Saturday, November 9, 2019

Language of poetry Essay

When looking at the language used by a poet when creating a poem it is important we do this with a number of things in mind. What kind of image is the poet attempting to create in our thoughts? When was this poem created? How is it structured and punctuated? What context has it been written? and also how does the poet want us to feel when reading the work? No matter how long or short a poem may be the language used when creating it will be vital as to deciding how we respond to the poem. It is not just what the poet is trying to say but how they are attempting to say it that will define how this poem resonates within us. There are many reasons why an author might choose to use some words instead of others. A poet might choose words for the way they sound, compliment other words, shock value, for the tense they are in or even for the perspective they want to use. For the purpose of this essay we will be looking at three American poets with the intent of studying the language used in their works in order to better understand the meanings of these poems and to also figure out why they were written in a certain way. Look more:  first poem for you analysis essay When looking at the language used in each of these poems we will be looking out for many of the things mentioned above to aid the investigation into the language within them. The first poet that we will look at is William Carlos Williams and in particular his poem â€Å"This is Just to Say†. Just like all the poems he has written it is a short piece which is created using simple words and sentences that can be easily understood by the reader. The poem is full of enjambment and this means that we put particular emphasis on the words â€Å"breakfast, â€Å"delicious†, â€Å"so sweet† and â€Å"so cold†. If we didn’t observe the enjambment in this poem it would more than likely be mistaken for a short note for someone’s sister, mother, wife or father. The way that enjambment is used in this poem has a profound effect, it is a poem written in the past tense, and one that relies heavily on the creation of an image in the mind of the reader. This poem successfully creates that image nearly to the point where we can almost see the drops of moisture on the plums as they glisten in the sunlight prior to being devoured by the writer. How the poet uses enjambment enables this strong creation of an image. He uses the words delicious, sweet and cold to great effect and their placing within the poem adds hugely to how they aid this. They are all grouped together in the last section of the poem and this means we are quickly bombarded with a triple whammy of descriptive words in what is a very short poem. It is also important to note how Williams says the plums are â€Å"so† sweet and â€Å"so† cold rather than just sweet and cold. This little word has a huge effect and it compounds in our minds just how sweet and cold they really were and as such, one might even feel a desire to have the plums themselves if reading the poem on an empty stomach. The poem is structured in one long flowing sentence that is broken up into three sections of three lines, this structure makes it easy to digest and understand. The poem â€Å"Woman Poem† by Nikki Giovanni is about a black woman and what her life is like. The woman wants things in life; the men will not let her have what she wants. The author, Nikki Giovanni uses several poetic aspects in the poem. Throughout the poem she uses synecdoche’s to make her point, for example: â€Å"me getting fat as a hog† being used to describe gaining weight. The imagery created by this poem helps to describe the way that men hold her back. It is a completely different poem to the one investigated above but again it relies heavily on imagery along with words with a real sense of shock value to get a message across to the reader. The language of this poem is language of oppression, frustration, anger, devastation and hopelessness and the images it creates are such too. It describes the life of a black woman in the 1960s and when doing so she describes a yearning to be â€Å"free†. Free from the constraints of what she describes as a male dominated society, one where she almost feels as if she has been castrated. She does not mean this literally but the use of the word â€Å"castrated† is symbolic to the genuine feeling of being powerless she feels almost as a dog being castrated would. She is using words as a means of venting and conveying her feelings and it is obvious to see the emotion attached to what she writes. The third stanza reads: â€Å"it’s a sex object if you’re pretty and no love or love and no sex if you’re fat get back fat black woman be a mother grandmother strong thing but not woman gameswoman romantic woman love needer man seeker dick eater sweat getter fuck needing love seeking woman† This stanza is the one within the poem which is the most image provoking. The language used is vulgar and not everyday conversation etiquette. She most likely uses language of this sort on purpose in order to grab the attention of the reader and highlight her plight as a woman who can be regarded by men as merely an object for sex. She repeats this process throughout the poem to great effect using words like â€Å"whore† and â€Å"black dog†. As a whole this poem is difficult to read and find meaning from but when carefully studied it created in the mind an image of hopelessness for women. One of an existence devoid of happiness, an image compounded by the final lines which read: â€Å"face me whose whole life is tied up to unhappiness cause it’s the only for real thing i know† The third poem to be investigated is â€Å"Poppies in July† by Sylvia Plaith. This poem was written in July 1962. At this stage of her life, Plath’s marriage to Ted Hughes was in turmoil, and she was suffering from a severe bout of depression. < http://sylviaplathnotes. wordpress. com/poppies-in-july/>. With this poem she enables us to have an insight into the turmoil and pain she felt inside. The colour red is prominent and this symbolises anger and rage. The images created in the mind are very dark, vivid and disturbing, imitating what her thoughts were when she created the poem. At the start of this poem we are informed that bright red colour of poppies reminds the poet of the burning fires of hell. The poppies swaying in the breeze remind the poet of flames flickering. She begins to show a desire to self harm, thrusting her hand among the â€Å"flames† to see if it burns but there is something about these flowers that she cannot touch. This is the reader’s first real insight into the pain Plath must have been feeling. Throughout the poem we are reminded of her desire to cause harm to herself. Later in the poem she describes outward appearance of the flowers again, this time with a simile. Now she likens them to the wrinkled, red skin of a bloodied mouth rather than the flames of hell. This violent imagery is another hint towards her desire to self-harm. Continuing the idea that there is something about these flowers she cannot touch, she now states that she is unable to touch their fumes and enquires about their opiates. This represents a longing for heroin or opium which is a drug created from poppies. Complex imagery is used, referring to her mouth as a means of taking the drug. Exclamation marks indicate just how desperate the poet is getting. She needs these drugs and she needs them now! Throughout this poem there is a recurring theme of desperation from the poet, desperation for obliteration through drugs or self harm, it relies on graphic imagery to get the point across and gives us an idea of the darkness encased within the mind of the poet. She closes the poem with the words â€Å"colourless, colourless† which might represent how she feels her life and marriage have become. Through investigation of the above poems we are able to come to numerous conclusions regarding the language used within them. The first poem is nothing more than a short piece but it still manages to create not only a powerful image in the mind but also a longing for the peaches described within! The last two poems investigated however are far more deep and sombre affairs. They offer us a real window into the souls of their creators. The language used in each of these is powerful and it is impossible to read them without being left with a real sense of the turmoil felt by both these women. They both utilise the shock value element of language to make their poems that bit more hard hitting and employ similar punctuation techniques also. Through doing this investigation into language of poetry we can now understand how the language used by the poet is vital when it comes to determining the feelings we are left with having read a poem.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

The 11 Best SAT Books Recommended for SAT Prep

The 11 Best SAT Books Recommended for SAT Prep SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips With so many SAT prep books to choose from, how can you tell the good ones from the bad ones? Well, not to worry because we've evaluated SAT books for you! This fully updated guide gives you our recommendations for the top 11 SAT preparation books to help you achieve the scores you want. To best outline the differences, I've divided the books into four main sections: Best Overall SAT Prep Book Best Traditional SAT Prep Books for Instruction, Strategy, and Practice Questions Best Books for SAT Math Best Books for SAT Reading and Writing Before jumping into our SAT book recommendations, though, allow me to give you a word about myperspective. Disclaimer: Why Am I Recommending SAT Books? You're probably wondering why PrepScholar, known for its online SAT prep program, is going old school and recommending an SAT book list. As SAT experts who have made it our mission to understand the test and help students succeed, we are dedicated to providing you with the best resources to achieve both your academic and personal goals. If you're self-motivated and prefer using SAT books in your prep, then they can be a great way to learn content, practice strategies, and try out sample questions. That being said, all the SAT prep books recommended below have strengths and weaknesses. Several of them seem as if they were rushed to publication, while others unfortunately don't offer the same level of quality that they did in previous versions. I believe PrepScholar has managed to integrate the best parts of these books into its online prep program while adding the helpful element of accountability. We help you plan out and stick to your study schedule, keep track of your progress, and hone the specific skills and practice problem types you need most in order to improve your scores. With prep books, you can try to customize your study plan to your specific needs too- but with PrepScholar, we do all that heavy lifting for you. Plus, considering the huge gains you can get from it, it's much more cost effective than buying all these books! Since we're not necessarily benefiting from these SAT book recommendations, you can trust that our advice is neutral, objective, and based onboth our andstudents' real experiences with these SAT preparation books. Now that we've got all that out of the way, let's move on to our list of SAT books. Because the best representation of SAT questions always come from the test makers themselves, I'll be starting this list with the College Board's Official SAT Study Guide. The College Board's Official SAT Study Guide, 2018 Edition Price: $15-$20 on Amazon In past years, I told students that the College Board’s SAT guide was the number one, critical book they had to have in their study arsenal. Now, I’m saying pretty much the opposite- don’t bother! Why? Because you can find all of its material for free online. In a helpful move, the College Board has asserted its commitment to transparency by providing free online SAT practice materials (they’re also strongly promoting their partnership with Khan Academy, which offers useful video explanations to go along with official SAT questions). Some students and educators were disappointed to buy The Official Study Guide book only to find that its practice tests were the same exact ones offered online. So does this book offer anything beyond SAT practice tests? It does dedicate a bunch ofpages to explaining the test structure, basic strategies, and answer explanations. Since you can find the majority of this info online, though, I don't recommend buying the official guide unless you really want all the material printed out for you. If you have access to a printer and a working internet connection, I’d say to take advantage of the free online material and learn about the SAT that way. The total number of tests is stilllimited, so you might space out these SAT practice tests throughout your prep as a way to gauge your progress and determine what concepts you need to study most. In-between these tests, you can supplement with questions from other books on this list. Read on for the pros and cons of the best overall SAT prep book, along with the best books by SAT section. Best Overall SAT Prep Book: Kallis' SAT Pattern Strategy Price: About $30 on Amazon Students and educators alike have reported having great experiences withKallis’ Redesigned SAT Pattern Strategybook. This book providessix full-length practice tests,addingup to around 24 hours of practice testing. Pros The SAT questions are generally realistic and closely mimic official test questions. Kallis goes beyond the official guide's simple explanations to give step-by-step answer explanations for each question. These in-depth descriptions help you understand any mistakes and fix them for next time- a key strategy forimproving your scores. The book discusses 101 topics you’ll find on the SAT and offers a clear, focused presentation of fundamental concepts in grammar, literature, and math.Beyond content review, this book gives some analysis ofthe various question types, allowing you to take a more strategic approach to your prep. Kallis goes over the structure, format, and topics covered on the SAT in detail, so you’ll have a strong grasp of logistics before test day. This review will save you time in having to read any instructions and pace yourself since you’ll know exactly what to expect on the SAT. Cons While this book does a good job providing realistic practice questions and content review, it’s less helpful for learning keySAT strategies, such as time management and the process of elimination. Because this book emphasizes a "learning by doing" approach, it doesn't spend a lot of time going over mindset and critical test-taking strategies. This book is relatively expensive at around $30 on Amazon. It requires a lot of independence and self-discipline. You’ll need to take responsibility for dividing up the material in the most effective way and designing and sticking to a productive study plan. While the practice questions are there, it’s up to you to put in the work and make the most out of them. Best Traditional SAT Prep Books for Instruction, Strategy, and Practice Questions The following SAT prep books are of decent quality but have some serious weaknesses as well. The following four books are the best currently availablefor content review and practice problems. Let's go over the pros and cons of each. SAT Prep Black Book, 2nd Edition Price:$20-$25 on Amazon I highly recommendSAT Prep Black Bookfor itsinsightful strategies and test advice.The SAT Black Book, as it's called, was written by Mike Barrett, who's taken the time to understand the test inside and out. In it, he goes over the different types of questions and introduces critical tips, such as how to recognize tricky wording and"distractor" answer choices. Pros This book is excellent for students who want to learn about the structure, format, and tricks of the SAT, and for those who want togain practical strategies when it comes to answering questions and saving time. It can be useful for students of all levels,since Barrettcustomizes his advice depending on your target score. It providesthorough answer explanations for questions on the first four official SAT practice tests. Where the College Board fails to walk you through the steps of a practice problem or explain why other answer choices are incorrect, this book guides you through each question on each practice test in detail. It can help change your mindset when actually taking the SAT. You can incorporate the book's explanations and strategies into your own approach so that you're more confident when answering each question type.While the Black Book is great for strategy, though, it's less helpful for studying concepts. Cons It doesn't have any of its own SAT practice questions. Instead, the book must be used in conjunction with the official SAT practice tests. It refers directly to official SAT questions and gives thorough explanations, especially for the hardest questions. The Black Book focuses on strategy and understanding the SAT, so it's not the strongest resource for reviewing concepts and content. If you're looking to completely relearn sentence parallelism or linear functions,for instance, you'd need an additional resource. Although I find this book to be written in a pretty engaging style, this is entirely a matter of opinion;in other words,Barrett's explanation style and test strategies might not work for everyone. McGraw-Hill Education SAT 2019 Price:$10-$15 on Amazon If you’re looking for an informative overview of the structure and content of the SAT, then McGraw-Hill Education SAT 2019is a decent choice. At more than 750 pages long, this massive bookgoes over the SAT in great detail, from the number of questions to the time limits on each section, so you can know exactly what to expect on test day. Pros It containsfive full-length SAT practice tests,including one diagnostic test. These are all fairly realistic and include thorough answer explanations for each question. The book's practice questions are realistic and resemble official questions. Specifically, the Math questions feature real-world scenarios you'd likely see on the SAT, with problems revolving around topics such as temperature and selling tickets for a performance. The book isextremely strong in its presentation of SAT Math concepts. It breaks down all the major topics in detail, from expressions and linear systems to less commonly tested ideas such as geometry, basic trig, and complex numbers. It gives you helpful guidance when it comes to mapping out your SAT study plan.Similar to our own SAT prep program, this book suggests beginning your prep with a diagnostic SAT practice test and using it to shape your study plan. It also offers some crucial strategies, such as improving your calculator fluency so you know when it'll be useful and when it'll just slow you down Cons It's weak inreviewing Reading and Writing. While the book goes over the Math section in detail, its presentation of the two verbal sections is more limited and even a little unusual. Its review of the sections ismore conceptual and experimental than it is specific to the SAT. For instance, the book features chapters with titles like "Language of Truth, Truthfulness, and Beauty" and the "Language of Dissent, Criticism, and Rebellion." While these sections might sound interesting to book lovers, they aren’t really relevant to the SAT- a feature I consider critical when prepping for this unique, idiosyncratic test. Barron's SAT, 29th Edition Price:$20-$25 on Amazon Barron's SAT, 29th Editionis another thorough prep book that offers ample content review, sample questions, and SAT practice tests. Pros The book containsfour full-length practice tests, in addition to access totwo more full-length online practice tests.This gives you tons of opportunities to practice. It offers a diagnostic test, a helpful tool to familiarize you with the SAT, get you into a testing mindset, and help you note any weaknesses you'll need to address moving forward. Barron’s is very comprehensive and covers most of the topics you need to know for the SAT. Because of its dense format, it’s typically more effective for high scorers who can engage quickly with the content and maintainfocus throughout. If you can divide up and scaffold the material in a manageable way, there's no doubt you'll gain some valuable practice with this SAT prep book. Cons Barron’s has been criticized for recycling practice questions from its old booksrather than creating new SAT content, and this problem remains in this edition as well. Simply reusing old questions won’t give you a realistic sense of the question types and concepts on the SAT. This book appears especially guilty of this in its math sections, where it alsolacks sufficient focus on algebra- a major component of the test. Some of the questions are overly confusing and have complicated wording.By contrast, real SAT test questions call for in-depth reasoning skills while using relatively straightforward wording. Therefore, the questions you’ll get in Barron's, while helpful, might ultimately be too hard and not as useful as they could be for your test prep. The Princeton Review's Cracking the SAT, 2019 Edition Price:About $15 on Amazon (and $20-$25 for premium edition) Similar to Barron's, The Princeton Review's Cracking the SAT, 2019 Edition prep book provides a comprehensive review of the SAT,covering concepts you need to know, such as grammar rules and algebraic functions, along with strategies for approaching the test questions and managing your time. Pros It containsfour full-length practice tests and one additional practice testyou can access online (or, if you get the premium version, you'll have access to three more online, giving you a total of eight practice tests!). The book offersthorough answer explanationsfor practice questions, which help you think about how you can approach similar questions in the future and on test day. There's an online component that helps you score your practice tests. Cons The Princeton Review shares one of Barron’s biggest drawbacks:some of its questions have overly elaboratewording and therefore don’t match the straightforward style of official SAT questions that well. While the practice tests are helpful, they're not the best representation of SAT questions. Some of the book's content review and questions are too conceptually easy.While Barron's might be better for especially motivated students aiming for top scores, this book is probably more appropriate for students scoring around or below 600 on a test section. Don't expect to have this book help you score much beyond this range. It doesn’t break each content area down into as many subtopics as it could, so there's a lack of detail when it comes to certain subject areas. Its style might not be for everyone. This book is a big, traditional test SAT prep book with a straightforward approach. While some students might appreciate or prefer this, others might find it boring and dull. All the SAT prep books mentioned above have both strengths and weaknesses. Combined, though, they provide relatively comprehensive prep in all major areas: practice questions, content review, and strategies. If you're looking to focus even more on a particular SAT section, you'll likely benefit from a subject-specific SAT prep book. The following books are my top recommendations for SAT Math, Reading, and Writing. Unlike his couches, this frogprefers his SAT prep one section at a time. Best Books for SAT Math Books that focus on a single SAT subject oftenprovide especially in-depth prep. Plus, they can be easier to approach than the huge comprehensive test prep books. If you need more prep in one section than the others or are taking advantage of your colleges' superscoring policiesby building up your SAT scores one section at a time, then these books could be great resources. We'll start with myrecommendations for Math prep books, starting with Dr. Steve Warner's500 New SAT Math Problems. Dr. Steve Warner's 500 New SAT Math Problems Price:About $35 on Amazon Dr. Steve Warner's500 New SAT Math Problemsis his most recent in SAT Math preparation.He discusses each area on the test: Heart of Algebra, Passport to Advanced Math, Problem Solving and Data Analysis, and Geometry and Complex Numbers (the College Board calls this last topic Additional Topics). Pros Just like with his last series, Dr. Warner offers comprehensive and clear content review and instruction. This book helpfully arranges SAT math concepts by difficulty, with the easiest being Level 1 and the most advanced being Level 5. This organization ensures that math problems from all the different content areas are integrated; it also allows you to focus on certain chapters depending on your own level. Students already scoring in the 700s, for instance, will benefit the most from studying Level 4 and 5 concepts and problems. Each lesson in this book is carefully crafted, and practice problems are realistic, helping to reinforce your understanding. Answer explanations are clear and go oversome different approaches you can take when solving a problem. As mentioned above, these kinds of multifaceted explanations appeal to different kinds of learners and allow you to carefully understand your mistakes and fix them for next time. Cons While it’s perhaps unfair to compare this book with its predecessors (which focused on the old version of the SAT), I can’t help but find ita little limited.The book could be a better resource if itbroke down each content area into smaller, more specific subtopics. Dr. Jang's SAT 800 Math Workbook for the New SAT, 2018 Edition Price:About $25 on Amazon At more than 400 pages long, Dr. Jang's SAT 800 Math Workbook for the New SAT, 2018 Editionis a great (and hefty) math prep book to add to your SAT book collection. Pros By far, this book's most impressive strength is its sheer number of math practice problems- more than 1,500 of them!It definitely allows for a "learning by doing" approach, as you can time yourself and answer practice questions for days on end. Question types are arranged by difficulty level, so you can break them up and customize your math practice depending on your needs. You might start with Dr. Jang’s diagnostic test and then space out the book’s 10 sample tests as you prep. Dr. Jang’s SAT math problems are generallyrealistic examples of what you’ll see on the SAT. The book emphasizes algebra, includes basic trigonometry, and divides questions into non-calculator and calculator sections (just like the actual SAT does). It also offers a strong representation of the concepts, format, and rules you’ll encounter on the SAT Math section. Cons This bookis like the flipped version of Dr. Warner’s book above- lots of practice problems but not a ton of content review. For more instruction, as well as strategies and detailed explanations, you'll need to supplement this workbook with another resource. It has some occasional typos, which can detract from your prep. It doesn't include manytest-taking strategies, such astime management. This book has lots of practice problems that appeal to students of all levels, but it’s probably not sufficient on its own to prep you for all aspects of SAT Math. PWN The SAT: Math Guide, 4th Edition Price:$25-$30 on Amazon PWN the SATtargets high-achieving, motivated studentswho areaiming for a top score in SAT Math.The book contains five main sections:Techniques, Heart of Algebra, Passport to Advanced Math, Problem Solving and Data Analysis, and Additional Topics in Math. Each category is broken down into its component concepts to teach you the fundamentals tested on SAT Math. Pros The book is written in an engaging, irreverent style,which can help students stay engaged with the material. It has realistic practice math problems, both Calculator and No Calculator,to help you get ready for both question types. Each chapter also provides a list of official questions of a certain type to help you drill specific skills. You can register on the PWN SAT website to get bonus material andwatch video answer explanations that walk you step by step through the practice problems. Cons Its target audience is limited.While this book will help top scorers with strong math skills, it won't be as accessible to students who struggle with math. If you want to focus on gaining foundational knowledge, PWN the SAT isn't the book for you. Although there are works by several differentauthorsto choose from to maximize your SAT Math score, I just have one author recommendation to boost your SATReading and Writing score: Erica Meltzer. Quick coffee break, and then it's on to SAT Reading and Writing. Best Books for SATReading and Writing If you're looking to brush up your reading comprehension skills or knowledge of grammar rules, I recommend Erica Meltzer's books on the Reading and Writing sections of the SAT. The Critical Reader: The Complete Guide to SAT Reading, 3rdEdition Price:$30-$35 on Amazon While studying for the SAT Reading section might seem hard to break down into specific parts, Erica Meltzer'sComplete Guide to SAT Readingdoes a good joboutlining the skills you'll need. Pros It offershelpful strategies for answering questions. While your English class might leave more room for subjective interpretation, the SAT Reading section does not. This book helps you locate the one unambiguously correct answer on reading comprehension questions. In addition to time management and reading comprehension techniques, this book teaches you how to locate and identify key information both quickly and efficiently. It provides useful strategies for approaching paired supporting evidence and data interpretation questions, many of which require you to read tables or graphs. It has a list of common, multiple-meaning words with their various definitions alongside strategies for how to use context clues to uncover the meanings of words and phrases. This book discusses question type so you can gain a better sense of what kinds of questions appear on Reading, such as main point, interpretation of detail, and vocabulary in context. It's full of high-quality questions and passages that resemble what you'll see on the SAT,including passages from US/world literature, history/social studies, and science. It also incorporates questions from the College Board and Khan Academy so you can match up concepts with relevant official sample questions. Cons Not all students are fans of the overall layout and formatting of the book,which has small, crowded font and isn't very creative or engaging. The writing style is all to the point. Some people appreciate this for its directness; other students find it dry. You can learn more about it at Meltzer's blog, The Critical Reader, and see how it suits you. It's a relatively expensive bookconsidering it only covers one section ofthe SAT. The Critical Reader: The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar, 4th Edition Price:About $30 on Amazon Erica Meltzer's Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammarclearly articulates the important grammar rules you'll need to know for the SAT Writing section and does a fantastic job getting you used to how the section will look and what kinds of questions you'll be asked on test day. Pros The questions are realistic and resemble those on the SAT Writing section. Like questions on the SAT, they are all connected to the context of a longer passage. Itbreaks down critical skills and grammar rules so you can study them individually. By learning the rules of grammar and usage, you'll be able to apply them to practice problems. Rather than just choosing an answer that sounds right, Meltzer's book will teach you all the rules you absolutely must know to get a good SAT Writing score. Cons While this book is helpful in the way it breaks the section down by skill and grammar rule, the questions on the real SATwill be in random order. This resource is useful for learning and drilling the rules, but you also want to take practice tests to make sure you can easily identify the grammar rule, even when it's not clearly laid out and labeled for you. There isn't a frequency guide, so it's hard to know which rules to prioritize over others. It's written in a similar style to her SAT Reading book, which some students might find dry. Like Meltzer's SAT Reading book, it's somewhat costly at around $30. This concludes our list of the best SAT prep books. Now, since this guide is meant to help you streamline your studying,let's discuss how you can best use these books to prep for the SAT and achieve your target scores. Key Tips for Studying With SAT Prep Books There are a lot of options when it comes to studying for the SAT from books. Rather than reading them cover to cover, you would be better served coming up with a plan and breaking each book down into smaller, manageable goals. I recommend using an official College Board practice testto give yourself a pre-testandgain a sense of your starting level, or baseline score. Use its answer key to score it and then analyze your results to determine what areas of the test you need to focus on in your prep. You could also save one of the tests to take right before you take the official SAT so you can gain a sense of how much you've improved. As mentioned, the other tests could be used as benchmarks along the way to gauge your progress and re-adjust your study plan if needed. A comprehensive book such as Kallis' or Barron's could be used alongside a subject-specific book, such as Steve Warner's Math book and Erica Meltzer's Reading and Writing guides. Depending on your goals and needs, you candecide how much time to devote to each subject to get the most out of your studying. There's a lot of room here to customize your study plan to your own strengths, weaknesses, and goals. This requires a good deal of planning and self-discipline to actually stick to your plan. You'll also benefit from reflecting on what works best for you in terms of maintaining interest, retaining information, and staying organized. If this sounds like a lot of "study prep" before you even get to your test prep, you might benefit from exploring SAT prep options beyond using an SAT book list. Time to explore! Final Tip: Explore Your SAT Prep Options The SAT is a unique test. Doing well in math and English class doesn't necessarily guarantee you a high score on SAT Math or Reading. Prep is a critical component of getting a high score for most students,which the College Board is finally acknowledgingwith its efforts to provide free online practice materials. Since youprobably don't have time to waste, you want to make the most of your prep time. If you're taking time out of your schedule to study, you should see results. PrepScholar's online SAT program was developed with these goals in mind. It retains the quality of content review, practical strategies, and SAT practice questions while adding those elements of accountability and customization. It also ensures you're getting the most out of your prep and aren't wasting time on material you already know or that won't help you on the SAT. With that same goal in mind, we've made available a number of in-depth strategy guides for the SAT, which we're adding to all the time. Here are some of our most popular guides: How to Get a Perfect 1600 SAT Score, by a 2400 Expert Full Scorer How to Get 800 on SAT Reading: 11 Strategies by a Perfect Scorer How to Get 800 on SAT Writing: 9 Strategies From a Perfect Scorer How to Get 800 on SAT Math, by a Perfect Scorer How Long Should I Study for the SAT? 6-Step Guide Should You Guess on the SAT? 6 Guessing Strategies The 21 Critical SAT Math Formulas You MUST Know The Complete Guide to SAT Grammar Rules SAT EssayPrompts: The Complete List The Best Way to Review Your Mistakes for the SAT The recommended SAT prep books can be very useful in getting you ready, but they can also feel overwhelming and repetitive,not to mention expensive. Take the time to explore your optionswhile also learning about the SAT from high-quality online resourcesand our detailed guides. If you're putting in the time to prep for the SAT, make sure that you'reseeing results and enjoying the process along the way! What's Next? Before delving into content and strategies, you should familiarize yourself with exactly what's on the SAT. Learn all about theReading, Writing, and Math sections in our individual guides. Also, read ourcomplete guide to the SATto learn more about the test overall. An important part of your study schedule is knowing exactly when you plan to take the SAT. Read all about how to choose your test dates. Did you know a lot of colleges superscore the SAT, meaning they take your highest section scores across all dates? Learn how you can use this policy to your advantage and build up your scores across different test dates. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We have the industry's leading SAT 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:

Monday, November 4, 2019

Music of history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Music of history - Essay Example All potential meaning of dreams today comes from his work. The first conflict to take place in the age of electronic distributed music was the 2nd World War. This made the 2nd World War a unique situation for music and its relationship with conflict. At the time, so many people could listen to a single performance and this made music a very effective way of communication. Every culture known in the world, all people even in the most isolated in the world have some form of music. As such, music is influenced by cultural aspects which include social and economic experiences. It expresses varying emotions and ideals, played and listened to in different situations. The attitude s of the composers, players and listeners also keep on varying in different regions and times. Recording music has left professional musicians out of work due to evils like pirating in the society. One can however say recording has liberated music as thousands of songs in MP3 players can be tucked in our purses and its history is available in disks (Katz, 100). Finally, as a result of recording, one does not have to attend live concerts to know music

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Sexual diversity in schooling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Sexual diversity in schooling - Essay Example schools in Australia through the education system about sexual diversity and inculcate in them values such as inclusion, respect for others, and fairness. The fact is, however, that sexual diversity remains a controversial topic and has largely been ignored in the education systems (Herron, & Javier, 2006). This essay will criticize the failure of the school education system to incorporate sexual diversity. The essay will also examine the consequences of failing to address these issues and helping to deal with homophobia among children and young people. According to the Australian Journal of Human Rights, sexual diversity refers to one’s experience of gender identity or transgender that goes beyond the binary or biological notions of being either male or female (Steinberg, 2009). Dr. Tracie O’Keefe originally coined the term in his paper about human rights submitted to Amnesty International in 2002. The term has gained wide usage in many circles within Australia. Sexual diversity mostly aims at celebrating diversity in gender identities as opposed to categorizing people in different sexes or genders. Sexual diversity is also a general term referring to individuals who do not identify with either masculinity or femininity with regard to their gender identity. The term includes different groups such as androgynous, transsexual, transexed, cross dressers or transgender. Other terms popular in various parts of Australia include pan-gendered, sistergirl or brotherboy, and intergender (Dijk, & Driel, 2007). Sexual diversity also includes other minority groups such as lesbians, gays, and bisexuals. These groups of individuals have received widespread discrimination and segregation in the community. Sexual diversity has been a major human rights issue in Australia in the past few years, with cases of homophobia, exclusion being on the rise. The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been at the forefront in fighting for inclusion of transgender individuals in

Thursday, October 31, 2019

The Book of Kells and its influence on the State of Arizona Research Paper

The Book of Kells and its influence on the State of Arizona - Research Paper Example It contains full pages of extraneous decoration for the canon tables; symbols and text of the evangelists Matthew (the Man), Mark (the Lion), Luke (the Calf) and John (the Eagle); the opening words of the Gospels; the Virgin and Child; a portrait of Christ, and complex narrative scenes such as the earliest to survive in gospel manuscripts which corresponds the arrest of Christ and his temptation by the Devil. The word Christ has been abbreviated with letters Chi Rho in medieval manuscripts and Chi Rho page is the most famous page in medieval art which introduces Matthew’s account of the nascence. However, the book is not a full copy of the Vulgate and contains a number of variations from the Vulgate and also some uncorrected errors. It is assumed that around 30 folios of the text had been lost in the medieval and early modern periods and some pages are deteriorated.3 According to experts, the handwriting differs throughout the text therefore the artwork seemed to have produced by at least three different artists.4 Today the manuscript contains 340 folios with 330 by 250mm dimensions, and scriptures are written with a range of pigments including yellow, red, green, purple and black. The manuscript is believed to have created by Celtic monks in year 800, but the date and origin of the book has been a controversial issue. The widely accepted belief is that the text creation might have started at Iona from where it was brought to Abbey of Kells, when Vikings invaded the island of Iona, where the artwork might have been continued to be undertaken. The text was revered at Kells as a souvenir of Saint Columba throughout the medieval periods. The Book of Kells is the considered to be one of the finest manuscripts and described as â€Å"the chief treasure of the Western world†. The Annals of Ulster record stealth of the book in year 1006 and that it discovered again after many years, stripped off its ornate gold. Around 1653, the Book of Kells was sent to Dublin, Ireland for safety concerns and after few years it was brought to Trinity College, Dublin where it has been on display in library over there. The text has been bound in four volumes, since 1953, of which two volumes can commonly be seen in library, one opened to display a major decorated page, and the other to show two pages of script.5 A quote of Sir Edward Sullivan demonstrates the concept of how mind-bending the artwork of The Book of Kells: "The finest draftsmen of the entire world have tried to recreate the Chi-Rho page, and have failed." Anyone in today's modern world could not recreate it as it takes an ineffable artist working in the Middle Ages to create something.6 However, in 1951, the first facsimile of the Book of Kells was produced by a Swiss publisher, Urs Graf Verlag Bern, in black-and-white photographs and color reproductions as well. Second facsimile in full color was produced in 1974 by photographers Thames and Hudson in Dublin, and included all the full-p age detailed illustrations and also an ornamentation representative section in the manuscript. In the 1980s, Faksimile-Verlag Luzern produced with permission from Trinity College,

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Masters of science in I.T. progam Personal Statement

Masters of science in I.T. progam - Personal Statement Example After doing a lot of background research and soul searching, I have made a decision to pursue a Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT) at the Endicott College. Soon after graduating with a degree in criminal justice, I worked closely with individuals who were experts in the field of information technology. My experience with these colleagues woke me up to the fact that the world faces a lot of challenges in relation to information technology and security. My interest in the field of information technology has continued to grow ever since. It is this interest, my great passion for new technologies, and my desire to see the world get more secure that informed that ideally informed my decision to pursue a Master of Science in Information Technology. With the current knowledge and experience I have in IT, I am confident that I am geared toward success in this course. Among the numerous colleges and universities that offer MSIT, I chose the Endicott College for a number of reasons. A research on the college reveals that the academic staffs of the university are highly trained and experienced and are drawn from different professional backgrounds. The college also has the kind of resources that are invaluable to students learning online including an e-library and resource database. The Endicott College MSIT offers the flexibility that I need as I continue working and gaining more experience. I particularly like the fact that I will be able to choose elective courses that are aligned to my specific areas of interest as I take my course at Endicott College. I am confident therefore that the college will see me develop in my career path, equipping me with skills and knowledge to solve complex problems, manage projects, and develop and work with information systems. Upon graduating with my Master degree from Endicott College, I hope to work with a reputable organization in the U.S. to gain more experience in

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Binary Input Output System

Binary Input Output System Task 1 Motherboard Name: Abit IS7-E Intel 865PE 800MHz FSB The biggest and most important circuit board of a computer system. The many components on a motherboard, they are CPU(socket),memory slots, HDD controllers and other socket and slots. Binary input Output System(BIOS),memory, mass storage interfaces, parallel and serial ports, controllers and expansion slots. It handles all memory, system resources and the processor. Power supply Name:600Watt power supply Provided through a power supply unit(PSU) to the computer. It perform (AC) current (110 or 220 V) to direct current(DC) 5V,12V,3.3V. Continuous 5power input is required for the proper Functioning of the system which can be provided through a direct power supply. Surge suppressors, power conditioners and Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) are commonly used for regulating the power input to the computer. Two type of power supply ATX power supply (24pin power supply) CPU Name: Intel P4 2.4GHz 512K HT 800MHz FSB Manages the processing and logical operations of a computer system. The two main components of a process or are the Arithmetic Logic Unit(ALU) and the Control Unit(CU).The ALU handles asthmatic and logical operation. The CUCU decodes and executes the memory instructions, processor is also commonly know as microprocessor or Central Processing Unit(CPU). Memory modules Name:DDR2 SDRAM (1GB) Storage space in the computer where digital data is stored. The main physical memory is called Random Access Memory(RAM) which allows data to read and written into it. Speed 800MHz, Pin 240. Storage devices Name: 3.5† Hard disk Drive (ATA) Maxtor 120GB 7200RPM ATA Main Storage devices is hardware device and Store information are permanently store information on a PC. Haft Disk controller pin40 Hard Drive Controllers device Circuitry that is responsible for the managing transmission of data from the computer to the hard drive and vice-versa. Display Devices Name:21† LCD Monitor Machine, which displays the data and information being entered, retrieved and the results of the processed data from the system. Some commonly used display devices are monitor, liquid Crystal Display (LCD) panel and touch screen. Adapter Cards Name: Hercules ATI Randeon9800XT 256MB Circuit in a computer system, which support a particular device. Video adapters are used to support graphics monitor. Network adaptors allow a computer to communicate with another computer. Also called expansion board, add-ons, add- ins or cards. Ports Names- RJ-4s LAN Purpose-To connect the system board and to be used input devices Characteristics-PS 2 -USB -Wireless Task-1(ii) Serial Serial ports are usually called communication port comport etc. Generally one computer can accept up to 4 serial ports (com1, com2, com3 and com4). Parallel Parallel ports must be used eight lines of wire and they can transfer the data as by the rate of eight bits in one time. So, they are only used one data line and their transference rate are five or ten times faster Fire wire The fire wire is the fire wire connector and plug most commonly used with PCs. Task-1(iii) CMOS(Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) CMOS are used very less amount of power and does not generate a high amount of heat also, as it uses both the negative and positive polarity. This features makes it usable in computer system. Basic Input Output System Pre-integrated software which determines the actions of a computer which it can perform without accessing the disk. Present in the ROM chip and contains code for various functions and devices. Post Error Code 1 short beep Normal POST system is ok 2 short beeps POST Error error code shown on screen No beep Power supply or system board problem Continuous beep Power supply, system board, or keyboard problem Repeating short beeps Power supply or system board problem 1 long, 1 short beep System board problem 1 long, 2 short beeps Display adapter problem (MDA, CGA) 1 long, 3 short beeps Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA) 3 long beeps 3270 keyboard card The errors found in BIOS that occur during the post time can be distinguished into two. (i) Non-fatal error Normally, error message can be shown on Monitor Screen such as error which can do boot set up continuously on the compute is graded as non-fatal error. (ii) Fatal error The error which cannot continue boot setup and entirely stops and make a series of beep-code sound. Depending on the BIOS, these short beep – code help the operator distinguish the fault affecting on which part of the machine. Task 2 Task-2(i) The most popular type of motherboards is AT-style motherboard and ATX-style motherboard. Advanced Technology (AT) :The older form factor standard derived from PC-XT and PC-AT specifications. Advanced Technology Extended (ATX): A newer form factor standard that has been introduced to overcome problems found in the AT-style designs. The main components of a motherboard are the CU and its chipset, the system clock, the ROM , BIOS, the RAM, the system bus with expansion slots, jumpers and DIP, power supply connections and communication ports like the serial, parallel, USB and infrared ports. Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus. This Architecture was originally used in the IBM PC/XT and PC/AT. It is a very old technology used for connecting peripheral device. Task 2 (ii) Advanced BIOS Features This category displays the amount of memory detected by the BIOS. The value of the base (or conventional)memory is typically 640K or more memory installed on the main board. The value of the extended memory is the amount of memory located above 1MB in the main board. Fig.1 Standard CMOS Features The Standard CMOS setup screens from various BIOS manufactures all provide the same basic information .They can be used to set the system clock/calendar, establish disk-drive parameters and video display type, and specify which types of errors will halt the system during the POST. Fig. 2 Task- 2 (iii) a Print technologies Impact technologies( Dot-matrix printer) Non- Impact technologies(ink-jet, Laser printer) Ink-jet printer An inkjet printer is a non-impact printer that uses droplets of ink to create image on the paper. Inkjet printer is popular for home user due to its ability to print color. It is cheaper than laser printer but expensive to maintain. Inkjet’s cartridges need to replace frequently and special coated paper is required for high quality photo out. Task-2(iii)b Common Printer Problems When a printer has been out of paper, or had a paper jam, or some other condition that keeps it from giving output for several minutes, the lpq command ceases to indicate the particular condition, and simply shows it as stalled(n sec), with n>>1000. So if you see this message, you need to go to the printer itself and find out what is wrong. On the other hand, when a condition has been corrected, the lpq command may continue to report the condition for about a minute more; so a warning like No paper tray when the paper has just been reloaded can usually be ignored. You can likewise ignore the warning No daemon present when a job has just been submitted after the queue was empty. Task3 Network cable A Network is a collection of computers linked to one another allowing information and resources to be shared between them. A network is setup by connecting the various computers through the cables, connectors and connectivity devices such as hubs or switches along with which necessary protocols for enable communication between them are implemented. Any computer can access a network directly by using a network adapter expansion card also known as Network Interface card(NIC) and a network cable. Types of cable are Coaxial cable: Contains a central wire which is insulated and on top of which there is a braided wire. Coaxial cables can carry more data and are less prone to interference. Plenum cable: Has an outer shield made of Teflon which is a fire repellant and which does not produce poisonous fumes when burnt. Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP)cable: Two cables and switched wires so that the noises of the two separate wire that are cover in a shield of foil, so that data transmission is safer. Connectors : Some Commonly connectors in a network Are: BNC, RJ-45,AUI, ST/SC and IDC/UDC. (ii) Five different technologies are 1. ASDL 2. Wi Max 3. IP Star 4. PSIN (dial up) 5. ISDN (digital) 1.ADSL Asymmetric DSL (ADSL) works by splitting the phone line into two frequency ranges. The frequencies below 4KHz are reserved for voice, and the range above that is used for data. This makes it possible to use the line for phone calls and data network access at the same time. This type of DSL is called asymmetric because more bandwidth is reserved for receiving data than for sending data. Asymmetric variations include ADSL standards facilitates interoperability between all standard forms of ADSL. Strengths The internet connection can remain open while the phone line is used for voice calls.DSL service employs phone wires between the home and the telephone switching center. Weakness ADSL works by splitting the phone line into two frequency ranges. The frequencies below 4 V Hz are reserved for voice, and the range above that is used for data.DSL service is not available in all locations. 2. Wi Max Wi Fi is used by wireless LANs. Strength : Mobile PC might be connected to printers, scanners or voice over IP headset. Laptop user would wirelessly connect to a digital project. Weakness: To extend broadband wireless connectivity to new locations and over longer distances. 3. IP Star Strength: can access from everywhere. Low Noise Block (LNB) removes the noise and convert into digital signal. Weakness: Weak signal is limited power available in orbit satellites tend to broadcast on very lower power. Extremely high cost between$100 to$ 600 million to build . 4. PSIN (dial up) As the distance between terminals increases ,it soon becomes impractical to use dedicated cabling to carry data .Fortunately ,a very extensive communications network is already in existence :the public telephone network. Strengths The world’s largest communications network is the public telephone system. When computers use this network to communicate with each other it is referred to as dial-up networking (DUP). Weakness Must wait for certain time to convert digital to analog and transmit ion is not binary but analog, so signal may weakness at certain point need exchange to pump up. 5. ISDN (digital Line) ISDN service offers high-speed access to the ,public telephone system. ISDN service requires digital modems. Strengths The fastest, most expensive ISDN service is broadband ISDN. This level of service provides extremely high transfer rates (up to 622Mbps) over coaxial or fiber-optic cabling. Weakness Two wire system is expended in four wire system thought a network terminator. Task-3(3) 5 Networking capabilities of Windows XP -Wireless Firewall -Offline Offer Remote Assistance Remote Desktop Task 4 Task 4(i) 10 Windows XP system files HAL.DLL: Hardware abstraction layer (HAL) driver that holds information specific to the CPU that the OS is running on. SMSS.EXE: A file that contains information to carry out pre -start functions such as running in boot time version of CHKDSK called AUTOCHTC. SMSS.EXE: A file that contains information to carry out pre -start functions such as running in boot time version of CHKDSK called AUTOCHTC. BOOT.INI: A text file that contains the boot loader menu that is displayed on the startup screen. BOOT SECT.DOS: Responsible for loading the operating system other than the default operating Ntoskrnl.exe: Executive and kernel, executive and kernel with support for Physical Address. Ntkrnlpa.exe: Extension (PAE), which allows addressing of more than 4 gigabytes(GB) of physical memory. User32.dll: Core Win32 subsystem DLLs. Test -4 (ii) ( Fig. 1 ) Microsoft Management Console Some of the windows 2000/XP management consoles are not loaded when the operating system is installed. However, they are available for installation from the Windows2000/XP CDs. These consoles are referred to as snap-ins. In addition to using the Control Panel, you can access all the installed MMCs by typing selecting Start, Programs, Administrative Tools, or by tying MMC in the Start, Run dialog box. The MMC is a flexible tool that enables you to add snap-in tools(utilities) to create custom management consoles that can be saved and used at any time .Extended discussions of these tools are presented throughout the remainder of the text as they apply to managing and troubleshooting the operating system. ( Fig. 2 ) Event Viewer System events include items such as successful and failed Windows computer startups ,as well as successful loading of device drivers. Likewise, application events include information about how the system’s applications are performing. Not all Windows applications generate events that the Event Viewer will log. Security events are produced by user actions such as logons and logoffs, file and folder accesses, and creation of new Active Directory accounts. Task Manager To start Task Manager, take any of the following actions: Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE, and then click Task Manager. Press CTRL+SHIFT+ESC. Right-click an empty area of the taskbar, and then click Task Manager. Task-4(iii) Interactively install a Plug and Play device You can use this procedure to install a device that is not currently plugged into the computer, and for which a device driver is not currently staged in the driver store. If a device driver is staged in the driver store, then it is installed with no interaction required by the user, and the Found New Hardware dialog box does not appear. To install a Plug and Play device interactively when you plug it in Plug the new device into the computer. In the Found New Hardware dialog box, select one of the following: Locate and install driver software. Selecting this option begins the installation process. For more information, see Additional considerations in this topic. Ask me again later. The device is not installed and no configuration change is made to your computer. If the device is still plugged in the next time you log on to the computer, then this dialog box appears again. Dont show this message again for this device. Selecting this option configures the Plug and Play service to not install the driver for this device, and does not make the device functional. To complete the installation of the device driver, you must detach the device and reattach it. Task 5 BIOS is a collection of programmes written in low-level language (mostly assembly language) and it has to carry out the functions necessary for computing the boot during the period between point of the computer power to the starting point of the operation system. There are many thousands of individual error messages; some are more common than others because there are only a few different BIOS companies that are used by the majority of PCs out there today. However, since the exact wording of an error message can be changed by the manufacturer of each system or motherboard, there are a lot of variations. The common problem of error codes and message from the boot sequence are CMOS battery failed CMOS checksum error – Default lobed . Task-5(ii) The following utilities will help you troubleshoot the most common causes of system problem 1. Microsoft Management Console 2. Disk Defragmenter 3. Control Panel 1. Microsoft Management Console Microsoft Management Console (MMC) hosts administrative tools that you can use to administer networks, computers, services, and other system components. For help with specific tasks. For general background information. For information about accessibility features. For problem-solving instructions. 2. Disk Defragmenter Disk Defragmenter is a system utility for analyzing local volumes and locating and consolidating fragmented files and folders. You can also defragment disks from a command line using the defrag command. Before defragmenting files or folders. For tips about using Disk Defragmenter. For help with specific tasks. For general background information. For problem-solving instructions. 3.Control Panel The Windows XP Control Panel, also offers some additional features and functionality not in previous Windows 9x and NT/2000 versions. In Windows XP, the Control Panel options is included directly on the Start menu instead of a submenu. Under the native Windows XP version of the Control Panel, the applets are organized into nine related categories. The view that display the Control Panel items is referred into as the Category view. Reference Web Reference www.pchell.com http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/1634/ddkx48pb02yf2.jpg www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000980.htm www.articlesbase.com/communication-articles/wireless-broadband-how-to-improve-the-signal-strength-in-your-home-589595.html Book Reference (1)Fundamentals of Hardware and Operating Systems(Operating System Technologies) (2)Fundamentals of Hardware and Operating Systems(Hardware Service Technician) (3)Tease’s Practical Guide for Computer Hardware Peripherals