1. Plan of Attack PSAT 2012

2. The Basics  Why? Gives you practice for the SAT Gives you a chance to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Program Scholarships for college

3. Scoring  Correct answer– one point  Unanswered question-0 points  Incorrect answer to a multiple choice question- lose ¼ of a point  Incorrect answer to a math grid question- 0 pts

4. Structure  1. Critical Reading 25 minutes 13 sentence completion and 35 reading comprehension questions  2. Math 25 minutes 28 regular math multiple choice questions and 10 grid-in questions  3. Same as #1  4. Same as #2  5. Writing Skills 30 minutes 14 identifying sentence errors, 20 improving sentences, and 5 improving paragraphs

5. Selection Index  The sum of your math, critical reading, and writing scores.  A range from 60 to 240.

6.  Hard questions are worth same amount of points as easy ones. Skip around and answer as many as you can. Don’t waste time on questions that you don’t know at all.

7. Math and sentence completion questions  Math questions—both multiple choice and grid-ins-are arrange from easy to hard.  Sentence completion--ditto

8. Reading Comprehension and Writing  Not arranged in any order—not arranged from easier to harder.

9. Hard questions  Circle them in your test booklet, skip them and come back once you have answered all the ones you know.  Be sure to skip that number on your scantron sheet.

10. When to guess  If you can rule out two of the choices as wrong, then you should probably guess.  But on the math grid– guess! There is no penalty for wrong answers on this section.

11. A suggestion  Some people wait to mark their scantron sheet until they come to the end of a section. They circle the correct answers in the test booklet. This method can help save time, keep your momentum going, and help avoid mistakes on the scantron sheet.  I have never done this, but it might work for some

12. Remember  The answer is right in front of you on all the multiple choice questions  Look for quick points if you are running out of time For example, on the reading comprehension, some questions ask you to identify a word meaning, which can be done w/o reading the entire passage.

13. Vocabulary  Vocab is vital to PSAT  Find your own study techniques Flashcard Worksheets Notebooks Mnemonic devices  STUDY REPEATEDLY

14. Vocabulary cont..  Use root words  Listen to your gut  Try and recall context

15. SENTENCE COMPLETION  Testing vocabulary  Testing ability to follow sentence flow  Remember: arranged in order of easy to hard  USE CLUES!!!

16. How to attack the sentence completion sections  Build vocab  Look for context clues and predict an answer  Scan choices for one that would fit  For two blanks, decide which blank is easier to predict and scan choices.

17. Kaplan Four-Step Method  Read for clues  Predict  Scan answers for match  Read back in the sentence

18. READ CAREFULLY  While George Balanchine’s choreography stayed within a classical context, he challenged convention by recombining the traditional idioms of ballet in ---- ways. A. novel B. familiar C. redundant D. naive E. awkward

19. Survey Says….  A. Novel  Since Balanchine worked within a classical context, he must have done something different in order to “challenge convention.” You can predict that he used “traditional idioms” in new ways.  Novel matches the prediction (adj. something new or different)

20. Process of Elimination  Prior to the American entrance into WWI, President Woodrow Wilson strove to maintain the ---- of the U.S., warning both sides against encroachments on American interests. A. involvement B. belligerence C. versatility D. munificence E. neutrality

21. Survey Says….  E. neutrality  The most important phrase in the sentence is “prior to”  Before America entered the war, Wilson couldn’t maintain the involvement or belligerence (engaging in war). C (versatility- many skills) and D-munificence-generous don’t make sense.  Neutrality accurately represents prewar status.

22.  Weighing over seventy tons, Brachiosaurus was-----creature, yet its brain was quite----  A. an intelligent…enormous  B. gargantuan…small  C. minute…tiny  D. prodigious….fossilized  E. extinct…extant

23. Survey Says…….  B!! Gargantuan and small!  “Weighing over seventy tons”-gigantic  Yet sets up the contrast  Something small and tiny  Prodigious works too (enormous) but fossilized doesn’t  extant- existing

24. The ---------nature of the platypus makes it difficult to sight, even in the-------space of a zoological. a. elusive……confined b. crafty……massive c. amiable…inhabited d. playful….structured e. slothful…open

25. Survey Says….  A!!!  “difficult to sight”- confined works here!  Slothful-lazy  Amiable-friendly  Inhabited-having inhabitants-animals living in a certain place

26. Reading comprehension questions  Know the directions-questions are only based on the information in the passage. Do not apply outside knowledge when answering.

27. You’ll be asked  About overall tone (Big Picture)  Overall content  Specific details (little picture)  What author suggests/implies (inference)  Paired passages will ask you to compare and contrast the texts  Vocabulary in context

28. With partner…  In your own words, define the following types of questions: Big Picture Little picture Inference Vocab-in-context Pp.211-213 #’s 12-18; pp. 214-216 #’s 19-24 & pp. 101-103 #’s 21-27 (2009)

29. Various Mode Homework  40 Model Essays Text/Various Mode work: Description pp. 21-25 Once More to the Lake by E.B. White and Silent Dancing by Judith Ortiz Cofer /Meaning, Purpose and Audience, Method and Structure, Language and Writing topic #1 on p. 33 OR Writing Topic #2 on p. 49 (no more than a page typed 12pt font Times New Roman, double spaced)

30. Some tips for long passages  Make a map: jot down simple notes in the margins as you read  Underline key points  Note places where the author gives opinion

31. Do pp. 268-270 (2009)  AND  pp. 98-99 (2009)

32.  Skim the passage  Read the question. Make sure you understand what it is asking  Locate the material you need– if it gives a line number, go directly to it.

33.  pp. 25-26 #18-24 pp. 22-23 #6-11 (2009)

34. How to Attack the Writing Section  Part I: 14 Identifying Sentence errors  Assume that the parts of the sentence not underlined are correct.  Listen for what sounds wrong

35.  Part II: 20 Improving sentences questions  Choice A is always identical to the original sentence.

36.  5 Improving Paragraph questions

37. Complete the following activities:  You will be given one of the common questions found on the writing section of the PSAT (found in Kaplan)  Summarize the characteristics of that type of writing section question  Make an original test question that could be used in that section Including multiple choice answer options Mark the correct answer and STATE WHY

38. Part I: Identifying Sentence Errors Group 1 (2 sections): Baird and Vaughn Verb tense errors; Adjective and adverb errors Group 2 (2 sections): Kelly and Davis Subject-verb agreements; Double negatives Group 3: Hartman and Morrison Pronoun errors: Case and number Group 4: Hornberger and Woods Pronoun errors: Ambiguous reference Group 5: Crum and Schulz Idioms Group 6: Hughes, Donnelly, and Brewer Comparison errors

39. Part II: Improving Sentences Group 1: Davis and Hornberger Sentence fragments Group 2: Vaughn and Hughes Run-on sentences Group 3: Kelly and Schulz Coordination errors Group 4: Baird and Brewer Subordination errors Group 5: Donnelly and Woods Misplaced modifiers Group 6: Morrison, Crum, and Hartman Bad parallelism

40. Part II: Improving Paragraphs Group 1: Hartman and Hughes Sentence revision Group 2: Woods and Brewer Sentence combination Group 3: Morrison and Vaughn Logic and clarity Group 4: Crum and Donnelly Sentence revision Group 5: Hughes and Baird Sentence combination Group 6: Hornberger, Davis, and Kelly Logic and clarity