TASC Connect!

Newsletter - July 2014

TASC is the New York State

High School Equivalency Exam

(formerly called the GED)

Table of Contents

Passing GED Scores Deadline

TASC Facebook

Video of the Month - Order of Operations

Sample Question - Reading

Hot Topic - Sentences and Fragments

TASC Overview

Email Us for Help

QUICK

LINKS:

TASC Connect hours and locations and other help

General information about the test

Online resources Including skill review and practice

Recursos en español

Website

of the Month

Click below for a friendly introduction to math functions - more familiar to you than you realize!

Math is Fun - Functions

Good news

for test retakers!

If you took the GED test between 2002 and 2013 and passed any of the 5 subject tests,

your passing scores

will count until the end of 2015!

Click below for past newsletters:

Fall 2013

January 2014

April 2014

May 2014

June 2014

Time to get in line!

If you took the GED exam between 2002 and 2013

and passed any of the 5 subject tests,

you can use those scores until December 2015.

Important information for test re-takers:

Anyone taking the TASC for the first time will need to take the entire test. But don't worry! You will only need to pass the TASC subjects that you didn't pass on the GED.

Students who failed the GED but passed every subject (410 or above on all subjects but didn't reach a total of 2250) will only need to pass one subject (any subject) on the TASC.

Gain momentum and sign up soon. There might be a wait for open test dates at your preferred testing center.

Contact us at TASC@wlsmail.org with questions about the test and for help with studying, online learning, and practice tests.

Use a TASC prep book. Borrow one from the library or buy one online: Ordering a TASC Prep Book

Take a class: Class Listings

If you need accommodations, start the process now: Information on Accommodations

Take practice tests.

The TASC is also offered in Spanish.

Stay positive - you're almost there!

Go to the TASC Facebook pages for great study tips from the TASC test makers

and students who passed the test!

Test Taker Tips

TASC on Facebook

Video of the month!

Order of Operations in Math

Practice Tests

and Sample Questions

Turn this:	Into this:

Practice tests will help you focus your studying, develop test-taking skills, and improve your score!

Sample Question* from a Reading Practice Test:

Read the following paragraph (taken from a longer passage) and answer the question that follows.

... A fourth objection involves the effects of genetically modified crops on biodiversity. Because these crops are generally stronger and often faster-growing than other plants, they tend to overtake and push out weaker plants. This leads to a decrease in the variety of plant life....

Question: What is the meaning of biodiversity?

A. the interactions of animals and plants

B. the variety of organisms in an environment

C. the ability of organisms to change

D. the number of plants in an environment

Even if we had never heard of the word "biodiversity," we can use our reading skills to figure out the meaning, or at least get close enough to take a good guess! There are several strategies we can use to figure out the meaning of the word.

Look at the different parts of the word. One part of the word "bio" means "life," and another part of the word "diversity" means "variety," so biodiversity means "the variety of life," and the closest match to that is B - the variety of organisms in an environment.

Use the context to help understand the meaning of the unknown word.

The context is the general meaning of the rest of the sentence, paragraph, or passage where the word is located. The paragraph is telling us about the consequences (effects) of genetically modified crops on "biodiversity." It goes on to explain how that happens and that it leads to a decrease in the "variety of plant life."

Good readings skills help us understand that one idea can be expressed in different ways. Even though the paragraph doesn't exactly say "variety of organisms in an environment," we can see that it's the general meaning of "biodiversity" because of the reference to different types (weaker and stronger) plants.

TASC Test Tip: Sometimes several answers might seem possible. For example, both options B and D could make sense. But we need to analyze a bit more closely. Variety implies different types, rather than just number, which might mean just one type of plant but a change in the number of that one type. Here, the best choice is the one that is closest in meaning to the idea of "diversity" or different "types." Remember, even if you have to guess, try to narrow down your choices which will increase your chances of guessing correctly!

Click on the links below for additional practice:

List of prefixes, roots, and suffixes to expand vocabulary (for all ages)

Additional lesson on prefixes, roots, and suffixes

Click on the link below for online practice tests with Learning Express.

TASC Practice Tests

*Taken from TASC: The Most Authoritative Guide to the New High School Equivalency Exam, 2014, McGraw-Hill Education.

TASC Hot Topic

Sentences

and

Fragments

Writing is all about communication. We want to write in a way that makes it easy for our reader to understand us. Grammar rules show us how to write more clearly. Clear, well-written sentences are the best way to help our reader to understand exactly what we are trying to communicate.*

A complete sentence needs:

1) a subject

2) a verb

3) a complete thought

If a sentence is missing any of these components, it is incomplete. An incomplete sentence is called a fragment. Let's look at some examples.

1) a subject - the person, place, or thing a sentence is about

Fragment: Typed up her notes.

This is a fragment because there is no subject. We don't know who typed up her notes.

Correction: Susana typed up her notes.

2) a verb - what the subject is doing.

Fragment: The computer in the main office.

This is a fragment because there is no verb.

Correction: The computer in the main office crashed several times.

Verbs can be action verbs (eat, drink, study, think, etc. - basically any word we can add "ing" to.)

Verbs can also be linking verbs that show a state of being and "link" to another word in the sentence. For example:

Elena was happy to see her family. "Was" is the linking verb that links Elena to "happy" - a state of being.

Jose is a teacher. "Is" links Jose to "teacher" and tells us more about Jose and his state of being a teacher.

3) a complete thought - The reader should not be left asking questions.

Fragment: When she lost her work.

This is a fragment because we're left asking, "What happened when she lost her work?" The thought is not complete.

Correction: Ms. Bennet was very frustrated when she lost her job.

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TASC Test Tip: It's easy to make fragments in our writing because we often use fragments in conversations. However, clear writing is very different from the way we would express ourselves when we talk. Check your writing carefully to make sure your sentences are complete. Ask yourself the following questions:

What is the subject of this sentence?

What is the verb?

Does the sentence have a complete thought, or does it need additional information to make sense?

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For additional lessons and exercises on sentences and fragments, click on the links below:

Lesson on sentences and fragments

Additional lesson on sentences and fragments.

Lesson on sentences, fragments, and run-on sentences

Sentence versus fragment slide show

Video on fragments and sentences

* From New TASC: Strategies, Practice, and Review 2014. Kaplan Publishing.

TASC Overview