Test-Taking Strategy
SKIMMING A PASSAGE
A mistake that many students make when taking tests is taking too long to read a passage. A passage is a short part of a writing, such as a paragraph or a very short story. on a test, you should skim the passage. This means you should read it quickly without trying to remember all the information. You can always look back at the passage when you have to answer questions. When you skim a passage, all you want to do is get an idea of what it is about. This is different from the kind of reading you do for fun or when studying.
Skim the paragraph below.
In June of 1776, Richard Henry Lee asked the colonies to come together and declare themselves free of Great Britain. John Adams supported this idea, and a committee of five was put together to write a resolution. Thomas Jefferson was the head of the committee. Its other members were John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman. Jefferson wrote a draft of a document on a portable writing desk he had designed himself. The draft was presented to the members of the First Continental Congress, who suggested some changes. After much arguing, the resolution was adopted on July 2. The formal Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4. 1776.
What is the paragraph on page 204 mostly about? The answer is easy. The paragraph is mostly about the Declaration of Independence. Even though you just skimmed the paragraph, you could tell what it was about.
Who else besides Thomas Jefferson was on the committee to write the resolution? this is much harder because these names are details. You wouldn't remember them if you just skimmed the passage. Even if you tried to remember the names, you might still forget some of them. To answer the question, just look back at the paragraph. The other people on the committee were John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman.
How to skim a passage:
* Try to understand what the passage is mostly about.
* Don't worry about remembering details. you can go back and check the passage to answer questions.
* Try to figure out if the passage has a beginning, middle, and end. This will help you answer the questions later.
* If you come upon a word you don't understand, use the rest of the passage to guess its meaning. Don't waste time trying to figure it out.
* If a map, graph, or chart is part of the passage, just skim that, too. Try to understand how it fits with the rest of the passage. Don't try to memorize it. When you have to answer a question, look back at the map, graph, or chart.