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
B
C
D
child
tiny person
little tyke
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
B
C
D
child
tiny person
little tyke
Leave as is.
When answering
questions in this strand,
use active voice whenever
possible. Compare the
following sentences:
Sentence A is in the active
voice because the subject
(Paul) is performing the
action.
A) Paul threw the ball.
B) The ball was thrown by
Paul.
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
Speeches
Encyclopedias
Magazines
Autobiographies
Web sites
Biographies
Books
Newspapers
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
B
C
D
could include charts.
would have a smaller audience.
features award-winning articles.
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.”