GED Science For Dummies E-Book

Murray Shukyn

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Seitenzahl: 398

Beschreibung

Passing the GED Science Test has never been easier Does the thought of taking the GED Science Test make you sweat? Fear not! With the help of GED Science 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 Science Test like a pro. Packed with helpful guidance and instruction, this hands-on test-prep guide covers the concepts covered onthe GED Science Test and gives you ample practice opportunities to assess your understanding of Life Science, Physical Science, and Earth and Space Science. Designed to test your understanding of the fundamentals of science reasoning and the ability to apply those fundamentals in realistic situations, the GED Science 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 science vocabulary and data analysis skills, tips on how to approach GED Science 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 Science test question types and basic computer skills * Offers practice questions to assess your knowledge of each subject area * Includes one full-length GED Science practice test * Provides scoring guidelines and detailed answer explanations Even if science is something that's always made you squeamish, GED Science Test For Dummies makes it easy to pass this crucial exam and obtain your hard-earned graduate equivalency diploma.

Leseprobe

GED® Science 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

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

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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Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015946684

ISBN 978-1-119-02988-5 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-02985-4 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-02986-1 (ebk)

GED® Science Test For Dummies®

Visit www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/gedsciencetest 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 Science Test

Chapter 1: Taking a Quick Glance at the GED Science Test

Knowing What to Expect: The GED Test Format

Getting a Glimpse of What’s on the Science 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: From Aardvarks to Atoms: Confronting the GED Science Test

Looking at the Skills the Science Test Covers

Understanding the Test Format and Topics Covered

Tackling the Science Test Questions

Examining Preparation Strategies That Work

Chapter 3: Uncovering Your Strengths and Weaknesses with a Diagnostic Test

Taking the Diagnostic Test

Answer Sheet

Formula Sheet

GED Science Diagnostic Test

Reviewing Answers and Explanations

Chapter 4: Succeeding on the GED Science 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: Honing Your Science Skills and Knowledge

Chapter 5: Reading and Writing in a Science Context

Understanding Scientific Presentations

Demonstrating Your Ability to Reason from Data

Reconciling Multiple Findings, Conclusions, or Theories

Chapter 6: Analyzing Experimental Design and Scientific Theories

Getting a Bird’s-Eye View of the Scientific Method

Evaluating the Design of Scientific Investigations

Digging into Scientific Theories and Supporting Evidence

Chapter 7: Applying Mathematical Reasoning to Science Problems

Describing a Data Set Statistically

Solving Scientific Problems with Counting and Permutations

Determining the Probability of Events

Chapter 8: Living It Up with Life Science

Recognizing What Life Sciences Cover

Classifying All Living Things

All You Need to Know about Cells and Then Some

Exploring the Human Body, Nutrition, and Disease

Examining Ecosystems

Looking at the Molecular Basis for Heredity

Digging into the Theory of Evolution

Chapter 9: Getting Physical with Physical Science

Grasping Energy Basics: Conservation, Transformation, and Flow

Appreciating Force, Motion, and Work

Grasping Chemistry Fundamentals

Chapter 10: Cosmic, Dude! Investigating Earth and Space Science

Exploring Earth’s Systems and the Ways They Interact

Wrapping Your Brain around the Structures and Organization of the Cosmos

Part III: Testing Your Science Skills and Knowledge

Chapter 11: Taking a GED Science Practice Test

Answer Sheet for Practice Test, Science

Science Test

Chapter 12: Answers and Explanations for GED Science Practice Test

Answers and Explanations

Answer Key

Part IV: The Part of Tens

Chapter 13: Ten Performance-Enhancing Tips

Improving Reading Comprehension and Speed

Writing a Short Answer Response

Interpreting Visual Presentations of Data

Reading Broadly

Honing the Required Skills

Sharpening Your Math Skills

Wrapping Your Brain around Key Science Concepts

Sharpening Your Thinking Skills

Nurturing Your Curious Self

Taking More Practice Tests

Chapter 14: Ten Essential Science Facts and Concepts

Recognizing Matter in Different States

Following Heat Flow

Noting the Difference between Reflection and Refraction

Ballparking Gravitational Attraction

Brushing Up on Energy Transfer in Ecosystems

Differentiating between Photosynthesis and Respiration

Defining Earth’s Systems

Tracing the Water Cycle

Telling the Difference between Kinetic and Potential Energy

Saving Work with Machines

About the Authors

Cheat Sheet

Advertisement Page

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 in reading, writing, and reasoning to tackle the GED Science 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 science 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 Science Test For Dummies — your key to excelling on the GED Science 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 biology, physics, chemistry, ecology, earth science, and astronomy that get you up to speed on the basics. You also find out how to write top-notch short response essays. Along the way, you find plenty of practice questions to reinforce your newly acquired 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 provided a general overview of the GED test and two full-length practice tests that covered all four sections — Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA), Mathematical Reasoning, Science, and Social Studies.

Knowing that each section of the GED test can be taken separately and that test-takers probably need more guidance in some subject areas than in others, we decided to develop a separate book for each section — four books, each with a balance of instruction and practice. In this book, GED Science Test For Dummies, we focus exclusively on the GED Science test. Our goal is twofold: to prepare you to answer correctly any science question you’re likely to encounter on the test, so that you’ll receive a high score, and to help you do well on the short response questions.

We begin by giving you a sneak peek at the test format and an overview of what’s on the GED Science test. We then provide a diagnostic test that presents you with science questions that challenge your reading and reasoning knowledge and skills and identify your unique strengths and weaknesses. The diagnostic test and answer explanations following the test 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 practice test in Chapter 11 and turn to Chapter 12 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 performance-enhancing tips and another that highlights ten science facts and concepts you’re likely to bump into on the test.

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 your GED as soon as possible.

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

We use this icon to flag example questions that are much like what you can expect on the actual GED Science 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 Science test. You can access this material at www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/gedsciencetest.

We also include additional articles at www.dummies.com/extras/gedsciencetest that provide even more helpful tips and advice to help you score your best on the GED Science 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 Science test covers. Chapter 3 is a must-read — a diagnostic test followed by answers and explanations that point you to the chapters where you can find out more about answering each question type. Based on the questions you struggled with, the answers and explanations send you to the specific chapters in Part II you need most:

Chapter 5

for guidance in improving reading speed and comprehension and writing short answer responses on the test.

Chapter 6

, where you find out about the scientific method of answering questions and solving problems and discover how to evaluate evidence.

Chapter 7

for more about reasoning through science questions that involve math.

Chapter 8

to find out more about life sciences, which cover everything from cell theory and human anatomy to ecosystems and evolution.

Chapter 9

, where you find out more about the physical sciences — physics and chemistry.

Chapter 10

, which brings you up to speed on earth science and astronomy.

When you’re ready to dive into a full-length practice test that mimics the real GED Science test, check out Part III. 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 IV, where you’ll find ten tips for boosting your score and ten key science facts and concepts that will help you answer science questions faster and more accurately.

Part I

Getting Started with the GED Science 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 Science 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.

Prepare for the actual test day and 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 Science Test

In This Chapter

Warming up to the GED test format

Glancing at what’s covered on the GED Science test

Registering for the exam

Completing the GED test when English is your second language

Understanding what your scores mean and how they’re 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 U.S. high-school diploma without the need for full-time attendance in either day or night school. The GED certificate 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 in the country. These standards are based on the actual expectations stated by employers and postsecondary institutions.