Preparing for the GHSGT in Social Studies'

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Preparing for the GHSGT in Social Studies.

• A Systematic Approach

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GHSGT Content Percentages

• Domain I- American Government/Civics-18
• Domain 2 United States History to 1865-26
• Domain 3 United States History since 1865- 25
• Domain 4- World Geography 13
• Domain 5- World History-18

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Hints

• Read everything carefully.
• There are no trick questions.( read entire
  questions and the real meaning should be clear).
• Consider every choice. Some alternatives
  (distracters) will be attractive because they
  include an irrelevant detail, a common
  misconception , or apply the right information in
  the wrong way.
• Guess intelligently. (eliminate incorrect
  answers)
• Spend test time wisely.
• Check your work.

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Plan A

• 1.Read the questions
• 2.Reword difficult words with familiar words
• A. Line through the old word
• B. Write the familiar word above the old
  one
• 3. For example a) encountermet and b)
  cultureway of life
• 4. Circle the key word that answers that question
• 5. Eliminate the obvious BOGUS choice if there is
  one
• a) It is usually the one that is totally
  unrelated to the question
• 6. Read the remaining three choices carefully
• 7. Select the choice which best answers the
  question
• 8. Eliminate the remaining three choices.

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Plan B

• 1.Look for words that mean the same thing
  (synonyms) in the questions and answer.
• a. revival and Renaissance
• b. Industry and factories
• 2. Look for words that are related in the
  questions and answer
• a. problem and disruption or disrupted
• b. increase and go up
• c. sail and sea
• d. founding and find
• 3. Look for repeated words in the questions and
  answer
• a. European and European
• b. factory and factories
• 4. Choices such as All of These or All of the
  Above are usually 90 right.

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Plan C

• Brainstorm the questions key words by using a
  Tree diagram
• For example Crusades
• a. Who Think of everything important you
  can remember about the person
• b. What Military expeditions
• c. Where Middle East
• d. When 1100-1300s
• e. Why To go to the Holy Lands and
  recapture them form the Moslems

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Analyzing a Multiple-Choice Question

• Carefully read the question or stem.
• Attempt to answer it before you look at the
  answer choices.
• Read all the answer choices.
• Reread the questions or stem, an circle key
  words.
• Underline under any absolutes, such as no, not,
  none except, never, always, only and all.
• Circle any qualifiers, such as least, most, best
  ,and first.
• Eliminate answers that appear obviously wrong.
• Select the most correct answer.

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Different Kinds of Multiple-Choice Questions

• 1.Unlike US. Cabinet members, British ministers-
  (prior knowledge)
• 2. Identify the sequence in which these events
  occurred 1- 4 items ( prior knowledge and have
  to sort event from early human history)
• 3. What conclusion can you draw form the graph?
  (Bar graph and answer without prior knowledge)
• 4. Jackson Family Monthly Budget and The
  Jacksons want to buy a new car. This would
  increase their monthly transportation costs by
  about 200. Their opportunity cost if they buy a
  new car would most likely be (combine prior
  knowledge and the information in the graph (
  monthly budget)

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Drawing Conclusion and Inferences

• Read the selection carefully. Read the entire
  passage.
• Determine the main idea of the passage or quote.
• Identify the stated facts.
• Identify unstated ideas. Distinguish between what
  is implied by the facts and what is suggested by
  the perception of the author.
• Verify that the facts in the passage support your
  conclusion Step 2.
• Read the question (and, if given, all answer
  choices).
• Review the passage
• Select or write an answer that uses facts that
  you have concluded are present in the selection

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Steps of Analyzing a Cause-and Effect Question

• Identify that the question is a cause-and-effect
  questions by circling key words.
• Determine whether the questions is asking for a
  cause of something or an effect of something.
• Predict the possible cause or effect.
• Eliminate obviously worn answers.
• Select the correct answer.

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Steps for Analyzing a Passage or Quotation

• Read the title.
• Determine the answers to these questions Who is
  the author? What is his or her purpose? Who is
  the intended audience?
• Determine when the passage or quotation was
  written. Look for dates.
• Carefully read the passage or quotation.
• Read the test question, but not the answer
  choices.
• Reread the passage of quotation, circling key
  words.
• Underline main ideas in the passage or quote.
• Reread the question, and predict the answer.
• Read the answer choices.
• Select the best or correct answer.

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Analyzing a Hypothetical Situation

• Carefully read the scenario.
• Carefully read the question.
• Carefully read all the answer choices.
• Circle key words in the scenario.
• Circle key words in the question.
• Consider each answer. Determine whether an answer
  is valid and complete.
• Choose the best, most complete answer.

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Steps for Interpreting Graphs

• Read the graphs title .
• Determine the graphs purpose and what is being
  compared or shown.
• Read the questions, but not the answer choices.
• Study the graphs key.
• Identify any symbols or labels on the graph.
• Identify the graphs main idea.
• Answer the question in your own words.
• Read the answer choice
• Eliminate the obviously wrong answers.
• Select the best answer.

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Reading and Understanding Questions

• Read question carefully.
• Underline key words.
• Look at instructions that tell you what to do, or
  concept, or the names of people and place,
  issues, time periods, or other important data.
• Choose those words that would most help you to
  plan your answer. Look for clue words.
• Read the question again.
• Choose the best answer now.

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Explain the limits placed by the Supreme Court
on newspaper writers who criticize government
leaders and their policies.

• Underline- Explain ( Give the reasons for),
  limits( What you must explain), Supreme Court(
  Who is responsible), newspaper writers( Who is
  affected), criticize, government leaders, their
  policies( What action is involved).
• Between 1776 and 1783, the colonies fought a
  bitter war with Britain. The war ended in defeat
  for Britain and independence for the colonies.
• Under line key words, Choose clue
  words-purchased, conquered, or obtained by
  treaty. This may help you to remember the
  Louisiana Purchase, or the Treaty of Guadalupe
  Hidalgo or the Mexican War. All these key events
  in the expansion of the United States. Read the
  question again. It has been reworded slightly.
• Between 1783 and 1853, by buying land, by
  conquest, and by treaty, the nation obtained all
  the territories that make up the continental
  Untied States. Which of the following was a key
  event in this process.
• Louisiana Purchase
• Continental Congress
• Civil War
• Great Awakening

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Using Context Clues

• Protective tariffs adopted by Congress in the
  early 1800s were warmly welcomed in Northern
  cities. What did these tariffs protect?
• You may not know protective tariff. This
  questions tells you that protective tariffs were
  popular in Northern cities. Northern cities is
  your clue. It tell you that tariffs protected
  something found in place like Boston, New York,
  and Philadelphia, the cities of the North. We
  associate industry with the North, just as were
  associate agriculture with the South. You might
  guess that protective tariffs protected industry
  in the North against foreign manufactured goods.

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Watch Out For Negatives

• Economic developments in the Midwest before 1850
  led to all of the following except-
• Here the word except tells you that this is
  a negative question. Most of the answer choices
  will describe result of economic developments in
  the Midwest before 1850. But one will describe an
  outcome that was not a result of an economic
  development in the Midwest before 1850.