Science and Social Studies
Both tests are mostly reading and data interpretation. Prepare for that rather than memorizing facts.
By the end of this lesson you can
- Read a scientific passage and identify the claim and the evidence
- Interpret graphs, tables, and charts accurately
- Apply the civics and economics concepts that recur
- Recognize what these tests are actually assessing
Lesson Notes
Read through the key concepts before you try the challenge.
Less memorization than you expect
You are dreading the science test.
You have not studied science in years and cannot remember the periodic table. You open a practice test and find a passage about an experiment, a graph of results, and questions asking what the data show. Almost nothing asks you to recall a fact.
Your task: Prepare for the test that exists rather than the one you are imagining.
Both the science and social studies tests are built around source material. You are given a passage, a graph, a map, or a document, and asked to interpret it. Background knowledge helps you read faster, but the answer is nearly always in front of you. This is good news for adult learners, who are often far better at reasoning from evidence than at recalling school facts.
| Check | Why |
|---|---|
| Read both axis labels and their units first | The most common error is answering about the wrong quantity |
| Check where the vertical axis starts | An axis not starting at zero exaggerates differences visually |
| Note the time period covered | A trend over two years may reverse over ten |
| Read the legend before the lines | Which series is which decides everything after |
| Distinguish correlation from cause | Two lines moving together is not evidence one caused the other |
| Concept | Worth knowing |
|---|---|
| Separation of powers | Legislative makes law, executive enforces, judicial interprets |
| Checks and balances | Each branch can limit the others — veto, override, judicial review |
| The Bill of Rights | The first ten amendments and what they broadly protect |
| Federalism | Power divided between national and state government |
| Supply and demand | Price rises when demand exceeds supply, and falls when it does not |
| Reading a primary source | Who wrote it, when, and for what purpose — bias is a standard question |
A passage shows that ice cream sales and drowning deaths both rise in the same months. Which conclusion does the data support?
Challenge
Apply what you've learned in this lesson.
Practice the skill these tests actually assess.
- Find five graphs in news articles. For each, write down both axis labels, where the vertical axis starts, and one thing the graph does not tell you.
- Take one science practice passage and, for every question, write the sentence or data point that supports your answer.
- Learn the three branches of government and one power each has over another.
- Find a primary source document and write three sentences on who wrote it, when, and what they wanted the reader to believe.
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