TASC For Dummies

If you're looking to gauge your readiness for the high school equivalency exam and want to give it all you've got, TASC For Dummies has everything you need.

The TASC (Test Assessing Secondary Completion) is a state-of-the art, affordable, national high school equivalency assessment that evaluates five subject areas: reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies. With the help of this hands-on, friendly guide, you'll gain the confidence and skills needed to score your highest and gain your high school diploma equivalency.

• Helps you measure your career and college readiness, as outlined by the Common Core State Standards
• Focuses entirely on the 5 sections of the TASC and the various question types you'll encounter on test day
• Includes two full-length TASC practice tests with complete answers and explanations

So far, New York, Indiana, New Jersey, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Nevada have adopted TASC as their official high school equivalency assessment test. If you're a resident of one of these states and want an easy-to-grasp introduction to the exam, TASC For Dummies has you covered. Written in plain English and packed with tons of practical and easy-to-follow explanations, it gets you up to speed on this alternative to the GED.

Introduction 1

Part 1: Getting Started with the TASC 5

Chapter 1: Making Sense of the TASC 7

Chapter 2: Getting Prepped 13

Part 2: Language Arts: Reading 17

Chapter 3: Reading to Find Central Themes and Main Ideas 19

Chapter 4: Analyzing the Structure of Text 27

Part 3: Language Arts: Writing 39

Chapter 5: The Basics of Writing 41

Chapter 6: Avoiding Grammatical Errors 53

Chapter 7: The Mechanics of Writing 65

Chapter 8: Choosing Effective Language 71

Chapter 9: Writing the TASC Essay 77

Part 4: Mathematics 81

Chapter 10: Numbers & Quantity 83

Chapter 11: Algebra 95

Chapter 12: Measurement Functions 123

Chapter 13: Geometry 141

Chapter 14: Statistics and Probability 155

Part 5: Social Studies 169

Chapter 15: U.S. History 171

Chapter 16: World History 185

Chapter 17: Civics and Government 199

Chapter 18: Geography 215

Chapter 19: Economics 223

Part 6: Science 233

Chapter 20: Physical Science 235

Chapter 21: Life Science 249

Chapter 22: Earth and Space Science 261

Part 7: Practice Tests 281

Chapter 23: Practice Test 1 283

Chapter 24: Answers and Explanations for Practice Test 1 345

Chapter 25: Practice Test 2 371

Chapter 26: Answers and Explanations for Practice Test 2 435

Part 8: The Part of Tens 461

Chapter 27: Ten Ways to Maximize Your Score 463

Chapter 28: Ten Ways to Work through Test Jitters 467

Index 471

Stuart Donnelly, PhD, was awarded a PhD in mathematics from Oxford University. He has prepared students for the TASC test and GED Test for the past two decades.