Skill 7
Focus on the Order of Events
One common purpose for reading is to learn how to do something. For example, you can learn how to cook a certain dish by reading a recipe, or how to operate a computer by reading a user’s manual. Or you may read in order to understand the steps in a process, such as how an automobile engine works or how to apply for a loan from a bank. In this kind of reading, it is important to understand the sequence of the events that are described. When you are following a recipe, you need to know what to do first, second, or third. When you are trying to learn how an engine functions, you need to understand what happens first, what happens next, and what happens last.
Often on the ASVAB you may be asked to do this kind of reading. For example, you may read a set of directions and then be asked what to do after a certain step in the process. For this kind of reading, pay close attention to the order of the steps or events that are described. Make sure you are reading critically and focusing on details.
Here is an example.
Read the passage and answer the item.
Getting Your First Passport |
STEP 1: Complete and Submit Form DS-11: Application For A U.S. Passport |
Complete Form DS-11: Application for a U.S. Passport. To submit Form DS-11, you: |
• Must apply in person at an Acceptance Facility or Passport Agency |
• Must include the additional documentation required by Form DS-11 (See Steps 2-5) |
• Must not sign the application until instructed to do so by the Acceptance Agent |
• Must provide your SSN in accordance with 26 U.S.C. 6039E |
STEP 2: Submit Evidence of U.S. Citizenship |
When applying for a U.S. passport in person, evidence of U.S. citizenship must be submitted with Form DS-11. All documentation submitted as citizenship evidence will be returned to you. These documents will be delivered with your newly issued U.S. passport or in a separate mailing. |
STEP 3: Present Identification |
When applying for a U.S. passport in person, acceptable identification must be presented at the time of application. |
Which of the following is true? |
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The passage indicates that you must follow the steps in this process in the following order: (1) fill out the application, (2) do not sign it until instructed to do so, (3) present proof of citizenship, (4) provide your social security number, and (5) receive your passport at a later time. The only correct answer is choice B.
Test Yourself!
Read the passage and answer the question. Circle the letter of your choice.
I woke up this morning to a bright sky and a breathtaking mountain view out my bedroom window. I looked for the newspaper, then went to the kitchen and started the coffee maker. I felt very hungry so I made myself some scrambled eggs with some toast and potatoes. When I finished breakfast I took my vitamins and washed them down with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. Leaving the dishes in the sink, I showered, got dressed, and went off to work.
Which of the following lists the correct sequence?
Looking at the mountain view, making breakfast, drinking orange juice, showering
Looking for the newspaper, squeezing orange juice, going off to work, looking at the mountain view
Eating breakfast, showering, noticing the mountain view, going off to work
Taking vitamins, making scrambled eggs, leaving the dishes in the sink, going off to work
On the lines provided, copy the following sentences in the proper order for the events described.
I underlined the important points. After a few hours, I tested my knowledge of dates and people in the Civil War. I was worried about scoring well on my history test. I found a comfortable place to study and settled in for a long session. Opening my history book to Chapter 12, I started reading.
