Gruber's Complete SAT Guide 2009

1090 Pages·2008·8.33 MB·English

by  Gary Gruber

Gruber_FNLcvr_SAT09_Updated:Layout 1 5/23/08 11:40 AM Page 1
“THE BEST BOOK
THE MOST TRUSTED AND EFFECTIVE SAT* PREP GUIDE MORE THAN 7 MILLION GRUBER BOOKS SOLD!
ON THE SAT.”
“GARY GRUBER IS THE LEADING EXPERT ON THE SAT” — HOUSTON CHRONICLE
— CBS RADIO
WHAT THE MEDIA IS SAYING:
GRUBER’S
“Gary Gruber is the most prominent guru of SAT preparation.”—Chicago Tribune
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“His methods make the questions seem amazingly simple to solve.”—Library Journal
O
“Dr. Gruber knows the ins and outs of the SAT.” —Los Angeles Times R
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WHAT STUDENTS, PARENTS, AND EDUCATORS ARE SAYING:
“GARY GRUBER
“The work that Gary Gruber does should be given to every student and IS THE LEADING PB
EXPERT ON COMPLETE
every teacher.” —Dr. Shirley Thornton, former Deputy Superintendent,
THE SAT” LE
California State Department of Education
—HOUSTON CHRONICLE ER
“I’ve gone through almost all the SAT books I can get a hold of, and so far the best is
T
’
the Gruber’s SAT book. I wish I could have found it earlier.” —Online review
S
E
SSAATT
“With the aid of your books, my scores improved so dramatically that I am now anticipating **
acceptance into schools that I was reluctant to even apply to.”—Lauren Frasciello, Princeton, New Jersey SS
“THE
“In regards to the breadth and quality of material offered, the difference between Gruber’sand other publications is BEST BOOK
quite astonishing. Indeed, only Gruber’s deserves the highest recommendation in SAT preparation.” —Online review
ON THE SAT.”
GET THE SKILLS THAT UNLOCK THE ANSWERS —CBS RADIO
AA
With the explanation to a question, you can answer that one question. With the Gruber strategies, you
can answer thousands of questions! These strategies show you how to think about problems instead of 12th Edition
trying to solve each one individually, and can be used consistently on every SAT test.
GUIDE 2009
USE THE MOST TRUSTED METHODS TT
(cid:129) More schools use Dr. Gruber’s books for SAT courses than any other SAT books.
(cid:129) PBS chose Dr. Gruber to train teachers nationally to improve the nation’s SAT scores.
(cid:129) National learning centers, state agencies, and state education departments have contracted with Dr.
Gruber to improve SAT scores and critical thinking ability. ** THE EASIEST, FASTEST WAY EFFECTIVE STUDY TOOLS
TO IMPROVE YOUR SCORE THAT ARE ACTUALLY FUN
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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO STUDY TO GET THE TOP SCORE 2
(cid:129)Unique Diagnostic Test Shows You Why You Got (cid:129)The 101 Most Important Math Questions
(cid:129) Five Full-Length SAT Practice Tests (cid:129) Essential Strategies for Writing,
U Questions Wrong—And How to Get Them Right You Need to Know
(cid:129) An Extensive Vocabulary Builder Vocab, Math, and Critical Reading 0
(cid:129) Advice on Tackling the Essay Section (cid:129) And Everything Else You Need (cid:129)The Gruber 150,000-Word Vocabulary Builder (cid:129)The World’s Shortest SAT Test (16 Questions)
I
0
D (cid:129)Inside Info on How SAT Questions Are Created (cid:129)The 291 Most Important SAT Words
Gary R. Gruber, PhD, is recognized nationally $19.95 U.S.
(cid:129)Proven Strategies for Solving Problems Quickly
as the leading expert on the SAT, test-taking Study Aids/Reference $21.99 CAN 9 (cid:129)Student-Praised Writing, Vocab, Math, and
£10.99 UK E
methods, and critical thinking skills. His ISBN-13: 978-1-4022-1202-4 Reading Sections (cid:129)Tons of Practice SAT Questions, Each Question
ISBN-10: 1-4022-1202-X
books on test taking and critical thinking www.sourcebooks.com Explained in Detail and Linked to a Gruber
(cid:129)5 Full-Length SAT Practice Tests
skills have sold more than 7 million copies. www.sourcebookscollege.com N Strategy or Basic Skill
Visit www.drgarygruber.com. A
E
FEATURES THE EXCLUSIVE GRUBER SYSTEM THAT HAS RAISED ACTUAL SAT SCORES BY MORE THAN 600 POINTS!
12th Edition
G R. G , P D
*® SAT is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board, which was not involved in ARY RUBER H
the production of, and does not endorse, this book.
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GRUBER’S
COMPLETE
SAT
*
12th Edition
GUIDE 2009
*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.
Gary R. Gruber, PhD
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Copyright © 2008 by Gary R. Gruber
Cover design © 2008 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 ren-
dering 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
Published by Sourcebooks, Inc.
P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567-4410
[phone]
Fax: [phone]
www.sourcebooks.com
Cataloging-in-Publication data is on file with the publisher.
Printed and bound in Canada
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Recent and Forthcoming Study Aids from
Dr. Gary Gruber Include:
Gruber’s Essential Guide to Test Taking: Grades 6-9
Gruber’s Essential Guide to Test Taking: Grades 3-5
Gruber’s SAT 2400
Gruber’s SAT Math Workbook
Gruber’s SAT Reading Workbook
Gruber’s SAT Writing Workbook
www.sourcebooks.com
www.drgarygruber.com
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IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT THIS BOOK AND ITS AUTHOR (cid:129) 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 pat-
terned after the SAT, and allthe strategies and techniques deal with the SAT. The SAT incor-
porates 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 for in 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 more
than any other books by the nation’s school districts and are proven to get the highest docu-
mented school district SAT scores.
Dr. Gruber has published more than 30 books with major publishers on test-taking and
critical thinking methods, with over 7 million copies sold. He has also authored over 1,000 arti-
cles on his work in scholarly journals and syndicated nationally in 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
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 the 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 Public Television (PBS), the
nation’s learning centers, international encyclopedias, 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 cre-
ated by the test makers are oriented to allow someone to solve many problems without a
calculator as fast as with one and some 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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THE AUTHOR HAS SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO TELL YOU (cid:129) 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 learnto think logicallyand figure
things out better and faster, particularly in regard to SAT Math and Verbal problems. But some-
one 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 59) will sharpen your reasoning ability so that
you can increase your score up to 300 points 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 ques-
tions. We can readily prove that the strategies in Part 2 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 learningand usingthe 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 actualtest 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 four vital sections to
build your vocabulary:
1. 3,400 Word List
2. 100 Vocabulary Tests
3. 366 Latin and Greek roots, prefixes, and suffixes
4. The 291 Most Important/Frequently Used SAT Words
5. The Hot Prefixes and Roots
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viii (cid:129) THE AUTHOR HAS SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO TELL YOU
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 consider-
ably to “rake in” those precious points.
Study the 366 Latin and Greek Roots,
Prefixes, and Suffixes
We have developed a list of roots, prefixes, and suffixes which contains the 50 prefixes and
roots 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 291 Most Important/Frequently Used
SAT Words
We have developed a list of most frequently used words and their opposites related to specific
categories for easy memorization. Study these words.
Study the M ini- Math Refresher
If you believe you are weak in the basic math skills area, study the M ini-M ath Refresher. The
material in the section is keyed to the Complete Math Refresher section for more complete
instruction.
Take the 101 Most Important Math Questions Test
To see what are your weak basic math skills areas, 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 part for those 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—so unlike those of other SAT
books. Our detailed answers will direct you to the strategy that will help you to arrive at a cor-
rect answer quickly. In addition, the Math solutions in the book refer directly to the 150-page
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 strategies,
refreshing your basic skills, etc., as described above, you should increase your SAT score
substantially.
—Gary Gruber
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Contents
INTRODUCTION xiii
I. Important Facts About the SAT/ xiii V. Multi- Level Approaches to Solution of
Problems / xxiv
II. The Inside Track on How SAT Questions
Are Developed and How They Vary from Test VI. A Four- Hour Study Program for the SAT / xxvii
to Test / xx
VII. Longer-Range Study Program and Helpful Steps
III. What Are Critical Thinking Skills? / xxi for Using This Book / xxviii
IV. Strategies for Women / xxiii VIII. Format of the SAT / xxix
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
(Keyed to Strategies in book) / 18
Section 1: Verbal Ability / 4
PART 2
THE SHORTEST SAT TEST—16 QUESTIONS TO APPROXIMATE
YOUR SAT SCORE 23
Verbal (Critical Reading) / 24 Answers / 27
Math / 25 Shortest SAT Test: What You Did Wrong, Explanatory
Answers and Scoring, Strategies and Basic Skills
Writing / 26
Needed to Improve / 28
PART 3
THE 101 MOST IMPORTANT MATH QUESTIONS
YOU NEED TO KNOW HOW TO SOLVE 29
101 Math Questions Answer Sheet / 30 Basic Skills Math Diagnosis / 47
101 Math Questions Test / 32 Solutions, Generalizations, Rules / 48
101 Math Questions: Answers / 45