LEVEL M TABE TERM STUDY GUIDE
INTREPRET GRAPHIC INFORMATION
Graphic information is displayed visually so that readers can quickly and easily find what they need to know.
Index – An index is a reference guide located at the end of some books. The index lists the different subjects (topics) that are mentioned in that book and the page number when you can find information about that subject. Entries are listed alphabetical order and give you the page number where can find that item in the book. If the book has a lot of information about a very broad subject (like the Civil War), the entry for that topic will also have sub-entries listed under the entry (major battles during the Civil War, or women’s roles in the Civil War.
Graphs – are used to show information visually. They make it easier to compare facts and figures. The title of the graph explains what the graph is about. The labels tell you the meaning of the data.
A line graph gives a picture for comparing numbers. A grid is used to make a line graph. The numbers on the left side show the frequency.
A bar graph is an easy way to compare numbers that are counted. A bar graph can be horizontal or vertical.
A circle graph or pie graph is used to show parts in relation to the whole. The parts look like slices of a pie cut into pieces. The whole graph (the whole circle) equals always equals 100%. Each piece of the pie shows the percent for that part. When all of the percentages are added together, the total is 100%.
Forms – documents with blank spaces to be filled in with the necessary information. Forms need to be read carefully to make sure you are filling out the form the way you are supposed and that you fill out all of the information that is needed.
Examples of forms: school application, application for employment, DMV application, passport application, and tax forms.
Consumer materials – are materials that we use everyday in normal activities of life to find out needed information. They include bills, advertisements, flyers, notices, and schedules. The reader must evaluate the material carefully to pick out the necessary information.
WORDS IN CONTEXT
The situation or background that gives meaning to a word is its context. Many words have more than one meaning, and the appropriate use of a word depends on the context in which it appears.
Synonyms – words that have the same meaning.
I don’t recall what I had for dinner last night.
Recall and remember have the same meaning.
Many things make America unique.
Unique and one-of-a-kind have the same meaning.
Antonyms – words that have the opposite meaning.
Winning a million dollars is my fantasy.
The opposite of fantasy is reality.
The ride looked dangerous.
The opposite of dangerous is safe.
RECALL INFORMATION
When you recall information, you remember information you have read. Every day you read information that you must recall. For example, you read advertisements, bills, directions, and passages.
Details – are the factual information you find in a passage, such as explanations, examples, definitions, or descriptions.
Sequence – tells the order of events in a passage or what happened when in a story. When you read a story, the order of events is important. The sequence of events helps explain how the characters change and what happens in the story.
To determine sequence ask yourself:
What happened first?
What happened in the middle?
What happened just before or just after another event happened?
What happened last?
Stated Concepts – concepts or ideas clearly stated in the paragraph.
The concepts (ideas) about the horned toad in the following passage are clearly stated.
The horned toad has an unusual talent – it can shoot blood from its eyes. Horned toads are members of the lizard family. Their horns are sharp little spikes that grow on the tops of their heads. The horned toad is between three and six inches long and lives in the deserts of the western United States and Mexico.
CONSTRUCT MEANING
You construct meaning from what you read when you figure out the main point, compare facts, or draw conclusions about the characters, events, and locations you read about.
Character aspects – personal traits or details about the characters that are described in a passage. Being able to understand detail about the character helps you understand what causes them to behave in the ways they do, predict what they will do next.
When reading a passage, you can find out information about a character by:
· how the author describes the character’s appearance
· what the character says or thinks
· the character’s actions
· what others say about the characters.
Main idea – the most important idea in a passage. (It tells what the passage is about in a word or just a few words.) It is the whole point the writer is trying to make. The other sentences in the passage supply supporting details for the main idea.
The main idea may be stated in a sentence at the beginning of a passage, at the end, or in any other sentence in the passage. The main idea may be directly stated, or the main idea may be implied (not stated directly in the passage.) The other sentences in the passage supply supporting details for the main idea.
To find the main idea, read the entire passage and then ask yourself what it is about overall? You may find the main idea directly stated in a sentence in the passage, or the main idea could be inferred.
Supporting evidence – phrases or sentences in a passage that give details about the main idea.
Summary/Paraphrase – a brief (short) retelling of the ideas in a passage. The summary will answer questions such as Who?, What?, Where?, and When? When you summarize a passage you retell it in just one or two sentences.
Cause and Effect relationship – An action, event, or desire (the cause) that leads to a result (the effect).
Some times a cause-and-effect relationship is directly stated in a passage, other times it is inferred (you have to make a judgment.)
Cause: Aaron broke the window with his baseball.
Effect: Water will drip into the house when it rains.
Cause: The citizens of the town did not evacuate when they heard the hurricane warnings.
Effect: When the hurricane hits they will be in danger.
Cause: We wanted to stay warm,
Effect: so we built a fire.
Cause: The electrician turned off the power
Effect: in order to stay safe when making repairs.
Compare/Contrast – to describe how two or more things are alike is to compare them. To describe how two are more things are different is to contrast them.
Words such as alike, by comparison, similar to, and in the same way often signal a comparison.
Words such as different, but, in contrast, however, while, or although often signal a contrast.
Conclusion – a decision or opinion you make about the passage after you have read the whole passage. Your conclusion is made based on details you read in the passage, your own knowledge and information that have been inferred in the passage.
Inferred knowledge (Inference)– a conclusion or judgment based on the information you have and your own knowledge of the subject.
Inference (in-fer-un-ns)- to make a reasonable conclusion or judgment based on the information that you have. If you infer that something has happened or will happen, you do not witness the actual event. But from what you already know, and details that have been given, it makes sense to make a conclusion or judgment about what has happened or will happen.
Example: Suppose you are sitting in your car stopped at a red signal light. You hear screeching tires, then a loud crash and breaking glass near you. You can’t see anything from where your car is sitting, but you infer that there has been a car accident. You know the sounds of screeching tires and a crash. You can infer that these sounds most likely means there has been a car accident.
Making an inference means choosing the most likely explanation from the information that you have and your own knowledge.
EVALUATE/EXTENDED MEANING
When you read, you evaluate the passage by forming opinions about what you read. You consider facts, the author’s feelings and attitude, symbolism, and your own knowledge and feelings to understand the purpose of the passage.
Fact – a statement that is true and can be proven.
George Washington was the first President of the United Sates. This statement is a fact.
Opinion – a statement that tells how a person thinks for feels about something. Opinions express judgments, feelings, or beliefs.
George Washington was the greatest president. This statement is an opinion.
Predicting an outcome – to make a logical guess about what will happen next in a passage; based on the information you have been given. When predicting outcomes, use what you know and what you have already read to guess what will come next. Look for these kinds of clues:
*clues that suggest what will happen next in a sequence of events
* clues that state causes and suggest possible effects
* Clues that suggest how a person will behave in a given situation
Example: For years, Liz has been interested in ancient Egypt. She has read all she can about the culture of ancient Egypt and has seen movies about the country. She has learned the language and has visited museums with Egyptian collections. Liz inherits a million dollars.
Predict what she will do next. (Visit Egypt)
Dan Hager was eager to enter the essay contest held by the local newspaper. The deadline was the next morning at ten o’clock. He was just revising his first draft when his friend, Barney, called with tickets to the local minor league baseball team’s play-off games. Dan is not much of a baseball fan.
Predict what he will do. (He will stay home and finish the essay. He is eager about the contest, the due date for the essay is the next day, and he doesn’t care much about baseball.)
Apply Passage Elements – the reader goes beyond what has been read and applies (or uses) what has been gained from the reading to make decisions. This is called critical thinking or critical reading.
To apply what you have learned, think about what you have read. Then, use what you have read and what you know from personal knowledge or experience, apply it to new situations.
Example: Many people have never heard of Chester Greenwood. Yet, the invention for which he is best known has been in common use for many years. Greenwood invented earmuffs. He also invented a few other things, including the springtooth rake, airplane shock absorbers, and self-priming spark plugs. But most of those that remember him remember him only as the inventor of earmuffs.
Why do you think Chester Greenwood is best remembered for inventing earmuffs? (Using your own knowledge, you see that out of all of his inventions, they are the most common and most useful item that people use.)
Generalizations – statements presenting conclusions that are applied to many people, facts, events, or situations.
Effect/Intention – the author’s point of view or the way he or she wants to influence the reader. The author may want you to see things in a certain way, or convince you to think in a certain way, this will affect the way he or she writes and communicates the message.
Author’s purpose – the reason an author writes a passage. It could be to entertain, to inform, to persuade, to express personal feelings, to describe, to explain, or to instruct.
Style Techniques – the choice of words, images, and figurative language that that helps the author communicate his tone, or his attitude toward the subject. The author’s attitude can be informative, angry, funny, bitter, or excited depending on the kind of information he is trying to communicate to the audience.
Figurative language – the author’s use of colorful language to create vivid descriptions for the reader. Figurative language is the use of words in way that are different from their ordinary meanings. The words or phrases do not mean exactly, or literally, what they say. Instead, they create impressions by suggesting comparisons, unlikely actions, or exaggerations that make the reader take notice.
Idiom – a phrase or expression whose meaning cannot be understood from the ordinary (or literal) meanings of the words in it.
Examples: Hold your horses! (It means, Be patient!)
You hit the nail on the head! (It means, That’s exactly right!)
It’s raining cats and dogs! (It means, It’s raining a lot!)
Metaphor – the comparison of two unlike things.
Examples: The long river snaked through the countryside.
The detective was a bloodhound following the trail of the thief.
Similes (sim-i-lee)– to compare to unlike things using the words like or as.
Examples: The lost ship bobbed like a cork in the huge ocean.
Mary was hungry as a horse after she finished running the race.
Genre (jon-rah)- refers to a type or kind of writing. The major genres are fiction and nonfiction.
Fiction is made up (not true). It may seems real or even have real people as characters, but it is made up by the author. Some kinds of fiction include science fiction, realistic fiction, and historical fiction, drama, and poetry.
Fable, myths, and tall tales – made up stories that are used to teach a lesson or a moral.
Nonfiction – literature designed to communicate factual (true) information about a person or subject.
Biography – is a true story about a person‘s life that is written by another person.
Autobiography – a true story about a person’s life that is written by that person.