TEAS 7 Reading: Craft & Structure

Fact

Evidence that can be supported by numbers, statistics, or research--something that is true

Opinion

What the author believes to be true--typically not supported by numbers and often relying on emotion

Bias

Preferences or judgments held by author--might be disguised or falsely presented as "facts"

Often uses emotional appeals or figurative language

Stereotype

False generalizations and opinions held by the author about groups of people

Might be presented as "truth" in a non-emotional tone or use questionable research.

Assumption

Drawing conclusions from an unstated idea or opinion without proof

Authorial Intent

Another name for the author's purpose: the reason an author creates a text

Clues that indicate an author's opinion

1. Certainty

2. Worth

3. General Qualifiers

4. Statements that focus on the person

Keywords that indicate certainty in an author's opinion

Should, expected, no surprise, absolute, no doubt

Keywords that indicate worth in an author's opinion

Perfect, better, best

Words that offer judgements of importance and value

Keywords that indicate qualifiers in an author's opinion

Just, the most, absolutely

Words that end in -ly

Keywords that indicate personal focus in an author's opinion

I believe, in my opinion, no one would think that....

What are examples of facts on the TEAS?

Numbers, statistics, dollar amounts, years

Anything that can be looked up and be validated with outside research

Author's Tone

Writer's attitude toward his or her audience and subject

Can be indicated through word choice, context, connotation, and supporting details

Can often point to possible bias

Author's Tone Examples

Professional, Emotional, Sarcastic

Often adjectives (describing)

Point of View

Perspective from which a story is told

first person = I (often narrative modes)

second person = you (often narrative or persuasive modes)

third person = he, she, it (any mode)

Author's Purpose

The goal of the author—the TEAS question might refer to a word, a sentence, or an entire passage

The author often tries to make purpose clear

Author's Purpose: To Explain

The author aims to educate or inform the reader

The author wants to tell you how to do something or how something works

Author's Purpose: To Express Feelings

The author aims to describe emotions

Author's Purpose: To Entertain

The author aims to help the reader pass time or amuse the readers (novel, short story, play, poem)

Author's Purpose: To Describe

The author wants the reader to visualize or experience a person, place, or thing. Focuses on the 5 senses: sight, smell, touch, taste, sound

Author's Purpose: To Persuade

The author aims to change the reader's mind or actions

TEAS Strategy: Questions about author's bias or opinion

1. Always read the question first.

2. Scan the answer options and look for clue words that indicate an opinion (i.e. should)

3. If the question asks about the entire passage, read the first few paragraphs and the last paragraph extra carefully.

Author's Position

Standpoint or attitude that the author holds towers an idea

Position might include bias or preference

The author might use emotional language to support position or the author might try to appear unbiased and hide his or her true position

TEAS Strategy: Do you always need to read the entire passage for a question about the author's opinion?

No. Often, you can use the answer options and scan for opinion keywords, lack of wiggle room, or judgments on value or worth.

What are some commonly biased types of text that you might see on the TEAS?

1. Editorials (newspapers or online publications)

2. Advertisements and classifieds

3. Brochures

4. Persuasive passages

5. Online blog or forum posts

How can an author strengthen his or her argument?

1. Add information from other peer-reviewed sources

2. Remove emotional appeals

3. Directly acknowledge any potential biases

4. Consider the opposing argument

5. Include supporting details that are facts, statistics, or expert information

Which types of sources are often as unbiased as possible?

1. Reference works like atlas, almanac, encyclopedia

2. Scholarly works like an anthology or peer-reviewed journal

TEAS Strategy: Questions about the author's purpose

1. Are you being asked about the entire passage or a sentence in the passage?

2. Is there an opinion keyword or phrase?

3. Is the author suggesting a specific action, belief, or judgment?

4. What is the mode of the passage?

5. What is the main idea of the passage?

6. What is the title of the passage?

7. Where does the author's work appear? (Peer-reviewed journal vs. blog suggest different purposes)

TEAS Strategy: Evaluating evidence and facts

1. Does it relate to data, numbers, and facts?

2. Where is the source of this information? Is it peer-reviewed?

3. Is there an opinion or bias coming through?

4. Is the argument backed up by evidence or is it making an appeal to emotions?

5. Can outside research strengthen the argument?

6. Can removing emotion strengthen the argument?

TEAS Strategy: Reliable sources with factual evidence

Trustworthy materials that come from experts in the field of study. Often have several traits...

1. Peer-reviewed

2. Fact-checked

3. Attempts to remove any bias--or to be upfront about a possible bias

4. Author clearly named with biographical information or professional affiliation

5. Use physical evidence or proof

6. Use data or numbers

7. Lists sources and references

Author's Primary Purpose

The reason an author chooses to write a selection and it is often dependent on his or her audience. On the TEAS, this would often be the main course of action or outcome. What does the author want the reader to learn, think, feel, or do?

Author's Secondary Purpose

Information, examples, or reasoning in the text that often informs a secondary audience that might not act on the passage, or it gives more nuance to the intended audience

Figurative Language

Emotional, flowery, or expressive language that invokes the imagination, usually giving meaning to something outside of the literal definition.

Types of Figurative Language on the TEAS

1. Simile

2. Metaphor

3. Personification

4. Exaggeration

Simile

Comparison using like or as

Usually compare things that don't seem related at first

Hint: if you like something, you smile (smile looks like simile)

Metaphor

Comparison that does not use like or as

Metaphors are usually about creating a picture in the reader's mind rather than a direct comparison; they can be harder to spot than similes

Personification

Giving something that's not a person (a rock, an animal, a robot, etc.) human qualities like human emotions or motivations

Exaggeration

Overstatements that usually involve increasing or decreasing number, size, or emotion for dramatic effect

Denotation

Dictionary definition of a word

Literal meaning of a word and opposition of connotation

Denotation = dictionary

Connotation

Implied or associative meaning of a word

Connotation = context

Positive Connotation

Specific words in the sentence are used to invoke a generally positive feeling

Example = "I walked to school" (neutral connotation) vs. "I skipped to school" (positive connotation - implies happy excitement)

Negative Connotation

Specific words in the sentence are used to invoke a generally negative feeling

Example = "I do not have much muscle mass" (neutral connotation) vs. "I am scrawny" (negative connotation)

What does connotation depend on?

Connotation can depend on word meaning, emotion, or culture. It's a way of playing with language to add emotion, change the mood, or have the reader infer meaning.

How might connotation be used in a persuasive passage?

Connotation can be used to make something seem more positive or negative than it actually is in order to get the reader to think or believe a specific way.

"This house is too small to live in" vs. "This house is cozy and quaint."

How might connotation be used in a narrative passage?

Connotation can be used to create the mood of a passage or show emotions or motivations of characters

What type of questions might you see on the TEAS when it comes to connotation and context?

1. You might be asked directly if a word has a positive connotation or a negative connotation.

2. You might be asked to make inferences based on similes, metaphors, or exaggerations. For example, a passage might use specific figurative language and then ask you if the connotation is positive or negative or if you can describe the mood of the passage.

3. You might be asked to pick the best definition of a word that can have multiple meanings

What type of questions might you see on the TEAS when it comes to denotation?

1. You might be asked to select the right definition for a word with multiple definitions

2. You might be asked to select the right definition of a word using parts of speech

What information does a dictionary entry give about a word?

1. How the word is spelled

2. How the word is pronounced

3. The word's possible parts of speech

4. Different definitions for each part of speech

Inference

A logical interpretation based on prior knowledge and experience, including context clues, reading between the lines, and cultural cues

Context Clues

Information from the reading that hints at a word's meaning

Context Clues that you might need to use on the TEAS

1. Word structure - roots and affixes

2. Signal phrases and transition words

3. Provided definitions

4. Examples within the sentence or passage

5. Parts of speech and use in sentence

TEAS Strategy: Questions about word definitions in a sentence using context clues

1. Examine the sentence the word you are defining.

2. Find a conjunction and divide the sentence in half.

3. What is the half without the word saying?

4. What relationship does the conjunction indicate?

TEAS Strategy: Questions about selecting the best definition of a word

1. Plug in definitions into the sentence

2. Check the part of speech used in the question and the answer options

3. Use context clues like coordinating conjunctions or transition words to infer relationships

TEAS Strategy: Questions about a figure of speech

1. Include personification, metaphor, simile, and exaggeration.

2. Often used to express emotion, personality, or creativity

3. Consider the context of the sentence

4. Is there a signal phrase or conjunction? What relationship does it suggest?

TEAS Strategy: Question about guide words in a dictionary

1. Take each answer option one at time.

2. Use your scrap paper.

3. Start with the first guide word.

4. Compare guide word and question word. Cross out letters one at a time.

5. If the word works for the first guide word, repeat with the second guide word.

6. You must check both the first and second guide words.

TEAS Strategy: Questions about denotative meaning of words

1. These are the dictionary meaning of words.

2. One word can have multiple parts of speech. Noun and verb are common.

3. Confirm the part of speech.

4. Make sure the answer and the question are the same part of speech.

5. Try replacing the word in the sentence.

Allegory

Story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

Often relies on figurative language and context clues

Point of View: First Person

Personal perspective often using I and Me.

Often expresses emotions, feelings, and inner thoughts to the reader.

Common in narratives and persuasive passages and in diaries and blogs

Point of View: Second Person

Directed to the reader using You

Common in narratives and persuasive passages and when giving directions

Point of View: Third Person

Text told by a non-participating, outside narrator, often using he, she, they, it.

Can be limited or omniscient

Common in academic, informational texts that want to remove bias and in narratives

Point of View: Third Person Limited

The narrator only knows the thoughts and feelings of one or two characters

Point of View: Third Person Omniscient

Narrator knows thoughts and feelings of all characters

Relevance

The quality of information that is connected to the topic.

Does the information in text relate to the question, or does it focus on emotional appeals or distracting examples?

How well does the argument stay on the topic?

Accuracy

Examining how factually correct the information in a text is by comparing it to other sources.

Is the information truthful?

Do the examples backed by research and support the argument?

Credible Source

Source that can be reasonably trusted to be accurate and objective. Examples include peer-reviewed research, government publications, encyclopedias, reputable news sources