Selective Test Components 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which component of the SHSAT consists entirely of multiple-choice questions about scrambled paragraphs?
- Mathematics section
- Revising/Editing section (Correct answer)
- Reading Comprehension section
- Essay section
Correct answer: Revising/Editing section
The Revising/Editing section of the SHSAT includes questions about scrambled paragraphs, where students must arrange sentences into logical order.
Question 2: On the ISEE, the essay component differs from other sections because it is:
- Scored on a 1–9 scale
- Not scored but sent to schools as a writing sample (Correct answer)
- Worth 25% of the total score
- Required only for Upper Level test-takers
Correct answer: Not scored but sent to schools as a writing sample
The ISEE essay is unscored; it is sent directly to schools so admissions officers can evaluate the student's unassisted writing ability.
Question 3: The Quantitative Reasoning section on the ISEE primarily differs from the Mathematics Achievement section in that it focuses on:
- Computation speed rather than problem-solving
- Reasoning and relationships rather than learned procedures (Correct answer)
- Geometry exclusively
- Calculator-permitted problems
Correct answer: Reasoning and relationships rather than learned procedures
Quantitative Reasoning tests logical thinking and mathematical relationships, while Mathematics Achievement tests curriculum-based computation and procedures.
Question 4: Which of the following is a component found on the HSPT but NOT on the SHSAT?
- Reading Comprehension
- Mathematics
- Quantitative Skills (Correct answer)
- Scrambled Paragraphs
Correct answer: Quantitative Skills
The HSPT includes a Quantitative Skills section with number series and geometric comparisons, a component absent from the SHSAT.
Question 5: In the context of selective placement tests, a 'verbal reasoning' component most commonly assesses:
- Spelling and grammar rules
- Vocabulary, analogies, and logical word relationships (Correct answer)
- Oral reading fluency
- Foreign language comprehension
Correct answer: Vocabulary, analogies, and logical word relationships
Verbal reasoning sections evaluate a student's ability to understand word meanings, recognize relationships between words, and reason with language.
Question 6: Which test component is shared by both the SSAT and the ISEE at the Middle Level?
- Scrambled Paragraphs
- Number Series
- Verbal Reasoning with Analogies (Correct answer)
- Science and Nature passages
Correct answer: Verbal Reasoning with Analogies
Both the SSAT and ISEE Middle Level include verbal sections that feature analogy questions testing word relationships and reasoning.
Question 7: A student notices that one test section has no penalty for wrong answers while another deducts a fraction of a point. This difference in scoring applies to which component comparison?
- SHSAT versus HSPT scoring structures
- ISEE versus SSAT scoring structures (Correct answer)
- SAT versus ACT scoring structures
- HSPT versus ISEE scoring structures
Correct answer: ISEE versus SSAT scoring structures
The ISEE deducts a quarter point for wrong answers (encouraging strategic guessing), while the SSAT has no wrong-answer penalty on its scored sections.
Selective Test Components 2
Which component of the SHSAT consists entirely of multiple-choice questions about scrambled paragraphs?