GRE Study Set

Some common examples of straight-ahead roadsigns are:

And not only...but also Also Because Thus Likewise as well as in addition ; (a semi-colon) Therefore Since : (a colon)

quantitative comparison solving techniques

Compare piece by piece Make quantities look more alike Pick Numbers re drawing a diagram

an author' s argument in GRE Reading Comprehension is always composed of two explicit pieces

Conclusion- the author' s main point, what she is trying to prove Evidence- the author' s reasons or proof for that point, why she believes her conclusion is correct

A few key facts will provide you with the background you need to manage coordinate geometry.

Coordinate geometry is based on a coordinate plane of 4 quadrants formed by 2 axes, an x-axis and a y-axis. Points may be plotted on each of the quadrants. Each point is represented by the coordinate pair (x, y). To find the distance between any two points that do not share a coordinate, form a right triangle and use the Pythagorean theorem. In addition, you can use the Distance Formula (a reworking of Pythagorean Theorem): The degree of the rise or fall of a line on the coordinate plane is the slope. Once the slope is determined, use this to solve the equation of the line: y = mx + b; where x and y are coordinates, m is the slope, and b is where the line crosses the y-axis.

Practice focusing/ predictive reading

Essentially, Predictive Reading is reflecting on what you just read— especially when that text contains a structural keyword— and thinking about where the passage is probably going next. Predictive Reading helps you in your comprehension of the text because, in simple terms, if you think about where the text is going, when it actually goes there, you' ll already know what it' s talking about. It helps you to properly digest and categorize the information as you read, and you will be better able to predict the purpose of potentially complicated details in the passage.

Here are some common examples of detour roadsigns:

but Nevertheless even though Yet Nonetheless However Rather Despite Unless Although While

Detail Questions

A Detail question asks about something that' s actually stated in the text. Here' s where a detail that you skimmed past comes into play. Click on the Example button to see some common stems of this type. Example According to the passage... The author states... The author mentions which of the following... Tips for Detail Questions: For these, use your Passage Map to locate the relevant part of the passage, and review a few lines before and a few lines after if necessary. If you notice where details generally are as you read, instead of what they say, it will be much easier to locate the relevant text to answer any Detail question.

Global Questions

A Global question asks about an author' s primary purpose or main idea. Click on the Example button to see some common stems of this type. The primary purpose of the passage is to... Which of the following best summarizes the main point of the passage? Which of the following most accurately describes the organization of the passage?

There are a couple of ways the GRE can ratchet up the difficulty on Reasoning questions, as well as Reading Comprehension questions in general:

Adding filler/background information to distract you. Remember to stay focused on the author' s conclusion and the pieces of evidence that directly support that conclusion. Everything else should be disregarded as unnecessary details. Omitting clear keywords in a passage. Finding the conclusion is more difficult in the absence of the amazing " therefore" or other keyword that heralds, " Here' s the conclusion!" Sometimes the conclusion isn' t explicitly stated and you will have to infer and paraphrase the conclusion yourself. Multiple viewpoints in a single passage. Always stay focused on who said what, as well as whose opinion the question is actually asking for. Be on the alert for contrast keywords that mark a change in opinion. Long or abstract answer choices. Remember to stay focused on the concept of your prediction, but be flexible with the exact wording. Keep your predictions general and if the choices are long or abstract, read them strategically for the gist to see if it matches, just as you would a passage.

Text completion Challenge #2: The sentence begins with a lot of unnecessary information and doesn't develop its main point until the end.

Although meteorologists have long worried about the impact of the so-called "greenhouse effect" on different regions of the earth's surface, and site-disturbing increases in the earth's temperature, the temperature in New York has been largely stable and cooler than usual this summer. When faced with such confusing sentences, just look for the sentence's main subject and verb to get to the main point. Once you can see through to its basic meaning, you have a much better chance of predicting a missing word.

Inference Questions

An Inference question asks you to read between the lines, searching for the choice that' s suggested or implied by the text. There is a great variety in the ways in which Inference questions are presented. Click on the Example button to see some common stems of this type. Example It can be inferred that... The author suggests that... The passage best supports which of the following statements? The author of the passage would most likely agree with the assertion that...

Strategic Reading basics

As soon as you begin to read a passage, you must seek to identify its topic and scope. Identifying the broader topic is usually a simple matter, and by the end of the first paragraph, the author has already begun to narrow the focus to a specific area of interest. This specific area of interest is the scope, and the remainder of the passage will be devoted to discussing it. The Internal Revenue Service has constructed an intricate web of tests to determine whether an individual who renders services for pay should be considered an independent contractor or an employee for tax purposes. In recent years, the agency... What is the topic? What is the scope? Topic: The IRS Scope: How the IRS' classifies workers into one of two categories Scope = the extent of the area or subject matter that something deals with or to which it is relevant

Temporal/Sequential key words

These keywords are all about time and sequential order and occur with great frequency in GRE passages. They also frequently provide specific clues about the author' s intentions. It probably comes as no surprise that if an author says, " Three distinct factors may work to make interspecific pairings with pied flycatcher males reproductively beneficial," you should be getting ready for the author to talk about three factors (and you should accordingly look out for the accompanying sequential keywords— first, second, finally). recently/until recently, over the past several years, traditionally, finally, then

Contrast key words

Think a shift in direction whenever you see a contrast keyword. You should be able to predict where that shift is likely to lead. but, nonetheless, as opposed to, not only/but also, however, on the other hand, disagree

tips for Quantitative Comparisons

Tip #1: Choice (D) is never the correct answer if both quantities contain only numbers. This strategy is a powerful guessing tool when stuck or short on time towards the end of a section. Tip #2: Choice (D) is always the correct answer if you can establish two different relationships between the quantities. This is important for two reasons. First, once you establish two relationships between the quantities, stop your work, choose (D), and move on. Second, if you are stuck or short on time, once you establish one relationship between the quantities, the correct answer will be either the choice that corresponds to that relationship, or choice (D).

Quantitative Comparisons: Pick Numbers

You can pick numbers on QCs involving unspecified values or variables. Adhere to the rules: permissible and manageable. In this case, pick numbers that conform to the centered information. Pick numbers that are varied, especially when dealing with variables. Unless otherwise indicated, variables can be positive, negative, fractions, 0, or 1. Always test more than one variation of number in order to determine which quantity is larger. If one set of numbers yields a result of Quantity A, but a second set yields a result of Quantity B, then choice (D) is correct. The same goes for any combination of different results.

Emphasis Keywords

any word or phrase that an author uses to say, "Here's what I consider important or significant." Examples: most of all Especially above all best/worst Emphasis Keywords are clues to key pieces of information. Make certain to jot down notes for use on the questions when you see an Emphasis Keyword.

Contrast Keywords

any word or phrase that says "A shift or change in opinion is about to take place." Examples: But However on the other hand Not by contrast alternatively Unlike Continuation Keywords, Contrast Keywords signal a change in the passage's direction, and therefore are strong indicators of passage structure. The author, for example, may support a particular view at the beginning of a passage, but then shift his opinion to argue against it.

Continuation Keywords:

any word or phrase that says "Here comes more of the same." Examples: And Moreover Also Furthermore too Continuation Keywords tell us to expect more of the same. These types of Keywords indicate no change in the author's line of reasoning — the opinion or viewpoint previously mentioned is simply expanded upon.

Evidence Keywords:

any word or phrase that says "Here is support for a point I am making." Examples: because, since,for example due to Evidence Keywords indicate that specific support for the author's point is forthcoming. For this reason, they are especially helpful when you encounter questions that require more detailed knowledge of the passage.

Conclusion Keywords

any word or phrase that says "Here's my ultimate point." Examples: Therefore Thus Hence So clearly Conclusion Keywords provide a quick and easy way to locate the main point of the passage. Questions that refer to a passage's main point are quite common, so this is great news.

. Sequence Keywords

any word or phrase that says "There's a logical order at work here." Examples: first of all next secondly finally before/after Sequence Keywords allow the reader to locate a string of relevant details quickly.

for difficult passages even though the prose and concepts expressed in abstract and science passages may seem difficult, you must keep to your game plan:

Create a Passage Map. Use Keywords to help you navigate through the text. Paraphrase difficult text. Anticipate where the author is likely to go. And above all, skim past those details! The danger of getting bogged down in a morass of information is even greater in difficult passages, so you really must be on your guard. Visualize the passage

In general, there are two rules to follow when picking numbers:

pick permissible numbers. Use the question stem for guidance. If one unknown is twice as large as another, your choices must follow suit! Pick manageable numbers. Small, easy-to-calculate numbers like 2, 3, and 4 are usually good choices. Picking small numbers is especially important when dealing with exponents since exponents can quickly create large numbers. Since a is squared most often, we will want to make this the smaller of the two values

what are the two problem solving techniques?

picking numbers and back solving

quadratic comparisons: Percents

quantity A: 1 quantity B 1/3% of 3 A is larger because B is actually (⅓)/100 of 3 because of the percent

quadratic comparisons: quantity A: X^2 quantity B: 5

quantity A: X^2 quantity B: 5 Could be 5 or -5 so D is the answer

Inequality Exceptions: Flipping the Sign

x/-2> 12 In this case, we'd start by multiplying both sides by - 2 to isolate the x . If we do so, we'll end up with x > - 24. According to this, all values of x greater than - 24 will satisfy the original inequality. But if we plug in 2, for example, we get - 1 > 12, which is impossible. We cannot make the original inequality expression invalid, so what went wrong? The key is that we forgot to reverse the direction of the inequality. Whenever you multiply or divide both sides of an inequality by a negative number, you have to flip the inequality sign. Note, that the negative number must cross the inequality sign for the switch to take place. So the correct solution to the inequality above is x < - 24. If you plug in any value less than - 24, you'll see that the inequality holds true.>

essay writing

DON'T WAFFLE. You don't have time to argue both sides of an issue on the GRE issue essay. Even if you don't believe in the side you choose, you'll only have time to argue one side effectively. If you take a middle-of-the-road approach you won't sound as confident or clear. Remember, according to ETS, the "readers are evaluating the skill with which you address the specific instructions and articulate and develop an argument to support your evaluation of the issue." Which side you choose to defend is less important than how you defend it! CHOOSE VERY SPECIFIC REAL-WORLD EXAMPLES. Don't be general! Hypothetical arguments are easily refuted. The easy counter to any "what-if" argument is to challenge that the hypothetical scenario would ever actually happen. Instead, use specific examples: Mitt Romney, the War of 1812, Keynesian economic theory, an anecdote about your Uncle Ralph the compulsive gambler, etc. are all concrete examples you can use to drive home a point. BUT, MAKE SURE YOUR EXAMPLES ARE RELEVANT TO THE TOPIC. You can choose examples from a wide range of subjects, including personal experience, pop culture, history, sports, literature, current events, politics, etc. But, don't let your examples take over the essay. For instance, if you're using a historical example, be careful that you don't let the bulk of your essay become a summary of that event or a history paper equivalent. Your whole goal on the issue essay is to prove a point, so only use an example if it's going to back up your argument. AVOID FIRST-PERSON AND SELF-REFERENCE. In general, you should avoid writing in first person on the issue essay. Saying things like "I believe" or "in my opinion" adds unnecessary words since the reader already knows that the issue essay is written from your perspective. First-person pronouns should ONLY appear in a body paragraph if you are using personal experience as an example. Never use "I" in your introductory or concluding paragraphs. MAKE STRONG, DECLARATIVE STATEMENTS. Being direct doesn't leave any room for miscommunication or misinterpretation. Part of the reason this is so important is because while one of your graders is human, the other is a computer. If you've ever talked to your GPS or Siri, you've probably experienced some miscommunication from time to time. Avoid this on the GRE issue essay by making strong, declarative statements. REFUTE THE OPPOSING VIEW IN YOUR CONCLUSION. Many GRE students wonder what to do in their conclusion. Try introducing the opposing viewpoint, showing that you recognize that in fact some people do not support your position. Then refute their argument in 1-2 sentences, and reinforce the validity of your own thesis. KNOW HOW THE GRE ANALYTICAL WRITING ESSAYS ARE SCORED Your GRE essays will be scored by half-point increments, from 0 to 6 (highest). Two graders will score both this issue essay and your argument essay. A third grader will also score your essays if your two initial graders' scores differ by more than one point. The graders base scores on their overall impression of your essay — holistically — rather than deducting points for specific errors.

Estimating - problem solving

Estimating works especially well on questions that test one of the following content areas: Geometry Questions: Estimating relative measurements may allow you to eliminate answer choices that are too large or too small to be correct. But remember, this only applies to Problem Solving questions. Also, be wary that the figures are not drawn to scale on the GRE. When estimating a measurement, you are simply approximating, so keep that in mind as you work through these problems. Note: Only use estimation when working with values the question stem has already given you. This is important to remember because we cannot estimate measurements or values within a diagram because the image itself is not drawn to scale. Ratio Questions: Comparing rough estimates of a ratio's 'parts' may allow you to establish a logical range for the correct answer. You can then guess strategically by eliminating answers outside of this range. Three donors made contributions to a certain charity in a ratio of 1 to 2 to 5. If they donated a combined total of $152, how many dollars did the donor who contributed the greatest amount give to the charity? Rate Questions: Estimating rates, particularly on combined rate problems, may also allow you to establish a logical range for the correct answer, and thus eliminate answers outside that range.

There are two types of strategic guessing for problem solving

Estimation: Use logic and good old common sense to help decipher the question and rule out impossible answer choices. Elimination: Use the structure and format of the question stem and answer choices to rule out impossible or unlikely answer choices.

Sentence Equivalence basics

Exactly two answers are correct. Both of those two choices and only those two choices must be selected to receive credit for the question; there is no partial credit. The correct choices need not be exact synonyms; the sentences resulting from the correct choices must be logically equivalent, but not necessarily identical in meaning. Two incorrect choices may be synonyms of one another, but neither will complete the sentence logically. One incorrect choice may complete the sentence logically, but there will not be a second choice that produces a similar meaning. Therefore, Sentence Equivalence questions test your ability to understand the context - to understand the main point that the sentence conveys, and to infer which words best maintain the sentence's meaning.

Quantitative Comparisons: re drawing a diagram (see basic notes for example pictures)

For example, consider the diagram below. A quick scan of it will indicate that x is greater than y, but be careful; all that we know for certain is that line 1 and line 2 are parallel, and that these lines are cut across by a transversal. However, we do not know if the transversal is perpendicular or not. We know that x and y are supplemental (x + y = 180). But this is all we have so far, and we can actually redraw this image a few ways because the image is not drawn to scale

integers and fractions- The Integer Exception

For example, for all positive numbers greater than 1, x^2 is greater than x. We can test this to be sure. If x = 2, then (2)^2 = 4 which is certainly bigger than just 2. Yet we were not told whether or not x is an integer, we just assumed it was. What if x happens to be a positive fraction, say 1/2 , then the opposite is true: x2 is less than x . So if, for instance, we're told only that x is a positive number that isn't equal to 1, we can't know for sure whether x is greater or less than x2 because we don't know whether x is a fraction.

Quantitative Comparisons Compare piece by piece

Frequently, QCs contain a series of values added, subtracted, or multiplied together. When this is the case, a helpful method of comparison involves comparing the quantities piece by piece. Quantity A: The sum of all odd integers from 1 to 24 inclusive Quantity B: The sum of all even integers from 1 to 24 inclusive compare the values piece by piece. If we were to pair up each odd value in Quantity A (1 + 3 + 5 +...+ 21 + 23) with its corresponding even value in Quantity B (2 + 4 + 6 +...+ 22 + 24), each pair would consist of an even value that was one greater than the odd. Thus Quantity B is greater. Without calculating, we could choose Answer Choice (B) by comparing piece by piece.

By way of review, here are the four skills that you need to make habitual by test day!

IDENTIFY TOPIC AND SCOPE Go beyond the broad subject matter to identify the specific aspect of the topic that interests this author. DETERMINE THE AUTHOR'S PURPOSE Remember that a human being wrote the passage with a "Why" in mind. Figure out what that is. GET THE GIST OF THE TEXT Boil down difficult prose to simple terms, concentrating on the ideas that seem most important to the author. READ ACTIVELY That is, keep looking forward to what must follow — and rely on Keywords to provide reliable signals.

Advanced Geometry QC techniques

If there is centered information, always pick numbers that conform to it. To force a relationship change (and to confirm Answer Choice (D) as correct), pick a broad range of numbers that test a variety of scenarios. Good candidates include negatives/positives, fractions/integers, odd/evens, and high/low numbers. Pick more than one set of numbers to confirm the relationship.

Tips for Global Questions

If you' ve already taken note of the Topic and Scope, and read the passage for structure and the author' s Purpose, your work for Global questions is mostly done. That doesn' t mean that these are always easy, and that you won' t have to look back to the text to confirm your answer. But if you read the passage strategically, the way described in your Kaplan course and in this workshop, you' re already one step ahead of the game when it comes to Globals.

Quantitative Comparisons: Make quantities look more alike

In fact, they design many QCs in exactly this manner: make the two Quantities look nothing alike by modifying one of the quantities so that it is unrecognizable. This is actually great for us, the test taker, because we now have a clear strategy: undo what the testmaker did in order to put the quantities back on an even playing field, thereby allowing us to determine the relationship. Other techniques that can allow for easier comparison of the quantities include: Adding or subtracting the same thing from both sides Multiplying or dividing both sides by the same (positive) value Squaring both (positive) side

Tips for Inference Questions

Inference questions take many forms. Some are general, asking for something the author would agree with, and you need to simply evaluate the choices, relying as always on your earlier assessment of authorial tone and Purpose. Others are more specific, pointing you towards a particular element of the passage, or asking you to combine a few elements in a logical way. Always refer back to the text for context in these situations, and remember that the definition of Inference on the test is something that must be true, not what could be true, or what sounds plausible or likely. For example, if the passage states, " Jill is Rachel' s mother" , then you can infer from that statement that Rachel is Jill' s daughter. As you can see, an inference isn' t something that strays from the text, or something that requires imagination or guessing, but rather something that' s necessarily and logically implied by the text.

Problem solving technique- Back solving

Like Picking Numbers, Backsolving is a way to avoid the possibility of algebra errors by applying the answer choices to the question stem. We can apply this strategy to these specific scenarios: Scenario 1: Word problems with number answer choices Scenario 2: Difficult algebra problems with number answer choices STEP 1: Select Choice (B) or (D) and plug this value into the question stem. Read the question stem carefully to find out what the answer choice is supposed to represent. Determine which choice, (B) or (D), seems easier to work with. Then plug the chosen value into the problem. If this value satisfies the conditions in the problem, it is the correct choice; if not, move on to Step 2. STEP 2: Eliminate answer choices. If the first choice is too small or too large, eliminate it and all smaller or larger choices. If only one choice remains, that will be the correct choice; if not, move on to Step 3. STEP 3: Test one more choice and then identify the correct choice. If we started with (B), we now move to (D) or vice-versa. After testing one more choice, we will know the correct choice. Either the second choice we test will itself be correct or, if it is too small or too large, we will be able to select the correct choice from the remaining possibilities.

Logic Questions

Logic questions basically ask you to use logic to answer questions based on the structure of the passage or about the function of specific details from the text. Click on the Example button to see some common stems of this type. Example The primary function of the last paragraph is to... The author mentions X most probably in order to... Select the sentence in the passage in which the author provides support for a generalization.

Three problem solving types of questions you will see on the exam

Multiple choice One answer Circle choices Select all that apply Could be more than one answer Square choices Fill in the blank Comes up the least

Text completion Challenge #3: The structure of a sentence is perplexing because the syntax structure is unfamiliar.

No less severe than the standard difficulties involved in attempting to preserve the endangered species were the complications created by the recent legislation, which barred certain preservation techniques. Anytime that you encounter confusing syntax, your greatest weapon is to paraphrase the sentence directly to get at the main point. Once you do that, you base your predictions on a far more concise and manageable sentence.

Parallelism questions

Parallelism questions require you to make a connection between something in the passage and a different, specific, hypothetical situation. It is structure that is important on these questions! The subject matter of the correct choice is almost always very different from the content of the passage. Here are some tips for attacking Parallelism questions: Look for words like " analogous," " similar," " resembles," and " parallel," in the question stem to indicate a Parallelism question. Parallelism questions will typically give you a very specific clue, so do your research and carefully refer back to that part of the passage. Focus on the structure of the passage; you are looking for a point-for-point match with the correct answer choice. As soon as you spot a choice veering off course, eliminate. Parallelism questions can be associated with longer, multi-question passages, or short, one-paragraph passages. Your approach will be the same no matter the passage length.

when doing quantitative comparison it is important to note that when picking numbers, you should select numbers across the following categories:

Positive numbers, negative numbers, fractions, 0, and 1. The classic QC trap is to select only positive integer values when picking numbers on QCs. Also, diagrams on QCs are frequently deliberately misleading. Be skeptical of a choice that seems patently obvious based on a figure given as centered information.

Emphasis key words

Remember how we just said the testmakers LOVE to ask questions about opinions? This is why emphasis keywords are perhaps the most important keywords on the GRE. When an author tells us that something is " important" or " unfortunate" or " curious," finding the author' s Purpose becomes significantly easier, leading to a payoff in points on both Global and Inference questions especially. Constantly remind yourself to be cognizant of the author in a passage. The GRE isn' t interested in finding out the facts you can memorize and regurgitate. The testmakers are gauging your understanding of what the author is thinking and doing in the text. important, emphasize, vital, crucial, sad, interesting, unfortunately

Problem solving technique, picking numbers

STEP 1: Pick numbers for the unknown values in the question. Use the question stem and answer choices to pick simple, manageable numbers to stand in for variables and undefined quantities. STEP 2: Apply the chosen numbers to the question. Plug the numbers that you've chosen into the question stem to find the "target number" and go on to Step 3. STEP 3: Test the choices. Evaluate each answer choice. If a choice contains variables, plug in the same values that you chose in Step 1. Select the choice that matches the target number, and you've found the correct answer! If more than one answer choice matches the target number, pick another set of numbers to substitute for the unknown values and retest only those choices. Liza was 2n years old n years ago. What will be her age, in years, n years from now? Step 1- n=4 Step 2 - Liz was 8 years old 4 years ago, so she is 12 now, plus 4 means she is 16 Step 3- 4x4=16 meaning the answer is 4n

two specific scenarios in which elimination of the answer choices works especially well for problem solving . They include:

Special Format Questions "Which of the following..." questions with a single, correct answer choice. If you're short on time and must guess on a "Which of the following" question, choose Choice (D) or Choice (E). When evaluating the answer choices on a "Which of the following" question, start with Choice (E) (the bottom choice on your screen) and work up. Remember, if you don't find the answer in choice (D) or (E), continue working through the rest of the answer choices. If you are running out of time, make a strategic guess using one of the remaining choices. "Must be..." and "Cannot be..." questions All-That-Apply questions Given that multiple answers are possible, the correct answers will either: fall into a particular range of values — use straightforward math and/or Backsolve deal with number properties rules — test each answer choice deal with specific scenarios in which multiple answers are possible — use straightforward math; Backsolving works but will not save time as you need to test each answer choice Don't be alarmed for questions in which ALL of the answer choices are correct. This is certainly a possibility so don't arbitrarily add or remove the number of choices because you feel you should. Use our math knowledge to confidently select as many answers as are needed. Unlikely Answer Choices

The Kaplan Method is slightly different for two- and three-blank Text Completions:

Step 1: Read the sentence, looking for clues. Step 2: Predict an answer for the easier/easiest blank. Step 3: Select the answer choice that most closely matches your prediction. Step 4: Predict and select for the remaining blanks. Step 5: Check your answers by reading them back into the sentence.

Common Math Traps

ertain answer choices may seem to make sense, but the math behind the choices is not correct. Know your math operations, and don't let these three common traps fool you: Lookalikes: A choice that simply resembles the question stem is not necessarily mathematically correct. Use rules, not appearances, when answering questions with radicals, powers, and algebraic expressions. Percent Errors: On multi-step percent questions, the difference or sum of the two percents is often listed as an answer choice. This is a trap answer because the testmakers want you to pursue the simple option when the question most likely requires you to use the percent change formula or determine different percentages. Average Rate Errors: On average rate questions, the average of the two rates is often listed as an answer choice. This is a trap answer because the correct answer must be based on the average rate formula, listed below: The Odd Man Out: Choices that are different from ALL the others (i.e. an integer among four fractions, a radical among four integers) are correct far less than 20% of the time. If you must guess, these outlier answers are good options for elimination. Repeated Values: On difficult problems, choices will repeat numbers that appear in the question stem. Why? A test taker who is in a bind will sometimes just choose a number that is included in the question for lack of a better approach. The testmaker knows this, and uses such choices to snag unprepared test takers

To Read Strategically on Reading Comprehension passages, you must have the ability to:

paraphrase the text to make it your own use Keywords to help you navigate through a passage skim past detail to extract the more significant aspects of the text read predictively create a Passage Map to help you master the passage's structure and locate relevant text when the questions demand

Strategy to text completion questions

. Read the sentence, looking for context clues. Predict an answer. Select the answer choice that best matches your prediction. Read the sentence to yourself using your answer choices.

Exponent exceptions

0 and 1 are the only numbers that remain exactly the same when raised to any power. - 1 is unique in that it equals 1 when raised to any even power and equals itself when raised to any odd power. Negative exponents are the reciprocals of the corresponding positive powers. 2^-2= 1/4 any negative number remains negative if the exponent is odd any negative number becomes positive if the exponent is even

the steps of the Kaplan Method for Sentence Equivalence

1. Read the sentence, looking for context clues. Predict an answer. Select the two choices that most closely match your prediction.

wrong answers that consistently show up on Reading Comprehension questions

180: States the opposite of what the question calls for or what is cited in the passage. Outside the Scope: Deals with material beyond the confines of the passage or the author' s concern. (Note: Since topic is broader than scope, a choice can relate to the correct topic but still be outside the scope that the author takes up.) Distortion: Relates to a point in the discussion but fundamentally confuses some aspect of it. Extreme: Similar to Distortion, but takes a point and blows it out of proportion; an unwarranted exaggeration. Watch out for extreme language, such as always, never, only, etc. Choices with extreme language are rarely correct on the GRE. Faulty Use of Detail: Focuses on a detail from the wrong part of the passage or takes a relevant detail out of context.

strategic reading tips

Strategic Reading Tip #1: The testmakers always keep the scope of the passage reasonably narrow, and it doesn't change much. Strategic Reading Tips #2: ...Identify the author's topic and scope within the first few lines of reading the passage. Strategic Reading Tip #3: Every passage is the work of a human author, who had a purpose in mind when writing the passage. We can answer many questions correctly by approaching the passage with this in mind. Strategic Reading Tip #4: There are only a few "purposes" that motivate the authors of standardized test passages. Consider the list below, and you will notice that author's purpose and tone are never extreme. As you read, ask yourself which of these "purposes" the author seems to be engaged in. Strategic Reading Tip #5: When you read strategically, you have to see that some sentences are really important (because they present or announce major themes or ideas), while some are secondary (because they present evidence for specific points) and some are downright filler. Strategic Reading Tip #6: When determining the main ideas, you'll have to sacrifice some nuances by ignoring the details. Strategic Reading Tip #7: Pick up the author's hints as to what must come next. Doing so will enable you to get through every passage quickly and more accurately.

The most important elements regarding Coordinate Geometry are:

The Coordinate Plane: a grid like representation of the x-axis and y-axis. We can plot points and lines on the Plane. Slope: The degree, or steepness, of a line plotted on the Coordinate Plane. Distance: Between two points on a line, or on the Coordinate Plane in general. It is here where the test may throw multiple figures at us.

Basics of Quantitative Comparisons:

The centered information must be true for both quantities. It either prevents mathematical inconsistencies (division by zero, etc.) or limits the values we can choose for any variables in the quantities. When there is no centered information, we can select any value for variables that appear in the quantities. Thus, examining the centered information is a great place to start when solving a question. A - A is greater B- B is greater C-They are equal D- not enough information to answer this question The relationship between the quantities is what you are being tested on, not the quantities themselves. Therefore, it is not always necessary to perform unnecessary or lengthy calculations. In fact, if you are doing so on a QC, it probably means that you should step back and consider a different approach. The answer choices on QCs are always the same. Once you commit the choices to memory, you can use this information to your advantage. Choices (A), (B), (C) represent fixed, singular relationships between the quantities that must hold for all numbers permitted by the centered information. If you can't establish a relationship between the columns, or if you can establish two different relationships between the quantities, choice (D) is the correct answer.

Text completion Challenge #1: The sentence's verb and subject are separated by a lot of text.

The claims in the author's newest book, which tediously argued the need for a new historiography that would jettison biases simply through a renewed emphasis on the existence of basic historical truths, were undermined by the author's own biases with regard to the subject matter. When faced with such confusing sentences, just look for the sentence's main subject and verb to get to the main point. Once you can see through to its basic meaning, you have a much better chance of predicting a missing word.

rate questions

The key to solving many rate problems is to identify the formula that corresponds to the question and to identify what formula component you are being asked to solve for rates include unites that measure quantities suchh as time, distance, and cost. such units can take on different forms. make sure to convert rate questions take on different forms: some involve average rates, some involve combined rates, whille many others imply test the basic rate formula. All of these questions are essentially proportion problems.

Zero as an Integer

The most important "facts" to remember about zero are Zero is an integer. Zero is even. Zero is neither positive nor negative. Zero cannot be the denominator (bottom number) of a fraction. When zero is the numerator in a fraction, the answer is always zero. Any number raised to zero is 1; zero raised to any power is still just zero (however, zero raised to the zero power is undefined, but the GRE doesn't test this).

Continuation key words

The opposite of contrast keywords, continuation keywords tell you we' re moving forward. Expect no significant change in the author' s direction, but rather another point or further expansion upon what you' ve just read; you can read what comes next a little more quickly. also, indeed, and, in addition, furthermore, moreover

some tips for attacking Bolded Statement questions:

The passage is nearly always an argument, meaning you can and should identify the author' s conclusion, her evidence, and whether any of the statements are associated with an opponent' s position. That, by itself, will allow you to quickly eliminate many wrong answers. As you already do on other Reading Comprehension questions, use the verbs in the answer choices to spot right answers and eliminate wrong ones. If the second bolded statement rebuts the first, for example, then only answers with " rebut," " refute," " contradict," " weaken," or the like can be correct. Strategic Reading based on Keywords gives the Kaplan student (that' s you!) a window into the structure of passages and arguments that their competition can' t even hope for.

Logic key words

The purpose of these keywords is to signify an author' s argument, specifically, the two explicit pieces of an argument, evidence and conclusion. An author' s conclusion answers the question, " What' s your point?" The evidence for that conclusion answers the question, " Why do you think your point is correct?" These types of keywords are important on the GRE because the testmakers LOVE to ask questions about author' s arguments and opinions. Logic keywords will be especially important on argument-based Reasoning questions, like Strengthen and Weaken questions, which we' ll look at later in this workshop. Evidence: because, since, for example, to illustrate, citing that Conclusion: therefore, hence, so, believe, maintain, hypothesize, argue, suggest

Here are six of the most common passage purposes. Make certain to take notes on these common purposes for future reference.

To EXPLAIN: The author wants to explain a phenomenon — specifically, why that phenomenon occurred. (Often he will contrast the "real story" with the previously-believed, or commonly-believed, version.) To ADVOCATE: The author wants to argue for, to recommend, a particular proposal or approach or idea. (Such an author will often, in the course of the passage, bring up possible objections and try to demolish them.) To REBUT: The author wants to rebut or challenge someone else's idea or theory. Your question as you read should be: "Is the author merely critical of that idea, or does he have one to offer in its place?" To COMPARE OR CONTRAST: The author wants to examine the similarities and differences between two ideas, theories, proposals, or schools of thought. Your question as you read should be: "Which (if either) does the author favor?" To CRITIQUE: The author wants to evaluate the success or failure, the quality or deficiency, of a policy, organization, philosophy, or work of art or literature. The root of the word evaluate is "value" — that is, to assess whether something is good or bad. To DESCRIBE: The author wants to present the salient facts and features, but deliberately takes no positions and makes no judgments. Such a passage is totally objective. Rest assured, the testmaker will create questions to test whether you recognize that the author expresses no personal opinions.

quadratic comparisons: Units conversions

To change to smaller units: you need a greater number of smaller units, so multiply. To change to larger units: you need a smaller number of larger units, so divide.

Reading Comprehension Passage Map

Topic - The broad subject matter of the passage Scope - What about the topic is being discussed? With what aspect of the topic is the author primarily concerned? A good way to figure out the scope is to see what the paragraphs have in common- what do they all discuss? In a longer passage, you can simply look at the body paragraphs and see what they have in common to figure this out. Purpose - What is the author' s primary purpose, or the ultimate point of the passage? What does the author want you to take away from the passage? Remember to review the Strategic Reading Workshop and look at the discussion of the classic purposes (advocate, rebut, compare and contrast, describe, and explain). They are important to know for this workshop. Never obsess over details in your first read-through. When a detail is the focus of a question, the correct strategy is to go back to the text and research. But until you get a question about a detail, the details in the passage are unimportant.

Two exception

Two is a prime number. In addition: Two is the only even prime number (as two is a factor of all other even numbers). Two is the smallest prime number (remember, 1 does not count as a prime number). Whenever you get a QC question involving prime numbers, ask yourself whether the number 2 might be a relevant exception to whatever the question is asking, as this may be the key to determining the correct answer. This is especially true if the question mentions odd/even numbers, since 2 is the only even prime number, and all other prime numbers are odd.

there are four instances in which Picking Numbers may be used:

Variables in Answer Choices: If one or more variables appear in the answer choices, pick numbers to represent each of the unknowns. For all x and y, (x + 1)(y + 1) - x- y= Undefined Values in the Question Stem: When a question stem contains variables, or when a question involves fractional quantities of an unknown amount, pick numbers to represent the unknowns. A shopping cart contains only apples, oranges, and pears. If there are twice as many oranges as apples, and three times as many pears as oranges, then the apples are equivalent to what fraction of the pears? pick a good number on fraction problems: Multiply the different denominators of the fractions together; OR Use the least common multiple of the denominators. This approach may not be as fast as multiplying the denominators together, but it will give you the smallest good number, which can sometimes be very helpful. Number Properties Questions: Questions that refer to multiples, factors, primes, or odd/even, negative/positive numbers can be managed by picking numbers that fit the specific question parameters. If a, b, and c are all odd integers, which of the following must be even? Percent Questions: Percent questions usually have unknown quantities in the question stem. Picking the number 100 to represent the unknown quantity makes percent problems more concrete, and more manageable. One class in a school is 30 percent boys. If a second class that is half the size of the first is 40 percent boys, what percent of both classes are boys?

Tips for Logic Questions

When a question asks you how the author uses a particular detail, go back to that detail and look at the context in which it is used, as well as any nearby keywords. Then ask yourself, " Why did the author put this detail in the passage? How does this detail fit into the paragraph or the passage as a whole?" The answer to that question will be your prediction. Consider the following: statement/opinion details/support/example/quote/data/anecdote The numbers 1 and 2 refer to the order in which information is usually given in passages. Usually, examples, details, support, etc., are given right after some statement that was made. Think about it: When do you give examples when you write? Usually after you made some point that needed to be proven or supported, right? The writers of GRE Reading Comprehension passages are no different. The point is that when the GRE asks you for the purpose of certain details, you can often look right before those details, and you' ll find some claim that was made that necessitated support. The purpose of details is typically to support whatever statement or opinion came right before them.

Explain question

Which of the following, if true, would help explain the results found by the scientist? Which of the following, if true, does most to resolve the apparent paradox? Which of the following, if true, best reconciles the seeming discrepancy described above? Here are some tips for attacking Explain questions: When researching the passage, don' t look for conclusion and evidence. Instead, identify the two conflicting pieces of information and predict what would reconcile the two. Keep your prediction general, as any number of specific facts could explain the paradox. Remember, it' s the concept that counts, not the specific wording. Watch out for out of scope answers that do nothing to resolve the paradox and, occasionally, 180s that actually deepen the mystery.