What's That Skill?

What is the C.U.T.E.S strategy?

• A test taking strategy for analyzing test questions.

• A strategy that helps the test taker understand the test.

• The ways for which a reader can annotate the text.

• An annotation technique to help test takers read the text faster.

Read the following question from the F.A.S.T exam;

Read this sentence from the passage.

"The rats seem to be traveling back in time, revisiting places they have been,' says Wilson." (paragraph 9)

How does the phrase "traveling back in time" contribute to the tone of the paragraph?

What skill/ concept is being tested in this question?

• Phrase- Vocabulary skill

• Contribute- developing an idea

• Tone- the author's feelings towards his/her subject.

• Paragraph-

  How sections develop an author's idea.

Read the following question from the F.A.S.T exam;

Select two statements that describe the significance of the rhetorical question at the end of paragraph 14.

What skill/ concept is being tested in this question?

• Statement- a series of words to convey an idea.

• Describe-

  explain in detail

• Paragraph-

  Sections of a text that develop an idea

• Rhetorical Question-

  a speech device meant to affect the audience.

Read the following question from the F.A.S.T exam;

How does beginning the sentence with the phrase "recent research" help acheive the author's purpose in paragraph 15?

What skill/ concept is being tested in this question?

• phrase- a part of a sentences to convey an idea.

• Author's Purpose-

  The reason why an author writes sections or all of the text.

• Paragraph-

  Sections of a text that develop an idea

• Describe-

  explain in detail

Read the following question from the F.A.S.T exam;

In the section Insects and Other Creatures, how does the author develop the argument that insects probably dream?

What skill(s)/ concept (s) does this question require you to think about?

• How certain parts of the text build and explain an author's opinion.

• How the author's argument is explained by the claim.

• How reading a section proves the author's idea is incorrect.

• How the section of a text introduces an idea.

Read the following question from the F.A.S.T exam;

What is the purpose of the section titled To Sleep, Perchance to... Understand You're Dreaming?

What skill(s)/ concept (s) does this question require you to think about?

• How the word choice affects the author's tone.

• Why an author includes a certain section in a text.

• The reader's understanding of the purpose for reading.

• How the section of a text introduces an idea.

Read the following question from the F.A.S.T exam;

What does the description reveal about the narrator's view of Mrs. Lahri's piano?

What skill(s)/ concept (s) does this question require you to think about?

• How certain details convince the reader to agree with the narrator.

• How the description of the narrator affects the reader's point of view.

• How the narrator's point of view accurately depicts a characters point of view.

• How certain details show how the speaker of the text feels or sees the subject.

Read the following question from the F.A.S.T exam;

In paragraph 13, what does the narrator mean when he describes the music as swelling into a wave?

What skill(s)/ concept (s) does this question require you to think about?

• How figurative language conveys a deeper meaning.

• How the description of the narrator affects the reader's point of view.

• How the narrator's point of view accurately depicts a characters point of view.

• How certain details show how the speaker of the text feels or sees the subject.

Read the following question from the F.A.S.T exam;

Complete the table by matching the text evidence from the passage to the truth it reveals about the narrator.

What skill(s)/ concept (s) does this question require you to think about?

• How word choice affects the author's tone towards the narrator.

• How the description of the narrator affects the reader's point of view.

• How sentences support ideas about characters and narrators.

• How certain details reveal aspects of the narrator or characters.

Read the following question from the F.A.S.T exam;

What are two different themes of the story?

What skill(s)/ concept (s) is this question asking you about?

• The topic of a text/story.

• The reason the story was written.

• The central idea(s) of a text.

• The universal message(s) of a story.