Test-Taking Strategy
UNDERSTANDING SEQUENCE
Sequence means the order in which things happen. When you take a social studies test or even a reading test, many of the questions will be about sequence. Answers to sequence questions can almost always be found in the reading passage or on a time line that goes along with the passage.
Read the paragraph below.
Many important events are linked together. A good example is something that happened in1908. Henry Ford began selling a car called the Model T for $850. This was much cheaper than other cars, so more people could afford one. Because so many people now had cars, it became necessary to improve roads. In addition, people started selling gasoline at service stations along the roads. Of course, none of this would have happened if Etienne Lenoir had not invented the first practical internal-combustion engine in 1860, long before the Model T.
Answer the question.
1. According to the paragraph, which of these came first?
A. Improved roads
B. The creation of the Model T
C. The invention of the internal-combustion engine
D. Selling gasoline at service stations along the roads.
How to find the answer:
The first thing you have to do is read the question carefully. Remember, you are looking for the event that came first. Then you have to compare each answer choice to the paragraph.
* Answer A isn't right. The paragraph says that improved roads followed people having more cars, in this case, Model T cars.
* Answer B might be right. The Model T is mentioned at the beginning of the paragraph, and you know it comes before answer A.
* Answer C is probably right. Even though it is mentioned at the end the paragraph, the invention of the internal-combustion engine (1860) came before the Model T (1908)
* You know answer D is wrong. Service stations came last. They likely came after improved roads and more cars.
Now, there's one more thing to do. You must decide which choice is the right answer. Answer B might be right, and answer C is probably right. The dates you found in the paragraph tell you that answer C is the right answer.
STRATEGY TIP: The sequence described in a passage may not always start at the beginning of the passage. Sometimes it jumps around, just like the passage about the Model T. Look for keywords like before, after, while, same time, much later, and earlier.