MAKING COMPARISONS
Making comparisons is something you do every day. A simple comparison is this: Susan is taller than Brent. A comparison always involves at least two things. Some test questions ask you to compare two things that you read in a passage. Other test questions may ask you to compare information from graphs, charts, or maps.
Read the Paragraph below.
When the European explorers first came to America, the Native americans who lived here didn't understand how people could "own" land. In fact, they had a very different idea of "ownership" of everything. To the Native Americans, the land, the plants, and the animals were things to be used only as they were needed and they didn't belong to anymore. Europeans believed strongly in ownership, an idea that had a long tradition on other continents. In Europe. people had been fighting over the ownership of land for centuries. In America, there was plenty of land on which to live. If a drought came or the buffalo moved, the Native Americans just moved to a place that had more water or buffalo.
Answer the question.
1. Which comparison is made in the paragraph?
A. How two cultures differed in their ideas of ownership
B. Why Europeans lived longer than Native americans
C. What happened when Europeans came to America
D. Why Native Americans moved more than Europeans
How to find the answer:
The question asks about a comparison. Remember, a comparison is about two things. This idea will help you find the right answer.
* Answer A compares two ideas about ownership. These ideas appear in the paragraph. This means answer A is probably right. You have to look at the other answer choices, however, just to make sure.
* Answer B is a comparison, but it isn't mentioned in the paragraph. In addition, you have no idea if it is right or wrong. Answer B can't be right.
* Answer C is about one thing Europeans found when they came to America. However, it isn't a comparison, so answer C is wrong.
* Answer D is tricky. It mentions two groups of people, Native Americans and Europeans, and it's a kind of comparison. However, this information is not explained in the paragraph. That means answer D isn't right.
After carefully reading all the answer choices, you will know that answer A is the right answer.