USE WHAT YOU KNOW
Once again, this means that you need to focus on strategy rather than content. In case you missed the point the 12,000 times it’s been
mentioned so far in this chapter—the Verbal Section of the SHSAT does not test any specific content. Therefore, the best way to
prepare for the test is to become thoroughly familiar with the question types and the strategies that will help you answer them
correctly.
What you may not have thought about is that the Verbal Section tests skills that you already use both in school and in day-to-day life.
You’ve written paragraphs before; you know how to organize sentences. You’ve make deductions based on information you’ve been
given. You’ve read prose and answered questions. You also use these skills outside of the classroom.
Say you take a seat on the subway and realize that people sitting near you are having what seems to be an interesting conversation.
Do you choose not to eavesdrop because you haven’t heard the entire thing and assume that you will not be able to follow it?
Probably not. Odds are, you use your inference skills—the ability to draw valid conclusions from limited information—to figure out
what they’re talking about and enjoy the espionage. When you tell your friends about it later, do you relay it word for word? You
probably distinguish the important points from the unimportant details and use your paraphasing skills—the ability to condense
complex ideas into a few words—to give them the highlights.
WHAT MATTERS
Your performance on the Verbal Section of the SHSAT is based on your ability to do the following:Put sentences in order.
Make deductions based on a few pieces of information.
Read a passage and answer a bunch of question about it.