epdf.pub_cbest-cliffs-test-prep13a9b242c7cb4125e6cca92d00a73d5a41681

Table of Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
Study Guide Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiv
PART I: INTRODUCTION TO CBEST: CALIFORNIA BASIC
EDUCATIONAL SKILLS TEST
General Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Questions Commonly Asked about the CBEST Examination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Three Successful Approaches to the Multiple-Choice Questions . . . . . . . . . . . 7
The “Plus-Minus” System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
The Elimination Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
The “Avoiding Misreads” Method. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
PART II: ANALYSIS OF EXAM AREAS
The Reading Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Ability Tested . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Basic Skills Necessary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Directions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Analysis of Directions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
General Procedure for Answering Reading Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Some General Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Preread the Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Suggested Approaches with Sample Passages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Regular Passages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Understand What Is Given . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Eliminate and Mark Out Choices That Are Incorrect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Understand What Is Implied in the Passage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Make Sure That Your Answer Is Well-Supported by the Information
in the Passage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Know Where to Look for Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Read All the Choices to Look for the Best Answer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Know Where to Locate a Specific Detail in the Passage. . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Notice What Is Stated and What Is Implied . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Recognize the Tone and Purpose of the Passage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Always Look for the Main Point of the Passage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Be Aware of Information Not Directly Stated in the Passage . . . . . . . . . 23
Watch for Important Conclusions or Information
That Supports a Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Understand the Meaning and Possible Reason
for Using Certain Words or Phrases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Eliminate Those Choices That Are Not Supported by the Passage . . . . 25
Passages with Numbered Sentences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Be Careful to Spot the Words Least, Most, and Except
in a Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Know How to Differentiate Opinion from Fact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Read the Passage Looking for the Main Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Use the Context to Figure Out the Meaning of Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
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