201
CHAPTER
20
P
UTTING
I
T
A
LL
T
OGETHER
This last chapter reviews
the strategies you learned
in Chapters 15–20:
analyzing word choice
and point of view,
determining tone, finding
the implied main idea,
summarizing, and
paraphrasing. You’ll put
all of this knowledge to
practice in a review that
brings in all the
strategies you’ve learned
throughout this book.
C
ongratulations! You’re in the home stretch.
You’ve been building your reading skills chapter by chapter
throughout this book, and now it’s time to pull your skills all
together in a final review. Here is one long passage in which you’ll prac-
tice strategies from this section as well as sections 1–3. But first, here’s a

If any of these terms or strategies sound unfamiliar to you, STOP. Take
a few minutes to review the chapter or concept that is unclear.
P
RACTICE
Here’s one long passage about taxes. Pre-read first, and then answer the
pre-reading question. Then, read the passage carefully. Keep in mind the
following points, which are essential parts of this exercise:
•
You may use your vocabulary list, but not a dictionary.
•
As you read, write your questions and reactions in the margin.
•
Highlight or underline the text as you read.
Pre-Reading Question:
1
. Based on your pre-reading, what do you expect to learn from this
passage? On a separate sheet of paper, write several questions that you
expect the passage to answer.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
203
Change the Tax System
Every year, April 15th comes around like a recurring night-
mare. Citizens brace themselves for the agony of complicated
forms and hours of gathering numbers and receipts to figure
out how much more of their hard-earned money they’ll be
forced to give to Uncle Sam. It’s a task and a system that cit-
izens loathe, and it’s time for a serious restructuring of the
U.S. tax system.
Citizens are currently being taxed for working hard and
saving money—two activities we should encourage. Instead,

Cigarettes and alcohol are already taxed—but they should
be taxed more. The tremendous burden in health care costs
created by these habits alone should warrant higher taxes on
these addictive substances. Higher taxes on cigarettes and
alcohol will help reduce the number of people addicted to
these substances. Children and teens will be less able to
afford these items, and adults will consider whether their
habit is really worth the hole it’s burning in their pocket.
We’ll have a healthier population and reduce overall health
care costs.
Taxes on Luxury
Despite America’s large middle class, a great majority of
wealth in this country is still in the hands of a very few.
Those citizens who are wealthy enough to afford such luxu-
ry purchases as jet airplanes, yachts, summer and winter
homes, car collections, fur coats, jewels, and other unneces-
sary items should pay higher taxes on these purchases. That
way, citizens who have to struggle just to put food on the
table can be taxed less.
Benefits for Everybody
Even if the average citizen ends up paying the same amount
in taxes, the system should still be changed to tax the bad, not
the good. Taxpayers would certainly feel much better about
giving money to Uncle Sam, and who knows? We might get
a few people to break a few bad habits in the process.
2
. What does recurring (paragraph 1) mean?
a.
happening over and over
b.

b.
indignant
c.
demanding
8
. Summarize this passage in one paragraph.
Answers
1
. From the headings in the passage, you might expect to get answers to
the following questions:
•
Why change the tax system?
•
How should the tax system be changed?
•
What kind of taxes are there on energy consumption? (What falls
into this category of “energy consumption”?)
•
What kind of taxes are there on health deterrents? (What are these
“health deterrents”?)
•
What kind of taxes should there be on health deterrents?
•
What kind of taxes are there on luxury? (What is considered
“luxury”?)
•
What kind of taxes should there be on luxury?
•
What benefits will there be for everybody?
2

resources.”
7
. The tone of paragraph 1 is b, indignant. Words like “recurring night-
mare,”“brace themselves,”“agony,” and especially “how much more of
their hard-earned money they’ll be forced to give to Uncle Sam” clearly
suggest that the writer feels indignant (angry about something
thought to be unjust or unfair).
8
. Answers will vary. Here’s one summary of the passage:
The U.S. tax system, which currently punishes citizens by
taxing them for money they earn and save, should tax citi-
zens for what they consume instead. Taxes on gas, electricity
and other forms of energy should be raised to encourage cit-
izens to conserve these resources. Taxes on cigarettes and
alcohol should also be raised to discourage smoking and
drinking and reduce health care costs. Taxes on luxury items
should also be raised to reduce wasteful spending.
Meanwhile, taxes on earnings and savings should be reduced,
so citizens can feel better about how they’re being taxed.
In addition, here’s an example of how you might have underlined and
reacted to the first part of the passage:
Change the Tax System
Every year, April 15
th
comes around like a recurring nightmare.
Citizens brace themselves for the agony of complicated forms
and hours of gathering numbers and receipts to figure out how
much more of their hard-earned money they’ll be forced to
I dread 4/15!
yes, but

create noise pollution. A higher tax on gasoline, on oil, and
on cars and car parts w
ould encour
age pe
ople to conserve
gas, to carpool, to use public transportation, and to walk or
ride bicycles when possible. Citizens would then benefit from
cleaner air and healthier bodies.
If you missed Then review
Question 1 Chapter 1
Question 2 Chapter 4
Question 3 Chapter 4
Question 4 Chapter 6
Question 5 Chapter 11
Question 6 Chapter 12
Question 7 Chapter 17
Question 8 Chapter 19
I hadn’t thought of
it like this before
That would be nice
I agree
True, but then I couldn’t
drive to work by myself
every day
READ BETTER
,
REMEMBER MORE
208
Congratulations!
You’ve completed 20 chapters and are now better able to understand and

REMEMBER MORE
210
Whatever your score on this post-test, keep this book around for
review. Refer to it whenever you need tips on how to better understand
and remember what you read.
Circle the correct answers below, or if this book doesn’t belong to you,
write the numbers 1–30 on a piece of paper and record your answers
there.
Take as much time as you need to complete this post-test (plan on
about a half an hour). When you finish, check your answers against the
answer key that follows this test. Each answer tells you which chapters
correspond to the strategies in that question.
Good luck!
Note: Do not use a dictionary for this post-test.
PART I
1.
Before you read, you should:
a.
Set a time limit for your reading.
b.
Break up your reading into manageable tasks.
c.
Read the introduction and skim the section headings.
d.
(a) and (c)
e.
(b) and (c)
2.
A dictionary definition typically includes:
a.

To gloss a text, you should:
a.
highlight key terms
b.
rewrite the major supporting ideas in each paragraph
c.
briefly summarize the main idea of each paragraph
d.
paraphrase each paragraph
6.
To highlight a text, you should:
a.
highlight key terms
b.
highlight unfamiliar words
c.
highlight main ideas and major supporting ideas
d.
(a) and (c)
e.
( a) and (b)
7.
A topic sentence is often:
a.
the point of view
b.
a supporting idea
c.
the first or last sentence in a paragraph
d.

puts the reader in the writer’s shoes
c.
addresses the reader directly
d.
is personal and subjective
PART II
Read the passages below carefully and answer the questions that follow.
READ BETTER
,
REMEMBER MORE
212
Passage 1
The sentences are numbered to make the questions easier to follow.
(1) There are many things you can do to make tax time easier. (2) The
single most important strategy is to keep accurate records. (3) Keep all
of your pay stubs, receipts, bank statements, and other relevant finan-
cial information in a neat, organized folder so that when you’re ready
to prepare your form, all of your paperwork is in one place. (4) The
second thing you can do is start early. (5) Get your tax forms from the
post office as soon as they are available and start calculating. (6) This
way, if you run into any problems, you have plenty of time to
straighten them out. (7) You can also save time by reading the direc-
tions carefully. (8) This will prevent time-consuming errors. (9)
Finally, if your taxes are relatively simple (you don’t have itemized
deductions or special investments), use the shorter tax form. (10) It’s
only one page, and if your records are in order, it can be completed in
less than an hour.
11.
The main idea of this passage is expressed in which sentence?
a.

TEST
213
14.
How many suggestions for tax time does this passage offer?
a.
one
b.
two
c.
three
d.
four
15.
The sentence “It’s only one page, and if your records are in order, it
can be completed in less than an hour” is:
a.
the main idea of the passage
b.
a major supporting idea
c.
a minor supporting idea
d.
a transitional sentence
16.
A good summary of this passage would be:
a.
Simple strategies can make tax time less taxing.
b.
Don’t procrastinate at tax time.
c.

r
e
latively simple (you don’t have itemized deductions or special
investments), use the shorter tax form. It’s only one page, and if
y
our r
ecords are in order, it can be completed in less than an
hour.
b.
You can also save time by reading the directions carefully. This
will prevent time-consuming errors. Finally, if your taxes are
relatively simple (you don’t have itemized deductions or special
READ BETTER
,
REMEMBER MORE
214
in
vestments), use the shorter tax form. It’s only one page, and if
your records are in order, it can be completed in less than an
hour.
c.
You can also save time by r
eading the dire
ctions carefully
. This will
prevent time-consuming errors. Finally, if your taxes are relatively
simple (you don’t have itemized deductions or special invest-
ments), use the sho
rter tax form
. It’s only one page, and if your

civilization versus barbarism in cities. To keep the city safe is a funda-
mental task of a city’s streets and its sidewalks.