Kaplan Ssat/Isee: Upper Level

by Cohen, Joanna; Galane, Darcy L.

• ISBN13: 9780743201803
• ISBN10: 0743201809
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-10-01
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (P)

Summary

This guidebook includes two practice SSATs, two practice ISEEs, strategies, math and verbal drills for each test, and in-depth explanations for each question.

Table of Contents

About the Authors	vii
Preface	ix
How to Use This Book: The Classic Plan	xi
How to Use This Book: The Emergency plan	xiii
A Special Note for International Students	xv
Section One: The Basics
SSAT/ISEE Mastery	3	(6)
Inside the SSAT and ISEE	9	(6)
Section Two: Verbal Skills Workout
Synonyms	15	(10)
Analogies	25	(12)
Critical Reading	37	(16)
Writing Mechanics/The Essay	53	(16)
Section Three: Math Skills Workout
Algebra	69	(20)
Arithmetic	89	(24)
Geometry	113	(30)
Word Problems	143	(16)
Section Four: ISEE Workshop
Quantitative Comparisons	159	(12)
Sentence Completions	171	(14)
Section Five: Summing up
What Do I Do Now?	185	(6)
Section Six: Practice Tests and Explanations
SSAT Upper Level Practice Test 1	191	(40)
Answer Explanations	218	(13)
SSAT Upper Level Practice Test 2	231	(42)
Answer Explanations	259	(14)
Scoring Your SSAT Practice Test	273	(8)
ISEE Upper Level Practice Test 1	281	(42)
Answer Explanations	310	(13)
ISEE Upper Level Practice Test 2	323	(48)
Answer Explanations	355	(16)
Scoring Your ISEE Practice Test	371	(4)
Section Seven: Study Aids
Math Foundations Workshop	375	(26)
Answers	394	(7)
Questions Bank	401	(78)
Math	403	(20)
Synonyms	423	(3)
Analogies	426	(3)
Reading Comprehension	429	(12)
Sentence Completions	441	(6)
Answers	447	(32)
Vocabulary Reference	479	(62)
Quick Study List	480	(12)
Root List	492	(17)
Vocabulary List	509	(32)
Math Reference	541

Excerpts

Chapter 3

Synonyms

INTRODUCTION

We all have a general idea of what a synonym is. At its most basic level, it's a word that is similar in meaning to another, already defined word. Fast is a synonym for quick. OK, that makes sense. Unfortunately, if Synonyms were that easy on the SSAT/ISEE, the tests wouldn't tell Admissions Officers very much. The synonyms you'll see on your actual test will be much trickier than the example above, but they'll all follow the same logic. You'll see a word in capital letters (we call this the stem word), and it will be followed by five other words (four on the ISEE). One of them will be the synonym to the given word, and the others will not.

EXAMPLE

AUTHENTIC:

(A) genuine
(B) valuable
(C) ancient
(D) damaged
(E) historical

Which of these words means about the same thing as AUTHENTIC? What's the best way to approach this question efficiently? Maybe you "just knew" that the answer was (A) genuine, and maybe you didn't. What you need is a great method for tackling any Synonym question, one that will work for you on the easy ones and the hard ones. What you need is the...

KAPLAN THREE-STEP METHOD FOR SYNONYMS

Step 1. Define the stem word.
Step 2. Find the answer choice that best fits your definition.
Step 3. If no choice fits, think of other definitions for the stem word and go through the choices again.

Let's take another look at the example above, using the Three-Step Method.

Step 1: Define the Stem Word.

What does authentic mean? Something authentic is something real, such as an authentic signature, rather than a forgery. Your definition might be something like this: Something authentic can be proven to be what it claims to be.

Step 2: Find the Answer Choice that Best Fits your Definition.

Go through the answer choices one by one to see which one fits best. Your options are: genuine, valuable, ancient, damaged, and historical. Something AUTHENTIC could be worth a lot or not much at all, old or new, in good shape or bad, or even recent or historical. The only word that really means the same thing as AUTHENTIC is (A) genuine.

Step 3: If no choice fits, think of other definitions for the stem word and go through the choices again.

In this instance, one choice fits, but take a look at the following example:

EXAMPLE

GRAVE:

(F) regrettable
(G) unpleasant
(H) serious
(J) careful
(K) lengthy

Say you defined GRAVE as a burial location. You looked at the choices, and didn't see any words like tomb or coffin. What to do? Move to step 3, and go back to the stem word, thinking about other definitions. Have you ever heard of a "grave situation"? GRAVE can also mean serious or solemn, and you can see that (H) serious, now fits the bill perfectly. If none of the answer choices seem to work with your definition, there may be a secondary definition you haven't yet considered.

AVOIDING PITFALLS

OK, so we lied just a little bit. The Three-Step Method should always be the basis for tackling every question, but there are a few other things you need to know to perform your best on Synonyms. Fortunately, there are only two big pitfalls to watch out for.

Pitfall 1: Running out of Time.

Pace yourself. You have a limited amount of time, so make sure you use it wisely. Never waste time on a question you don't know -- circle it and come back to it later. Synonyms get harder as they go, so move through the early questions quickly, leaving more time for the tougher ones at the end.

Pitfall 2: Choosing Tempting Wrong Answers.

The test maker chooses her wrong answer choices very carefully. Sometimes that means throwing in answers that will tempt you, but that aren't right. Be a savvy test taker; don't fall for these distracters!

What kinds of wrong answers are we talking about here? There are two types of wrong answers to watch out for: answers that are almost right, and answers that sound like the stem word. Let's illustrate both types to make it concrete.

EXAMPLE

REPUTE:

(A) renewal
(B) renown
(C) priority
(D) mutability
(E) reaction

EXAMPLE

FAVOR:

(F) award
(G) recognize
(H) respect
(J) improve
(K) prefer

In the first example, choices (A), (B), and (E) might be tempting, because they all start with the prefix re-, just like the stem word, REPUTE. It's important that you examine all the answer choices, because otherwise you might choose (A) and never get to the correct answer, (B).

In the second example, you might look at the word FAVOR and think, oh, that's something positive. It's something you do for someone else. It sounds a lot like choice (F), award. Maybe you pick (F) and move on. If you do that, you would fall for a trap. The correct answer is (K) prefer, since FAVOR is being used as a verb, and to FAVOR someone or something is to like it better than something else, in other words, to prefer it. Like in the first example, if you don't read through all of the choices, you might be tricked into choosing a wrong answer.

At this point, you have a great set of tools for answering most Synonym questions. You know how to approach them and you know some traps to avoid. But what happens if you look at the word in capitals and you don't know what it means? Should you just give up and move on, fill out the rest of your test in crayon, or start waving your arms around, saying "They're after us!"? Well, probably not.

Copyright 2000 by Kaplan, Inc.