Christmas Updates - Barron's Book Escapades Part 1

So I haven't updated in a little while. It's because I'm finally home for winter break, have been trying to get everything in order for Christmas, and actually been applying myself to this Barron's GRE prep book. Aren't you proud?

I've been doing some damage on this one.

I finished the diagnostic test before embarking on studying the information provided in the book and got something like a 450 on verbal and a 500 on math. Whoop-de-doo. Blegh. I've attributed this poor grade to my lack of vocabulary, not going over math enough yet, and the fact that I like to rush. All of these things must be remedied as soon as possible. Notice that I'm not blaming myself for not doing outstanding on the diagnostic test. It's because I know that I can do better.

I completed Chapter 4 on Antonyms. Here is a listing of of testing tactics that the book gives and my thoughts on each tactic:
1. "Think of a context for the capitalized word" - I like this, but it's hard for me to do.
2. "Before you look at the choices, think of antonyms for the capitalized word" - I like this one a lot.
3. "Read all the choices before you decide which is best" - Eeep...I need to work on this one because it's so obviously helpful.
4. "Look at the answer choices to determine the word's part of speech" - I like this one.
5. "Consider secondary meanings of the capitalized word as well as its primary meaning" - Eeep on this one, too. I like it, but it's difficult to do.
6. "Break down unfamiliar words into recognizable parts" - I like this one, but I need to be careful with it.
7. "Change unfamiliar words from one part of speech to another" - I like this one.
8. "In eliminating answer choices, test words for their positive or negative connotations" - Hmmm, I don't know about this one.
9. "Watch out for errors caused by eye-catchers" - Yikes because I've fallen into this trap. Need to work on it.

I bite at antonyms. These scores on the exercises will give you an idea how much so:
12/20, 12/20, 13/20, 14/20, and 13/20. Consistent, yes, but needs improvement!

I went over the tactics in Chapter 5, which is about Analogies, too:
1. "Before you look at the choices, try to state the relationship between the capitalized words in a clear sentence" - I love this tactic.
2. "If more than one answer fits the relationship in your sentence, look for a narrower approach" - Ok, will do, thank you sincerely! Good reminder to be careful.
3. "Consider secondary meanings of words as well as their primary meanings" - Eeep. Reminds me of the one that was in the antonyms section. It would be wonderful if words only had one meaning, but alas, English isn't like that.
4. "Watch out for errors caused by eye-catchers" - Good re-reminder.
5. "Look at the answer choices to determine a word's part of speech" - Good point. Like it.
6. "Familiarize yourself with common analogy types - Like a lot. Need to invest more time in this.

Here are the common analogy types, says the Barron's book:

• Definition
• Defining characteristic
• Class and member
• Antonyms
• Antonym variants
• Synonyms
• Synonym variants
• Degree of intensity
• Part to whole
• Function
• Manner
• Action and its significance
• Words and article created
• Worker and tool
• Worker and action
• Worker and workplace
• Tool and its action
• Cause and effect
• Sex
• Age
• Time sequence
• Spatial sequence
• Symbol and quality it represents

Wow...basically anyway that a word could possibly relate to another word. Okay.
I've only done one exercise for this section, but things are looking up: I got a 17/20 on the exercise! Also, when I was going over the tactics I was able to apply what they were teaching in the book to most of the practice questions that went with each tactic. Hooray!

Chapter 6 is on Sentence Completion questions. Love this kind of question. Maybe it's because I got all of the practice questions that went with each tactic correct. These are the testing tactics:
1. "Before you look at the choices, read the sentence and think of a word that makes sense" - Love this tactic a lot. It works the best for me.
2. "Look at all the possible answers before you make your final choice" - Like because I am still rushing when answering questions, I think.
3. "In double-blank sentences, go through the answers, testing one blank at a time, not two" - I actually never thought about doing this. I thought that I'd screw it up. But I tried it and I love this tactic.
4. "Watch for signal words that link one part of the sentence to another" - Good to keep in mind. The basic kinds of signals the book elaborates on are: "cause and effect signals", "support signals", "contrast signals (explicit)", and "contrast signals (implicit)".
5. "Use your knowledge of words parts and parts of speech to get at the meanings of unfamiliar words" - Makes sense. Suspiciously easy.
6. "Break down complex sentences into simpler components" - This is hard for me to do. I feel like it would take up too much time. I'll keep it in mind, though.
7. "If a sentence contains a metaphor, check to see whether that metaphot controls the writer's choice of words (and your answer choice)" - this totally makes sense and I'm going to use it when I recognize metaphors. Like it.

As for the one sentence completion exercise that I did, I got a 19/20! Woot for me.

Stay tuned for more Christmas updates!