title: Problem Solving and Comprehension author: Whimbey, Arthur.; Lochhead, Jack publisher: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. isbn10 | asin: 0805832742 print isbn13: 9780805832747 ebook isbn13: 9780585277233 language: English Problem solving--Problems, exercises, etc, subject Comprehension--Problems, exercises, etc, Reasoning--Problems, exercises, etc. publication date: 1999 lcc: BF449.W45 1999eb ddc: 153.4/3 Problem solving--Problems, exercises, etc, subject: Comprehension--Problems, exercises, etc, Reasoning--Problems, exercises, etc. Page iii Problem Solving and Comprehension Sixth Edition Arthur Whimbey Text Reconstruction Across the Curriculum Institute Albuquerque, New Mexico Jack Lochhead DeLiberate Thinking Conway, Massachusetts Page iv Copyright © 1999 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by photostat, microfilm, retrieval system, or any other means, without prior written permission of the publisher. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Publishers 10 Industrial Avenue Mahwah, NJ 07430 Cover design by Kathryn Houghtaling Lacey Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Whimbey, Arthur. Problem solving and comprehension / Arthur Whimbey, Jack Lochhead.6th ed. p. cm. ISBN 0-8058-3274-2 (pbk.) 1. Problem solvingProblems, exercises, etc. 2. Comprehension Problems, exercises, etc. 3. ReasoningProblems, exercises, etc. I. Lochhead, Jack, 1944- . BF449.W45 1999 153.4'3dc21 98-33156 CIP Books published by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates are printed on acid-free paper, and their bindings are chosen for strength and durability. Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Page v Contents Preface vii I. Test your MindSee how it Works 1 II. Errors in Reasoning 11 III. Problem-Solving Methods 21 IV. Verbal Reasoning Problems 43 V. Six Myths About Reading 139 VI. Analogies 143 VII. Writing Relationship Sentences 157 VIII. How to Form Analogies 173 IX. Analysis of Trends and Patterns 195 X. Deductive and Hypothetical Thinking Through Days of223 the Week XI. Solving Mathematical Word Problems 241 XII. The Post-WASI Test 334 XIII. Meeting Academic and Workplace Standards: How 342 This Book can Help XIV. How to Use Pair Problem Solving 360 Appendix I. Answer Key 365 Appendix II. Compute your Own IQ 385 References 386 Page vii Preface Suppose you asked people the following questions: Would you like greater skill in solving math and logic problems? Would you like to sharpen your grasp of the ideas you read in scientific publications, medical reports, textbooks, and legal contracts? Most people would answer "yes" to these questions. They'd be happy to gain increased capability to reasonbecause in today's world it's almost impossible to avoid doing some problem solving and technical reading. The business world and the classroom have always put a premium on mental skills. Today, even in the home, checkbooks and budgets need balancing, wits are challenged by directions for assembling toys and stereo or computer equipment, income tax forms must be deciphered, and so on. This book shows you how to increase your power to analyze problems and comprehend what you read and hear. First it outlines and illustrates the methods that good problem solvers use in attacking complex ideas. Then it gives you practice in applying these methods to a variety of questions in comprehension and reasoning. As you work through the book you will witness a steady improvement in your analytical thinking skills. You will develop confidence in your own ability to solve problems, and this increased confidence will give you a vigorous, positive attitude when attacking problems. If you're willing to work and practice, you will be rewarded. For example, at some time you may have to take a test to enter college, medical school, or law schoolor to be hired for a particular job. Here are some of the tests commonly used for college and job selection: Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) Graduate Record Examination (GRE) ACT Work Keys Terra Nova Law School Admission Test (LSAT) Wonderlic Personnel Test United States Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery Civil Service Examinations Page viii Tests such as these are made up of problems; the better you are at problem solving, the higher your scores will be. If you put the techniques you learn in this book to work, you can expect to see real gains in your scores on selection tests. Your school grades can also be improved with the techniques you learn here because you will have a two-edged sword. First, you'll be better prepared to understand your textbooks and lectures so that your mastery of courses will be fuller and deeper. You'll be a better thinker and learner. In addition, when exam time rolls around, your sharpened reading and reasoning skills will give you a strong advantage in interpreting questions and answering them. The thinking skills you learn in this book go beyond tests and school learning. You'll find them useful in all occupations that involve reading technical materials or tackling difficult problems. With the growth of technology, such occupations represent an expanding portion of the job market. X-ray technicians, TV repairpersons, registered nurses, computer programmers, and accountants are all called upon to comprehend and coordinate advanced areas of knowledge. Automobile repair has become a field of specialists. Modern fuel injection systems are so intricate that a person can't understand and repair them without the ability to read complex descriptions and directions. Skilled operators are needed for the new automotive diagnostic equipment, which is used to get a profile of engine performance and difficulties. Even farming today has become a detailed science in which soils are chemically analyzed and then treated with spectrums of additives to produce maximum yields of high-paying crops. To be successful, a farmer has to have considerable knowledge about both chemical products and crop-market trends. In short, the techniques you learn in this book can help you on tests, in your academic courses, and in any occupations that involve analyzing, untangling, or comprehending knotty ideas. New in the Sixth Edition After 20 years any book will become a little dated. Yet much of Problem Solving and Comprehension is as fresh and as useful today as it was when the first edition was published in 1979. Strong analytical thinking is a constant. It changes little over the centuries. In preparing the sixth edition of this book we made some minor changes to the language: We changed the names of some of our characters to make them represent more accurately the cross section of students attending today's schools; we changed the dates in some problems; we updated the technology referred to in others.
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