GED Social Studies For Dummies E-Book

Achim K. Krull

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 505

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

Gear up to crush the GED Social Studies Test Does the thought of taking the GED Social Studies Test send shivers down your spine? Fear not! With the help of GED Social Studies Test For Dummies, you'll get up to speed on the new structure and computer-based format of the GED and gain the confidence and know-how to pass the Social Studies Test like a pro. Packed with helpful guidance and instruction, this hands-on test-prep guide covers the concepts covered on the GED Social Studies Test and gives you ample practice opportunities to assess your understanding of Civics and Government, History, Economics, and Geography. Designed to test your understanding of the fundamentals of social studies reasoning and the ability to apply those fundamentals in realistic situations, the GED Social Studies Test can be tough for the uninitiated. Luckily, this fun and accessible guide breaks down each section of the exam into easily digestible parts, making everything you'll encounter on exam day feel like a breeze! Inside, you'll find methods to sharpen your vocabulary and writing skills, tips on how to approach GED Social Studies Test question types and formats, practice questions and study exercises, and a full-length practice test to help you pinpoint where you need more study help. * Presents reviews of the GED Social Studies test question types and basic computer skills * Offers practice questions to assess your knowledge of each subject area * Includes one full-length GED Social Studies practice test * Provides scoring guidelines and detailed answer explanations Even if Social Studies is something that's always made you wince, GED Social Studies Test For Dummies makes it easy to pass this crucial exam and obtain your hard-earned graduate equivalency diploma.

Leseprobe

GED® Social Studies Test For Dummies®

Published by:John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774,www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Trademarks: Wiley, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and may not be used without written permission. The 2014 GED® Test Item Samplers are the intellectual property of GED Testing Service LLC. ©2014 GED Testing Service LLC. All rights reserved. GED® and GED Testing Service® are registered trademarks of the American Council on Education (ACE). They may not be reproduced without the express written permission of ACE or GED Testing Service. The GED® and GED Testing Service® brands are administered by GED Testing Service LLC under license from American Council on Education. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2015946682

ISBN 978-1-119-02983-0 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-02982-3 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-02984-7 (ebk)

GED® Social Studies Test For Dummies®

Visit www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/gedsocialstudiestest to view this book's cheat sheet.

Table of Contents

Cover

Introduction

About This Book

Foolish Assumptions

Icons Used in This Book

Beyond the Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I: Getting Started with the GED Social Studies Test

Chapter 1: Taking a Quick Glance at the GED Social Studies Test

Knowing What to Expect: The GED Test Format

Reviewing the GED Social Studies Test

It’s a Date: Scheduling the Test

Taking the GED Test When English Isn’t Your First Language

Taking Aim at Your Target Score

Chapter 2: Preparing for the GED Social Studies Test

Looking at the Skills the Social Studies Test Covers

Understanding the Social Studies Test Format

Writing the Social Studies Extended Response

Examining Preparation Strategies That Work

Managing Your Time for the Social Studies Test

Chapter 3: Taking a Social Studies Diagnostic Test

Tackling the Diagnostic Test

Answer Sheet for the Social Studies Diagnostic Test

Social Studies Diagnostic Test

The Extended Response

Answers and Explanations

Sample Extended Response

Diagnostic Grid

Chapter 4: Succeeding on the GED Social Studies Test

Gearing Up for Test Time

Using the Diagnostic and Practice Tests to Your Advantage

Packing for Test Day

Getting Comfortable Before the Test Begins

Brushing Up on Test-Taking Strategies

Sharpening Your Mental Focus

Part II: Enhancing Your Social Studies Skills

Chapter 5: Reading and Understanding Social Studies Passages

Recognizing the Central Idea and Thesis

Extracting Details to Make Inferences and Claims

Identifying the Author’s Point of View in Historical Documents

Distinguishing Fact from Opinion

Distinguishing between Hypotheses and Unsupported Claims

Comparing Two Sources and Identifying Their Differences

Knowing a Word’s Meaning from Its Context

Chapter 6: Understanding and Applying Key Social Studies Concepts

Extracting Evidence to Support Inferences and Analyses

Describing Relationships among People, Places, Environments, and Development

Grasping the Sequence of Events and of Steps in Social Studies Processes

Analyzing Development of and Interactions among Events, Processes, and Ideas

Scrutinizing Cause-and-Effect Relationships

Sniffing Out Bias and Propaganda

Exploring History’s Influence on an Author’s Point of View

Gauging an Author’s Credibility

Chapter 7: Applying Mathematical Reasoning to Social Studies

Analyzing Maps and Images

Extracting Data from Charts (Graphs) and Tables

Predicting Trends with Charts and Tables

Analyzing the Relationship between Dependent and Independent Variables

Sorting Out Numerical, Technical, and Written Materials

Part III: Nurturing Your Knowledge: History, Civics, Economics, and Geography

Chapter 8: Brushing Up on Civics and Government

Perusing the Principles and Philosophy of Governance

Surveying the Many Manifestations of Democracy

Checking Out the Structure and Design of U.S. State Governments

Understanding the Legislative Process

Contemplating Citizen Rights and Responsibilities

Looking Into Public Policy and Politics: Case Studies

Chapter 9: Looking Back at U.S. History

Surveying Key U.S. Historical Documents

Investigating the Causes of America’s Revolutionary War

Covering the Causes of the Civil War

Delving into Key Issues in the Civil Rights Movement

Exploring European Settlement and the Native Population of the Americas

Understanding Isolationism and the U.S. Role in World Wars I and II

Tracing the Origins and Outcomes of the Cold War

Probing Shifts in U.S. Foreign Policy Since 9/11

Chapter 10: Shaking the Money Tree: Economics

Sorting Out the Different Economic Models

Finding Out What’s New About the New Deal

Wrapping Your Brain around Microeconomics and Macroeconomics

Examining Income Inequality and Related Issues

Investigating Economic Causes and Fallout Related to War

Looking into Economic Drivers of Exploration and Colonization

Weighing the Impact of the Agricultural, Industrial, and Technology Revolutions

Chapter 11: Traveling through Time and Space with Social Studies Lessons

Sizing Up Ancient Civilizations: Athens and Rome

Exploring Interactions among Population, Environment, and Development

Investigating Border Types and Conflicts

Pondering the Population Puzzle

Chapter 12: Writing a First-Class Extended Response

Checking Out the Extended Response Guidelines

Sneaking a Peek at the Stimulus Material and the Essay Prompt

Formulating a Clear, Direct Thesis Statement

Structuring Your Essay

Considering Purpose, Audience, and Message

Writing, Revising, and Editing Your Essay: Best Practices

Part IV: Testing Your Social Studies Knowledge and Skills

Chapter 13: Taking a Social Studies Practice Test

Answer Sheet for Social Studies Practice Test

Social Studies Test

The Extended Response

Chapter 14: Answers and Explanations for the Social Studies Practice Test

Answers and Explanations

Scoring Your Extended Response

Checking Out a Sample Response

Answer Key

Part V: The Part of Tens

Chapter 15: Ten More Ways to Prep for the GED Social Studies Test

Blocking Out Test Prep Time

Taking the Diagnostic Test Before the Practice Test

Trying Computer-Simulated Tests

Finding and Answering More Questions

Getting Schooled in Civics

Reading History for Fun

Studying Economics for Fun and Profit

Reading Geography, Just Because

Keeping Calm under Pressure

Psyching Yourself for the Test

Maintaining Focus

Chapter 16: Ten Skills to Master for the GED Social Studies Test

Nailing Down the Lingo

Reading for Meaning

Summarizing Information

Identifying Appropriate Sources

Picking Up on Context Clues

Recognizing Propaganda

Detecting Bias

Reading a Map

Extracting Data from Tables and Graphs

Deciphering Political Cartoons

About the Authors

Cheat Sheet

Connect with Dummies

End User License Agreement

Guide

Cover

Table of Contents

Begin Reading

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Introduction

You’ve decided to take the General Education Development (GED) test to earn the equivalent of a high school diploma. Congratulations! You’re about to clear a major hurdle standing between you and your educational and professional goals. But now you realize that you need extra guidance to tackle the GED Social Studies test. Perhaps you took the test once or even twice and didn’t do so well. Perhaps you’ve done an honest self-assessment and now realize that social studies was never your favorite or best subject. Whatever the reason, you need to quickly review the essentials and practice answering questions like those you’ll encounter on the test. You want to know what to expect so you’re not blindsided on test day.

Welcome to GED Social Studies Test For Dummies — your key to excelling on the GED Social Studies test. Here, you find everything you need to do well on the test, from guidance on how to improve reading speed and comprehension to whirlwind tours of civics, government, history, economics, and geography that get you up to speed on the basics. You also find out how to write a top-notch essay for the Extended Response portion of the test. Along the way, you get plenty of practice questions to cement your knowledge and skills.

About This Book

As we were writing GED Test For Dummies, 3rd Edition (Wiley), we didn’t have the space to cover all four sections of the GED test in great detail. In that book, we provide a general overview of the GED test and two full-length practice tests that cover all four sections — Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA), Mathematical Reasoning, Science, and Social Studies.

Knowing that test-takers can take each section of the GED test separately and that they probably need more guidance in some subject areas than in others, we decided to develop a separate workbook for each section — four workbooks, each with a balance of instruction and practice. In this book, the GED Social Studies Test For Dummies, we focus exclusively on the GED Social Studies test. Our goal is twofold: to prepare you to answer correctly any social studies question you’re likely to encounter on the test so that you’ll receive a high score and to help you do well on your Extended Response essay.

We begin by giving you a sneak peek at the test format and an overview of what’s on the GED Social Studies test. We then provide a diagnostic test that presents you with Social Studies questions that challenge your reading, reasoning, and social studies skills and knowledge and identify your unique strengths and weaknesses. The diagnostic test and the self-assessment table following it guide you to specific skills and knowledge areas where you may need to focus your test-prep activities. When you feel ready, you can then tackle the full-length Social Studies practice test in Chapter 13 and turn to Chapter 14 for answers and explanations. Check the answers even for questions you answered correctly because the answers provide additional insight.

We wrap up with two Part of Tens chapters — one that presents ten study tips and another that reveals ten skills to develop prior to test day.

Foolish Assumptions

When we wrote this book, we made a few assumptions about you, dear reader. Here’s who we think you are:

You’re serious about earning a GED as soon as possible.

You’re looking for additional instruction and guidance specifically to improve your score on the GED Social Studies test, not the Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA), Math, or Science test. We have a separate workbook for each of those tests for when you’re ready to tackle them.

You’ve made earning your GED a priority in your life because you want to advance in the workplace or pursue higher learning that requires a GED or high-school diploma.

You’re willing to give up some activities so you have the time to prepare, always keeping in mind your other responsibilities.

You meet your state’s requirements regarding age, residency, and the length of time since leaving school that make you eligible to take the GED test. (See

Chapter 1

for details.)

You have sufficient English language skills to handle the test.

You want a fun and friendly guide that helps you achieve your goal.

If any of these descriptions sounds like you, welcome aboard. You’re about to embark on a journey that takes you from point A (where you are right now) to point B (passing the GED Social Studies test with flying colors).

Icons Used in This Book

Icons — little pictures you see in the margins of this book — highlight bits of text that you want to pay special attention to. Here’s what each one means:

Whenever we want to tell you a special trick or technique that can help you succeed on the GED Social Studies test, we mark it with this icon. Keep an eye out for this guy.

This icon points out information you want to burn into your brain. Think of the text with this icon as the sort of stuff you’d tear out and put on a bulletin board or your refrigerator.

Take this icon seriously! Although the world won’t end if you don’t heed the advice next to this icon, the warnings are important to your success in preparing to take the Social Studies test.

We use this icon to flag example questions that are much like what you can expect on the actual GED Social Studies test. So if you just want to get familiar with the types of questions on the test, this icon is your guide.

Beyond the Book

In addition to the book content, you can find valuable free material online. We provide you with a Cheat Sheet that addresses things you need to know and consider when getting ready for the GED Social Studies test. You can access this material at www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/gedsocialstudiestest.

We also include additional articles at www.dummies.com/extras/gedsocialstudiestest that provide even more helpful tips and advice to help you score your best on the GED Social Studies test.

Where to Go from Here

Some people like to read books from beginning to end. Others prefer to read only the specific information they need to know now. Here we provide a road map so you can find your way around.

Chapter 1 starts off with an overview of the GED test and how to register for the exam. Chapter 2 brings you up to speed on what the Social Studies test covers. Chapter 3 is a must-read — a diagnostic test followed by a self-assessment to target areas where you need the most guidance and practice. Based on your self-assessment, you’ll know which chapters to focus on in Parts II and III of this book, which divide instruction into two areas that the test evaluates:

Part II

focuses on social studies

skills,

which include reading comprehension; understanding data presented graphically in charts, tables, maps, political cartoons, and so on; and analyzing arguments and the evidence used to back them up. With these skills, you should be able to answer almost all the questions on the test.

Part III

focuses on social studies

knowledge

and breaks it down into subject areas — civics, government, history, economics, and geography.

When you’re ready to dive into a full-length practice test that mimics the real GED Social Studies test, check out Part IV. After the test, you can check your answers with the detailed answer explanations we provide. (But be sure to wait until after you take the practice test to look at the answers!)

If you need a break, turn to the chapters in Part V, where you’ll find ten study tips and ten skills you need to master.

Part I

Getting Started with the GED Social Studies Test

For Dummies can help you get started with lots of subjects. Visit www.dummies.com to learn more and do more with For Dummies.

In this part …

Get oriented to the test format, question types, test scheduling, and scoring, and find out what steps to take if English isn’t your first language.

Find out what’s on the GED Social Studies test and the knowledge and skills you’ll be required to demonstrate on the test.

Take a diagnostic test to identify your strengths and weaknesses and highlight the areas where you may need additional practice.

Find out what you should or shouldn’t do on the day(s) before and the day of the test and during the exam.

Chapter 1

Taking a Quick Glance at the GED Social Studies Test

In This Chapter

Warming up to the GED test format

Checking out what’s on the GED Social Studies test

Registering for the test and choosing a test date

Completing the GED test when English is your second language

Understanding what your score means and how it’s determined

The GED test offers high-school dropouts, people who leave school early, and people who were educated outside the United States an opportunity to earn the equivalent of a United States (U.S.) high-school diploma without the need for full-time attendance in either day or night school. The GED test is a recognized standard that makes securing a job or college placement easier.

The GED test complies with current 12th-grade standards in the United States and meets the College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education. The GED test also covers the Common Core Standards used in most states. These standards are based on the actual expectations stated by employers and postsecondary institutions.