I had to Google “albatross” myself. It’s a golf term with which I was not familiar, but I suspected it was a golf term from Golfgr8’s name and the use of “eagle” in relation to a number. But for those context clues, I probably would have approached the question in the same way you did, @SatchelSF.
As for snobbishness, I think it’s something that everyone who reaches a certain level of financial, professional, and/or educational attainment has to guard against. I don’t think it’s fair, however, to attribute snobbishness to an entire school (or type of school), especially with respect to schools in which a large number of students receive significant financial aid. To me, the label applies to a person who feels superior to another person who lacks similar standing or experiences (i.e., it’s individual to a person), and I tend to associate it with a “holier than thou” attitude.
I also hail from a lower SES, am the product of public secondary schools (of the type where I witnessed a student physically attack a teacher and a different student with brass knuckles fight another student), and I lived a handful of houses down the street from a drug dealer. My background colors my perspective quite a bit. I am proud of the degrees that I have received, and of how I earned them without the benefit of privilege. But I now work in a professional environment in which the large majority of my work colleagues enjoyed a decidedly more privileged upbringing than me, and I have changed as a result of my post-graduation environment and norms. I used to fool myself into believing that I have not changed, but I have.
My DC’s childhood does not remotely resemble mine, but my wife and I strive to teach DC to appreciate and understand the privileges DC enjoys, and I like to think we have been largely successful in doing so. Benefiting from privilege does not make one a snob; believing the privilege makes you better than others does. Chief Justice Roberts recently gave a graduation speech (which one can find from a quick Google search) at his son’s middle school. Among other things, he said: “And if you weren’t privileged when you came here, you are privileged now because you have been here. My advice is: Don’t act like it.” Translation = don’t be a snob (or other choice adjective).
Bravo @SatchelSF & @CaliPops ! Great social commentary, also. May I just say that you make us all smile a lot SSAT study news :bz here is the buzz: In the olden days, I took the Miller Analogy Test. There were many items that were sports related ( Football:Basketball as 11:?):
Knicks:N.Y. as Bulls:?), Wing:Hockey as ____ is to football? One item had to do with a whole to part analogy using parts of fishing rods. Point is it made me think of analogy items in different ways and to know that, for example, a “leader” is not always a person. So, there is always the chance of a play on words. :-*
@Golfgr8 the other sports analogies I get! Yea, me! Golf was just one of those sports I was never exposed to. I’m just glad I don’t have to take these tests!! I’m done with them (well, except the every 10 years one, but no random analogies on that)!
I’m confused as to the snobbish references @CaliPops …did I miss something? It’s funny, though, that you shared because we have a very similar background. My mother & father were the firsts of their family to go to college, although mom dropped out to raise her earlier than expected family. And my sister & I were the first to earn post-graduate degrees after public/state education. Hopefully, I’ve afforded my children a better opportunity whilst keeping them grounded. (I couldn’t help it—-I had to! Lol).
On snobbishness and privilege, I recently read a good opinion piece in the Exonian (PEA school newspaper), by a student. Her basic message: “Stop telling us that we are the best and brightest!”
Linking to the opinion piece is a violation of PEA’s media access policy, but it is easy to search once in the site by the title “Exonians are not the Best and Brightest.” Worth reading, if only for the perceptive author’s exasperation that “being called such does more damage than good.”
Now, I gotta go work on my swing. It’s not possible to get an albatross on a driving range, is it? Maybe in reverse for me, as in it only takes me three swings to connect and not my usual six?
Since you posted on December 11, two days of the December 9th SSAT, I’ll assume you’ll be taking the January SSAT. If that is the case I’ll try and give you a few tips. Some side information about me, normally I considered myself to be a significantly better math student than reading or verbal, but on the SSAT, I got in the 94th percentile for math, and 97th for reading, my parents were shocked when they saw that, as was I.
BE CALM-when I took my first SSAT I actually ended up scoring higher than I did on my second one, I don't know how, but I did. I assume that is because during the entirety of my first SSAT I kept telling myself that it doesn't matter because I will be able to take it again, whereas during the second one I was panicking.
Read the questions, then read the section- Make sure that you know what you are going to have to answer, and that you understand what is being asked.
Check your answers- The reading section was the section I would say where you have the least amount of excess time, it is important, however, to make sure that you didn't make any stupid or careless mistakes during the section. Although time is a factor during this section, I would recommend even after you just answered the questions on a section to double check them to see they make sense. Make sure to keep an eye on the clock though.
If there are words you don't understand, use context clues to infer them- During both of my tests, I had one section where it was either a poem, or a story using old-timey language, and by old-timey, I mean Shakespearean language. Even though it was one of the shorter sections I would say I spent the most time on it, just to make sure I understood what it was saying. I recommend doing the same.
These are just some tips that helped me, good luck!