CHP Officer Cloze Reading Test Strategies

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For many prospective California Highway Patrol (CHP) candidates, the portion of the CHP testing regimen known as the Cloze Test presents the greatest challenge when developing a winning preparation plan. For the uninitiated, the Cloze Test consists of paragraphs of information that are missing numerous words. The paragraphs are to be read, analyzed, and the correct missing words added to complete the sentences.

Like any challenge, the Cloze Test is simple to master once its various elements are identified. You study what makes it tick, and you gain control of your success with it.

First of all, what is this over 50 year old test evaluating about you and your capabilities?

Briefly, the Cloze Test was named for a psychological term for 'closure', meaning the ability to perceive the whole of a thing once given certain parts of it. The purpose of the Cloze Test is to determine your ability to perceive what is being said in one sentence using the words surrounding it. The whole being perceived is not only the particular sentence, but the entire paragraph it within.

Your capability to comprehend what you are reading, to deduce the missing words through review of known 'facts' - the other words in the test paragraph, and to make correct choices based only on the information presented - without embellishment or opinion is being evaluated throughout the Cloze Test.

There is no 'trick' to success in this process and there are no 'trick' deleted words. The deleted words can always be determined by studying and correctly comprehending the context of the paragraph. The deleted word will not be impossible to determine or require any 'guessing' on the part of the Cloze test taker. Your ability to understand sentence and paragraph structure and comprehend the overall - the whole - of what is being communicated will do a lot to help you ace the Cloze Test.

Let's look at a few simple points that may break the whole down and clarify the 'pieces' of the Cloze Test.

Each missing word is indicated by a specific number of dashes. Each dash represents a missing letter in the missing word. The word you choose must have the same number of letters as there are dashes.

Pick your words to fit the entire context, not just the sentence. If the context addresses a narrow topic, then pick words that relate directly to the context. If the context is broader, then there may be several words that can be scored as correct.

The English language has certain characteristics that are exploited in the Cloze Test:

1. Redundancy - core phrases make up an informative sentence, once the core phrase is identified, the redundant words in the sentence that support it are easily identified.

2. Transitional Probability - certain words are commonly used in certain situations: the phrase "_ _ _ _ _ birthday, Bob" has a high probability of "happy" being the missing word, as opposed to "merry", due to its degree of common use.

3. Reading Hypothesis - combining acquired information (reading) with accumulated information (stored knowledge) to draw a correct conclusion automatically. Stored knowledge is applied to whatever is being read and confirming words are accepted with ease, however, conflicting words or concepts will stop the reading process until they can be validated. This makes reading familiar subjects more easy to comprehend - and unfamiliar ones more difficult.

Is there any kind of Cloze Test strategy? This can depend on the individual processes you have developed for comprehending what you read, but you might keep the following in mind:

1. Read the entire passage before entering any deleted words. This ensures that you get the main focus of the passage information.

2. Next, go back through and enter the words that immediately come to mind.

3. Return to these entered words and ensure that the number of letters match the number of dashes.

4. Look at the remaining deleted words and the surrounding words to determine is the missing word is a noun, verb, adjective, etc.

5. Next, check again to determine if the deleted word should be in past or present tense and if it is singular or plural.

6. Still stumped? Review the context of the passage before and after the deleted word again. How does the sentence relate to the passage? What information is the focus in this portion of the passage? Remember, the deleted word will be either a redundancy of the core phrase or will directly relate to the passage context.

7. Do your best and understand that the Cloze Test is difficult and it is doubtful that you be certain every word choice you have made is correct.

A final tip is simply this: read, read, read. Take every opportunity to read passages on subjects with which you are familiar and unfamiliar and your reading comprehension will improve - as will your chance to ace the Cloze Test!

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Comprehending Comprehension - Standardized Test Taking Strategies For Reading

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Which of the following relationships is most similar to the relationship below?

Standardized testing: life success

weather: climate
rain: snow
weather: happiness
stormy: weather

This is the last in a three part series about preparing your child for the end of year exams. Whatever your opinion about the necessity and validity of testing, you cannot change the fact that your child will soon be handed a bubble sheet and asked to remember material from an entire year. As I have mentioned before, it is important to approach test taking with balance. Don't add to the inherent stressfulness of the situation by loading your child down with extra study and work. Your goal is not to add to your child's knowledge, but to help them effectively use and retrieve what they already know. Here are some last minute standardized test taking strategies to give your kids:

Reading for (no) fun. Don't expect to enjoy reading the passages. They're often very boring. One of our boys once read about the migration habits of geese.

First things first. When you first turn to a reading passage, see if you can tell if it is fiction, non-fiction, drama, poetry, or something else. Don't worry if you don't know.

What's your question? Read the questions before you read the passage.

Just the facts, ma'am. Mark which questions are asking for "just the facts". Many times they will begin with words like who, when, or where.

Read my lips. Read the passage. If it helps, it's okay to move your lips, although you can't make any sound.

That's the answer! As you read, if you find an answer to one of the questions, underline it.

Where to find it. Know where to look for answers. Remember:

Answers about where or where the story takes place are frequently found at the beginning of the passage.
Solutions to a problem in the story are usually found in the middle.
Answers about how the problem is solved are often found at the end.



Like, it's like... Remember, when reading analogies, state the relationship in your head. For example, say "standardized test scores have nothing to do with life success" just like "weather has nothing to do with happiness".

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The Plays of Philip Massinger: Adapted for Family Reading, and the Use of Young Persons, by the Omission of Objectionable Passages

The Plays of Philip Massinger: Adapted for Family Reading, and the Use of Young Persons, by the Omission of Objectionable Passages Review

The Plays of Philip Massinger: Adapted for Family Reading, and the Use of Young Persons, by the Omission of Objectionable Passages Overview

This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 14, 2010 12:00:33

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Critical Reading SAT - Reading Passages

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Take a newspaper and try reading a passage from the editorial section. Better, get some work of literature from your library, and try reading it. Do these bore you? If yes, then the SAT Critical Reading section would surely confuse you. SAT Test preparation might not always be interesting; there might be some areas which you would try to avoid. Take for instance the Critical Reading section. While the sentence completion questions might not really bore you, lengthy passages taken from works of history, art, culture or social sciences can leave you confused.

Sentence completion questions are arranged in the order of difficulty. The simplest questions would appear first in the section and as you move further the difficulty level would increase. Over analyzing the first few questions on the sentence completion section is a waste of time as these questions are the easiest. At the same time, you should pay extra attention to questions that appear toward the end of the sentence completion question- these are a little tricky questions.

Moving on to the SAT passage-based reading section, most of the questions here are based on reading passages. Passages can be short (around 100 words) or long (up to 900 words). There are two types of passages that you would encounter on the passage-based reading section- Stand alone single passages and double or paired passages. Paired passages contain two passages based on a similar theme. However, conclusions for each of the passages are different. Number of questions varies from three to fifteen per passage in the passage-based reading section.

It is important to understand the type/nature of questions that follow the reading passages in the said section. Questions in the passage-based reading section can be literal comprehension, reasoning, and vocabulary-based questions. Literal comprehension questions can be answered on the basis of what's directly presented in the passage. Reasoning questions are inferential questions that require you to draw inferences based on the given passage. Vocabulary-based questions check your ability to understand how a word has been used in the context of the given sentence in the passage.

There are some common mistakes that students make in the passage-based reading section of the SAT. Improper timing is perhaps the single most common mistake made by students. The best technique to overcome this problem is by reading quickly, but answering slowly. As some passages are lengthy, students tend to read them slowly, thus wasting time. Remember, the College Board does not reward you with anything for reading the passage; it gives you points for correctly answering the questions that follow the passage. This might not be always true but difficult passages have comparatively simpler questions. Refer to your SAT Study guide to validate this statement.

The key to conquering the passage-based reading section is to develop the habit of reading diverse topics. Do not just read something that interests you; tackle even those that might be dull and boring. Also, never answer question on the basis of your opinion (unless asked). Try to analyze the tone or mood of the author as you read the passages. This strategy can help you answer even the most difficult questions (especially inference based) on the SAT test.

Stay posted for instructional tips and strategies to crack the SAT test!

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5 Keys to Reading and Understanding the Bible

Do you often find yourself questioning someone's interpretation of a particular Biblical passage? Do you desire to find a deeper understanding of what the Bible really says? Does your Bible reading leave you with more questions than answers? If so, here are some helpful tips that will make your reading more enjoyable and meaningful. Whether you are participating in a daily reading program, preparing for a Bible study, or hoping to gain insight on a particular subject, there is a wealth of wisdom within the pages of "the greatest book ever written."

1. Keep it personal. Religious beliefs and convictions are very personal matters. Ask three people for their interpretation of a scriptural passage and you will get three different responses. That explains why there are so many denominations within the present day church. No one can tell you what you should believe, and you are solely responsible for your own actions, responses, and behaviors. Choose a Bible translation that suits you. If you find the King James Version too difficult to retain your focus, check into other translations that are available. The Bible should not be a "chore" to read.

2. Read regularly. You can't expect to master rocket science by picking up a book "occasionally." Read the Bible regularly and it will come alive for you and your understanding will increase dramatically. Try to choose a time and place that you go each day. Soon this routine will be a highlight of your day and you will look forward to the rejuvenation that comes with the time spent in the Word.

3. Prepare. You should prayerfully ask God for guidance and insight into what you are reading, and listen to your inner voice for direction. Have faith that your prayers and questions will be answered. Some find it helpful to listen to inspirational music before reading in order to focus their attention on spiritual matters. Choose a quiet place free from distractions and try to clear your mind of pressing issues that may cloud your thinking. Deep breathing and relaxation techniques are beneficial exercises that will help you to focus more clearly on your reading.

4. Take what you read literally. God is not the author of confusion. This is the owner's manual for life on earth. He would not give you a roadmap that you could not understand. After slowly reading (and re-reading) your selected passage, ask yourself these questions:
What is the main subject of this reading?
Who is speaking? What is being said? To Whom?
What is the key verse?
Does this passage contain a command for me to obey?
Does this passage reveal anything I see as a stumbling block in my own life?

Does this passage relate to you or your situation? Is there something in the passage that needs to be incorporated into your own life? Answer these questions as truthfully as possible and see what direction this takes you.

5. Use resources. Many translations will contain references to other correlating scriptures in order to clarify or reiterate the main point. Some will have scriptural notes explaining the circumstances in greater detail. Many contain dictionaries, maps, weights and measures conversions etc. A concordance is an invaluable searching tool that will list the passages which contain any word or phrase that you may wish. Commentaries are great resources that go into detailed explanations concerning each passage. These will assist you in better understanding the cultural and spiritual aspects of the scripture, but keep in mind that it is one man's opinion. The best online resource that I have come across is called E-sword. It is a downloadable Bible that can be customized with different translations, concordances, dictionaries, and commentaries. Translations can be viewed side-by-side for comparison and notes can be saved within the file. Although this is a free resource, some translations charge a small fee. (see resource box for info)
Online Christian forums and chat rooms have ongoing discussions about many of life's questions. You may get some helpful insights, as well as different viewpoints about any number of topics.

After using these 5 tips, you should have a better understanding of the Bible, and a better relationship with God, not to mention the people around you. You will begin to gain the wisdom of the ages, and who knows, you might just find more than you were looking for.

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