Gruber's complete SAT guide 2014

1105 Pages·2013·32.42 MB·English

by  Gruber, Gary R

Gruber’s
complete
SAT
*
17th edition
GuIDe 2014
*
SAT® is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board. The College
Entrance Examination Board is not associated with and does not endorse this book.
G r. G , P D
ary ruber h
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Copyright © 2013 by Gary R. Gruber
Cover and internal design © 2013 by Sourcebooks, Inc.
Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means
including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical
articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc.
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered.
It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional
service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should
be sought.—From a Declaration of Principles Jointly Adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a
Committee of Publishers and Associations
All brand names and product names used in this book are trademarks, registered trademarks, or trade names of their
respective holders. Sourcebooks, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor in this book.
Published by Sourcebooks, Inc.
P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567-4410
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the publisher.
Printed and bound in the United States of America.
DR 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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Recent and Forthcoming Study Aids from
Dr. Gary Gruber Include
Gruber’s Complete PSAT/NMSQT Guide 2014
Gruber’s Complete ACT Guide 2014
Gruber’s Complete GRE Guide 2014
Gruber’s SAT 2400
Gruber’s Complete SAT Math Workbook
Gruber’s Complete SAT Critical Reading Workbook
Gruber’s Complete SAT Writing Workbook
Gruber’s SAT Word Master
Gruber’s Essential Guide to Test Taking: Grades 3–5
Gruber’s Essential Guide to Test Taking: Grades 6–9
www.collegecountdown.com
www.sourcebooks.com
www.drgarygruber.com
www.mymaxscore.com
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v
Important Note About This
Book and Its Author
This book is the most up-to-date and complete book on the current SAT. EVERY EXAM is
patterned after the SAT, and all the strategies and techniques deal with the SAT. The SAT
incorporates all the Gruber Critical Thinking Strategies.
This book was written by Dr. Gary Gruber, the leading authority on the SAT, who knows
more than anyone else in the test-prep market exactly what is being tested on the SAT. In fact,
the procedures to answer the SAT questions rely more heavily on the Gruber Critical Thinking
Strategies than ever before, and this is the only book that has the exact thinking strategies you
need to use to maximize your SAT score. Gruber’s SAT books are used by the nation’s school
districts more than any other books and are proven to get the highest documented school
district SAT scores.
Dr. Gruber has published more than 35 books with major publishers on test-taking and
critical thinking methods, with more than 7 million copies sold. He has also authored more
than 1,000 articles on his work in scholarly journals and nationally syndicated newspapers,
has appeared on numerous television and radio shows, and has been interviewed in hundreds
of magazines and newspapers. He has developed major programs for school districts and for
city and state educational agencies for improving and restructuring curriculum, increasing
learning ability and test scores, increasing motivation and developing a “passion” for learning
and problem solving, and decreasing the student dropout rate. For example, PBS (Public
Broadcasting System) chose Dr. Gruber to train the nation’s teachers on how to prepare
students for the SAT through a national satellite teleconference and videotape. His results have
been lauded by people throughout the country from all walks of life.
Dr. Gruber is recognized nationally as the leading expert on standardized tests. It is said
that no one in the nation is better at assessing the thinking patterns of how a person answers
questions and providing the mechanism to improve faulty thinking approaches. SAT score
improvements by students using Dr. Gruber’s techniques have been the highest in the nation.
Gruber’s unique methods have been and are being used by PBS, by the nation’s learning
centers, by international encyclopedias, by school districts throughout the country, in homes
and workplaces across the nation, and by a host of other entities.
His goal and mission is to get people’s potential realized and the nation “impassioned”
with learning and problem solving so that they don’t merely try to get a fast uncritical answer,
but actually enjoy and look forward to solving the problem and learning.
For more information on Gruber courses and additional Gruber products, visit www
.drgarygruber.com.
Important: Many books do not reflect the current SAT questions. Don’t practice with ques-
tions that misrepresent the actual questions on the SAT. For example, the math questions
created by the test makers are oriented to allow someone to solve many problems without
a calculator as fast as he or she could with one, and some can be solved faster without a
calculator. This book reflects the SAT more accurately than any other commercial book, and
the strategies contained in it are exactly those needed to be used on the SAT. It is said that
only Dr. Gruber has the expertise and ability to reflect the exam far more closely than any
competitor! Don’t trust your future with less than the best material.
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vii
The Author Has Something
Important to Tell You
About How to Raise
Your SAT Score
What Are Critical Thinking Skills?
First of all, I believe that intelligence can be taught. Intelligence, simply defined, is the aptitude
or ability to reason things out. I am convinced that you can learn to think logically and figure
things out better and faster, particularly in regard to SAT Math and Verbal problems. But
someone must give you the tools. Let us call these tools strategies. And that’s what Critical
Thinking Skills are all about—strategies.
Learn the Strategies to Get More Points
The Critical Thinking Skills (beginning on page 60) will sharpen your reasoning ability so that
you can increase your score dramatically on each part of the SAT.
These Critical Thinking Skills—5 General Strategies, 19 Math Strategies, and 16 Verbal
Strategies—course right through this book. The Explanatory Answers for the 5 Practice Tests
in the book direct you to those strategies that may be used to answer specific types of SAT
questions. We can readily prove that the strategies in Part 4 of this book are usable for more
than 90 percent of the questions that will appear on your SAT. Each additional correct answer
gives you approximately 10 points. It is obvious, then, that your learning and using the 40
easy-to-understand strategies in this book will very likely raise your SAT score substantially.
Are the Practice Tests in This Book Like
an Actual SAT?
If you compare any one of the 5 Practice Tests in this book with an actual SAT, you will find the
book test very much like the actual test in regard to format, question types, and level of difficulty.
Compare our book tests with one of the official tests published by the College Board!
Building Your Vocabulary Can Make a
Big Difference on Your Test
Although Antonyms no longer appear on the SAT, Vocabulary will still be tested, especially on
Sentence Completions and Reading Comprehension. This book includes five vital sections to
build your vocabulary:
1. 3,400-Word List
2. 100 Vocabulary Tests
3. Latin and Greek Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes
4. The Most Important/Frequently Used SAT Words
5. The Hot Prefixes and Roots
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viii • GRuBeR’S CoMPLeTe SAT GuIDe 2014
If you have time, it is important for you to study this word-building instructional material.
You will find that many, many words in the 3,400-Word List will actually show up in the Sentence
Completion and Reading Comprehension sections of the Verbal part of your SAT. We repeat
that each additional correct answer adds approximately 10 points to your score. Knowing the
meanings of the words in the 3,400-Word List will, therefore, help you considerably to “rake
in” those precious points.
Study the Latin and Greek Roots, Prefixes,
and Suffixes
We have developed a list that contains roots, prefixes, and suffixes that give you the meaning
of more than 150,000 words. Learning all 366 will increase your vocabulary immensely. You
may also wish to study the Hot Prefixes and Roots in Appendix A.
Study the Most Important/Frequently used
SAT Words
We have developed a list of the most frequently used words and their opposites related to
specific categories for easy memorization. Study these words.
Study the Mini-Math Refresher
If you believe you are weak in basic math skills, study the Mini-Math Refresher. The material
in this section is keyed to the Complete Math Refresher section for more thorough instruction.
Take the 101 Most Important Math Questions Test
To see what your weak basic math skills are, take the 101 Most Important Math Questions
Test and look at the solutions to the questions. The questions are keyed to the Complete Math
Refresher so you can further brush up on your weak areas by referring to those pages in the
Complete Math Refresher that are relevant for any questions you missed.
The explanatory Answers to Questions Are Keyed to
Specific Strategies and Basic Skills
The Explanatory Answers in this book are far from skimpy—unlike those of other SAT books.
Our detailed answers will direct you to the strategy that will help you to arrive at a correct
answer quickly. In addition, the Math solutions in the book refer directly to the Complete Math
Refresher section, particularly useful in case your Math skills are rusty.
Lift That SAT Score
By using the material in this book—that is, by taking the tests, learning the specific strate-
gies, and refreshing your basic skills, as described above—you should increase your SAT
score substantially.
—Gary Gruber
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Contents
INTRoDuCTIoN xiv
I. Important Facts About the SAT / xiv VI. Longer-Range Study Program and Helpful Steps
for Using This Book / xxviii
II. The Inside Track on How SAT Questions
Are Developed and How They Vary from Test VII. Format of the SAT / xxix
to Test / xxi
VIII. Questions Recently Asked of Dr. Gruber in
III. What Are Critical Thinking Skills? / xxii Interviews / xxxi
IV. Multi- Level Approaches to the Solution of IX. W hat You Can Do as a Parent to Help Your Child /
Problems / xxiv xxxiv
V. A 4- Hour Study Program for the SAT / xxvii
PART 1
STRATeGY DIAGNoSTIC TeST FoR THe SAT 1
Directions for Taking the Diagnostic Test / 2 Section 2: Math Ability / 12
Strategy Diagnostic Test Answer Sheet / 3 Strategy Diagnostic Test Answer and
Diagnostic Table / 18
Section 1: Verbal Ability / 4
PART 2
THe WoRLD’S SHoRTeST PRACTICe TeST—18 QueSTIoNS
To APPRoxIMATe YouR SAT SCoRe 23
Verbal (Critical Reading) / 24 Answers / 27
Math / 25 Explanatory Answers / 28
Writing / 26
PART 3
THe 101 MoST IMPoRTANT MATH QueSTIoNS
You NeeD To KNoW HoW To SoLVe 31
101 Math Questions Answer Sheet / 32 101 Math Questions: Answers / 46
101 Math Questions Test / 34 Basic Skills Math Diagnosis / 48
101 Math Questions: Answers, Diagnoses, Solutions, Solutions, Generalizations, and Rules / 49
Generalizations, and Rules / 45
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PART 4
STRATeGY SeCTIoN 59
5 General Strategies / 60 What Reading Comprehension Questions Ask / 127
35 Easy- to- Learn Strategies / 62 Getting Involved with the Passage / 127
How to Learn the Strategies / 62 Introductory Passage 1 / 128
Important Note on the Allowed Use of Calculators Breakdown and Underlining of the Passage / 128
on the SAT / 62
How to Answer Reading Comprehension Questions
Important Note on Math Questions on the SAT / 63 Most Effectively / 129
The Grid- Type Math Question / 63 Introductory Passage 2 / 130
Use of a Calculator in the Grid- Type Question / 67 Introductory Passage 3 / 132
19 Math Strategies / 69 Summary / 134
16 Verbal (Critical Reading) Strategies / 119 About the Double-Reading Passages / 134
4 Sentence Completion Strategies / 120 9 Reading Comprehension Strategies / 135
Critical Reading Strategies / 127 3 Vocabulary Strategies / 150
PART 5
MINI- MATH ReFReSHeR 157
Algebra and Arithmetic / 158 Geometry / 161
PART 6
CoMPLeTe SAT MATH ReFReSHeR 167
Session 1—Fractions, Decimals, Session 3— Area, Perimeter, and Volume
Percentages, etc. / 169 Problems / 217
Fractions, Decimals, Percentages / 170 Area, Perimeter, and Volume / 218
Deviations / 173 Practice Test 3 / 226
Ratios and Proportions / 174 Answer Key for Practice Test 3 / 235
Variations / 175 Answers and Solutions for Practice Test 3 / 235
Comparison of Fractions / 176
Session 4—Algebra Problems / 241
Practice Test 1 / 178
Algebraic Properties / 242
Answer Key for Practice Test 1 / 187
Fundamental Laws of Our Number System / 242
Answers and Solutions for Practice Test 1 / 187
Algebraic Expressions / 243
Equations / 243
Session 2—Rate Problems / 191
Algebra of Graphs / 245
Word Problem Setup / 192
Inequalities / 252
Distance and Time / 194
Exponents and Roots / 257
Work / 195
Practice Test 4 / 258
Mixture / 196
Answer Key for Practice Test 4 / 266
Cost / 196
Answers and Solutions for Practice Test 4 / 266
Practice Test 2 / 198
Answer Key for Practice Test 2 / 207
Answers and Solutions for Practice Test 2 / 207
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