CAHSEE Test Strategies

San Fernando High School

The 12 multiple choice questions in the Writing Strategies strand ask you questions about writing. You won’t write an essay in this section, but you will be asked to

find and correct errors, and choose better words and phrases.

You will also be asked to identify purpose, audience, organization,

and supporting details, and to evaluate various research sources. Sounds like a lot? Yep. But if you

know some effective writing strategies, you can improve your

own writing.

When answering questions in this strand, look for writing that uses precise language. For example, which of the following would be the BEST replacement for the underlined word in the sentence?

To accomplish this goal, he believed that each kid must be treated as an individual with different abilities.

A childB tiny personC little tykeD Leave as is.

Technically a “kid” is a goat. Answers B and C are too wordy. The most precise word is “child.”

To accomplish this goal, he believed that each kid must be treated as an individual with different abilities.

A childB tiny personC little tykeD Leave as is.

When answering questions in this strand, use active voice whenever possible. Compare the following sentences:

A) Paul threw the ball.B) The ball was thrown by Paul.

Sentence A is in the active voice because the subject (Paul) is performing the action.

Sentence B is in the passive voice because the subject (the ball) is receiving an action.

What is the BEST way to state the information in the underlined part of the following sentence?

Both energy and money were saved by Parker’s furnace, since the invention allowed people to heat only the rooms needed at a given time.

A Parker’s furnace saved both energy and money,B Saving both energy and money was Parker’s furnace,C Saved by Parker’s furnace were both energy and money,D Both energy and money have been saved by Parker’s furnace.

Notice that options B, C, and D are written in passive voice. The best answer is A, which is written in active voice.

A Parker’s furnace saved both energy and money,B Saving both energy and money was Parker’s furnace,C Saved by Parker’s furnace were both energy and money,D Both energy and money have been saved by Parker’s furnace.

When answering questions in this strand, look for the main ideas in paragraphs and make sure that all details in the paragraph support that main idea. For example, which sentence provides additional support for the main idea of the following paragraph?

Earthworms do quite a bit for our environment. When they eat organic matter, they digest it in the stomach and excrete it as “castings.” Worm castings are a main component of dirt. It’s the earthworm that gives us our rich soil for plant growth.

A Earthworms come to the surface when it rains.B Earthworms decompose matter at a faster rate than landfills do.C Earthworms create a series of tunnels through the dirt.D Earthworms prefer to eat fruit and vegetable scraps.

To answer this question, you must make sure that you correctly identify the main idea, which is that earthworms do quite a bit for our environment. Although option A, C, and D are all true statements, only option B deals with the subject matter of the paragraph.

Earthworms do quite a bit for our environment. When they eat organic matter, they digest it in the stomach and excrete it as “castings.” Worm castings are a main component of dirt. It’s the earthworm that gives us our rich soil for plant growth.

A Earthworms come to the surface when it rains.B Earthworms decompose matter at a faster rate than landfills do.C Earthworms create a series of tunnels through the dirt.D Earthworms prefer to eat fruit and vegetable scraps.

When answering question in this strand, it is important that you are familiar with different source types and how they are best used, such as:

Journals Web sitesSpeeches BiographiesEncyclopedias BooksMagazines NewspapersAutobiographies

If a student wanted to find an in-depth discussion of technology in early childhood education, a journal for teachers would be a better source than a local newspaper because a journal for teachers—

A could include charts. B would have a smaller audience. C features award-winning articles. D provides detailed coverage of specific topics.

If a student wanted to find an in-depth discussion of technology in early childhood education, a journal for teachers would be a better source than a local newspaper because a journal for teachers—

A could include charts. B would have a smaller audience. C features award-winning articles. D provides detailed coverage of specific topics.

While options A, B, and C may be true for journals, it is option D that specifically meets the need of an “in-depth discussion of technology in early childhood education.”