3 Appositive Errors

3 Appositive Errors 3 Appositive Errors 3 Appositive Errors By Mark Nichol Confusion often arises as to how or whether to punctuate appositive phrases, which are descriptions that identify someone or something named in the same sentence. Here are three statements with punctuation problems that illustrate the peril of improper punctuation, with explanations and suggested revisions. 1. â€Å"The fog arrived unannounced ‘on little cat feet,’ as the American poet, Carl Sandburg, put it.† Framing Carl Sandburg’s name with commas implies that he is the American poet the only one. The accurate revision is â€Å"The fog arrived unannounced ‘on little cat feet,’ as the American poet Carl Sandburg put it.† (In this case, the, preceding the epithet, is optional and American is included only because the source sentence is from a book published in the United Kingdom, where Sandburg’s name is not as well known as it is in the United States.) 2. â€Å"But he had another particular passion, and that was water, ‘especially dramatically moving water,’ writes his biographer Robert Jones.† It’s quite possible for a famous personage to have more than one biographer, but in this context, only one, the source of the quote, is referred to, so his name should be set off in apposition to the epithet biographer: â€Å"But he had another particular passion, and that was water, ‘especially dramatically moving water,’ writes his biographer, Robert Jones.† (In other contexts, â€Å"writes biographer Robert Jones† which from its lack of commas denotes that more than one biographer exists might be correct.) 3. â€Å"Here’s what the CEO of World Wide Widgets John Smith said to his employees in a blog post.† The identification of the subject of this sentence is incorrectly ordered. Four solutions present themselves: â€Å"Here’s what World Wide Widgets CEO John Smith said to his employees in a blog post† is journalistic style, in which the simple affiliation-title-name syntax erases the need for punctuation, but formal writing favors a more relaxed arrangement. â€Å"Here’s what John Smith, World Wide Widgets’s CEO, said to his employees in a blog post† helpfully sets the subject’s affiliation and title off from his name, but it’s better yet to reverse the order to title, then affiliation; either that combination or the name can come first (â€Å"Here’s what the CEO of World Wide Widgets, John Smith, said to his employees in a blog post† or â€Å"Here’s what John Smith, the CEO of World Wide Widgets, said to his employees in a blog post†; in the latter example, the is optional). Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Words for Facial Expressions15 Types of DocumentsAffect vs. Effect

Graduate Admission Essay

Graduate Admission Essay Graduate Admission Essay Graduate Admission Essay: What Does Admission Committee Want To Find In Your Essays? Of course, reading essays, admission committees are interested in your potential for making professional contributions. But, firstly you will have to write admission essay and get through a demanding academic program. The best predictors of future academic success are past ability to write attractive essays as well as to complete academic work successfully. Because getting into a graduate school is competitive, admission essay writing is very important as well as a justifiable criterion for selection committees to apply. College Admission Essays: Recommendations College admissions essay task is the same for all applicants regardless of the college, to which they are applying. Very often, however, the college requires one or two entrance essays: Admission essays topics vary: it may be information about your past life experiences or your future plans. Although many admission essay topics are readily apparent, each faculty will have its own desired emphasis as well as its own subtleties. Admission committee wants to convince in your essay writing skills. Application essay writing demonstrates how you can present yourself, what are your life values, etc. Sample Admission Essays Read the part of admission essay writing. I love people. During my college search, the students on each campus helped me to determine, whether that university was a place I could attend. My first impression of a campus helped me discern fact from fiction. Every school provided shiny brochures, which contained beautiful landscaping and smiling faces. They all agreed, I love it here! But a PENN student said, There's ALWAYS something to do. And still, another advised, I've made so many new friends here. One junior even let my family see her dorm room, while one of my little sisters used the bathroom! This school spirit and excitement were very worth for me... Writing has always been a passion of mine. It has allowed me to express the thoughts that dance around in my head. Perhaps writing for PENN Review or Red and Blue will give me that opportunity. I hope to continue writing throughout college as a way of exploring a career path that I have considered while in high school: journalism. Throughout my high school career, I've had the opportunity to interact with others through sports and volunteer work. Although my varsity status will be left behind in a high school, the passion to play will not be. I look forward to playing intramural sports and fueling that competitive engine once again with energy, enthusiasm, and excitement The Conclusion! Use Our Help! You may feel free to connect us at any time, as we work 24/7 instant help is guaranteed! Having 8-years experience and more than 700 writers all over the world, we produce excellent and productive graduate admission essays of high quality. We are ready to grant you our aid at any time! Read also: Global Warming Essay Example of a Reaction Paper Need a Professional Essay Controversy Essay Conflict Essay

Multiple Topics to Choose from Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Multiple Topics to Choose from - Essay Example Violence and powerful resistance were not uncommon; however, non-violent sources of opposition to slavery were always more efficient than a physical attack. In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, and Blassingame’s The Slave Community, cultural efforts, education, folk songs, beliefs, and ceremonies exemplify the most efficient instrument of resisting slavery, creating â€Å"self† and developing an â€Å"underground culture†. That slaves continuously oppressed and tried to improve their position in the American society cannot be denied. The instruments they used to withstand the pressure of slavery were numerous and varied. Slaves were not willing to tolerate violence, humiliation, and abuse. They were not willing to accept their inferior position in the society. In her Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Ann Jacobs describes her childhood and adolescence. She witnessed how different slaves fought with slavery – at times, their decisions went beyond the boundaries of reason, e.g., murdering a slave master (Jacobs 182). Jacobs herself rarely engaged in active opposition but chose to tolerate her master’s abuse silently (183). Once she observed â€Å"a woman rush wildly by, pursued by two men. She was a slave the wet nurse of her mistress’s children. For some trifling offence her mistress ordered her to be stripped and whipped. To escape the degradation and torture, she rushed to the river, jumped in and ended her wrongs in death† (Jacobs 184). However, not all slaves had sufficient courage to sacrifice their lives for the sake of avoiding penalties and physical violence. Nor did all slaved had instruments and resources needed to openly fight against the oppression. Culture and songs became the principal way of resisting slavery, which created a collective picture of social oppression in the American society. Folk songs, ceremonies, and beliefs were among the key elements of resisting

Fairy tales Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Fairy tales - Essay Example Children find such tales so interesting because some of the fairy tales touch on their every day experience. Parents should expose their children to some of the fairy tales when they turn five. Children will concentrate more in listening to fairy tales when relaxing, especially when they are about to retire to bed. Fairy tales are not just associated with children. They are very much important to teens. They are important to teens because they build on their emotional resilience. Parents should show their responsibility in taking care of the family by showing the teens about the reality of life. This will make them know and appreciate that problems do not come to people because they are bad, but rather problems are faced by people in order to make them stronger and to be able to survive in any environment no matter how complicated it is. There are a lot of lessons we can learn from fairy tales. Some of them range from the society’s perception of the role of a girl child to chi ld trafficking. In most societies, including China’s, boys have been traditionally valued than girls. You find boys given the best kind of education, given opportunity in places of work and at the same time given an opportunity to marry any girl he wishes, sometimes with the help of the parents. This is not only common in China but also other nations though the situation is now changing. This paper therefore aims at drawing illustrations based on the issues that affect children and some of the ways in which parents and relatives have contributed to such problems. Most of the illustrations will however be drawn from children fairy tales like Disneyland for clarifications. Girls lack freedom of choice. This is because they are always viewed as weaker sex. In as much as many people could hold similar opinion about girls, I tend to wonder the kind of criterion such people have always used to measure weaknesses of girls. Perhaps one of the reasons for holding such belief is the fa ct that boys tend to be a little bit brave as compared to girls. Boys’ brevity can be seen in the way they handle situations, friends and enemies, animals, scary movies and tales. Some girls, on the other hand, are more afraid of touching animals and certain insects; they also fear scary movies like horrors. However much people feel that girls are naturally born weaker sex and that they are always cowards, this again should not be true with all girls; certain girls are braver just like there are certain boys who are cowards. The ability to be brave or cowardice depends on certain factors, some of them being entirely dependent on genes. Generalizing that all girls are cowards or all boys should be brave is a fact that does not hold water. Besides, should it be the reason why most societies do not have respect for girl child? If it is so then it is regrettable because creation is an occurrence which is beyond human understanding. Certain tales teach about the power of confidenc e. A good example is (Cinderella) the girl who falls in love with a prince and despite her poor background, breaks all odds to marry the handsome prince. This is done against the wishes of many including the step sister. The view that girls are inferior is something that even women appreciate. They are not given a chance to choose what they feel is best for them. In Cinderella, Cinderella’s step sister falls in love with a mere baker, a love triangle that later leads to marriage. Cinderella’

The quintessence of discontinuous innovation Essay Example for Free

The quintessence of discontinuous innovation Essay Birkinshaw et al. , (2006) discovered the quintessence of discontinuous innovation. It emphasized that businesses need to think strategically and must impede the existing course of action. They must analyze the competitive environment and the diverse threats and opportunities and must adapt to change management. Corporations must recognize true cronies, build brawny rapport and opt for set of connections and associations. A paradigm shift: Discontinuous innovation takes places in many ways like technological breakthroughs, exploring new markets or due to change in economic and political situation. Nevertheless such revolutionary changes have a vibrant impact on the overall external environment. It has been instigated that new product development is done by small players and major players adapt to those practices and outperform small players. Several corporations go through transitions and renovation and further improve their business models like IBM. Some of the major reasons due to which firms have to make lots of efforts to systematically perform with discontinuous innovation include: †¢ There exist uncertainty †¢ It is complicated †¢ Firms are reactive rather than proactive Many firms find it impromptu and bring to a close the entire business plan and try to allocate investment in a more certain project. More importantly corporations and firms find it difficult to challenge the conventional wisdom and continue to follow the existing systems, process, and procedures and resist change. It is said that long-term relationships assists in achieving success. Unfortunately such binding forces become one of the major predicaments to change. Apple Corporation faced lots of issues when it refused to engage in relationship with diverse business partners. A process for building networks: It comprises of three stages: †¢ Finding: In order to undergo some sort of partnership or relationship with an individual organization, one must first identify the right organization and gather as much information about that firm. One must keep in mind the vision and scope of business operations and challenging traditional ways of doing business. There should be no geographical, political or institutional barriers for creating a long-term sustainable network. †¢ Forming: It requires analyzing the willingness of business partner for creating the network. It also depends on reputation, worth and financial position of the firm in the industry. The research presents four generic approaches in order to undergo relationship: ? Business must opt for partner with whom it is easier to undergo relationship. The agreement must carefully solve different geographical and institutional barriers. It must be a win-win otherwise no deal. ? Firms must look for the best among thousands. It should take assistance of boundary spanners and scouts for long-term successful relationships. Businesses must take help from specialized firms to perform as an intermediary between two companies. It must be considered as a learning opportunity rather than a contract and internal customers must be empowered to opt for the applications of the knowledge gained. ? Business look for utterly unlike partners where prominence is given to shared goals and benefits. Both the firms try to bridge the gaps and look for the most appropriate and sustainable options. Both firms agree on mutual consent and look for major issues. Sometimes cross-individuals can assist as an intermediary. ? Sometimes partners neither belong to the similar industry nor do they want to engage in any sort of relationship with the firm. In such case firm must try to overcome institutional and geographical gaps between the two. It requires specialist who are network builders which can provide effective solutions. †¢ Performing: In performing their exist different set of barriers like difference of attitude regarding intellectual property, building commitment and trust and surfacing ethnic, institutional and ideological dissimilarities between network partners. A number of relationship networks reach the maturity level and understand difficult situations. Four challenges have been identified as follows: ? More often networks are formulated for future concerns and as a result they overlook most recent problems hence upshot into failure. Therefore network must be realistic and it must be updated on regular bases. ? It is all about trust, reciprocity and shared values which create healthy relationships among partners. ? The dominated firm must not perform as an authoritative and should look for dynamic opportunities. It is not a single player game and it requires cooperation and collaboration between both. ? Businesses establish and learn from relationships. Introduction: In this contemporary era, emerging players demonstrate dissimilar set of skills, unlike partners and proficiencies which are difficult to conjure up. The practice has remained as a paradigm for FMCGs and technological businesses. Companies look for long-term and profitable business models and try to create collaborations and alliances with suppliers and business partners. Big businesses strategically look for both direct and indirect competitors. Critical examination of the piece: Q. 1 Do you agree or disagree with the author’s basic premise? Why or why not? Answer. The Canvassers have elaborated successful business model for future growth, sustainability and prosperity. The concept of discontinuous innovation occupies a broader scope and one must engross the key concepts in order to gain competitive advantage. It results into incremental innovation, creative destruction and assists in gaining dynamic knowledge to understand the issue. Q. 2 Have the ideas held up over time, or do they now seem to be insufficient or incorrect? Answer. It seems creative and a contemporary philosophy. Firms will be facilitated with the notion and it has diverse implications. The realm remains that as the human race progress, it will further improve. It has introduced the concept of radical innovation. It helped British Petroleum a lot through different stages. Q. 3 Are the conclusions generalizable, or do they appear to be limited to specific types of industries, firms, activities, sectors, etc.? Answer. It is a generalize concept which has a broader scope. More importantly it requires strategic thinking. The research paper presents its implications in FMCGs, Technological industry, Pharmaceutical business, Advertising agencies and many more. More importantly it is not a one side approach and productive solutions are achieved through cross-functional approach, team work, decentralization and empowerment. Q. 4 Explain. In what way can this article be extended, i. e. , what ideas might the author address in a follow-on article? Answer. It is an interesting research paper with intellectual findings. The follow-on dissertation might include key characteristics of different network relationships. The research should highlight key reason why major companies collapsed and what actions they can take to improve. It must also involve the role of those companies which are at the growth level of the business and it should highlight the implications for new product development businesses. Q. 5 finally as a concluding comment, what idea(s) did you find to be most enlightening? Why? Answer. Most important is the true fact that businesses must discontinue and look for new business models, processes, procedures and ethical code of conducts. The highlighted barriers like geographical and institutional and they have remained major constraints among collaborations and alliances and most of the businesses are still performing transactional bases. Conclusion: There prevail major challenges for both MNCs and global corporation. It requires both systematic approach and consistency. Firms must be proactive and such follow all three states of finding, forming and performing diligently. References: Birkinshaw, J. , Bessant, J. Delbridge, R. (2006). Finding, Forming, and Performing: Creating Networks for Discontinuous Innovation

To Kill A Mockingbird Essay: The Truth About Boo Radley -- Kill Mockin

The Truth About Boo Radley in To kill a Mockingbird  Ã‚   First impressions of people are often lasting impressions, especially in the minds of children.   Many times these impressions, aided by misunderstanding and prejudgment, cause unjust discrimination against an individual. To kill a Mockingbird depicts the themes of misunderstanding and prejudice that portray Arthur (Boo) Radley as a villain. Through the progressive revelation of Radley's character, the children realize that their negative impressions and fear of him were unfounded. Through gradual stages of change, from total misunderstanding of Boo, to a realization of an error in judgment, to a reevaluation followed by a change of heart, to a growing trust and acceptance of Boo, and finally to an appreciation of his true character, Jem's, Scout's, and Dill's impressions of Radley are dramatically altered. In the beginning of the novel, many falsehoods by the townspeople portray Boo Radley as a villain. These misleading opinions, very apparent in the adult community, are well illustrated by Miss Stephanie Crawford. She helps skew the children's impressions. Since Atticus, although often interrogated, does not want to create a breach of etiquette, he refuses to speak about the Radleys. Therefore, Jem receives most of his information from Miss Stephanie Crawford, a neighborhood scold, who insists she knows the whole truth about the Radleys. It is from Crawford that the children learn of Radley's scissor attack on his father and other such interesting rumors. Thus, Arthur Radley is labeled as a "hant", a possibly insane and dangerous man, and the "malevolent phantom† (Lee, pg. #). The latter comes from the fact that Radley had not been seen for many years, and was beli... ...ealization for Scout; she acknowledges Radley's good nature and kindness. She realizes that Radley had given them their lives, the most important gift of all. Radley has indeed found a place in the children's hearts, and through his natural goodness he comes out as the true hero of To Kill a Mockingbird.   .   Through many fundamental stages in the novel, the character of Boo Radley is slowly unraveled depicting his true self. As negative first impressions undergo a metamorphosis, Radley's character is gradually revealed. This growth and process of change makes the children and the reader realize that prejudgment of a person generally results in a misrepresentation of an individual.   Because of this one misstep in the judgment process, many potential heroes could be missing from our lives forever.    Works Cited Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird.   

Sustainable Business Management- Team Project

Gardens by the bay cradles the aim of creating a ‘City in a garden’. This government funded initiative aims to spread the essence of Singapore being a tropical garden city in Asia. It bears the vision of providing the people who reside here with a pleasant and healthy environment work and live in. They aim to do this by spreading the greenery through several species of flora conserved in the garden. The project has a core principle of conserving environmental sustainability.The garden is home to many species of flora and has a lot of greenery inside which is aimed to improve the environmental sustainability in the city. The tropical and natural feel of the garden also aims to adhere to eco- friendly initiatives taken by the government, which also pushes the project towards environmental sustainability. The garden also aims to create more green spaces despite the rapid rate of urbanisation Singapore faces as a country. The project also hopes to attract those people who us ually do not faun the idea of visiting gardens in tropical countries. â€Å"The gardens aim to be the world’s best with 2,000 species of plants on display.† (http://singapore.waterdialogue.com)3. How do these aims connect with the objective of sustainability?Gardens by the bay adheres do the objectives of sustainability. This is achieved through the use of the conservatories built in order to give the essence of a ‘city in a garden’. These climate controlled glass- houses inherit low energy use and a number of renewable sources. The structure of the garden which is built in a way to give a tropic environmental essence allows maximum use of natural solar energy, also reducing the need for manually harnessed energy. The aim of increasing the greenery and the number of flora also adheres to environmental sustainability.The idea of increasing the flora has lead the national park association to grow more than 3 million trees which provide timber chippings in or der to generate electricity for the coolants and to drive the CHP system. This adds to being more sustainable in the use of electricity and heat. Creating more green spaces and eco- friendly activities carried out such as recycling also contribute to the core objectives of sustainability. The aim of spreading  greenery and natural habitation also influences the people living in the country to be more eco- friendly and environmentally sustainable.â€Å"Sustainability has been a key design driver for Singapore’s ambitious Gardens by the Bay project. The garden at Marina South will be home to some of the site’s most spectacular structures including two cooled conservatories.†

Jashan-E-Baharan Celebrations at Cbm

Jashan-e-Baharan Celebrations at CBM Jashan-e-Baharan or the onset of spring is celebrated all over the country and different festivals are organized on its arrival. CBM, one of the leading business schools of the country, organized a similar festival, ‘Basant Mela’ by name, on the 24th  of March, 2008. The event, starting at 3:00 pm, was an astounding success with hundreds of students thronging the campus premises to participate in the festivities. The program wonderfully galvanized the enthusiasm of both the students and the faculty members and was staged in a typical ambience of spring season encompassing colours, kites and excitement everywhere. The Prologue:  Hectic and intense preparations preceded the event with every minute detail from the arrangement of the tables that needed to be laid out to the number of people expected to attend the event, both students of the college and expected outsiders. As performers rehearsed days and nights, fellow students also supported, cheered and propelled them to put up their best show. A mini dress rehearsal of concert and entertainment programs was held on the 20th  of March at the campus auditorium and only the students of CBM were allowed to have on-stage performance. The Mela:  Volunteers of the Entertainment & Publications Society started to troop in promptly by 10:00 am in the morning. The event gathered momentum with the unfolding of the event backdrop and the tables being laid out. As the creaks of the microphones and the â€Å"Hello†s reverberated throughout the hall, one could sense the excitement in store. By the middle of afternoon the pace saturated and as the clock struck 3:00 pm the event was officially declared opened by the president of the said society and students started pouring in. A hearty welcome in traditional style was offered to the patrons, including the Executive Director Academics of the college, Mr. Talib S. Karim. Once inside, nostrils were filled with the flavors of the Cha’at, Samosas and a colorful chaos, the folklore characteristics of village melas. A special section was dedicated for the kite-flyers in the car parking area and no one was allowed to fly kites at any other place of the vicinity in order to ensure safety and discipline for all the participants. A throng of crowd gathered near the â€Å"Game Arena†, a portion dedicated to the game lovers, trying their luck in games of chances. One student was noticed in particular by everyone who, after the 26th attempt, landed a ring on the right spot and amidst a burst of cheers and applauds – ‘won a prize! ’. For those who appreciated the finer aspects of tradition and handworks, a table filled with the various exotic and eye-catching pots, shawls, bangles and other ornaments from Kashmir and northern valleys, were waiting to be scooped away. A special information-booth was setup for outsiders and guests which served its purpose well especially for those interested in knowing about the institute in detail. The main sponsors of the event were Cadbury, Glaxo Smith Kline and the makers of Lipton Tea. Beyond any doubt, such events are a source of entertainment and refreshment for both the students and faculty members and they should be organized on a regular basis.

Charles Ponzi Essays

Charles Ponzi Essays Charles Ponzi Essay Charles Ponzi Essay Name: Course: Instructor: Date: Charles Ponzi Charles Ponzi was born in Parma, a city in Italy from a family that had its recognition as being prosperous. He was born as Carlo Pietro Giovanni Guglielmo Tebaldo Ponzi on the third day of March in 1882, to his parents known as Roberto and Maria Ponzi (Dunn, 16). He was infamous for his fraudulent and swindler lifestyles. To date his schemes were regarded as among the worst in the United States resulting in the term â€Å"Ponzi Scheme† for what is considered as Ponzi scheme (Zuckoff, 21). His schemes were synonymous with promises of doubling the funds and the purchase of postal coupons with claims of substantial returns on investments. Ponzi arrived in the United States on November 15 1903, in Boston, in the state of Massachusetts. This was on the vessel S.S Vancouver. He carried with him the hopes of achieving the American dream. He had gambled all of his savings during his voyage into the United States. During his stay in the East Coast of the United States, he performed odd jobs to enable him survive. In Boston, he managed to work as a dishwasher, and he was later promoted to a waiter. However, he was later laid off for claims of theft and shortchanging the restaurant customers. In the year 1907, he opted to move north into Montreal where he sought employment. He was lucky and managed to get employment at a new bank in the city that had just started operations known as Banco Zarossi. The bank’s owner Luigi Zarossi, aimed at tapping into the large Italian consumer market living in the city of Montreal (Zuckoff, 39). The bank at the time issued a 6% return of bank deposits, which was significantly higher than the going market rate at the time. This was one of the main attractions of consumers to the bank resulting in rapid growth of the bank. Ponzi was later appointed as the bank manager of Banco Zarossi (Dunn, 28). However, it became evident to Ponzi that the entity was not as profitable as it implied because Zarossi used funds form newly opened bank accounts to pay for the enormous interest rates. The bank eventually collapsed, was closed, and Zarossi ran away to Mexico with all the funds saved by the populace in Montreal. Ponzi had come into the United States to find employment. Ponzi was later arrested in Montreal for forging a check of $423 that he aimed to use to travel back to the United States. He was later released in the year 1911 and was involved in a crime for smuggling illegal Italian immigrants through the border. He was arrested and sent into the Atlanta Prison where he spent another two years in prison. This prison played a momentous responsibility in influencing him into the world of crime and specifically that of fraud and theft. He befriended an infamous mobster by the name Ignazio Lupo alias â€Å"the Wolf†. In addition, he also befriended a Wall Street businessperson by the name Charles W. Morse who was also in the same prison (Dunn, 33). Ponzi, after release, went back to Boston and married Rose Gnecco in the year 1918. He was unable to find appropriate employment and opted to work in the home product store that was owned by the father to his wife. During this period, he came up with an idea to make money through advertising and started his individual advertising company, which failed. In the same period, a Spanish firm wrote to him with interests in the catalog. The letter was accompanied by an International Reply Coupon that he thought had a weakness that would enable him to make money. An international reply coupon was used by people for payment of postage of a reply after receipt from a correspondent. Such were usually charged at the price tag of the postage from the country where the post originated. The IRC’s could be used to make exchanges for stamps in the country of receipt; hence, there was potential from making a profit by the recipient of the IRC. Thus, the newfound idea by Ponzi could be simply termed as arbitrage, in that an asset was purchased from one country and sold in another country for a massive profit. Ponzi claimed that such exchanges would result in excesses of more than 400%. He began his scheme by sending money to his relatives in Italy to make purchases of the vouchers, and then forward them to the United States. However, this resulted in an alarm by the authorities after he tried to redeem numerous coupons. His scheme materialized, and he began to employ agents and reward them with good commissions for the dollars that they brought in terms of the investments. This spread the word about the rapid growth of the firm that he had started and named Securities Exchange Company. His deposits of the funds collected happened in the Hanover Trust Bank of Boston (Dunn, 73). He hoped to attain a large stake in the bank and bought shares with some of his friends who had helped him in the growth of the scheme. From his previous skills and experience as a bank manager in Montreal, he applied identical tactics used by Zarossi and paid the clients with new deposits of funds with promises of vast returns (Dunn, 36). His scheme, however, brought about suspicion given the short rise to wealth by Ponzi, coupled by the rapid growth of his entity given the short period between inception and substantial returns achieved. His day of reckoning began with the claims from McMaster of the presence of fraud, theft and irregularities from the incriminating evidence found in the financial records held by the Securities Exchange Company. The Post in Boston later published that Ponzi had been earlier involved in crimes such as the forgery and fraudulent activities of the Banco Zarossi, where he worked as the Bank manager. This claims played a vital position in the crash of the Hanover Trust Bank given that Ponzi had borrowed massive amounts from the entity, which he could not repay with his swindled money. In addition, despite the numerous investments that were received by the bank in from of checks, his account was in the negative given his large overdrafts to furnish the interest payments (Zuckoff, 44). The fall of the Hanover Trust Bank was also followed by an additional collapse of another five banks. The investors in his scheme lost amounts estimated to be about $20 million, in the year 1920, which could be translated to about $225 million as at the year 2011. After his arrest, he was almost awarded bail, a decision, which was later withdrawn after more incriminating evidence, came into light that showed he had committed significant financial misdeeds. In addition, he was denied bail because he was considered as a flight risk given the large amounts of investments in his name, which could easily enable him to escape from the United States. The investors of this scheme received less than $30c for a dollar of investment (Dunn, 41) He was arrested and charged with two federal indictments and eighty-six mail fraud counts. With potency for a lifetime in prison, Ponzi pleaded guilty to the charges based on pressure from his wife, in the year 1920. He received a prison term of five years that was to be served in a federal penitentiary, due to his involvement in instigating one of the largest defrauding schemes in the world. He was later released after a period of forty-two months but was immediately rearrested by the Massachusetts State on charges of Larceny. He had been promised by the Federal courts that his guilty plea would waiver any other criminal charges against him in his concoction of the fraudulent scheme. Ponzi sued the state with claims that it did not have any jurisdiction to charge him, given that he was a state prisoner. In the year 1922, in one of the larceny charges hearings, he was self-represented since he had inadequate funds to find proper legal representation. He was able to actualize his smooth talking skills and was found not guilty by the jury. In the second charges, he was charged on five counts of larceny resulting g in a jury deadlock. However, during the third trial he was found guilty by the courts and sentenced to nine additional years in jail. Federal agents worked to have him deported given that he had not obtained American citizenship since his arrival in the United States in 1903. In addition, he was released on bail and fled to Florida and initiated another fraudulent scheme known as the Charpon Land Syndicate with the first words as initials for his name. He sold land to people majority of which was swampy in the county of Columbia. He was indicted by the Grand Jury of the state of Florida, specifically in the Duval County in the year February 1926. He posted bond of $1,500 and was released. He tried to flee but was arrested in New Orleans and served seven years in the state of Massachusetts. After his release in the year 19 34, he was met with an order for his deportation back to Italy given the harm he had caused to the American people (Dunn, 57) Ponzi always stands as one of the greatest concocters of fraudulent schemes in the United States resulting in the infamous term â€Å"Ponzi Scheme† to refer to any fraudulent schemes with promises of high returns. Ponzi was able to disclose the presence of loopholes within the postal industry, which enabled the postal services around the world to find new forms of postage to prevent the presence of fraud. In addition, he also enabled the American populace to proceed with caution in relation to investments that promise suspiciously higher returns than the average market returns on any investment. In essence, his schemes were a valuable lesson for the American society in relation to management of individual funds and the necessity for evaluation of investments and investment entities. Work Cited Dunn, Donald. Ponzi: The Incredible True Story of the King of Financial Cons (Library of Larceny) (Paperback). New York: Broadway, 2004. Print. Zuckoff, Mitchell. Ponzi’s Scheme: The True Story of a Financial Legend. New York: Random House, 2005. Print.

NMSQT Expert Guide

About the PSAT/NMSQT Expert Guide SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you think the PSAT is just a practice test, then you're missing a key part of the story. The Preliminary SAT / National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, more commonly known as the PSAT/NMSQT or just the PSAT, is also essential in the competition for National Merit distinction and scholarships. Plus, it can help you figure out exactly how to study for the SAT. This guide's dedicated to the PSAT/NMSQT, from its overall structure to how it’s scored to what kind of questions show up in each section. Before putting the test under the microscope, let’s go over the purpose of this test. What is the PSAT NMSQT for, anyway? What’s the Purpose of the PSAT/NMSQT? The PSAT/NMSQT, which I’ll sometimes just refer to as the PSAT so I don’t have to keep typing out all those letters, is automatically administered to most high school juniors. If you attend one of the many participating high schools, then you’ll be taking the PSAT one October school day in 11th grade. Unlike the SAT, the PSAT NMSQT test dates are predetermined; in 2016, schools are encouraged to give it on October 19. Younger students can also elect to take it as practice, but they’ll have to make a registration request to their school counselor. College Board has recently offered other versions of the PSAT, the PSAT 8/9 and the PSAT 10, for younger students, as well. Depending on your grade level and academic readiness, you can decide which test, if any, would be most useful for you to take before junior year. Whenever you take the PSAT NMSQT, you’ll find that it’s useful practice for the SAT. The two tests are extremely similar; the main difference is that the PSAT doesn’t have an optional essay section. They’re even scored on a similar scale, with PSAT/NMSQT scores shifted down 80 points to account for the fact that it’s a slightly easier test. Your PSAT score report will give you detailed feedback on your performance with a bunch of section scores and subscores. You can use this feedback to direct your studying for the SAT. The PSAT’s other main purpose is to qualify for National Merit distinction and scholarships. Only 11th graders with PSAT NMSQT qualifying scores are eligible. Students who score in the top 3-4% are named Commended Students while those who score in the top 1% are named Semifinalists. The majority of these Semifinalists, about 15,000 out of 16,000 students, are then invited to apply to become Finalists, also called National Merit Scholars. Finalists may receive scholarship money from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation or a participating college. If you’re looking to achieve top scores on the PSAT and ultimately earn scholarship money, then the PSAT/NMSQT becomes a very important test on your road to college. Even if you’re not, the PSAT is still highly useful as practice for the SAT. Want to improve your PSAT score by 150 points? We have the industry's leading PSAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today: Now that you have a sense of when and why students take the PSAT/NMSQT, let’s examine the test itself, starting with its overall structure. The PSAT/NMSQT is almost identical twins with the SAT. It just has a few key differences and slightly easier questions overall. How's the PSAT / NMSQT Structured? The PSAT NMSQT is a time intensive test, clocking in at 2 hours and 45 minutes. It has four sections: Reading, Writing and Language, Math No Calculator, and Math with Calculator. The names and order of these sections match that of the SAT. The only difference, as mentioned above, is that the PSAT doesn’t offer an optional essay section. The chart below shows the order and length of the sections, along with the number of questions in each and approximate time per question. Order Section Time in Minutes # of Questions Time per Question 1 Reading 60 47 76 seconds 2 Writing and Language 35 44 48 seconds 3 Math No Calculator 25 17 88 seconds 4 Math Calculator 45 31 87 seconds Total: 2 hours, 45 minutes You’ll get a five-minute break after about each hour of testing. There will be a break after Reading and a break after Math No Calculator. Before checking out the content of each section, let’s go over how the PSAT is scored. How's the PSAT/NMSQT Scored? Your PSAT score report will break down your performance with a bunch of different score types. One of the most important is your total score, which will fall between 320 and 1520. This total score represents the sum of two section scores, one for Evidence-based Reading and Writing and one for Math. Notice that certain test sections are combined to bring you two section scores, rather than four. These two section scores range between 160 and 760. In addition to these section scores, you’ll get three â€Å"test scores† that tell you how you did on the Reading, Writing and Language, and Math sections. Essentially, these test scores separate out the Reading and Writing and Language sections so you can see how you did on each individually. These test scores will range from 8 to 38. Test scores are also important for the PSAT NMSQT Selection Index, which is another scoring scale that the National Merit Scholarship Corporation uses to determine who makes Semifinalist. If these score types weren’t enough, you’ll also get â€Å"cross-test scores† and â€Å"subscores† between 1 and 15 that tell you how you did in certain skill areas. All of this detailed feedback can actually be really useful in telling you how to prep for the SAT. You can even calculate all these score types yourself on PSAT/NMSQT practice tests and use them to figure out your strengths and weaknesses as a test-taker. Finally, it’s important to note that the PSAT/NMSQT uses rights-only scoring. You’ll get one point for every correct answer, and no points for wrong or skipped answers. There aren’t any point deductions as there were in past years, so it’s in your best interest to answer every question. Now that you know how the PSAT NMSQT is structured and scored, your next step is to learn about the content and skills tested in each section. Let’s start with Reading. Rights-only scoring means you might as well roll the dice and give every question your best guess! PSAT Reading: Structure, Skills, and Study Tips The Reading section on the PSAT is all about reading comprehension. You’ll read passages and answer questions about their meaning. To cover every nook and cranny of this section, let’s start by reviewing its structure, then take a look at some sample questions, and finally go over some of the best PSAT/NMSQT approaches to studying. PSAT Reading: Structure Every question on the Reading section of the PSAT is multiple choice and based on a passage or a set of paired passages. You’ll get one passage from US and World Literature, two from History/Social Studies, and two from Science, for a total of five passages. One or more passages may accompany a graphic, like a graph or chart. The chart below further describes the passage types you’ll encounter on the SAT, along with an estimate of how many questions you’ll answer about each type. Passage Description # of Questions 1 US and World Literature Prose passage selected from a work of US or World Literature 9 2 History / Social Sciences (or 1 passage and 1 passage pair) Passage based on US founding document or selected from work in economics, psychology, sociology, or related field 18-20 2 Science (or 1 passage and 1 passage pair) Focused on Earth science, biology, chemistry, or physics 18-20 You’ll get a total of 47 questions in the Reading section. Read on to learn what these questions will ask. PSAT Reading: Skills and Sample Questions The reading section asks you to read passages from a variety of genres, including prose, argument, and nonfiction narrative, and comprehend their meaning. You might be asked about the meaning of the passage or a paragraph as a whole, a particular sentence or detail, or even just a vocabulary word or phrase. By analyzing the test, we’ve picked out eight main question types: big picture/main, little picture/detail, inference, vocabulary in context, function, author technique, evidence support, and data interpretation. To give you an idea of what these look like, here are some representative sample problems of each question type. For the complete test, check out College Board's official PSAT practice test. #1: Big Picture/Main Point: These questions ask about the main purpose of a passage. #2: Little Picture/Detail: These questions refer you to one or more specific lines within a passage and ask you to interpret their meaning. #3: Inference: These questions ask you to make some sort of reasonable inference from a line or paragraph. #4: Vocabulary in Context: These questions ask about the meaning of a word or phrase. #5: Function: These questions ask what one or more lines accomplish within the passage. Why did the author choose to include them? #6: Author Technique: These questions often ask about an author's style, tone, or some other technique. #7: Evidence Support: These questions tend to refer back to a previous question. They ask for the reason behind your last answer. #8: Data Interpretation: These questions ask you to read the data in a graph or chart. They often ask about the relationship between the graphic and the passage. Again, the above are not official categories, but rather based on our analysis of official PSAT/NMSQT tests. As for the official categories that College Board defines, there are four: Command of Evidence, Words in Context, Analysis in History/Social Studies, and Analysis in Science. The "evidence support" and function questions you read about above tend to fall into the Command of Evidence area, while questions on vocabulary in context and author technique tend to fall into the Words in Context skill area. Many of the above question types could be considered Analysis in History/Social Studies or Science; they tend to be the ones that follow the history and science passages. For instance, here’s an example of an Analysis in History/Social Studies question, followed by an Analysis in Science sample question. Analysis in History/Social Studies Sample Question Analysis in Science Sample Question The first example, you might notice, falls into the "big picture/main point" category mentioned above. The second one is more like a "little picture/detail" question. None of the Reading questions require you to have any pre-existing knowledge on a topic. Instead, all of your answers should be entirely based on information present in a passage. The questions should go in chronological order alongside the passages, so you should be able to locate information with some efficiency. To some extent, this section tests the reading skills you’ve accumulated throughout all your years of schooling. However, there are still ways you can prepare to do well on the Reading section. On your mark, get set, read! PSAT Reading: Study Tips The Reading section is a challenging part of the SAT. A lot of students have the reading comprehension skills to do well on this section, but they still need to prepare specifically for the unique question types and fast-paced nature of the test. Below are a few tips for studying for the Reading section of the SAT. Read, read, read! One key way to improve your reading comprehension is to read a lot! Make it a point to read works from various genres and pay attention to their main point, tone, and style. Note how certain words and phrases take on different meanings depending on context. If you’re reading fiction, consider what the characters do and say to move the plot forward. If you’re reading an argument-based text, take notes on how the author structures the piece and uses details to support her point. Taking the time to really engage with a work of literature or nonfiction will allow you to build your reading comprehension skills across genres. Take Timed Practice Tests While reading in and out of class should help you develop your reading skills, you should especially focus on passages from PSAT practice materials. Take timed PSAT/NMSQT practice tests and try out various reading strategies, like skimming the passage for key points or reading the questions first. Through practice, figure out which strategy works best for you. By scoring your tests and analyzing your results, you can figure out where you most need to improve. You can also learn whether you need to brush up on certain skills or improve your time management. Taking timed practice tests will gradually turn you into a test-taking rock star. Learn About Each Question Type Just as this guide does, make sure your study materials break down each Reading question type so you can recognize exactly what each question is asking you. The data interpretation questions are a relatively new addition. Practice reading graphs and charts to make sure you’re prepared for these unusual question types. Since the Reading section doesn’t require you to have any preexisting knowledge of a topic, make sure that your answers are based completely on a passage. The evidence-based question types are a useful reminder that your interpretations should be entirely based on the information before you. As you read above, your Reading score will eventually get combined with your Writing and Language score to form one Evidence-based Reading and Writing score. Read on to learn how the two sections are different. Get out your red pen! It's time to proofread some messy papers. (Not actually, though. Only No. 2 pencils are allowed on the PSAT.) PSAT Writing and Language: Structure, Skills, and Study Tips The Writing and Language section asks you to be an editor. You’ll read some passages that have errors in word choice and problems with organization. Your job is to identify and fix these issues. This section’s technically called Writing and Language, but you’ll probably hear it shortened to Writing. Writing Section: Structure Just like in the Reading section, all of the questions in the Writing section are multiple choice and based on passages. Another similarity between the two sections is that the sources of the passages are pre-determined. You’ll get one that has to do with Careers, another with History/Social Studies, a third with Humanities, and the fourth with Science. You’ll answer 11 questions on each passage for a total of 44 questions. As you saw in the Reading section, some of your questions will refer to graphs or charts. In the Writing section, this kind of data interpretation question may ask you if the passage accurately reflects the graph or where you could add a data point to strengthen a passage’s argument. You won’t find any prose in the Writing and Language section. All of the passages will be argument-based, informative, or nonfiction narrative. The chart below describes the passage types in greater detail. Passage Description # of Questions 1 Careers Passage may deal with trends or debates in major fields of work, such as information technology or health care. 11 1 History/Social Studies Passage based on US founding document or selected from work in economics, psychology, sociology, or related field 11 1 Humanities Passage explores arts or literature 11 1 Science Focused on Earth science, biology, chemistry, or physics 11 So how does the Writing section ask you to edit for grammar, organization, and meaning? Read on to find out. Writing Section: Skills and Sample Questions What exactly do I mean when I say the Writing section asks you to be an editor? The questions ask you to edit the passage for meaning and clarity in a few ways. They may ask you whether or not a specific word is the best choice in a sentence. They might ask you to reorganize the order of ideas. You might also have to add or delete a sentence, along with explaining the reason behind your change. Most questions give you the option of, â€Å"No Change,† meaning there might not always be an error. Not only will you have to recognize whether or not there’s an error, but if there is, you’ll have to find the correct or improved revision. According to College Board, 20 of the 44 questions ask about Standard English Conventions. These questions ask about concepts like grammar, usage, and punctuation. You might need to insert or delete a comma, fix an apostrophe, change a verb tense, or ensure subject-verb agreement. Here's a straightforward sample question about apostrophe rules in singular vs. plural nouns. This question, as with all the Writing questions, refers to a passage (not pictured here). The remaining 24 questions fall into an umbrella category that College Board calls Expression of Ideas. These questions ask you to make larger structural changes to improve the flow of ideas and organization of paragraphs. Just like in the Reading section, some of these questions have to do with the skill areas, Command of Evidence, Words in Context, and Analysis in History/Social Studies and Science. This sample question, for example, asks you to how to choose the best introductory sentence for a passage. This next sample question is focused on evidence, or the reason why a writer should or shouldn't add a sentence to improve clarity. In this example, you can see a portion of the passage to which the questions refer. Both of these questions can be classified as Words in Context questions, since they ask you to improve word choice. Finally, these next couple of questions ask about data interpretation. These ones are an example of an Analysis in Science question. College Board classifies these questions in a variety of ways, and these categories can get blurry since some of them appear on both the Reading and Writing sections. One way to keep them straight is to divide them into "little picture" and "big picture" questions. Little picture questions ask you to apply a grammar rule or fix punctuation. Big picture questions ask you to reorganize ideas, provide evidence for a change, or interpret data. Altogether, the questions ask you to fix a passage and make it better with editorial revisions. Now that you have a sense of what’s tested in Writing, read on for a few study tips for mastering this section. Writing Section: Study Tips If you've written a paper, email, or even just a text message, then you've surely done some editing to make sure you're communicating exactly what you want to say. Below are a few tips to develop the kind of editing skills that will help you succeed on the Writing section of the SAT. Study Grammar Rules As mentioned above, you can think of the Writing section as containing two main types of questions- those that have to do with little picture changes, like grammar and punctuation, and those that ask about big picture changes, like sentence order and organization of ideas. To prepare for little picture questions, you should review all the relevant rules of grammar, punctuation, and usage. Some of these rules include subject-verb agreement, parallel structure, and comma and apostrophe use. Your prep materials should break down each rule and pair it with sample questions so you can see how the PSAT tests each one. Read With an Eye for Structure As for the big picture changes, you should practice active reading on argument-based, explanatory, and nonfiction narrative texts. As you read SAT passages and other works that you may be assigned in school, keep an eye on structure, how ideas are introduced, transitions between sentences and paragraphs, and introductions and conclusions. Engage with a work and think about why the author chose to present the information in a certain way. It may also help to pay attention to teacher and peer feedback on your own writing. Similarly, you should take the time to edit your writing and, if possible, that of a peer. Through practice, you’ll develop your editorial eye! Take Timed Practice Tests Taking timed PSAT/NMSQT practice tests is a key part of your prep for all the sections. After you take a test, make sure you thoroughly go through the answer explanations and analyze your results. You might also calculate your subscores and cross-test scores to see how you fare on certain question types. For instance, you could calculate your cross-test score for Analysis in Science questions to see how you do on these questions across both Reading and Writing and Language. By targeting your weak spots, you can focus on improving them and thereby bringing up your scores. Don't worry too much about the Math No Calculator section. Rumor has it, some people did math before calculators were even invented. PSAT Math No Calculator: Structure, Skills, and Study Tips This Math No Calculator is new to the PSAT (and SAT) this year. It’s very similar to the Math with Calculator, with one clear difference: you’re not allowed to use a calculator on any of the questions. Don’t worry, though- the questions won’t require very complex calculations. They’re meant to test your conceptual understanding, rather than your ability to write out complicated arithmetic by hand. Read on for the structure and skills tested in the Math No Calculator section, followed by some suggestions for your prep. PSAT Math No Calculator: Structure The Math No Calculator is the shortest section on the PSAT at 25 minutes. You’ll answer 17 questions: first, 13 multiple choice and then 4 grid-ins, or student-produced responses. The questions fall into three major skills areas, as you’ll see below. PSAT Math No Calculator: Skills and Sample Questions The Math No Calculator section asks questions that fall into three main skills areas, as defined by College Board: Heart of Algebra, Passport to Advanced Math, and Additional Topics. The chart below shows how many questions test each skill area. Content Area Number of Questions % of Test Heart of Algebra 8 47% Passport to Advanced Math 8 47% Additional Topics 1 6% Questions that fall into the Heart of Algebra questions ask about, as you might have guessed, algebra. You might find word problems or questions that ask you to solve for variables in linear equations or inequalities. Here’s one example of a Heart of Algebra question. Passport to Advanced Mathproblems may ask you to work with quadratic functions and equations or exponential functions and equations. You may also solve for variables in nonlinear expressions. Here’s an example of this question type: The vaguely named Additional Topics contains all the concepts that don’t fit in the other categories. These include some geometry, trigonometry, and complex numbers questions. Here’s an example: Read on for a few study tips to keep in mind as you prep for the PSAT NMSQT Math No Calculator section. PSAT Math No Calculator: Study Tips While you may feel nervous about not getting to use a calculator on this section, rest assured that none of the problems require especially complex calculations. There may be a few that ask you to write out addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division, so you should brush up on your arithmetic skills and ability to write out problems by hand. The most common mistakes here are simply rushing through and making a calculation error, so work on writing out these problems efficiently. Make sure your study materials break down each concept and try lots of practice questions in addition to taking timed practice tests. A thorough conceptual understanding of the tested concepts is essential for doing well in this section. Finally, you can take out your trusty calculator and use it for the rest of the test. You might find, though, that you don't actually need to use it on too many questions. PSAT Math with Calculator: Structure, Skills, and Sample Questions The Math with Calculator section doesn’t look all that different than the Math No Calculator section apart from two key differences. First, of course, you can use a calculator throughout. Second, over half of the questions in this section fall into a new skill area, Problem Solving and Data Analysis. Read on to see how this section works. PSAT Math with Calculator: Structure The Math with Calculator section asks 31 questions. The first 27 are multiple choice and the remaining four are grid-ins. A couple of these grid-ins may be related to each other in what’s known as an Extended Thinking question. Read on for a more detailed breakdown of the requisite skills, along with sample questions in each skill area. PSAT Math with Calculator: Skills and Sample Questions About half of the questions in this section are similar to the ones in the Math No Calculator section. They cover Heart of Algebra, Passport to Advanced Math, and Additional Topics. The other half cover Problem Solving and Data Analysis. Here’s the exact breakdown: Content Area Number of Questions % of Test Heart of Algebra 8 26% Passport to Advanced Math 6 19% Problem Solving and Data Analysis 16 52% Additional Topics 1 3% You saw an example of a Heart of Algebra above, but here’s one taken from the Math with Calculator section. You don’t really even need to use your calculator here, though you could if you wanted to plug in numbers to check your answer. This Passport to Advanced Math question asks about functions. Again, you don't really need a calculator, even though you have the option of using one. As you read above, half the questions involve Problem Solving and Data Analysis. These questions may ask you to calculate ratios, rates, or percentages or work with scatterplots and graphs. Here’s are two sample questions: Sample Question #1 Sample Question #2 Finally, Additional Topics covers geometry, trigonometry, and complex numbers. The following is a sample geometry question from the Math with Calculator section on the PSAT/NMSQT. While most of the tips you read above will help you on both PSAT math sections, read on for a few tips specific to the Math with Calculator section. PSAT Math with Calculator: Study Tips In addition to studying all the algebra, geometry, and trigonometry concepts you need to know for both sections, you should focus on Problem Solving and Data Analysis problems. These questions involve word problems, graphs, scatterplots, percentages, rate, and ratios. Make sure you can work in these areas, since they make up half of the questions in this section. Another consideration for this section is the idea of calculator fluency. Just because you can use a calculator on every problem doesn’t necessarily mean that you should. There are plenty of problems here that don’t require a calculator at all; using one might end up costing you time. As you study, make note of when a calculator is a useful and productive tool and when it’s not helpful for the work at hand. If you’ve made it this far, then you should have a good sense of the content and structure of all four sections of the PSAT/NMSQT. Let’s conclude with some final thoughts about the test and why it’s important for high school students. If you're a U.S. citizen taking the PSAT/NMSQT in 11th grade, then you're in the running for National Merit distinction and scholarships! Final Thoughts About the PSAT/NMSQT Most students take the PSAT/NMSQT in October of 11th grade. Some may ask to take it earlier for practice. Let's review the two important functions of the SAT: National Merit distinction and preparation for the SAT. Taking the PSAT/NMSQT for National Merit While taking the PSAT NMSQT as a younger student can be valuable test-taking experience earlier than 11th grade, you won’t be eligible for National Merit until you take it as a junior. Juniors who score in the top 3-4%, or 96th to 97th percentile, are named Commended Scholars. Those who earn top 1%, or 99th percentile, scores get named Semifinalists. Most of these Semifinalists can then apply to become Finalist and potentially gain scholarships. Even if you don’t ultimately get National Merit scholarship money, having that distinction on your college application is an impressive achievement. If you’re aiming for National Merit, you should set aside time to prep in the months leading up to the test. Familiarizing yourself with the test, as you did if you got this far in the guide, is a first great step. Then you can go on to review the tested concepts, take timed practice tests, and analyze your results to figure out how you can improve. All of this studying will also help you get ready for the SAT, the other important benefit of taking the PSAT/NMSQT. Taking the PSAT/NMSQT to Get Ready for the SAT Studying for the PSAT/NMSQT will not only help you earn your target scores, but it will also help you get ready for the SAT! The two tests are very similar, so any studying you do for one will help on the other. In fact, the two tests are almost identical, with the SAT featuring slightly more advanced questions, as well as an optional Essay section. If you're running low on PSAT prep materials, you could use SAT practice tests or other prep guides to help you get ready. Once you get your PSAT/NMSQT score report, you can use it to figure out your specific strengths and weaknesses and go from there. The PSAT NMSQT helps break the ice for test-takers. Rather than going into the SAT cold, you can feel more experienced because you already sat through a very similar College Board test. Whether or not you’re aiming for PSAT NMSQT scholarships, the PSAT is great practice for the SAT and an important landmark on your road to college! What's Next? If you made it through this guide, it might be safe to assume you're getting ready for the PSAT! Check out this guide to find official PSAT practice tests and tips for how to make the most of them. While you now have a sense of how the PSAT is scored, you might be wondering what scores are considered good. Check out this guide to figure out what makes a good score on the PSAT/NMSQT. Are you aiming for National Merit scholarships? This guide is for high scorers looking to achieve top scores on the PSAT! Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Sociology - Alleviate peverty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Sociology - Alleviate peverty - Essay Example There are various reasons why the causes and remedies of social problems are disagreed by people around the globe. Firstly, people don't usually agree to one specific cause and solution because the problems which plague the society today have arisen due to a number of factors over a period of time and the remedial actions differ too, depending on the role people play in a society. For instance, if the case of poverty is taken up, some people may argue that the cause of it is unemployment, some people suggest that it is illiteracy, while the others maintain that it is due to inflation.From an individual point of view, it is also plausible that a person may not be exposed to the real and immediate causes of a social problem, like poverty whereas the government or organizations running in a country may have a bigger picture and statistics of the problem and its causes. Due to this, it is natural that disagreements may arise between, say, an ordinary individual and someone who is working for an organization that is functioning to alleviate poverty. Moreoever, the remedial action taken on an individual basis to reduce the level of poverty will be different from actions taken on a broader basis. An individual may think that donating or giving alms or charity may be a possible solution to the poverty related problems while the government will obviously go with the larger picture and open up more schools and businesses to reduce illiteracy and unemployment which also lead to poverty. Secondly, social problems that affect one side of the world may not be so big a problem on the other side. The problems of developed countries may certainly differ from the undeveloped countries and thus the people living in both countries will argue about the causes and solutions of a social problem, like drug abuse. In developed countries, where government has taken effective actions against drug abuse and smoking, people may think that strong marketing and advertising from the side of drug manufacturers is the cause of the problem. Infact, if the government has been very effective in its remedial actions, people in the country may not consider it as a social problem anymore whereas, people in undeveloped countries may consider it as a very fatal disease to their society and will argue relentlessly about its causes being illiteracy, lack of awareness, lack of restrictions on the part of government and easy availability and access to drugs. Thirdly, disagreements arise due to misunderstandings. Problems like poverty, unemployment and domestic violence are quite home issues and almost every individual has a defined opinion about their causes and solutions but problems like mental disorders and and issues of lone parents are not as common and people often tend to misundertsand the problems related to less common issues. In some societies, mentally challenged people are treated as outcasts and are banished from social gatherings and talks. Same goes for the case of lone parents, especially women. Societies often don't view single parents kindly and consider them as