Preview cracking the ssat & isee 2014 by tusachduhoc

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Cracking the 速

速

& 2014 Edition Elizabeth Silas and Reed Talada

PrincetonReview.com

Random House. Inc. New York

Contents So Much More Online!............................................................

v111

A Parent's Introduction ........................................................... A Student's Introduction..........................................................

Part I: The Basics of Both Tests..................................................

Learning Vocabulary...............................................................

Answer Key to Fundamental Math Drills.....................................

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Fundamental Math Skills for the SSAT & ISEE .............................

101

Writing the Essay..................................................................

111

Part II: The SSAT .......................................................................

123

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the SSAT .............. General Test-Taking Techniques for the SSAT ..............................

SSAT Math........................................................................... SSAT Verbal......................................................................... SSAT Reading.......................................................................

125

129 135

195

245

Answer Key to SSAT Drills.......................................................

275

Part Ill: SSAT Practice Tests......................................................

289

Upper Level SSAT Practice Test................................................ Middle Level SSAT Practice Test............................................... Answer Key to SSAT Practice Tests...........................................

293 3 31

363

Scoring Your Practice SSAT .....................................................

365

Part IV: The ISEE .......................................................................

375

18 19

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the ISEE ............... General Test-Taking Techniques for the ISEE................................ ISEE Math............................................................................ ISEEVerbal........................................................................... ISEE Reading ........................................................................

377 381

385

449 495

Answer Key to ISEE Drills........................................................

527

Part V: ISEE Practice Tests ........................................................

537

Upper Level ISEE Practice Test................................................. Middle Level ISEE Practice Test................................................ Lower Level ISEE Practice Test.................................................

543

589

635

Answer Key to ISEE Practice Tests.. ..........................................

677

About the Authors .. ...............................................................

687

Scoring Your Practice ISEE.. .....................................................

681

Be Patient and Be I nvolved Preparing for the SSAT or the ISEE is like learning to ride a bicycle. You will watch your child struggle, at first, to develop a level of familiarity and comfort with the test's format and content.

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Developing the math, vocabulary, reading, and writing skills that your child will use on the SSAT or the ISEE is a long-term process. In addition to making certain that he or she is committed to spending the time necessary to work through the chapters of this book, you can also be on the lookout for other opportunities to be supportive. An easy way to do this is to make vocabulary development into a group activity. In the vocabulary chapters, we provide an extensive list of word parts and vocabulary words; learn them as a family, working through flash cards at the breakfast table or during car trips. You may even pick up a new word or two yourselfl Important: If your child is in a younger grade, you may want to offer extra guid足 ance as he or she works through this book and prepares for the test. Because this book covers preparation for the full range of grade levels taking the tests (fourth through eleventh grades), some of the content review will be beyond the areas that your child is expected to know. It is an excellent idea to work through the book along with your younger child, so that he or she doesn't become intimidated by these higher level questions that should be skipped. Look at the chapter titled ''A Student's Introduction" on page 7 to see the suggested schedule.

A S H O RT WO R D O N A D M I S S I O N S Be an I nformed Customer

For the most accurate i nformation about their a d m i ssions policies, d on't h e sitate to c a l l the schools to which you r son o r daug hter may apply.

The most important insight into secondary school admissions that we can offer is that a student's score on the SSAT or the ISEE is only one of many components involved in the admissions decision. While many schools will request SSAT or ISEE scores, all will look seriously at your child's academic record. Think about it-which says more about a student: a single test or years of solid (or not so solid) academic performance? In terms of testing, which is the focus of this book, some schools will specify which test they want applicants to take-the SSAT or ISEE. Others will allow you to use scores from either test. If you are faced with a decision of whether to focus on the SSAT, the ISEE, or both, we encourage you to be an informed con足 sumer. This book contains practice tests for the ISEE and the SSAT, so your child should take both. Then, based on the requirements of your desired school and the results of the practice tests, decide which test best suits your child. The ISEE can be taken only once every six months, and the SSAT can be taken multiple times. There are some differences in subject matter. The SSAT, for example, contains a section on analogies, which many students find difficult; the ISEE includes a sec足 tion of sentence completions. On the other hand, Middle and Upper Level ISEE test takers will be faced with a number of quantitative comparison questions in the Math section, and these can be tricky at first, especially for younger students.

Cracking the SSAT & \SEE

Resources SSAT

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ISEE

Secondary School Admission Test Board (SSATB) 609-683-4440 www.ssat.org info@ssat.org Educational Records Bureau (ERB) 800-989-3721 www.erblearn.org isee@erblearn.org

REGISTER I N G FO R T H E SSAT Before you begin to think about preparing for the SSAT, you must complete one essential first step: Sign up for the SSAT. The test is administered about eight times every year-generally in October, November, December, January, February, March, April, and June. Once you decide which test date you prefer, we encour足 age you to register as soon as possible. Testing sites can fill up; by registering early, you will avoid the possibility of having to take the test at an inconvenient or unfamiliar second-choice location. You can register online at www.ssat.org, or call the SSATB at 609-683-4440 to receive a registration form by mail. The regular registration deadline for the test (at U.S. testing centers) is usually three weeks before the test date. You may return the registration form by mail along with the $ 1 16 registration fee ($80 for the Elementary Level test) for test cen足 ters in the United States and Canada (or $225 for international test centers), or you may submit your registration form by fax. If you register online, you can pay the fee with either Visa or MasterCard. In some cases, you may be able to obtain an SSAT fee waiver.

Plan Ahead

Early registration w i l l not o n l y g ive yo u one less thing to worry about a s the test approaches, b u t will also help you get your fi rst-choice test center.

If you forget to register for the test or decide to take the SSAT at the last minute, there is a late registration deadline and, if it is within two weeks of the test date, a rush registration deadline (for U.S. testing centers). If you still have at least two weeks, you can register online late and pay an additional $40 late registration fee or $80 rush registration fee. Students who need special testing accommodations must apply for accommoda足 tions at least two weeks before the test. Sunday testing is available, but only for those students who are unable to take a Saturday test for religious reasons. There is no online registration or standby testing option for Sunday administrations.

A Parent's I ntroduction

WHAT DO I DO WITH T H I S B O O K? You've got a hefty amount of paper and information in your hands. How can you work through it thoroughly, without spending eight hours on it the Saturday be足 fore the test? Plan ahead.

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We've broken down the contents of this book into 12 study sessions and suggested a timeline for you to follow. Some of these sessions will take longer than others, depending on your strengths and weaknesses. If any of them takes more than two hours, take a break and try to finish the session the following day. You may want to do one, two, or three sessions a week, but we suggest you give yourself at least a day or two in between each session to absorb the information you've just learned. The one thing you should be doing every day is quizzing yourself on vocabulary and making new flash cards. If You Want to Start Early

If you have more than ten weeks to prepare, start with voc a b u lary b u i l d i n g a n d essay writing. These ski l l s only get better with t i m e.

Also, don't think that you can work through this book during summer vacation, put it aside in September, and be ready to take the test in December. If you want to start that early, work primarily on vocabulary until about ten weeks before the test. Then you can start on techniques, and they'll be fresh in your mind on the day of the test. If you've finished your preparation too soon and have nothing to practice on in the weeks before the test, you're going to get rusty. If you know you are significantly weaker in one of the subjects covered by the test, you should begin with that subject so you can practice it throughout your preparation.

At Each Session At each practice session, make sure you have sharpened pencils, blank index cards, and a dictionary. Each chapter is interactive; to fully understand the techniques we present, you need to be ready to try them out. G et You r Pen c i l Movi ng

You'l l get the most out of this book by trying out tech n i q ues as you read about them.

As you read each chapter, practice the techniques and do all the exercises. Check your answers in the Answer Key as you do each set of problems, and try to figure out what types of errors you made to correct them. Review all of the techniques that give you trouble. As you begin each session, review the chapter you did during the previous session before moving on to a new chapter.

C r a c k i n g the SSAT & I S E E

When You Take a Practice Test You'll see when to take practice tests in the following session outlines. Here are some guidelines for taking these tests. •

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•

Time yourself strictly. Use a timer, watch, or stopwatch that will ring, and do not allow yourself to go over the allotted time for any sec tion. If you try to do so on the real test, your scores will probably be canceled. Take a practice test in one sitting, allowing yourself breaks of no more than two minutes between sections. You need to build up your endurance for the real test, and you also need an accurate picture of how you will do. Always take a practice test using an answer sheet with bubbles to fill in, just as you will for the real test. For the practice tests in this book, use the attached answer sheets. You need to be comfortable trans ferring answers to the separate sheet because you will be skipping around a bit. Each bubble you choose should be filled in thoroughly, and no other marks should be made in the answer area. As you fill in the bubble for a question, check to be sure you are on the correct number on the answer sheet. If you fill in the wrong bubble on the answer sheet, it won't matter if you've worked out the problem correctly in your test booklet. All that matters to the ma chine scoring your test is the No. 2 pencil mark.

If You're Taking the SSAT All students should follow this syllabus as closely as possible. However, Elemen tary and Middle Level SSAT takers (Grades 3-7) are not expected to know all the material in this book. Elementary and Middle Level students should follow the guidelines provided and skip inappropriate drills-anything marked "Upper Level Only" (UL) and, for Elementary Level students, anything marked "Middle and Upper Levels Only." Only Upper Level test takers (Grades 8-11) are expected to cover everything in the book as detailed in the syllabus.

Session One Read through the Vocabulary chapter (Chapter 1) and make flash cards for words you don't know. Work on a few flash cards each day (pages 22-33). Read Chapter 5, "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the SSAT" (pages 125-127), and Chapter 6, "General Test-Taking Techniques for the SSAT" (pages 129-133). •

•

A Student's I ntroduction

Session Two (Upper and Middle Level Students)

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•

Review

•

At the start of each session, quickly review the work you did on the previous session. You should also quiz yourself on vocabulary regularly.

If you have not done so already, contact SSATB at 609-683-4440, or go online to www. ssat.org, to obtain a practice SSAT to use toward the end of your preparation. You should be able to buy two practice tests for each level in a booklet called "Preparing and Applying Guide for Independent School Admission and the SSAT" (it costs $35 plus shipping and handling). If you are unable to get a practice test from SSAT, then save the one in this book to use when you're done with the SSAT chapters, and try to judge your target score by asking the schools you are applying to what their average scores are for incoming students. If you were able to get a practice test from SSATB to use later, then take the practice SSAT in this book now (either Middle or Upper Level) using the bubble answer sheet that follows each test. For Elementary Level, free sample problems are available at www.ssat.org/ssat!test/test-el-offguide.html. You do those now, and save the downloadable paper test, available through purchase of this book, for the end of your prep.

Session Three In the Fundamental Math Skills chapter (Chapter 2), read the following passages and complete the practice drills. • • • • • • • •

Introduction (page 36) Math Vocabulary (page 37) The Rules of Zero (page 38) The Times Table (page 38) Working with Negative Numbers (pages 40-44) Order of Operations (pages 45-47) Factors and Factor Trees (pages 48-49) Multiples (pages 49-50)

Session Four In the Fundamental Math Skills chapter, read the following passages and com plete the practice drills. • • • •

Fractions (pages 5 1-52) I mproper Fractions and Mixed Numbers (pages 53-56) Adding and Subtracting Fractions (pages 57-58) Multiplying and Dividing Fractions (page 59)

In the SSAT Verbal chapter (Chapter 8), read the following passages and complete the practice and review drills. • •

C r a c k i n g t h e S S AT & I S E E

Introduction (pages 196-199) Analogies (pages 200-224)

Session Five In the Fundamental Math Skills chapter, read the following passages and com plete the practice and review drills. • • • •

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•

• •

Decimals (pages 60-61) Converting Fractions to Decimals and Back Again (pages 62-63) Percents (pages 64-65)-(Middle and Upper Levels Only) More Percents (pages 66-68)-(Middle and Upper Levels Only) Exponents and Square Roots (pages 68-69)-(Middle and Upper Levels Only) More Exponents (pages 70-71)-(Upper Level Only) Review Drill 1 (page 72)

Session Six In the Fundamental Math Skills chapter, read the following passages and com plete the practice drills. • • •

• •

Algebra Introduction (page 73) Solving Simple Equations (pages 73-74) Manipulating an Equation (pages 75-76)-(Middle and Upper Levels Only) Manipulating Inequalities (page 78)-(Middle and Upper Levels Only) Solving Percent Questions (pages 78-79)-(Middle and Upper Levels Only)

In the SSAT Verbal chapter, read the following passages and complete the practice drills. •

Synonyms (pages 225-243)

Session Seven In the Fundamental Math Skills chapter, read the following passages and com plete the practice drills. • •

• • •

Geometry Introduction (page 80) Perimeter, Angles (Middle and Upper Levels Only), and Squares and Rectangles (pages 8 1-86) Triangles (pages 87-93) The Pythagorean Theorem (page 93)-(Upper Level Only) Circles (pages 94-96)-(Middle and Upper Levels Only)

A Student's I ntroduction

Session Eight In the Fundamental Math Skills chapter, read the following passages and com plete the practice and review drills. • •

Word Problems (pages 97-99) Review Drill 2-The Building Blocks (page 100)

In the SSAT Math chapter (Chapter 7), read the following passages and complete the practice drills.

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• • • • •

Introduction (pages 136-1 38) Working with Answer Choices (pages 139-161) Ratios (pages 162-164) Averages (pages 165-166) Percent Change (pages 167-168)-(Upper Level Only)

Session N i n e In the SSAT Math chapter, read the following passages and complete the practice drills. • • •

Plugging In (pages 168-172) Plugging In The Answers (pages 173-175) Geometry (pages 176-179)

In the SSAT Reading chapter, read the following passages and complete the prac tice drills. • • • •

What's Reading All About on the SSAT (page 246) The Passages (pages 246-249) The Questions (pages 250-257) The Answers (pages 258-260)

Session Ten In the SSAT Math chapter, read the following passages and complete the practice drills. • • •

Functions (Middle and Upper Levels Only) (pages 179-180) Charts and Graphs (pages 181-192) Math Review (pages 193-194)

In the SSAT Reading chapter, read the following passages and complete the re view and practice drills. •

Cracking the S SAT & I S E E

Review-The Reading Plan (pages 260-274)

Session Eleven Read and complete the exercises in the Writing the Essay chapter (pages 1 12-121). Session Twelve Take another practice SSAT, preferably an actual released test that you've obtained from the SSAT Board. If you are working from their booklet, "Preparing and Applying Guide," take Practice Test I timed, and score it. (Use Practice Test II as additional timed practice ques tions, if you have time.) If there are questions that are still giving you trouble, review the ap propriate chapters.

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•

A Note for E l e me ntary a n d M i d d l e Level Stud e nts

If you are taking the Elementary or Middle Level SSAT, there may be some problems at the end of each practice set that are too difficult for you. Don't be discouraged-they will be difficult for everyone at your grade level. Just do your best and work on as many problems as you can.

If You're Taking the ISEE Upper Level, Middle Level, and Lower Level test takers should all follow this syl labus. Sections that cover material meant only for Upper Level and/or Middle Level test takers are marked accordingly. Upper Level test takers should do all the work detailed in this syllabus. Lower Level test takers should skip only the sec tions marked "Middle and Upper Levels Only," or "(UL)."

Session One Read through the Vocabulary chapter (Chapter 1) and make flash cards for words you don't know. Work on a few flash cards each day (pages 22-33). Read Chapter 15, "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the ISEE" (pages 378-379), and Chapter 16, "General Test-Taking Techniques for the ISEE" (382-383). •

•

Session Two Take the ISEE practice test contained in this book, according to your grade level. •

A Student's I ntroduction

•

If you have not done so already, contact the Educational Records Bureau at 800-446-0320, or www.erblearn.org, to obtain any prac tice materials available to supplement your preparation. You should be able to get a booklet called "What to Expect on the ISEE" (it costs $20, or you can download it for free). There is a different booklet for each level, and each booklet has practice questions and a nearly com plete test. You will use that test after you complete this book.

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Session Three In the Fundamental Math Skills chapter (Chapter 2), read the following passages and complete the practice drills. • • • • • • • •

Session Four In the Fundamental Math Skills chapter, read the following passages and com plete the practice drills. • • • •

Fractions (pages 51-52) Improper Fractions and Mixed Numbers (pages 53-56) Adding and Subtracting Fractions (pages 57-58) Multiplying and Dividing Fractions (page 59)

In the ISEE Verbal chapter (Chapter 18), read the following passages and com plete the practice and review drills. • • •

Introduction (pages 450-452) Review-The Verbal Plan (page 453) Synonyms (pages 454-469)

Session Five In the Fundamental Math Skills chapter, read the following passages and com plete the practice drills. • • • • •

Cracking the SSAT & ! S E E

• •

More Exponents (pages 70-71)-(Upper Level Only) Review Drill I-The Building Blocks (page 72)

Session Six In the Fundamental Math Skills chapter, read the following passages and com plete the practice drills. • •

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•

• •

In the ISEE Verbal chapter, read the following passages and complete the practice and review drills. •

Sentence Completions (pages 470-494)

Session Seven In the Fundamental Math Skills chapter, read the following passages and com plete the practice drills. • •

• • •

Geometry Introduction (page 80) Perimeter, Angles (Middle and Upper Levels Only), and Squares, and Rectangles (pages 81-86) Triangles (pages 87-93) The Pythagorean Theorem (page 94)- (Upper Level Only) Circles (pages 94-96)-(Middle and Upper Levels Only)

Session Eight In the Fundamental Math Skills chapter, read the following passages and com plete the practice and review drills. • •

Word Problems (pages 97-100) Review-The Building Blocks (page 100)

In the ISEE Math chapter (Chapter 17), read the following passages and complete the practice drills. •

• • •

Introduction and general math strategies (pages 386-407) [Including both Practice Drills and material between them.] Ratios (pages 408-409) Averages (pages 409-412) Percent Change (page 413)-(Upper Level Only) A Student's I ntroduction

Session N i n e In the ISEE Math chapter, read the following passages and complete the practice drills. • •

Plugging In (pages 414-422) Geometry (pages 423-424)

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In the ISEE Reading chapter (pages 496-526), read and complete the practice and review drills.

Session Ten In the ISEE Math chapter, read the following passages and complete the practice and review drills. • • •

•

Functions (pages 425-426) Charts and Graphs (pages 427-432) Quantitative Comparison (pages 433-445)-(Middle and Upper Levels Only) Math Review (pages 446-447)

Session Eleven Read and complete the exercises in the Writing the Essay chapter (pages 1 12-121). Session Twelve Take another practice ISEE, preferably an actual test obtained from the ERB. If there are questions that are still giving you trouble, review the appropriate chapters. •

•

A Note for Lower a n d M i dd l e Leve l Students

If you are taking the Lower Level or Middle Level ISEE, you should NOT complete the sections of this book that deal with quantitative comparison. You should also avoid the vocabulary marked "(UL)." Also note that there may be some problems at the end of each practice set that are too difficult for you. Don't be discouraged-they will be difficult for everyone at your grade level. Just do your best and work on as many problems as you can .

Cracking the SSAT & I S E E

THE I M P O RTAN C E O F VO CAB U LARY Both the ISEE and the SSAT test synonyms, and you need to know the tested words to get those questions right. While ISEE Sentence Completions and SSAT Analogies allow for a more strategic approach, the fact remains that knowing words is important to scoring points on these questions.

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Having a strong vocabulary will also help you throughout your life: on other stan足 dardized tests, of course, in college, in your job, and when you read. Also, having a great vocabulary impresses people and makes you looks smart.

Flash Cards

Making effective flash c a rd s is i m p o rtant. We'l l address h ow to d o so shortly!

B U I LD I N G A VOCABU LARY The best way to build a great vocabulary is to keep a dictionary and flash cards on hand and look up new words you encounter. For each word, make a flash card, and review your flash cards frequently. We'll discuss effective ways of mak足 ing flash cards shortly. You will be more likely to encounter new words if you read a lot. Read newspa足 pers and magazines, and read books. If you think you don't like reading, you just haven't found the right material to read. Identify your interests-science, sports, current events, fantasy, you name it-and there will be plenty of material out there that you will look forward to reading.

Cracking the SSAT & I S E E

Making Effective Flash Cards Most people make flash cards by writing the word on one side and the definition on the other. That's fine as far as it goes, but you can do much better. An effective flash card will provide information that will help you remember the word. Differ足 ent people learn words in different ways, and you should do what works best for you. Here are some ideas, along with a couple of examples.

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Relating Words to Persona l Experience If the definition of a word reminds you of someone or something, write a sentence on the back of your flashcard using the word and that person or thing. Suppose, for example, you have a friend named Scott who is very clumsy. Here's a flash card for a word you may not know:

Relating Words to Roots Many words are derived from Latin or Greek words. These words often have roots-parts of words-that have specified meanings. If you recognize the roots, you can figure out what the word probably means. Consider the word benevolent. It may not surprise you that "bene" means good; think beneficial. "Vol" comes from a word that means wish and also gives us the word voluntary. Thus benevo足 lent describes someone who is good-hearted (good wish). Your flash card can men足 tion the roots as well as the words beneficial and voluntary to help you remember how the roots relate to benevolent.

Cracking the SSAT & I S E E

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SSAT Elementary Level and ISEE Lower Level Vocabulary

Cracking the SSAT & I S E E

A th roug h D o

D o th rough Mo

Mu th roug h Za

Abandon Acknowledge Adhesive Admire Aggravate Ail Aimless Alarmed Alter Approximate Assert Assured Astonish Audible Authentic Barrier Benign Betray Bewilder Biased Blunt Brittle Cautious Censor Conceal Condescending Confine Contented Contradiction Cunning Debate Debt Deceive Decline Deficient Delicate Despair Detrimental Devotion Disgraced Dismayed Distort Diversity Domestic Dominate

Dormant Dread Dubious Egotist Elegant Elongate Envy Eradicate Erratic Evacuate Excavate Exile Exquisite Extinct Fathom Feisty Flatter Fortunate Fragile Fundamental Furious Gap Generous Genuine Glint Graceful Hardship Hazard Hesitate Hideous Idealism Illuminate Illustrate Imply Incision Integrate Inquiry Integrity Jest Legend Liberate Merge Mirage Misery Moral

Muddled Myth Nag Neglect Novel Obstacle Occupy Pact Paltry Parody Particle Perplexed Prediction Prejudiced Puzzled Reject Reluctant Reminisce Remote Rendezvous Restore Reveal Salvage Scarce Seldom Sequence Solemn Somber Speck Spirited Superb Task Timid Toil Tragedy Unique Uproot Utilize Viewpoint Vigorous Vow Voyage Weary Wily Zany

Tria n g l es Isosceles Triangles Any triangle with two equal sides is an isosceles triangle.

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If two sides of a triangle are equal, the angles opposite those sides are always equal.

40째

This particular isosceles triangle has two equal sides (of length 6) and therefore two equal angles (40째 in this case).

50째 9

y n = 65 y=9

65째

If you already know that the above triangle is isosceles, then you also know that y must equal one of the other sides and n must equal one of the other angles. If n = 65, then y must equal 9.

F u n d a m e n t a l M a t h S k i l l s for the S SAT & I S E E

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Equi latera l Trian g l es An equilateral triangle is a triangle with three equal sides. If all the sides are equal, then all the angles must be equal. Each angle in an equilateral triangle equals 60째.

R i g ht Triang l es A right triangle is a triangle with one 90째 angle.

x =

1 80 - 90 - 50 = 40

O X

A= l

This is a right triangle. It is also an isosceles triangle. What does that tell you?

x = 45

Cracking the S S AT & I S E E

Area 1 To find the area of a triangle, you multiply 2 times the length of the base times the length of the triangle's height, or ďż˝ b X h .

Levels

The test writers may g ive you the form u l a for a rea of a tria ngle, but memorizing it will save you time I

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Elementary and Lower

height

base What is the area of a triangle with base 6 and height 3 ? (A) (B) (C) (D) (E)

3 6 9 12 18

Just put the values you are given into the formula and do the math. That's all there is to it! 1 2

- b x h = area

1 ( - )(6) x 3 2

3x3

Don't Forget !

area

Remember the base a n d the height must f o r m a 90-degre e a n g l e .

So, (C) is the correct answer. The only tricky point you may run into when finding the area of a triangle is when the triangle is not a right triangle. In this case, it becomes slightly more difficult to find the height, which is easiest to think of as the distance to the point of the triangle from the base. Here's an illustration to help.

Fundamental M a t h S k i l l s f o r t h e S SAT & I S E E

PLAN N I N G A N D WRITI N G YO U R ESSAY

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When you read your ISEE prompt or decide upon your SSAT prompt, do not start writing yet! It is important that you spend a few minutes thinking about what you want to say and how you will organize your thoughts. A planned es足 say reads much better than a rambling, free-association essay. Also, the time you spend organizing your thoughts will enable you to write your essay more quickly once you get started. You just need to follow your outline and express the ideas you have already developed. For the SSAT, you are writing a story, which means you must include a beginning, middle, and end. So, your planning time will be used to decide what story you want to tell and how the story progresses. It does not really matter what your story topic is, as long as it responds to the chosen prompt and is delivered in an orga足 nized way. Of course, you don't want to be silly; your goal is to make the schools you are applying to like you. On the other hand, you don't have to write a work of creative fiction either. Your story can relate something you have done or seen. If you happen to be a natural story-teller, though, have at it! For the ISEE, your essay will be a more traditional essay with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Your introduction will summarize the topic and explain your position, and your body paragraphs will include examples or reasons for your position. Thus, you want to spend your planning time deciding how you want to answer the prompt and what examples or reasons you will use to support your point of view. If you are used to using three examples in essays at school, there is no need for that here. You don't have the space or the time. Rather, having one or two well-developed examples or reasons will be fine. For both tests, be sure to avoid spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. It is easier to avoid these errors if you have planned your essay in advance. Also, write neatly; again, this is easier if you plan your essay before your write it. Be sure you clearly each intent new paragraph, as well. It is a good idea to leave yourself a bit of time at the end to review what you have written, so you can check these issues. You should write one or two practice essays and show them to a parent, teacher, or other adult who can give you feedback. Tell the person that your goal is to provide an organized, thoughtful, and likeable reply to the prompt, with a minimum of spelling and grammar errors. On the two pages that follow, write an essay using the prompt (or one of the two prompts for SSAT) above. Be sure to use the prompt for the test level (and test!) you are taking. After you have received feedback from someone, you can write another essay using the second set of prompts and essay.

Writing the Essay

115

Lower Level I S E E Descri be somet h i n g you wish yo u co u l d c h a n g e a b o u t the city or town i n wh i c h yo u l ive.

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M iddle Level ISEE If you cou l d spend o n e wee k a nywh e re i n t h e wor l d , where wo u l d yo u g o? W h a t wo u l d yo u do there?

Upper Level ISEE Descri be a book o r wo rk o f a rt that h a d an effect o n yo u . What about it affected yo u?

Writing the Essay

119

PAC I N G Most people believe that to do well on a test, it i s important to answer every ques足 tion. While this is true of most of the tests you take in school, it is not true of many standardized tests, including the SSAT. On this test, it is very possible to score well without answering all of the questions; in fact, many students can im足 prove their scores by answering fewer questions.

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"Wait a second. I can get a better score by answering fewer questions? " Yes. You will be penalized only for the questions you answer incorrectly, not for skipping. Because all of the questions are worth the same amount of points, it's j ust as good to get an easy question right as a hard one. So for the most part, you' ll give your attention to problems you think you can answer, and decide which questions are too thorny to waste time on. This test-taking approach is j ust as important to score improvement as knowledge of vocabulary and math rules! In general, all math and verbal questions on the SSAT gradually increase in diffi足 culty from first to last. (The one exception is the Reading section, where question difficulty is mixed.) This means that for most students, the longest and hardest problems are at the end of each section. For this reason, all students should focus the majority of their attention on the easiest and medium problems. Why rush through these and make careless errors, when you could spend time and get all of them right? Worry about the hard ones last, if you have time. Points a re n ot d e d ucted for wrong a nswers o n t h e E l e m e nt a ry Leve l test Thus, d o not leave any a n swers b l a n k . Even so, p a c e yourself w i s e l y to i n c r e a s e yo u r a c c u ra cy o n e a sy a n d medium questions.

The reason that this approach to pacing can actually increase scores is that skipped questions gain you zero points, whereas incorrect answers each reduce your raw score by a quarter-point. Because your raw score will decrease only if you answer a question incorrectly, skipping is the best strategy for a problem that has you com足 pletely stumped. Ideally, you will either get a question right or skip it (with some exceptions when you can guess intelligently and aggressively). Skipping will be a major tool mostly for the hardest of questions. Guessing will be part of the whole test, so let's look at how guessing and skipping work together.

G U E SSI N G When should you guess? Whenever you can eliminate even one wrong answer with certainty. Yes, really. We'll get to why in a minute. Eliminate four and you have the right answer by process of elimination. So eliminate definitely wrong answers and guess! Be aggressive. Over the course of the whole test, this strategy will increase your score. How? Well, let's look again at how SSAT questions are scored, right answers rewarded and wrong answers penalized.

1 30

C r a c k i n g t h e S S AT & I S E E

1 8.

VIGOROUS : (A) slothful (B) aimless (C) energetic (D) glorious (E) victorious

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1 9.

PROLONG: (A) affirmative (B) lengthen (C) exceed (D) assert (E) resolve

20.

BEN EFIT: (A) (B) (C) (D) (E)

cooperate struggle assist deny appeal

Mo re Review!

For f u rther verbal review. check o u t The Princeton Revi ew's Grammar Smart Junior and Word Smart Junior.

When You Sort of Know the Stem Word Why Should You Do Synonyms Last? Why Are They H arder Than Analogies? Synonyms are harder to beat than analogies because the SSAT gives you no context with which to figure out words that you sort of know. But that doesn't mean you should only do the easy synonyms. You can get the medium ones, too. You just need to create your own context to figure out words you don't know very well. Keep in mind that your goal is to eliminate the worst answers, to make an edu足 cated guess. You'll be able to do this for every synonym that you sort of know, and even if you just eliminate one choice, guess. You'll gain points overall.

Make Your Own Context You can create your own context for the word by figuring out how you've heard it used before. Think of the other words you've heard used with the stem word. Is there a certain phrase that comes to mind? What does that phrase mean? If you still can't come up with a definition for the stem word, just use the context in which you've heard the word to eliminate answers that wouldn't fit at all in that same context.

S S AT Verbal

231

How about this stem word: ABOMINABLE Where have you heard abominable? The Abominable Snowman, of course. Think about it-you know it's a monster-like creature. Which answer choices can you eliminate?

ABOMINABLE:

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(A) (B) � � kE)

enormous terrible rude showy talkative

the terri b l e s n owm a n ? s u re t h e r u d e s n owm a n ? p roba b ly n ot t h e s h owy s n o wm a n ? n o p e t h e ta l kative s n owm a n ? o n ly Frosty!

You can throw out everything but (A) and (B). Now you can guess, with a much better shot at getting the answer right than guessing from five choices. Or you can think about where else you've heard the stem word. Have you ever heard some thing called an abomination? Was it something terrible or was it something enor mous? (B) is the answer. Try this one. Where have you heard this stem word? Try the answers in that context. SURROGATE: (A) friendly (B) requested (C) paranoid (D) numerous (E) substitute

Have you heard the stem word in surrogate mother? If you have, you can definitely eliminate (B), (C), and (D), and (A) isn't great either. A surrogate mother is a substitute mother. Try one more. ENDANGER: (A) rescue (B) frighten (C) confuse (D) threaten (E) isolate

232

t h e e n o rm o u s s n owm a n ? m aybe

Cracking the S S AT & I S E E

Everyone's associations are different, but you've probably heard of endangered species or endangered lives. Use either of those phrases to eliminate answer choices that can't fit into it. Rescued species? Frightened species? Confused species? Threatened species? Isolated species? (D) works best.

PRACTICE D R I LL 1 2-MAKI N G YO U R OWN CO NTEXT

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Write down the phrase in which you've heard each word. 1.

COMMON:

COMPETENT:

ABRIDGE :

UNTIMELY:

HOMOGENIZE:

DELINQUENT:

INALIENABLE:

PALTRY:

AUSPICIOUS:

10.

PRODIGAL:

__ _ __ _ _ _ _____ __ _ _ _

When You Are Done

Check your a n swers in Chapter 1 0 .

S S AT Verbal

233

SSAT Upper Level Practice Test

U p per Level SSAT Writi n g Sam ple Time 25 Minutes 1 Topic -

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Writing Sample Schools would like to get to know you better through a story you will tell using one of the ideas below. Please choose the idea you find most interesting and write a story using the idea in your first sentence. Please fill in the circle next to the one you choose.

What did a parent tell you to do that you know wish you had done?

庐

It was a pleasant surprise.

GO ON TO TH E N EXT PAG E . Upper Level S SAT Practice Test 路

295

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SSAT Upper Level Practice Test

296

Cracking the S S AT & I S E E

SSAT Upper Level Practice Test

U pper Level SSAT Section 1

30 Minutes 25 Questions

Time

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Following each problem in this section, there are five suggested answers . Work each problem in your head or in the blank space provided at the right of the page. Then look at the five suggested answers and decide which one is best. Note: Figures that accompany problems in this section are drawn as accurately as possible EXCEPT when it is stated in a specific problem that its figure is not drawn to scale. Sample Problem: (A) 586 (B) 596 (C) 696 (D) 1 ,586 (E) 1 ,686

5 ,4 1 3 - 4.827

•@ © @ ®

If h = 2, and h, i, and j are consecutive even integers and h < i < j, what is h + i + j ?

USE THIS SPACE FOR FIGURING.

(A) 3 (B) 5 (C) 9 (D) 1 0 (E) 1 2

Ifx =

- + - + -

and y

= - + - + -

, then x + y =

(A) 3 (B) (C) (D)

(E)

2 3

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297

SSAT Upper Level Practice Test

3. I f the product o f 4 1 2.7 and 1 00 i s rounded t o the nearest hundred, the answer will be

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(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)

4 5

(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)

400 4, 1 00 4, 1 27 4 1 ,270 4 1 ,300 1 . of a number is 28, then - of that number 1s 5

4 7 21 35 1 12

1 4 + 3 x 7 + ( 1 2 + 2) (A)

USE THIS SPACE FOR FIGURING.

140

1 25 (C) 65 _!_ (B)

(D) 4 1 (E)

The perimeter of a square with area 1 00 is (A) 10 (B) 25 (C) 40 (D) 1 00 (E) 1 ,000

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Cracking the S S AT & I S E E

SSAT Upper Level Practice Test

Questions 7 and 8 refer to the following chart.

USE THIS SPACE FOR FIGURING.

Money Raised from Candy Sale Cost of Candy

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# Sold

$ 1 .00 $5.00 1 00

$ 1 0.00

$ 1 5 .00

Figure 1 7.

How much more money was raised by the $ 1 0.00 candy than by the $5.00 candy? (A) (B) (C) (D) (E)

The money raised b y the $ 1 5 .00 candy i s ap足 proximately what percent of the total money raised from the candy sale? (A) (B) (C) (D) (E)

$32 $50 $75 $ 1 25 $200

1 5% 20% 30% 45% 50%

An art gallery has three collections: modem art, sculpture, and photography. If the 24 items that make up the modem art collection represent 25% of the total number of items in the gallery, then the average number of items in each of the other two collections is (A) (B) (C) (D) (E)

8 24 36 96 288

G O O N TO TH E N EXT PAG E . Upper Level SSAT Practice Test

299

SSAT Upper Level Practice Test 1 0. At Calvin U. Smith Elementary School, the ratio of students to teachers is 9 : 1 . What fractional

USE THIS SPACE FOR FIGURING.

part of the entire population at the school is teachers? (A )

10 1

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(B) (C )

9 1

8 8

(D) ( E)

1 1 . The Ace Delivery Company employs two driv

ers to make deliveries on a certain Saturday. If Driver A makes d deliveries and Driver B makes d + 2 deliveries, then in terms of d, the average number of deliveries made by each driver is (A)

(B) d + l (C) (D )

d+ 2 1

-d+2 2 '}_ d (E) 2

1 2. Which of the following is equal to w ?

(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)

1 80 - v 1 80 + v 1 05 1 15 2v

! 05°

w - 1 0°

Figure 2

G O O N TO TH E N EXT PAG E . 300

Cracking the S S AT & I S E E

SSAT Middle Level Practice Test

M iddle Level SSAT Section 4

30 Minutes 25 Questions

Time

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Following each problem in this section, there are five suggested answers . Work each problem in your head or in the blank space provided at the right of the page. Then look at the five suggested answers and decide which one is best. Note : Figures that accompany problems in this section are drawn as accurately as possible EXCEPT when it is stated in a specific problem that its figure is not drawn to scale. Sample Problem: 5 ,4 1 3 - 4,827

â&#x20AC;˘@ @ @ ÂŽ

Which of the following fractions is greatest?

U S E THIS SPACE FOR FIGURING.

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

(E)

(A ) 586 (B) 596 (C) 696 (D) 1 ,586 (E) 1 ,686

8 2

5 9

The sum of the factors of 12 is

(A) 28 (B) (C)

(D) (E)

21 20 16 15

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C rack i n g the SSAT & I S E E

SSAT U L MATH 1 1.

2. 3.

8. 9.

10.

12.

13.

15.

SSAT U L READ I N G 2 1.

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6. 7. 8.

D B

10. 11.

12.

SSAT U L VERBAL 3 1.

3. 4.

2. 5.

13. 14.

10.

15. 16.

12.

18.

11.

17.

SSAT U L MATH 4 1. 2. 3.

4. 5. 6.

8. 9.

SSAT M L MATH 1 1.

8. 9.

1. 2. 3. 4.

c B

5. 6.

7. 8.

c B

9. 10. 11.

12.

3. 4.

5. 6.

A B

7. 8.

9. 10. 11. 12.

A E B

13. 14.

15. 16. 17. 18.

SSAT M L MATH 4 1. 2. 3.

4. 5. 6.

C ra c k i n g the S S AT & I S E E

7. 8. 9.

14. 15.

20.

19.

A E

21.

25. 26.

28.

13.

15.

D D

A E

c B

15. 16. 19.

20.

21. 22. 23. 24. 10. 11. 12.

28.

31.

37.

33.

42.

16. 17.

18.

17. 18.

20.

19.

E B

25. 26.

A B

27. 28.

30.

13. c 14. E

29. c

15.

36.

14.

27.

26.

10.

29.

40.

25.

23. 24.

29.

12.

13. 14.

22.

38.

23. 24.

27.

13. 14. 15.

21.

30.

10. 11.

11. 12.

20.

34.

19.

17. 18.

32 .

24.

23.

19.

16.

22.

14.

13.

17. D 18. c

20.

S SAT M L VERBAL 3 1.

SSAT M L READ I N G 2

364

11.

30.

25.

33.

40.

49. 50.

55. 56.

58. 59.

32 .

43. 44.

46.

51. c 52. A

41.

c E

48.

47.

54.

53.

19. 20.

25.

22. 23. 24.

21.

16.

19.

22.

25.

18.

21.

24.

29.

33. 34.

17.

21.

22. 23. 24.

31 . 32 .

33. 34. 35. 36.

16. 17. 18.

20.

25. 26.

A B

c B

D D

57. 58.

60.

35. c 36. E

37.

43. 44.

49. 50. 51. 52 . 53.

54.

25.

E B

19. 20. 21.

D B

45. 46. 47. 48.

22. 23. 24.

55.

31.

38. 39. 40. 41.

32 .

39. 40.

60.

27. 28.

57.

37.

30.

42.

23.

36.

35.

39.

35.

39.

38.

34.

31.

45.

37.

38.

56.

59. c