CONTENTS

Introduction

Test-Taking Strategies

TEST 1 Conceived in Liberty: American History

TEST 2 What's Past Is Prologue: World History

TEST 3 We the People: Civics

TEST 4 Spaceship Earth: Geography

TEST 5 Worth a Thousand Words: Art and Architecture

TEST 6 The Food of Love: Music

TEST 7 All's Right with the World: Myth and Religion

TEST 8 A Well-Turned Phrase: Quotes, Phrases, and Aphorisms

TEST 9 Of Thee I Sing: American Literature

TEST 10 Mightier Than the Sword: World Literature

TEST 11 The Birds and the Bees: Life Science

TEST 12 A Swiftly Tilting Planet: Physical Science

TEST 13 The Wave of the Future: Technology

TEST 14 The Queen of the Sciences and the Dismal Science: Mathematics and Economics

Answer Sheets

Suggested Reading

Photo Credits

Test-Prep Your Cultural Literacy IQhas been written by test-prep experts with two goals in mind:

The first, and the most important, goal of this book is to help you score high on standardized tests. Our proven test-taking strategies will not only help you feel more confident about taking standardized tests but will also improve your performance. This book includes fourteen practice tests so you can practice with your new test-taking strategies. After all, practice makes perfect!

The second goal of this book is to have some fun! Really! And hey, after taking the tests in this book and reading the answers, you'll be more than ready to impress your friends and family. Go ahead -- challenge someone to a game of Trivial Pursuit™ or play along withJeopardy!™. And the next time you get stuck with a bunch of intellectual snobs at some party, be confident that you can keep up with the conversation.

Why You Need This Book

Like it or not, multiple-choice tests play a pretty large role in people's lives today -- more so than ever before. In truth, high school teachers and college professors are actuallyin lovewith multiple-choice tests. Think of those pesky Advanced Placement tests and college entrance exams like the SAT and ACT Assessment that all use multiple-choice questions. Bottom line: You can't escape multiple-choice tests, so you might as well have fun while you learn to master them.

What Is Cultural Literacy?

There you are, sitting back in your favorite chair, scanning your favorite magazine, when you come across this phrase:

Here is a man who seemed to have the Midas touch...

What's the Midas touch? Do you know? Supposedly, if you're "culturally literate," you would know. Midas was a king who wished that everything he touched would turn to gold. He got his wish, turned his daughter into gold, and then realized that the touch was also a curse. How do we know that? Because we're culturally literate, and soon you will be too! But what exactly do we mean by cultural literacy? Read on...

A contemporary writer named E. D. Hirsch started a movement called the "Core Knowledge" movement. Basically, he believed that if students across the nation could learn a "core" of common knowledge, they would be certain to have a fair and solid elementary education. Hirsch wrote a book calledCultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know,and with this, the phrase "cultural literacy" was coined. You could read for hours about the Core Knowledge movement and cultural literacy on the Web, because there is so much information on it, but we're going to simplify cultural literacy in the following definition, which is all you need to know for this book:

Cultural literacy is stuff in the arts, humanities, and history that you (and everyone else) probably know.

How To Know If You Are Culturally Literate

When you complete a test, use the explanatory answers that follow the test to check your responses. The answers give information for you to determine why your response was correct or incorrect, and you can learn a lot by reading the explanations!

Use the scoring key at the end of this introduction to grade yourself and see how culturally literate you are.

Scoring Key

Give yourself two points for each correct answer.

90-100Excellent.You are culturally literate.

80-89Good.You have more than a passing knowledge of this subject.

70-79Fair.You have a competent grasp of many aspects of this subject.

60-69Poor.You could use some improvement in this area.

Below 60Time for cultural literacy training.See the Bibliography in the back of this book.

Copyright © 2003 by Diane Zahler and Kathy A. Zahler

TEST-TAKING STRATEGIES

The Multiple-Choice Test

Many people think that a multiple-choice test simply requires the test-taker to use recognition skills to pick out or recognize facts. Unfortunately, that isn't true -- sorry! A multiple-choice test can be simple or very difficult. It can measure recognition skills or it can measure "higher order" thinking skills, such asapplication, comprehension, analysis,orsynthesis.A well-written multiple-choice test will most likely contain questions that range from simple to difficult and will measure a number of different levels of thinking. So, to be a successful test-taker, you've got to know about the different kinds of multiple-choice questions and the best strategies for answering them. Let's begin with the questions, and then we'll talk briefly about some strategies to help you ace that exam!

A multiple-choice question has two elements:

1. The stem (or question)

2. The answer choices

The stem may be in the form of a question:

EXAMPLE:What painter is considered the "father of modern art"?

Or, the stem may be in the form of an incomplete statement:

EXAMPLE:The "father of modern art" is

In the first case, the correct answer will answer the question that is asked. In the second example, the answer will accurately complete the incomplete statement. For both questions, the answer would be the same: Cézanne. Occasionally, however, multiple-choice stems will contain words such as except or not:

EXAMPLE:All of the following are associated with balletexcept

EXAMPLE:Which of the following isnotassociated with ballet?

In cases such as these, the multiple-choice question is essentially a true/false question. The correct answer choice is the one that isnottrue or is the exception to the statement. For example, if "Jon Bon Jovi" was given as an answer choice for either question above, you should choose it because Jon Bon Jovi is a rock star -- and isnotassociated with ballet. This may seem overly simple, but these kind of questions often confuse test-takers. Strategies regarding these questions will be addressed later in the chapter.

Answer choices probably won't vary much from test to test as far as format, but there might be one or two small exceptions. First, the questions will usually have either four or five answer choices. Tests in high school or college often will vary and may have either fewer than four or more than five answer choices, depending on the personality of the instructor, the level of difficulty of the test, and the material that is being tested. However, most standardized tests will use either four or five answer choices. The second way tests might differ is how the answers are listed. Some exams will use lettered answer choices (A, B, C, D, and E), while others will use numbered choices (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5). Regardless of how the answers are listed, the strategies for answering the questions remain the same.

Strategies For Answering Multiple-Choice Questions

Unfortunately, there is no one strategy that will enable you to answer correctlyeveryquestion oneverytest you take. And there is no substitute for a solid, working knowledge of the subject matter being tested. In other words, test-taking strategies are going to be most effective when you combine them with good study habits. So, if you're looking for a shortcut that relieves you of actually studying the material being tested, you've come to the wrong place. (And if you ever find that place where no studying is necessary, let us know; we'd love to go there!) That being said, let's look at some of the most effective strategies for taking multiple-choice tests.

1.Read the question carefully.This suggestion seems really obvious, but it is probably themost importantand the most overlooked strategy. Realizing you answered a question incorrectly because you didn't read it carefully is pretty frustrating. So, read the question carefully, and make sure you know exactly what the question is asking. As you read the question, look for any key words within the stem that have significance. You may also find it helpful to circle the key words in the stem when you see them. This will reinforce the key words in your mind. For example, if the question includes a negative, circle the negative and treat the question as a true/false question. As mentioned earlier, some multiple-choice questions contain negatives likeexceptornot.When you encounter a negative, circle it, underline it, or put a star by it. First, this will help you remember that there is a negative in the question. Second, this will help you remember that you are looking for a false statement in the answer choices.

EXAMPLE:

All of the following are types of paint except

(1) tempera.

(2) charcoal.

(3) oil.

(4) acrylic.

(5) watercolor.

When answering this question, make sure you circle the wordexceptso you remember that you are looking for the answer that does not make the stem true. If you were to choose answer choice (2), you would be correct.

2.Try to answer the question in your mind before you look at the answer choices.As you read the question, try to figure out the answer. If you can answer the question in your head and then match that answer to one of the answer choices provided, you can be pretty sure that you have answered the question correctly.

3.Read every answer choice carefully before you make your selection.This is another suggestion that may seem obvious, but it is of the utmost importance. Read every answer choice, even if you think you know the answer. In other words, although you think you know the answer is (B), and (B) may be agoodanswer, (D) may be thebestanswer to the question.

4.Use the process of elimination.If you read all of the answer choices, and you still don't know the correct answer right away, use the process of elimination to narrow your choices. Usually, multiple-choice questions will have a set of answer choices that includes a very unlikely answer, one or two poor answers, a possible answer, and a best answer. You should read through the answer choices and cross out any that you are sure are incorrect. The more you can narrow down the choices, the better your odds if you have to guess. Most of the time, you will be able to narrow the choices to two or three possible answers. With these odds (1:2 or 1:3), guessing will usually produce a higher score than if you leave the question unanswered.

EXAMPLE:

Of the following, who is a writer?

(A) Chewbacca the Wookie

(B) Kermit the Frog

(C) Genghis Khan

(D) The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe

(E) Dave Barry

The correct answer is (E).Even if you've never heard of Dave Barry, we're hoping you were able to figure out that the other choices definitely arenotwriters!

5.Beware of answer choices that seem to mean the same thing.If, when you are reading through all of the answer choices, you find two choices that seem to say the same thing, only in different words, be careful about choosing either of the two as your answer. When two answer choices seem unusually similar or when two answer choices seem almost identical, both choices are probably incorrect.

EXAMPLE:

The term "politically correct" has come to mean

(1) repressive and reactionary.

(2) unusually sensitive to racism and sexism.

(3) belonging to the party in power.

(4) definitely left-wing.

(5) bowing to the opinion of the party in power.

If you read through this example carefully, you probably noticed that choices (3) and (5) say practically the same thing. Even if you aren't sure if these answers are correct, logically, only one answer can be correct. Therefore, if two choices say the same thing and you can't choose two answer choices, your correct answer is another answer choice. The correct answer is (2), for this example.

6.Watch for answer choices that are different by only one or two words yet have opposite meanings.One or two words can completely change the meaning of a phrase or sentence. When you find two answer choices that are similar in construction except for one or two words, the two answer choices are usually opposites. The one- or two-word difference will probably have a world of difference in meaning -- so watch out!

EXAMPLE:

As of the end of the 2002 season, Barry Bonds holds which of the following major league records?

(A) The single season home run record

(B) The career home run record

(C) Most hits against Nolan Ryan

(D) Most teams played for in a career

(E) The longest home run ever at Dodger Stadium

If you read these answer choices carefully, you probably noticed that answer choices (1) and (2) vary only by the wordssingle seasonandcareer.Choice (A) is correct; but if you did not read all of the choices carefully, you might have chosen choice (B), which only slightly varies from choice (A), but is incorrect.

7.Take the question at face value.Take each question at face value and don't try to read too much into it. Don't try to "read between the lines" or overanalyze what the question is asking. By overanalyzing, you run the risk of misinterpreting the question, thereby seriously decreasing your chances of choosing the correct answer. There are such things as trick questions. You can find them on all sorts of tests. You want to be on the lookout, but don't obsess by looking for a trick question around every corner.

8.Look for absolutes within the answer choices.As you read through all the answer choices, watch for absolutes such asall, never, none,andalways.These are absolutes because these words leave no room for exceptions of any kind. Unless you specifically remember a major point of emphasis on whatever the subject of the question is, the answer choice or choices containing an absolute are probably not correct:

EXAMPLE:

Which of the following can be said of American colonists under British rule?

(1) All colonists wanted to be free of British rule.

(2) All colonists wanted to drink tea.

(3) Colonists were never forced to board British soldiers.

(4) Colonists who were unhappy with British rule organized to fight for freedom.

(5) Colonists were always very unhappy with British rule.

If you read the answer choices carefully, you probably noticed that choices (1), (2), (3), and (5) contain absolutes. Therefore, you can be fairly certain that these are incorrect. You probably already knew that (4) is the correct answer, but in case you didn't, you could have figured it out with the strategy in the paragraph above.

9.Don't spend too much time on any one question.Practically all standardized tests have a time limit. This means that you, as the test-taker, must manage your time wisely. It isn't uncommon for a test to require an average of less than one minute per answer. Therefore, if you encounter a question that really stumps you, put a star next to it and move on. If you have time to work on it after you answer all the other questions, go back to it. It is much more productive to spend your time answering other questions than spending precious time struggling with one.

EXAMPLE:

What was the first race horse to win 1 million dollars in his career?

(A) Man o' War

(B) Secretariat

(C) Citation

(D) Cigar

(E) Gallant Fox

Do you know the answer to this question? If so, kudos to you. If not, do you really think you'll figure it out by just staring at the answer choices? Probably not. Therefore, why spend precious time racking your brain on this question when you could be answering other questions? On this IQ test, you can guess as we don't penalize you for wrong answers.

10.Don't change your answers.The oldest test-taking strategy in the history of test-taking strategies is "go with your first choice." If you choose an answer and then feel an urge to change the answer later, the urge is probably just nerves. Don't second-guess yourself. There was probably a reason you chose the answer you did. Therefore, don't change an answer unless you are absolutely, positively sure that the answer you chose is incorrectandyou are positively sure you know which answer is correct.

The Answer Sheet

On standardized tests that are used on a statewide or nationwide level, computer-read answer sheets are provided for you to mark your answers. When you use answer sheets, much like the ones provided in this book, there are a few important things to remember. First, completely fill in the circle of your choice with your pencil. The sheets are "read" and graded by a computer, so it's important that your mark is clear and complete. A check in the circle or an X marked through it might not be readable by the machine and possibly won't be counted, even if your answer is correct. See below for an example of an answer sheet and the correct way to fill in your answers (you'll see some incorrect examples there, too). Be sure to mark only one circle per question. Do not skip lines by mistake, because one misplaced mark can make every answer following it wrong.

Good Luck!

Copyright © 2003 by Diane Zahler and Kathy A. Zahler

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Excerpted from Test Your Your Cultural Literacy IQ by Diane Zahler
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.