61. d. It is ironic that in a place where there are so
many ways to describe one food (indicating that
this food is a central part of the culture),
Thomas is hungry. The passage does not men-
tion the language of the reservation, so choice a
is incorrect. The sentence does not show any
measure of how hungry Thomas is, so choice b
is incorrect. The sentence does not describe fry
bread or make it sound in any way appealing, so
choice c is also incorrect. The passage tells us
that it was Thomas’s hunger, not the number of
ways to say fry bread, that provided his inspira-
tion, so choice e is incorrect.
62. c. The author tells us that the new house was in
“the best neighborhood in town,” and the neigh-
borhood’s “prestige outweighed its deadliness”
(lines 5–8). There is no indication that their old
house was falling apart (choice a) or that they
needed more room (choice b). The neighbor-
hood is clearly not great for children (“it was not
a pleasant place to live [especially for chil-
dren]”), so choice d is incorrect. The author tells
us that business was going well for his father—
so well, in fact, that he could pay for the house
in cash—but that does not mean the house was
affordable (choice e). In fact, if it was in the
most prestigious neighborhood, it was probably
expensive.
63. a. The author tells us that his father was “always a
man of habit”—so much so that he forgot he’d
moved and went to his old house, into his old

room, and lay down for a nap, not even noticing
that the furniture was different. This suggests
that he has a difficult time accepting and adjust-
ing to change. There is no evidence that he is a
calculating man (choice b). He may be unhappy
with his life (choice c), which could be why he
chose not to notice things around him, but there
is little to support this in the passage, while
there is much to support choice a. We do not
know if he was proud of the house (choice d).
We do know that he was a man of habit, but we
do not know if any of those habits were bad
(choice e).
64. d. That his father would not realize that someone
else was living in the house—that he would not
notice, for example, different furniture arranged
in a different way—suggests that his father did
not pay any attention to things around him and
just went through the motions of his life by
habit. Being habitual is different from being
stubborn, so choice a is incorrect. The author is
writing about his father and seems to know him
quite well, so choice b is incorrect. We do not
know if the author’s father was inattentive to his
needs (choice c), though if he did not pay atten-
tion to things around him, he likely did not pay
much attention to his children. Still, there is not
enough evidence in this passage to draw this
conclusion. His father may have been very
attached to the old house (choice e), but the

incident doesn’t just show attachment; it shows
a lack of awareness of the world around him.
65. b. The bulk of this excerpt is the story that the
author finds “pathetic,” so the most logical con-
clusion regarding his feelings for his father is
that he lived a sad life. We know that his busi-
ness was going well, but the author does not dis-
cuss his father’s methods or approach to
business, so choice a is incorrect. Choice c is
likewise incorrect; there is no discussion of his
father’s handling of financial affairs. Choice d is
incorrect because there is no evidence that his
father was ever cruel. His father may have been
impressive and strong (choice e), but the domi-
nant theme is his habitual nature and the sad
fact that he did not notice things changing
around him.
– GED LITERATURE AND THE ARTS, READING PRACTICE QUESTIONS–
375

Glossary of Terms: Language
Arts, Reading
alliteration the repetition of sounds, especially at the
beginning of words
antagonist the person, force, or idea working against
the protagonist
antihero a character who is pathetic rather than
tragic, who does not take responsibility for his or her
destructive actions
aside in drama, when a character speaks directly to

the audience or another character concerning the
action on stage, but only the audience or character
addressed in the aside is meant to hear
autobiography the true account of a person’s life
written by that person
ballad a poem that tells a story, usually rhyming abcb
blank verse poetry in which the structure is con-
trolled only by a metrical scheme (also called metered
verse)
characters people created by an author to carry the
action, language, and ideas of a story or play
climax the turning point or high point of action and
tension in the plot
closet drama a play that is meant only to be read,
not performed
comedy humorous literature that has a happy
ending
commentary literature written to explain or illumi-
nate other works of literature or art
complication the series of events that “complicate”
the plot and build up to the climax
conflict a struggle or clash between two people,
forces, or ideas
connotation implied or suggested meaning
context the words and sentences surrounding a
word or phrase that help determine the meaning of
that word or phrase
couplet a pair of rhyming lines in poetry
denotation exact or dictionary meaning
denouement the resolution or conclusion of the

action
dialect language that differs from the standard lan-
guage in grammar, pronunciation, and idioms (natu-
ral speech versus standard English); language used by
a specific group within a culture
dialogue the verbal exchange between two or more
people; conversation
diction the particular choice and use of words
drama literature that is meant to be performed
dramatic irony when a character’s speech or actions
have an unintended meaning known to the audience
but not to the character
elegy a poem that laments the loss of someone or
something
exact rhyme the repetition of exactly identical
stressed sounds at the end of words
exposition in plot, the conveyance of background
information necessary to understand the complica-
tion of the plot
eye rhyme words that look like they should rhyme
because of spelling, but because of pronunciation,
they do not
falling action the events that take place immediately
after the climax in which “loose ends” of the plot are
tied up
feet in poetry, a group of stressed and unstressed
syllables
fiction prose literature about people, places, and
events invented by the author
figurative language comparisons not meant to be

taken literally but used for artistic effect, including
similes, metaphors, and personification
flashback when an earlier event or scene is inserted
into the chronology of the plot
free verse poetry that is free from any restrictions of
meter and rhyme
functional texts literature that is valued mainly for
the information it conveys, not for its beauty of form,
emotional impact, or message about human experience
genre category or kind; in literature, the different
kinds or categories of texts
haiku a short, imagistic poem of three unrhymed
lines of five, seven, and five syllables, respectively
half-rhyme the repetition of the final consonant at
the end of words
hyperbole extreme exaggeration not meant to be
taken literally, but done for effect
iambic pentameter a metrical pattern in poetry in
which each line has ten syllables (five feet) and the
stress falls on every second syllable
imagery the representation of sensory experiences
through language
inference a conclusion based upon reason, fact, or
evidence
– GED LITERATURE AND THE ARTS, READING PRACTICE QUESTIONS–
376
irony see dramatic irony, situational irony,or verbal
irony
literature any written or published text
literary texts literature valued for its beauty of

form, emotional impact, and message(s) about the
human experience
main idea the overall fact, feeling, or thought a writer
wants to convey about his or her subject
melodrama a play that starts off tragic but has a
happy ending
memoir an autobiographical text that focuses on a
limited number of events and explores their impact
metaphor a type of figurative language that com-
pares two things by saying they are equal
meter the number and stress of syllables in a line of
poetry
monologue in drama, a play or part of a play
performed by one character speaking directly to the
audience
narrator in fiction, the character or person who tells
the story
nonfiction prose literature about real people, places,
and events
ode a poem that celebrates a person, place, or thing
omniscient narrator a third-person narrator who
knows and reveals the thoughts and feelings of the
characters
onomatopoeia when the sound of a word echoes its
meaning
paragraph a group of sentences about the same idea
personification figurative language that endows
nonhuman or nonanimal objects with human
characteristics
plot the ordering of events in a story

poetry literature written in verse
point of view the perspective from which something
is told or written
prose literature that is not written in verse or dra-
matic form
protagonist the “hero” or main character of a story,
the one who faces the central conflict
pun a play on the meaning of a word
quatrain in poetry, a stanza of four lines
readability techniques strategies writers use to
make information easier to process, including the use
of headings and lists
rhyme the repetition of an identical or similar
stressed sound(s) at the end of words
rhythm the overall sound or “musical” effect of the
pattern of words and sentences
sarcasm sharp, biting language intended to ridicule
its subject
satire a form of writing that exposes and ridicules its
subject with the hope of bringing about change
setting the time and place in which a story unfolds
simile a type of figurative language that compares two
things using like or as
situational irony the tone that results when there is
incongruity between what is expected to happen and
what actually occurs
soliloquy in drama, a speech made by a character
who reveals his or her thoughts to the audience as if
he or she is alone and thinking aloud
sonnet a poem composed of fourteen lines, usually

in iambic pentameter, with a specific rhyme scheme
speaker in poetry, the voice or narrator of the poem
stage directions in drama, the instructions pro-
vided by the playwright that explain how the action
should be staged, including directions for props, cos-
tumes, lighting, tone, and character movements
stanza a group of lines in a poem, a poetic paragraph
structure the manner in which a work of literature is
organized; its order of arrangement and divisions
style the manner in which a text is written, composed
of word choice, sentence structure, and level of for-
mality and detail
subgenre a category within a larger category
suspense the state of anxiety caused by an unde-
cided or unresolved situation
symbol a person, place, or object invested with spe-
cial meaning to represent something else
theme the overall meaning or idea of a literary work
thesis the main idea of a nonfiction text
thesis statement the sentence(s) that express an
author’s thesis
tone the mood or attitude conveyed by writing or
voice
topic sentence the sentence in a paragraph that
expresses the main idea of that paragraph
tragedy a play that presents a character’s fall due to
a tragic flaw
tragic hero the character in a tragedy who falls from
greatness and accepts responsibility for that fall
tragic flaw the characteristic of a hero in a tragedy

that causes his or her downfall
– GED LITERATURE AND THE ARTS, READING PRACTICE QUESTIONS–
377
tragicomedy a tragic play that includes comic
scenes
understatement a statement that is deliberately
restrained
verbal irony when the intended meaning of a word
or phrase is the opposite of its expressed meaning
voice in nonfiction, the sound of the author speaking
directly to the reader
– GED LITERATURE AND THE ARTS, READING PRACTICE QUESTIONS–
378
379
PART
VI
The GED
Mathematics
Exam
T
his section covers the material you need to know to prepare for the GED Math-
ematics Exam. You will learn how the test is structured so you will know what
to expect on test day.You will also review and practice the fundamental math-
ematics skills you need to do well on the exam.
Before you begin Chapter 40, take a few minutes to do the pretest that follows. The
questions and problems are the same type you will find on the GED. When you are fin-
ished, check the answer key carefully to assess your results. Your pretest score will help you
determine how much preparation you need and in which areas you need the most care-
ful review and practice.


Pretest: GED Mathematics
Directions: Read each of the questions below carefully
and determine the best answer.
To practice the timing of the GED exam, please allow
18 minutes for this pretest. Record your answers on the
answer sheet provided here and the answer grids for
questions 9 and 10.
Note: On the GED, you are not permitted to write in
the test booklet. Make any notes or calculations on a sep-
arate piece of paper.
1. On five successive days, a motorcyclist listed his
mileage as follows: 135, 162, 98, 117, 216.
If his motorcycle averages 14 miles for each
gallon of gas used, how many gallons of gas did
he use during these five days?
a. 42
b. 52
c. 115
d. 147
e. 153
2. Bugsy has a piece of wood 9 feet 8 inches long.
He wishes to cut it into 4 equal lengths. How far
from the edge should he make the first cut?
a. 2.5 ft.
b. 2 ft 5 in.
c. 2.9 ft.
d. 29 ft.
e. 116 in.
Question 3 is based on the following figure.
3. What is the perimeter of the figure?

a. 8a + 5b
b. 9a + 7b
c. 7a + 5b
d. 6a + 6b
e. 8a + 6b
4. Jossie has $5 more than Siobhan, and Siobhan
has $3 less than Michael. If Michael has $30, how
much money does Jossie have?
a. $30
b. $27
c. $32
d. $36
e. Not enough information is given.
3a + b
3a + 2b
2a + b
a + 3b
– THE GED MATHEMATICS EXAM–
380
1. abcde
2. abcde
3. abcde
4. abcde
5. abcde
6. abcde
7. abcde
8. abcde
ANSWER SHEET