English and Math

Skills Assessment
Study Guide

Yavapai Col l ege Test i ng Servi ces
1995 by ACT, Inc. All rights reserved.
Permission to reproduce all or part of the contents of this booklet is granted
to institutions with a valid COMPASS license agreement in place. Such
institutions are required to credit ACT as the source of the items and to
indicate that the items are being reproduced with ACTs permission.

Table of Contents
About the Assessment 1
Who Should Take the Assessment 1
Mathematics 2

Mathematics-Numerical Skills 3

Mathematics-Algebra 5

Mathematics-College Algebra 8
Reading 9
Writing Skills 12
Answers to Sample Items 16

Page 1
About the Skills Assessment
We want you to be successful at Yavapai College. Enrolling in courses
which are appropriate to your current level of knowledge is an im
portantrststepontheroadtosuccess.YavapaiCollegeassessesmath
andEnglishskillsusingCOMPASS.COMPASS/
ESL is a comprehensive computerized adapve
tesng system that helps place students into
appropriate courses and maximizes the infor
maon postsecondary schools need to ensure
student success. This study guide will help fa
miliarize you with the types of quesons that
willbepresentedinyourassessmentsession.

Who Should Take the Assessment

The following students are required to take the English/math skills
assessment:
EnrollingfortherstmeinEnglish,reading,math,orgeneraled
Enrollingin"essenalskills"(developmental)coursework
PursuingaYavapaiCollegedegreeorcercateprogram
IntendingtotransferYavapaicreditstoauniversity
Undecidedorchangingmajors
Onacademicwarningoracademicprobaon
Transferstudentsenteringonacademicprobaon
Transferstudentsneedingatranscriptevaluaon
Under18yearsofagewhohavenotyetreceivedahighschool
diplomaorGED
Designatedmajors,asspeciedbytheOceofInstrucon
Federalnancialaidrecipients
Studentsreceivingveteransbenets
Internaonalstudents

Theassessmentisnotanadmissionstestandtheresultswillhaveno
eectuponyouracceptanceasastudentatYavapaiCollege.
Page 2
Mat hemat i cs Pl acement Measures
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SAMPLESCREENSHOT

The gure below shows a sample item similar to those in the Algebra
Placement Test and illustrates how a mathemacs test item would ap
pear on the computer screen. Students use the mouse to select an an
swerandthenclickontheGoOnbuontoproceedtothenextcom
puterselectedqueson.

NOTE:ThemathemacspoolsforCOMPASS/ESLhavebeencalibratedto
accommodate calculatorpermied administraons. The esmated
eect of calculator use has been accounted for in the item calibraons
in a manner that allows scores to be interpreted the same as were
scores produced in earlier versions of COMPASS. Clicking on the
Calculator buon from any COMPASS mathemacs test screen will
bringupthedefaultWindowscalculator.
Page 3
NUMERICALSKILLS/PREALGEBRAPLACEMENT
Percentageof
ContentAreas ItemsinPool

Basicoperaonswithintegers 16
Basicoperaonswithfracons 17
Basicoperaonswithdecimals 14
Exponents,squareroots,andsciencnotaon 13
Raosandproporons 8
Percentages 15
Conversionsbetweenfraconsanddecimals <1
Mulplesandfactorsofintegers 2
Absolutevaluesofnumbers 2
Averages(means,medians,andmodes) 9
Orderconcepts(greaterthan;lessthan) <1
Esmaonskills <1
Numbertheory <1
Counngproblemsandsimpleprobability 1
Range 1

(Averages:Means,Medians,andModes)
1. Whatistheaverage(arithmecmean)of8,7,7,5,3,2,and2?

A. 3
4
/7
B. 4
5
/6
C. 4
6
/7
D. 5
E. 6
4
/5

(BasicOperaonswithDecimals)
2. Ben is making wooden toys for the next arts and cras sale. Each toy
costsBen$1.80tomake.Ifhesellsthetoysfor$3.00each,howmany
willhehavetoselltomakeaprotofexactly$36.00?

A.12
B.20
C.30
D.60



(BasicOperaonswithFracons)
3. Howmanyyardsofmaterialfroma24yardlengthofclothremainaer
3 pieces, each 3
1
/2 yards long, and 5 pieces, each 2
1
/4 yards long, are
removed?

A. 2
1
/4
B. 4
1
/4
C. 4
5
/6
D. 10
1
/4
E. 10
5
/6

(Percentages)
4. Phillipcharged$400worthofgoodsonhiscreditcard.Onhisrstbill,
he was not charged any interest, and he made a payment of $20. He
then charged another $18 worth of goods. On his second bill a month
later, he was charged 2% interest on his enre unpaid balance. How
muchinterestwasPhillipchargedonhissecondbill?

A. $8.76
B. $7.96
C. $7.60
D. $7.24
E. $6.63




Page 4


ALGEBRAPLACEMENT

TheAlgebraPlacementTestcomprisestopicsfromthreemajormathe
macscurricularareas,asfollows:
Percentageof
CurricularArea ContentAreas ItemsinPool

ElementaryAlgebra 57
Substungvaluesintoalgebraicequaons 7
Sengupequaonsforgivensituaons 7
Basicoperaonswithpolynomials 7
Factoringofpolynomials 7
Solvingpolynomialequaonsbyfactoring 3
Formulamanipulaonandeldaxioms 2
Linearequaonsinonevariable 16
Exponentsandradicals 5
Linearinequaliesinonevariable 1

IntermediateAlgebra 15
Raonalexpressions 7
Exponentsandradicals 5
Systemsoflinearequaonsintwovariables 2
Quadracformulas <1
Absolutevalueequaonsandinequalies <1

CoordinateGeometry 27
Linearequaonsintwovariables 13
Distanceformulasintheplane 3
Graphingconics(circle,parabola,etc.) 3
Graphingparallellines 1
Graphingperpendicularlines 1
Graphingrelaonsintheplane 4
Graphingsystemsofequaons&raonalfuncons 1
Midpointformulas <1







Page 5

(ElementaryAlgebra:LinearEquaonsinOneVariable)
1. A student has earned scores of 87, 81, and 88 on the rst 3 of 4
tests. If the student wants an average (arithmec mean) of exactly
87,whatscoremustsheearnonthefourthtest?

A. 85
B. 86
C. 87
D. 92
E. 93



(ElementaryAlgebra:BasicOperaonswithPolynomials)
2. Which of the following expressions represents the product of 3 less
thantwicexand2morethanthequanty3mesx?

A. 6x
2
+25x+6
B. 6x
2
+5x+6
C. 6x
2
5x+6
D. 6x
2
5x6
E. 6x
2
13x6

(ElementaryAlgebra:SubstungValuesintoAlgebraicExpressions)
3. Ifx=1andy=2,whatisthevalueoftheexpression2x
3
3xy?

A. 8
B. 4
C. 1
D. 4
E. 8

Page 6

(IntermediateAlgebra:RaonalExpressions)
4. Forallr2,r
2
5r+6=?
r
2
4
A. r3
r+2
B. r2
r+2
C. r2
r+3
D. r+3
r2
E. r+3
r+2

(CoordinateGeometry:LinearEquaonsinTwoVariables)
5. Whatistheequaonofthelinethatcontainsthepointswith
(x,y)coordinates(3,7)and(5,1)?

A. y=3x2
B. y=x+10
C. y=
1
/3x+8
D. y=
3
/2x+
11
/4
E. y=x+4

Page 7


COLLEGEALGEBRAPLACEMENT
Percentageof
ContentAreas ItemsinPool

Funcons 40
Exponents 25
Complexnumbers 15
Arithmecandgeometricsequencesandseries 7
Factorials 6
Matrices(basicoperaons,equaons,anddeterminants) 3
Systemsoflinearequaonsinthreeormorevariables 1
Logicandprooftechniques 1
Rootsofpolynomials 2

(ComplexNumbers)
1. Fori=1,if3i(2+5i)=x+6i,thenx=?

A. 15
B. 5
C. 5i
D. 15i
E. 27i

(Funcons)
2. Iff(4)=0andf(6)=6,whichofthefollowingcouldrepresent
f(x)?

A.
2
/3x4
B. x+2
C. x4
D.
3
/2x+6
E. 3x12

Page 8

SAMPLESCREENSHOT

The gure below shows a sample item similar to those in the Reading
Placement Test and illustrates how a reading test passage and items
wouldappearonthecomputerscreen.StudentsusetheMorebuons
on the lehalf of the screen to move toward thebeginning or the end
of the passage. The numbered boxes in the lower right of the screen
correspond to the quesons associated with the current passage. The
studentcanclickontheboxesinanysequence,butmustbesuretoclick
onallboxesinordertorespondtoallrelevanttestquesons.Aerthe
student answers all quesons, the Go On buon is enabled and the
student clicks on it to proceed to the next computerselected passage
anditsassociatedtestquesons.


Readi ng Pl acement Measures
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SAMPLEHUMANITIESPASSAGE(PLACEMENT)
When Im in New York but feeling lonely for Wyoming I look for the Western
movie ads in the subway. But the men I see in those posters with their stern,
humorlesslooksremindmeofnooneIknowintheWest.Inourearnestnessto
romancize the cowboy weve ironically disesteemed his true character. If hes
strong and silent its because theres probably no one to talk to. If he rides
away into the sunset its because hes been on horseback since four in the
morning moving cale and hes trying, een hours later, to get home to his
family. If hes a rugged individualist hes also part of a team: ranch work is
teamworkandeventhegloriedopenrangecowboysofthe1880srodeupand
downtheChisholmTrailinthecompanyoftwentyorthirtyotherriders.Itsnot
toughnessbuttoughingitoutthatcounts.Inotherwords,thismacho,cultural
arfact the cowboy has become is simply a man who possesses resilience, pa
ence, and an insnct for survival. Cowboys are just like a pile of rocks
everything happens to them. They get climbed on, kicked, rained and snowed
on,scuedupbythewind.Theirjobisjusttotakeit,oneoldmertoldme.
AdaptedfromGretelEhrlich,TheSolaceofOpenSpaces.1985byGretelEhrlich.

(Referring)
1. Accordingtothepassage,cowboysareprobablystrongand
silentbecause:

A. theirworkleavesthemnomeforconversaon.
B. theyhavebeencauonednottocomplain.
C. theyaresternandhumorless.
D. thereisnoonenearbytolistentothem.
E. theirworkmakesthemtooredtotalk.

(Reasoning)
2. Forwhichofthefollowingstatementsdoesthepassagegive
apparentlycontradictoryevidence?

A. Thecowboysworktakesendurance.
B. Cowboysworkalone.
C. Cowboysareadequatelypaid.
D. ThecowboysimagehasbecomeromancizedinAmerican
culture.
E. Cowboysthinkofthemselvesashumorless.

Page 10


SAMPLEPRACTICALREADINGPASSAGE(PLACEMENT)

Regular tuneups of your heang system will cut heang costsand will most likely
increasethelifemeandsafetyofthesystem.Whenaservicetechnicianperforms
atuneup,heorsheshouldtesttheeciencyofyourheangsystem.Thetechni
cianshouldmeasuretheeciencyofyoursystembothbeforeandaerservicingit
and provide you with a copy of the results. Combuson eciency is determined
indirectly, based on some of the following tests: 1) temperature of the ue (or
chimney);2)percentcarbondioxideorpercentoxygenintheatmosphere;3)pres
enceofcarbonmonoxideintheatmosphere;and4)dra.Incompletecombuson
of fuel is the main contributor to low eciency. If the technician cannot raise the
combuson eciency up to at least 75% aer tuning your heang system, you
should consider installing a new system or at least modifying your present system
toincreaseitseciency.
AdaptedfromAlexWilsonandJohnMorrill,ConsumerGuidetoHomeEnergySavings.
1993bytheAmericanCouncilforanEnergyEcientEconomy.

(Reasoning)
1. Thepassagesuggeststhatthepresenceofcarbonmonoxideintheatmos
phere:
A. canprovideinformaonregardingcombusoneciency.
B. isfoundin75%ofheangsystemstested.
C. canbereducedbydecreasingheangsystemdra.
D. isthemaincauseofloweciencyinheangsystems.
E. ismorereliablethanuetemperatureasanindicatorofcombuson
eciency.

(Referring)
2. Accordingtothepassage,whenperformingatuneupofaheangsys
tem,theservicetechnicianshould:
A. ensurethatthecombusoneciencyisatleast25%.
B. modifytheheangsystembeforeiniallymeasuringeciency.
C. measurecombusoneciencybothbeforeandaerservicing
thesystem.
D. providehisorhersupervisorwithawrienreportofthesystems
eciency.
E. ignore the age of the heating system.


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SAMPLESCREENSHOT
Thegurebelowshowsasampleessayandtestitemsimilartothosein
the Wring Skills Placement Test and illustrates how these materials
would appear on the computer screen. Students are instructed to read
theessayandtousethemousetoclickoneachseconoftheessaythat
they believe to be problemac. Aer a student clicks on a secon of
text, that secon is highlighted, and four alternave text selecons are
shown in the right half of the screen. Students then select the secon
theybelievebestxestheprobleminthetext,andthenconnueinthis
fashionunltheybelievetheyhaveidenedallproblemsintheessay.
TheythenclickontheFinishededingessaybuonandarepresented
with several quesons that address strategy, organizaon, and style.
StudentsthenclickontheGoOnbuontoproceedtothenextcom
puterselectedessay.

Wri t i ng Ski l l s Pl acement Measures


SAMPLEESSAY(PLACEMENT)
Examinees are presented with an essay similar to the one below and are
asked to look for errors in grammar, punctuaon, usage, and style. When
examineesndwhattheybelievetobeerrors,theymovethemousepoint
ertotheappropriatepartofthetextandclickthemouse.Ontherightside
ofthescreenveoponsappearforrevisingthatareaoftext.Notethatthe
rst opon is always idencal to the original wording in the text, and thus
representsaNOCHANGE opon. Examinees can choose torevise any sec
on of the essay. Aer revising the essay, examinees are routed to two
itemsfocusingonrhetoricalstrategies.
Theessaybelowcontainsthe samenumberandtypesoferrorsthatanac
tualWringSkillsTestunitwouldcontain;however,fordemonstraonpur
poses, only a handful of the segments below have been selected for revi
sion. These segments are indicated by bold type, and the items associated
with them are shown on the next page. (Note: There are addional errors
belowthatarenotinboldthatastudentinanactualtesngsituaonwould
needtorespondto.)

An increasing number of lakes and rivers in the northern United States

invadedarebeingbyamusselnolargerthanangernail.
The zebra mussel probably steamed aboard a transatlanc ship someme
in the mid1980s from the Caspian Sea into U.S. waters. Despite its growth
was explosive, partly because the species was preyed upon by very few
nave predators in its new environment. As a consequence, the zebra
mussels did nd a plenful food supply. They eat huge amounts of phyto
plankton,whichnyfreeoangseaorganismsthatdwellinwater.Scien
stsareconcernedwhenthemusselsmaycompeteaggressivelywithother
speciesthatdependonthesamefoodsupply.
Others concerned by the invading species are industry, public ulies, and
boatowners.Zebramusselsclusterinhugecolonies,beinganchoredthem
selvestoanyhardsurface.Thesecoloniescanclogyourwaterintakepipes
of electric and water treatment plants. Fishery specialists are currently
casngaboutandbaingtheirhookstogundowncontrolmethodsthatwill
cause the lowest amount of damage to water supplies and other aquac
species.Twoofthealternavesexploringareinterrupngthespeciesrepro
ducvecycleandndingabacteriumharmfulonlytozebramussels.

EndofEssay----------

Page 13
Page 14

(BasicGrammarandUsage:EnsuringGrammacalAgreement)
Segment1
A. Anincreasingnumberoflakesandrivers
B. Anincreasinglynumberoflakesandrivers
C. Anumberincreasingoflakesandrivers
D. Anumberincreasinglyoflakesandrivers
E. Anincreasingoflakesandrivers

(Style:AvoidingRedundancy)
Segment2
A. waspreyeduponbyveryfewnavepredatorsinitsnew
environment.
B. foundveryfewpredatorsinitsnewenvironment.
C. foundveryfewnavepredatorsandwasseldomeateninits
newenvironment.
D. waspreyedonbyveryfewnavepredatorspeciesinitsnew
environment.
E. wasseldomeatenorpreyedonbynavepredatorspeciesin
itsnewenvironment.

(SentenceStructure:RelangClauses)
Segment3
A. Scienstsareconcernedwhenthemussels
B. Scienstsareconcernedthatifthemussels
C. Scienstsareconcernedwhereinthemussels
D. Scienstsareconcernedthatthemussels
E. Scienstsareconcernedasifthemussels










(Strategy:MakingDecisionsaboutCohesiveDevices)
Item4(endofpassage)
The writer wishes to add a sentence at the end of Paragraph 1 that will
serveasatransionbetweenParagraphs1and2andwillestablishthemain
focusoftheessay.Whichofthefollowingsentencesmosteecvelyfullls
thatpurpose?

A. Thezebramusselwillprovideadicultchallengeforpublic
ulitymanagers.
B. Thezebramusselisonlythelatestinaseriesofnewlyintro
ducedspeciestothriveintheU.S.
C. Nooneknowshowfarsouthandwestthezebramusselis
likelytospread,butscienststhinktheymaybeonthetrail
ofimportantclues.
D. Althoughsmallinsize,thezebramusselmaybecomeahuge
problemforpleasureboatownersinNorthAmericanwater
ways.
E. Despiteitssize,however,thezebramusselmayhavea
dramaceectonNorthAmericanwaterways.

Page 15
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NumericalSkills/PrealgebraPlacementTest
1.C 2.C 3.A 4.B

AlgebraPlacementTest
1.D 2.D 3.B 4.A 5.E

CollegeAlgebraPlacementTest
1.A 2.E

ReadingPlacementTest:SamplePassage1Humanies
1.D 2.B

ReadingPlacementTest:SamplePassage2PraccalReading
1.A 2.C

WringSkillsPlacementTest
1.A 2.B 3.D 4.E

Answers t o Sampl e I t ems
Bldg.1 Rm.225
1100 E. Sheldon St
Prescott AZ 86301
Phone: (928) 776-2200
Fax: (928) 717-7861
assessment@yc.edu
Yavapai College Testing Services