Test-Taking Tips Adapted from Barron’s Review Book

Tip One: Read the questions and underline the most important words or ideas. Helps you focus on what is most important You can avoid making careless mistakes

Sample Question The main reason for the variety of products in the different regions of the country was the differences in (1) family structure and education (2) geography and climate (3) political and social systems (4) national origins and cultures

Tip Two: Answer easy questions first; come back for the harder ones. This can save a lot time. Allows you to find clues in other questions that may help you with those questions you skipped. (See Tip Four) MAKE SURE YOU GO BACK TO THESE QUESTIONS!! Do not leave questions without answers.

Tip Three: Read all your answer choices. This allows you to take your time when answering questions and avoids careless mistakes. Many times answers will sound good, but be wrong, watch out for the decoy!

Sample Question Inuits wore clothing made of seal and caribou skins. Pueblos wore clothing made of woven cotton. Algonquins wore clothing made of deerskin. These differences in clothing were most likely the result of (1) traditional religious practices (2) available natural resources (3) family kinship requirements (4) competing customs in fashion

Tip Four: Look for clues in other questions Helps you use the test as a tool Allows you to use the information in the test to help you answer other questions.

Sample Questions The most widely accepted theory of the earliest human migration to the Americas is that people (1) crossed the polar ice cap from Norway to northern Canada (2) walked across a land bridge from Asia to Alaska (3) used seagoing vessels to sail from Africa to Central America (4) traveled in rafts and small boats from Pacific islands to South America Many anthropologists believe that people from Asia crossed a land bridge to North America to (1) escape religious persecution (2) hunt migrating animals (3) capture native peoples of this region (4) search for gold and other riches

Tip Five: Use the process of elimination Helps discard wrong choices Increases the possibility of you getting the answer correct

Sample Question Hacking his way across the jungle of what is now Panama, he became the first European to lay eyes on the Pacific. 1: Magellan 2: Cortez 3: Pizarro 4: Balboa

Tip Six: Always pick the broader choice Helpful when two choices could be correct, but one choice more fully answers the question

Sample Questions Which factor is the best indicator of the wealth of a nation? 1: Gross National Product (GNP) 2: Prime Interest Rate 3: Number of millionaires 4: Defense spending Specific Broad

Tip Seven: Have an idea of the correct answer before looking at the answers Allows you to recall an idea or term associated with the question Stimulates your memory

Sample Question One similarity between the Five Pillars of Islam and the Ten Commandments is that both 1: support a belief in reincarnation 2: promote learning as a means to salvation 3: encourage the use of statues to symbolize God 4: provide a guide to proper ethical and moral behavior

Tip Eight: TAKE A GUESS! No penalty for guessing Any answer is better than no answer

A conclusion best supported by this illustration is that the Columbian Exchange (1) increased the isolation between Europe and the Americas (2) ended the slave trade in the Eastern Hemisphere (3) led to the spread of disease to the natives of the Americas (4) resulted in a decrease in trade between North America and Europe

Sample Question All of the following are reasons the Spanish were able to defeat Native American armies EXCEPT 1: they had better weapons 2: they had horses 3: before the Spanish arrived, Native Americans were not used to fighting battles 4: the Native Americans were divided against themselves