Using the process of elimination 6 pot

relied on plummers and landlords all my life. Now
I know I can handle leaky pipes by myself.
I think it’s important to remember that no
matter how big a problem is, it’s still an opportunity.
Whatever kind of situation we face, problems give us
the chance to learn and grow, both physically and
mentally. For example, when I had a problem with
my car and couldn’t afford the repairs right away, my
problem became an opportunity to get some
exercise—something I’d been wanting to do anyway.
I had to walk a mile each day to get to the bus stop
and back. But in the meantime, I got the chance to
start getting back in shape, and I saved a lot on gas.
I’ve come to realize that problems are really
part of what makes life worth living. Problems chal-
lenge us and give us the opportunity to do things we
have never done before, to learn things we never
knew before. They teach us what we are capable of
doing. They give us the chance to surprise ourselves.
Sample “3” essay
Just the word “problem”can send some of us into a
panic. But problems can be good things, too. Prob-
lems are situations that make us think and force us
to be creative and resourceful. They can also teach us
things we didn’t know before.
For example, I had a problem in school a few
years ago when I couldn’t understand my math class.
I started failing my quizzes and homework assign-
ments. I wasn’t sure what to do, so finally I went to
the teacher and asked for help. She said she would
arrange for me to be tutorred by another student

who was her best student. In return, though, I’d
have to help that student around school. I wasn’t
sure what she meant by that until I met my tutor. She
was handicapped.
My job was to help her carry her books from
class to class. I’d never even spoken to someone in a
wheelchair before and I was a little scared. But she
turned out to be the nicest person I’ve ever spent
time with. She helped me understand everything I
need to know for math class and she taught me a lot
about what it’s like to be handicapped. I learned to
appreciate everything that I have, and I also know
that people with disabilities are special not because
of what they can’t do, but because of who they are.
So you see that wonderful things can come
out of problems. You just have to remember to look
for the positive things and not focus on the negative.
Sample “2” essay
The word “problem” is a negative word but its just
an opportunity as Mr. Bob Maynard has said. It can
be teaching tool besides.
For example, I had a problem with my son last
year when he wanted a bigger allowance. I said no
and he had to earn it. He mowed the lawn and in the
fall he raked leaves. In the winter he shovelled the
walk. After that he apreciated it more.
Its not the problem but the sollution that mat-
ters. My son learning the value of work and earning
money. (It taught me the value of money to when I
had to give him a bigger allowance!) After that he

could get what he wanted at the toy store and not
have to beg. Which was better for me too. Sometimes
we forget that both children and there parents can
learn a lot from problems and we can teach our chil-
dren the value of over-coming trouble. Which is as
important as keeping them out of trouble. As well we
can teach them the value of money. That is one
aspect of a problem that we manytimes forget.
So problems are a good teaching tool as well as
a good way to let you’re children learn, to look at the
silver lining behind every cloud.
Sample “1” essay
I agree with the quote that problems are opportu-
nities in disguise. Sometimes problems are oppor-
tunities, too.
I have a lot of problems like anyone else does.
Sometimes there very difficult and I don’t no how to
handle them. When I have a really big problem, I
– THEA PRACTICE EXAM 1–
65
sometimes ask my parents or freinds for advise.
Sometimes they help, sometimes they don’t, then I
have to figure out how to handle it myself.
One time I had a big problem. Where someone
stole my wallet and I had to get to a job interview.
But I had no money and no ID. This happened in
school. So I went to the principles office and
reported it. He called the man I was supposed to
interview with. Who rescheduled the intervew for
me. So I still had the opportunity to interview and

I’m proud to say I got the job. In fact I’m still work-
ing there!
Problems can be opportunities if you just look
at them that way. Instead of the other way around.

Scoring
Because it is necessary for you to do well on all three
sections of the THEA—Reading, Mathematics, and
Writing—you must figure your score on each section
separately. The Reading section, the Mathematics sec-
tion, and the multiple-choice subsection of the Writing
section are scored the same way: First find the number
of questions you got right in each section. Questions
you skipped or got incorrect don’t count; just add up
how many questions were correct in each section.
In addition to achieving a passing score on the
Reading section, Mathematics section, and the multi-
ple-choice subsection of the Writing section, you
must receive a passing score on the writing sample
subsection of the Writing section of the THEA. On
this portion, your writing sample will be scored by
two readers who have been especially trained for this
task, and the combined score will be used to evaluate
your work. (Neither reader will know what score was
assigned by the other.) Generally, the essays are scored
as follows:
4 = Pass (an excellent and well-formed essay)
3 = Marginal Pass (an average and adequately
formed essay)
2 = Marginal Fail (a partially formed but sub-

standard essay)
1= Fail (an inadequately formed essay)
Your score will be a combination of the two
readers’ judgments, somewhere between a possible
high of 8 and a low of 2. If you receive a 6, 7, or 8 on the
writing sample subsection, you will automatically pass
the Writing portion of the THEA, regardless of your
score on the multiple-choice subsection. On the other
hand, if you receive a score of 2, 3, or 4, you will not
pass the Writing portion, regardless of your score on
the multiple-choice subsection. If you receive a score of
5, your performance on the multiple-choice subsection
will be used to determine if you pass.
The best way to see how you did on your essay for
this practice exam is to give your essay and the scoring
criteria to a teacher and ask him or her to score your
essays for you.
What is much more important than your scores,
for now, is how you did on each of the basic skills
tested by the exam. You need to diagnose your strengths
and weaknesses so that you can concentrate your efforts
as you prepare for the exam.
Use your percentage scores in conjunction with
the LearningExpress Test Preparation System in Chap-
ter 2 of this book to help you devise a study plan. Then
turn to the review lessons in Chapters 4, 5, and 6 that
cover each of the basic skills tested on the THEA. You
should plan to spend more time on the chapters that
correspond to the questions you found hardest and
less time on the chapters that correspond to areas in

which you did well. Then, you can go on to the other
practice exams in Chapters 7 and 8 to see how much
you are improving.
– THEA PRACTICE EXAM 1–
66
T
he reading comprehension section of the THEA is composed of approximately 40 to 50 multiple-
choice questions based on a variety of passages. The passages are similar to materials found in first-
year college-level courses or textbooks and may include passages from newspapers, journals, and
magazines. The questions are a variety of types. This section explores some general strategies for all kinds of pas-
sages and questions. The sections that follow look in detail at each kind of question you might be asked.

Seven Approaches
How do you approach reading comprehension questions? Below are some suggestions from former THEA takers.
■
The Concentrator: “I read the passage thoroughly before I look at the questions. After concentrating on the
passage, I can find the answers to the questions if I don’t already know the answer from my careful reading.”
■
The Skimmer: “I skim the passage before looking at the questions. I can always go back and find the
answers once I know how the passage is arranged.”
CHAPTER
THEA Reading
Review
CHAPTER SUMMARY
The THEA Reading Review gives you the essentials you need to pass
the Reading test. You will learn about reading strategies, hints for dif-
ferent question types, and tips for answering any question you come
across.
4
67

■
The Cautious Reader: “I read the questions first
with all their answer choices. I want to know what
they will ask me before I read the passage so I can
be on the lookout. Then I read the passage two or
three times until I am sure I understand it
completely.”
■
The Game Player: “I read the questions first and
try to answer them from what I already know or
can guess. Then I read the passage to see whether
I am right. After guessing the answers, I am famil-
iar with the questions enough to recognize the
answers when I find them.”
■
The Educated Guesser: “I read the questions first,
but not the answers. When I find the answer in the
passage, I look for it among the answer choices.”
■
The Psychic: “I believe the test makers would put
the questions for the first part of the passage first.
So I read the first question and go back to the pas-
sage for the answer, and then I do the second
question.”
■
The Efficiency Expert: “First I look at the ques-
tions and do the questions that have line numbers
that indicate where the answer is to be found.
Then I skim the passage for the key words I read
in the other questions. This way, I sometimes do

not even have to read the whole passage.”
If you don’t already have a preferred method, try
some of these approaches as you work through the
practice exercises in this book. See which method fits
your own mix of talents.

Hints for Reading
the Passages
The purpose of a reading comprehension problem is to
be as accurate as possible in the allotted time. Practice
will help you determine whether you need to read the
questions first, the answers first, or some combination
thereof. Try some of the shortcuts previously listed to
find out which works for you.
Associate with the Passage
Every passage has something to do with real-life situa-
tions. Your mission is to discover the answers to such
questions as:
■
What is the author trying to express?
■
Who might the author be?
■
Does the author tell readers in the beginning what
to expect later in the passage?
■
How does the author structure the work to con-
vey meaning?
■
Does the author make any statements that might

surprise or interest you?
■
To what conclusions is the author leading readers?
■
What conclusions are stated?
Mark Up the Passage
Some test takers find it helpful to underline text or
make notes in the margins to designate the stated sub-
ject, supporting facts, conclusions, etc. For others,
marking a passage seems a waste of time. You are free
to make as many marks as you want on the test book-
let, so if marking helps, go for it. If you are not sure,
now is the time to try out this method. If you decide to
mark a passage, don’t mark so much that the bulk of the
passage is obscured. Marking a few key words and ideas
is more helpful than underlining the majority of the
passage.
Notice Transitions
Pay special attention to words that give you an insight
into the author’s purpose or that change the context
of the passage, such as however, nevertheless,etc.In at
least one passage, these words will be left for you to
fill in.
– THEA READING REVIEW–
68

Hints for Reading
the Questions
Reading the questions carefully is just as important as
reading the answers.

Read the Questions as Carefully
as the Passage
It is crucial that you read the questions and answers as
carefully as you read the passage. Should you read all
the answer choices or stop when you have found one
that seems right? Test takers differ on this. Some who
read all the answers become confused or worry about
wasting time. Others feel more secure when they can
eliminate every answer but the right one. It is up to you
to find the best method.
Know the Question Types
If you answer an inference question as a detail question,
you will get the answer wrong, even though the answer
you choose is in the passage. The reading strategies in
this chapter will show you how to recognize the differ-
ent question types and how to quickly choose the best
answer.
Answer Only from the Passage
Everything you need to know to answer a question has
to be somewhere in the passage. While it is helpful to
have some knowledge of the subject in order to better
understand the author, don’t rely on your experience to
answer the question. An answer can be true in real life
but still not be the correct answer on the test.
Not or Except
Look for words in the question such as NOT or
EXCEPT, especially if you cannot find your answer, or
if there seems to be more than one answer. For exam-
ple, a question might read: “Which of the following
facts is NOT stated in the passage?”

Eliminate
Eliminate all answers that are obviously off the subject
or otherwise wrong. Physically cross off the obviously
wrong answers in your test booklet so you won’t waste
time reading them again. Test takers say that they are
often left with two close answers. There has to be one
answer that is better than the other. Check the passage
for clue words that might point to one choice over the
other. If, after trying out all the strategies you learn in
this book, you are still left with two answers, go ahead
and guess, and get on with the next question.
None Left?
If you eliminate all of the answers, go back over the
eliminated answers to determine whether there might
be another meaning for any of them. Try to find a rea-
son that would make each answer correct. If there is no
possible way an answer could be right—for example, if
it is completely off the subject—then eliminate that
answer. Choose the answer that is the least wrong.
Marking the Unknown Question
Should you mark questions to come back to later? If
you do, you will probably have to read the passage
again, which can waste valuable time. If an answer
jumps out at you after reading the passage once or
twice, choose it. Many teachers and test takers recom-
mend going with your first answer, your gut instinct. To
save time and avoid dealing with passages more than
once, answer all the questions about one passage before
continuing on to the next passage.


Using the Steps
The strategies that follow discuss types of reading ques-
tions you may encounter on the THEA. They offer
sample question beginnings, as well as steps for solving
each type of problem. There is no need to memorize all
the steps. You may even be able to find the answer by
your own methods without looking at the steps—so
much the better. The steps are not there to slow you
down, but if any of them can help you, use them.
– THEA READING REVIEW–
69
Organization Questions
Passages on the THEA are always organized logically.
Studying that organization may give you some ideas on
how to organize your essay in the Writing portion of
the test. You’ll learn about two types of organization
questions: structure and misplaced sentences.

Structure Questions
Structure questions usually have stems like these:
■
Which of the following best represents the
arrangement of the passage?
■
Which of the following best describes the organi-
zation of the passage?
■
The sequence of the passage is best represented by
which of the following?
Where to Find Structure Answers

in the Passage
To answer structure questions, you need to skim the
passage carefully enough to discover the gist of each
sentence; that is, whether it is a statistic, an example, a
quote, an opinion, or something else.
Practice Passage and Questions
Try the six steps on the structure questions that follow
this passage.
Many extended-time programs use heterogeneous
grouping of multi-age and/or multi-ability students.
Mixed-ability grouping is based on the theory that
lower-ability students benefit from working in small
groups with their higher-achieving peers, and high-
ability students reinforce their knowledge by sharing
with their lower-achieving peers. Researchers also
have found that multi-age grouping benefits stu-
dents’ mental health as well as academic achieve-
ment and contributes to positive attitudes toward
school.
Because the voluntary nature of participation
in an extended-time program results in a range of
student ages and skills, heterogeneous groups may
result naturally. Often, however, extended-time pro-
gram planners arrange groups so that high- and
low-ability students work together—with the expec-
tation of cooperative rather than competitive learn-
ing. In Chicago’s ASPIRA program, students are
selected for participation with a goal of mixing high
achievers and at-risk participants—and these groups
work together closely in all activities.

– THEA READING REVIEW–
Six Steps for Structure Questions
1. Skim the passage or read the topic sentences to understand the general topic and the purpose of the
passage.
2. Notice the logical sequence of ideas that the author uses.
3. The description of sentences in the answers goes in the same order as the sentences in the passage, so
notice the first sentences. Do they state a theory, introduce a topic, or quote a famous person?
4. Look at the answer choices. If the first few sentences state a theory, then the first part of the correct
answer should say that the author states a theory, gives a hypothesis, or other words to that effect. Elimi-
nate any answers that do not match.
5. Apply steps 3 and 4 to the next few sentences in the passage.
6. You should have eliminated at least one or two answers by this step. When only two or three are left,
read the next sentences of the passage and find the answer that matches the rest of the structure.
70