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7 Strategies to Use on DRP

DRP = Degrees of Reading PowerIt is a test with several reading

passages. The passages get progressively harder with each passage. Each passage has 7 lines that replace missing words. On the right hand side of each page are 5 words for each blank. Your job is to select the word that best fits into each blank.

Strategy #1: Using ContextGetting the answer from reading the

whole selection

The word context means “surroundings”

Use the information surrounding the blank to indentify the correct answer

Strategy #2: Using Reading Past the Missing WordSometimes the part of a selection

before the blank doesn’t contain enough information to fill in the blank right away

Always read the sentence after the blank to get all the information you need to make the right choice

Strategy #3: Reading Selections with Difficult WordsKeep reading. Try to get a general idea of what the

selection is about.Look at the words you do know. That may

be most of the selection.Eliminate any incorrect choices.Guess from the remainder.

Strategy #4: Who or What is Being Talked About

We often call the same thing by different names

People in Chicago or men, women, and children of Chicago

Population of New York or city-dwellers of New York or inhabitants of New York

Newborn elephants or baby elephants

Strategy #5: Action WordsOften you have to choose a word that

names or describes an actionSometimes all the words are possible, but

only one fits bestRead the entire selection again and try

and match the action description with one word

Strategy #6: Words that DescribeWhen you have to select a descriptive

word to fill in the blank many choices are also possible

Identify phrases in the passage that match one of the words best

Example of phrases describing shady◦ ‘to hide from the sun’◦ ‘out of the reach of the sun’s fierce rays’◦ ‘little praks came into being’

Strategy #7: Turn-Around WordsContrast words let you know the

new information is different, a contrast, from what is being said.Contrast Words

buthowever yet

Seven Strategies1. Using Context2. Reading Past the Missing Word3. Reading Selections with Difficult

Words4. Who or What is Being Talked About5. Action Words6. Words that Describe7. Turn-Around Words

Example A:

The primordial cave entrances, garbed in their immemorial stony growths, seemed like prehistoric Mesozoic relics transported to modern times. Elaine almost expected to see dinosaurs moving behind the tall trees. She felt she had entered a very __old__ world.

a) prettyb) safec) old Reading Selections with

Difficult Wordd) sillye) wet

Which type of example does this selection represent?

Example B:

After years of poorly rewarded labor, Chester Carlson made a fortune from the invention of the copying machine. This single idea earned more than $100 million for the inventor. Even simpler concepts like the ubiquitous safety pin, or the eraser on the back of a pencil, made their inventions rich. In contrast, most inventors have received little money for their work.

a) fakeb) littlec) extra Turn-Around Wordsd) foreigne) unusual

Which type of example does this selection represent?