigs and bits of wood to see whether anything to eat had been overlooked.

Where does Kino live?

A)  In a city

B)  On a farm

C)  In a small town

D)  On a boat

E)  In the forest

The text doesn’t really say where he lives, but it gives some clues. So you have to use the clues to infer where he lives. He wakes up, and he hears roosters crowing and pigs looking around for food. So, where would there be roosters and pigs? If you look at it that way, the answer’s easy… B, on a farm. See, sometimes the questions are simple, if you look at them pretty straightforward.

Good GED studying!

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

Helmer. When did my squirrel come home?

Nora. Just now. (Puts the bag of macaroons into her pocket and wipes her mouth.) Come in here, Torvald, and see what I have bought.

Helmer. Don’t disturb me. (A little later, he opens the door and looks into the room, pen in hand.) Bought, did you say? All these things? Has my little spendthrift been wasting money again?

Nora. Yes but, Torvald, this year we can really let ourselves go a little. This is the first Christmas that we have not needed to economise.

Helmer. Still, you know, we can’t spend money recklessly.

Nora. Yes, Torvald, we may be a wee bit more reckless now, mayn’t we? Just a tiny wee bit! You are going to have a big salary and earn lots and lots of money.

Helmer. Yes, after the New Year; but then it will be a whole quarter before the salary is due.

Nora. Pooh! we can borrow till then.

Helmer. Nora! (Goes up to her and takes her playfully by the ear.) The same little featherhead! Suppose, now, that I borrowed fifty pounds to-day, and you spent it all in the Christmas week, and then on New Year’s Eve a slate fell on my head and killed me, and–

Nora (putting her hands over his mouth). Oh! don’t say such horrid things.

Helmer. Still, suppose that happened,–what then?

Nora. If that were to happen, I don’t suppose I should care whether I owed money or not.

So, how do you know what the characters are like? On the GED, they might give you words to describe the characters. You need to look at the characters’ actions and see which words describe them best. Think of the characters like friends of yours. If they acted like they do in the play, what would you think of them? You might say, “Torvald, he’s a pain in the you-know-what.” Or, “Nora, she’s a flake.”

So, can you look at the choices on this GED-type question to see which one seems most like Nora?

Which of the following words best describes Nora?
A) emotional

B) hysterical

C) uncaring

D) greedy

What’s Nora like? That’s the idea. If you were a friend of Nora’s, sitting around gossiping about her, what would you say?  “Oh, Nora, she’s so —??” what? Greedy? Not really. I mean, she spends money, but she’s not really what I’d call greedy. That’s kind of a trick question. She’s not grasping after a lot of money, she just sorta likes to spend, you know. She’s more having fun than being greedy.

“Nora’s always so–”… uncaring? That’s definitely wrong. She gets real upset at the idea that Torvald might die, even though it’s just all made up. That’s not really uncaring.

“Nora’s always so–” … hysterical? No… at first she’s happy, then upset, but she’s not hysterical… I mean, she’s not screaming and crying or anything. Hysterical means like, super emotional, even crazy. If you didn’t know the word, you could just skip it to see if other answers maybe made sense.

“Nora’s always so–” … emotional? Well, that makes more sense. She’s not too practical, or concerned with budgeting. She’s more concerned with being happy, and upset by the idea of something happening to Torvald. She focuses on her emotions. I’d say the answer is A, emotional. Do you see why?

So that’s another good skill for the GED reading… figuring out what characters are like.
Good GED studying!

 For more information about the GED test and GED test preparation, visit The GED Academy at http://www.passGED.com, or call 1-888-880-2164.

Here’s an example… Here’s a part of a play called “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen. It’s got two characters in it, Nora and Helmer, and Nora’s just come home.

Helmer. When did my squirrel come home?

Nora. Just now. (Puts the bag of macaroons into her pocket and wipes her mouth.) Come in here, Torvald, and see what I have bought.

Helmer. Don’t disturb me. (A little later, he opens the door and looks into the room, pen in hand.) Bought, did you say? All these things? Has my little spendthrift been wasting money again?

Nora. Yes but, Torvald, this year we can really let ourselves go a little. This is the first Christmas that we have not needed to economise.

Helmer. Still, you know, we can’t spend money recklessly.

Nora. Yes, Torvald, we may be a wee bit more reckless now, mayn’t we? Just a tiny wee bit! You are going to have a big salary and earn lots and lots of money.

Helmer. Yes, after the New Year; but then it will be a whole quarter before the salary is due.

Nora. Pooh! we can borrow till then.

Helmer. Nora! (Goes up to her and takes her playfully by the ear.) The same little featherhead! Suppose, now, that I borrowed fifty pounds to-day, and you spent it all in the Christmas week, and then on New Year’s Eve a slate fell on my head and killed me, and–

Nora (putting her hands over his mouth). Oh! don’t say such horrid things.

Helmer. Still, suppose that happened,–what then?

Nora. If that were to happen, I don’t suppose I should care whether I owed money or not.

So… what if you had to make a prediction about something Nora might do? Or Helmer? How do you know? The key is looking at what they’ve done in the part of the play they show you. So, you have to figure out which answer choice is most similar to… most like… what the character does in the play.

Want to try? Here’s a practice question:

If Nora burned the dinner for the third time that week, Helmer would most likely:

A) Say nothing about it and pretend it’s okay

B) Yell at Nora angrily

C) Scold Nora couched in loving terms

D) Laugh it off because it’s not important

So, what would Helmer do? How can you tell? Well, the first thing is to look for the situation in the reading that’s closest to the one in the question. In the question, Nora burns dinner for the third time, so she makes a mistake or does something that’s a problem. What kind of mistake or problem does Nora cause in the reading?

It seems to me like the closest thing is that she spends a lot of money. Helmer doesn’t seem too happy about that.

So, if I changed the question and said, “If Nora spent too much money, Helmer would most likely:” … then, what would the answer be?

You know the answer to that, it’s in the reading, right? He doesn’t just say nothing, and he doesn’t yell at her. He doesn’t laugh it off and say it’s not important. He scolds her by saying things like, “The same little featherhead!” and calling her “my little spendthrift.” Sort of mean but nice at the same time, if you know what I mean. I guess you could call it “loving,” sort of! Anyway, “scold Nora couched in loving terms” is closest to what he actually does do.

So, since that’s what you know about how he reacts… isn’t that the most likely way he’d react to a similar situation in the future? Like if Nora burned the dinner?

That’s the way the GED questions work, anyway! The answer is C. And that’s a good one to know on the GED test.

Good studying!

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

The man flung a look back along the way he had come. The Yukon lay a mile wide and hidden under three feet of ice. On top of this ice were as many feet of snow. It was all pure white, rolling in gentle undulations where the ice-jams of the freeze-up had formed. North and south, as far as his eye could see, it was unbroken white, save for a dark hairline that curved and twisted from around the spruce-covered island to the south, and that curved and twisted away into the north, where it disappeared behind another spruce-covered island. This dark hairline was the trail—the main trail—that led south five hundred miles to the Chilcoot Pass, Dyea, and salt water; and that led north seventy miles to Dawson, and still on to the north a thousand miles to Nulato, and finally to St. Michael on Bering Sea, a thousand miles and a half thousand more.

The writer describes layers of ice and snow covering the ground, and large distances to other areas. This emphasizes:

A) That the man is alone with himself and nature.

B) That the man is cold and lonely.

C) That the man has no feelings or emotions.

D) That the man is used to being in a cold climate.

Do you get the answer? Think about the passage, and why the writer might write it like that. Do you see that it doesn’t say a lot about the man. He looks back, and then the writer tells what the man sees. It doesn’t say how the man thinks or what he feels. That’s why I wouldn’t say “C” or “B.” The writer doesn’t really tell you what the man’s emotions are like. So you don’t know if he’s lonely or not. But that doesn’t mean he has no emotions… you just don’t know yet. See, the writer chooses to show you some things… like all the white snow and distance around the man… but he doesn’t show you other things… like what the man is thinking.

So, there’s two other answers… “D” says the man is used to being in a cold climate… well, the man doesn’t really react or anything. But the passage doesn’t really say anything about the man… just that he’s there and looking around. Is he used to the cold climate? I’m not sure.

That leaves “A.” The man is alone… well, the passage describes everything that’s around, snow and a path. Seems very much alone to me! There’s just him… and nature… That’s exactly what answer A says. So, that’s my answer. See, it’s just taking it step by step and thinking about what the writer is actually saying.

Good luck with your GED studying!

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

There are lots of things you can do to become a better reader. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Learning Centre has some great advice online to help you read better… Click the links to read the advice on:

How Do You Become a Better Reader?

Thinking About Reading

Evaluating How Much You Have Improved in Reading

Improving Reading Speed<–Faster reading will give you more time to think about questions on the GED!

Reading for Main Points <–The GED will ask questions about main ideas or main points in the readings.

Reading for Specific Information <–This is really helpful to find answers fast on the GED tests!

Reading Critically <–A lot of GED questions…the critical thinking questions that ask you to evaluate or analyze…ask you to use this skill.

Devising a Reading Plan

How to Enjoy Reading <–This is the best worksheet. The more you enjoy reading, the more you’ll read… and you’ll become a better reader without even trying, by doing something you enjoy.

Here’s another great idea… Goodreads is a website where you can contact friends. Everyone who’s on the site lists books they’ve read or want to read or are reading right not. You can say whether you liked or didn’t like a book, and why. You can look and see what your friends think of different books, start a book club, or even contact an author. This is a great way to start enjoying reading with your friends and classmates!

Good luck with your GED reading! Chao!

For more information about the GED test or GED test preparation, visit The GED Academy at http://www.passGED.com or call 1-888-880-2164.

Here’s an example of a GED question that asks about main idea… but instead of asking for a main idea (or a summary), it asks you what would be a good title. Well, why is that asking about a main idea? A title gives an overview of what you’re going to read. It picks out the most important idea or topic. So, the title is like the main idea. The passage comes from The Study Guide Zone. It’s pretty long… but a main idea means understanding the whole thing! Here’s a hint though… the first and last paragraphs are usually the most important, and can give you a main idea. You can even try just reading the first and last sentences of the paragraphs, and skimming through them. Here’s the first and last paragraphs to look at:

The Second Continental Congress was held May 10, 1775 in Philadelphia. George Washington became the commander of the Americans, mainly because it was felt he would be able to bring the Southern colonies into the fold. This Congress also drew up the Olive Branch petition, a peace offering made to the King of England. The Articles of Confederation were drawn up here; their emphasis on states’ rights proved to be a poor setup for organizing a comprehensive military strategy. This Congress created the Committees of Safety, a system for training community militias. This Congress created a bureaucracy for the purpose of organizing a navy and raising money. Finally, it was here that the colonists formally declared independence.

(…middle paragraphs removed…)

The issuing of the Declaration of Independence had effects both on the Revolutionary War and on world history at large. As far as its immediate effects, it changed the war in America from a war for liberty to a war for independence, by rhetorically emancipating America from Britain. It also opened a path for the French Revolution a few years later, a revolution motivated by the principles expressed in the Declaration. Revolutions in South America, Africa, and Asia have also used the Declaration of Independence as inspiration. In the subsequent history of the United States, the document would be used by abolitionists as an argument against slavery, and by suffragists as an argument for the right of women to vote.

And here’s the sample GED question that asks about the title… and is really asking for the main idea:

10. What would be the best title for this passage?
A: ‘George Washington and the Second Continental Congress’
B: ‘The Founding Fathers Smack Down King George II’
C: ‘The Three Parts of the Declaration of Independence’
D: ‘The Second Continental Congress and the Declaration of Independence’This question is asking you what title fits the passage best…and that means, it has the same main idea. So you need to pay attention to what the paragraphs are mostly about! What’s the point?

Answer A says George Washington and the Second Continental Congress. Well, if you just read the first paragraph, it talks about both those things…right away, so you might think this was the right answer. But if you skim through the whole thing, instead of reading just the beginning… let’s say I read the first and last sentences of the first and last paragraphs. I get:

The Second Continental Congress was held May 10, 1775 in Philadelphia.  … Finally, it was here that the colonists formally declared independence. …  The issuing of the Declaration of Independence had effects both on the Revolutionary War and on world history at large. … In the subsequent history of the United States, the document would be used by abolitionists as an argument against slavery, and by suffragists as an argument for the right of women to vote.

Hmmm!! It talks about the Continental Congress, and about the Declaration of Independence, but not about George Washington at all. If I skim the whole reading, I see that George Washington is really only mentioned once at the beginning. So, he’s not too important to the main idea! (With a little practice, you can quickly look through a reading looking for capital letters to find  names like “George Washington.”)

Answer B is “The Founding Fathers Smack Down King George II.” Well, the problem with saying that would be tone. Or point of view. I mean, would the writer really say “smack down”? It sounds like a pretty interesting title, maybe, but it doesn’t match the boring writing! I mean, straightforward writing. I don’t think the writer would ever say “SMACK DOWN.”

Answer C is “The Three Parts of the Declaration of Independence.” The reading doesn’t really talk about three parts of the Declaration… you can skim through looking for “Declaration of Independence,” to see if there’s anything that talks about three parts… I sure don’t see anything.

Answer D says “The Second Continental Congress and the Declaration of Independence.” Those are the things in those sentences I picked out, the first and last sentences of the paragraphs. Coincidence? No way! This one is what it’s about. And, it’s BORING (I mean, straightforward), just like the writing. So Answer D is right!

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