PC-SIG: World of Education/PC-SiG's World of Education.iso/run/2729/pcsig.txt

Text File | 1992-10-13 | 7.6 KB | 155 lines

Author ID: 06484BAIJ
Program Submission:
Program Title: Verbal Vanquish
PC-SIG Catalog Number: 2729

                     SUBMISSION/UPDATE INFORMATION FORM

Submission's Version Number: 1.21

This program is an update of a program already in the PC-SIG Library.

Author Information:
Name: James Bair
Address: P.O. Box 203
City: Shelton     State: CT     Zip: 06484
Daytime Phone: [phone]    Evening Phone: [phone]

I am the author of this shareware program and hereby authorize PC-SIG to
distribute my new version of this program.

                 SUBMISSION/UPDATE INFORMATION FORM (cont.)

Program Title: Verbal Vanquish

Detailed Program Description:
    Tutorial for preparing for the Verbal Portions of College Entrance
Examinations, P.S.A.T., S.A.T., A.C.T., G.R.E., and similar tests.
    VERBAL VANQUISH serves a need which no other shareware program that I
know of addresses directly--preparation for the Scholastic Aptitude Test's
Verbal questions.  Computer programmers are often Math whizzes and
educational software selctions reflect that.  Other than vocabulary builders
and simple Question-Answer quizzers there has been nothing geared towards
preparing for the Verbal/English Aptitude portion of College Board tests.
And the Verbal portion of the tests is more critical for college and grad
school admissions and scholarship awards.  (For example, to determine
eligibility for National Merit Scholarships, the P.S.A.T. Verbal score is
doubled while the Math score remains the same.)
    VERBAL VANQUISH is meant to "vanquish the anguish" of people taking the
verbal portion of the S.A.T. and similar tests.  It consists of ten tutorial
lessons and a strategic vocabulary list.
    VERBAL VANQUISH emphasizes test-taking strategy and includes sample
questions which have actually appeared on S.A.T.'s.  The program reviews the
kinds of questions to expect, how to best answer them, things to look for
and look out for, what the tests are supposed to show, and how to avoid
common mistakes.  If students use the information and practice the
strategies in VERBAL VANQUISH, they will be mentally and psychologically
ready to do their best.
    The program is based on the author's research and personal experience
with the S.A.T.'s.  He has taught classes and tutored individuals on the
subject of the S.A.T.'s.  His own S.A.T. score was just shy of 1500.  He has
been teaching High School English for over ten years.  In 1990 he was
awarded a General Electric STAR Teacher Award and was named to WHO'S WHO
AMONG AMERICA'S TEACHERS.  In 1987 he received an achievement certificate
from the National Council of Teachers of English.

Who is the intended user?
Students applying to college or graduate school who want to improve their
verbal scores on college entrance exams.  Teachers and tutors helping such
students.  Parents of such students.

    This update includes a few text corrections, more information on the new
S.A.T.-I test, and an improved menu.  Also makes the companion program,
MATH VANQUISH (for Math S.A.T.) available to registered users.

Unique Features:
(See review above).
It emphasizes strategies.  It tells how to take such standardized tests.  It
is based on research and experience.  It will work.
There is nothing like it in shareware.  There are some excellent vocabulary
builders in shareware.  (VERBAL VANQUISH does have word list to help, but
programs like WORD-PART DICTIONARY are more extensive.)  I have seen simple
Question-Answer programs using standardized questions.  But VERBAL VANQUISH
analyzes the questions, tells you what to expect, and even tells you what
the test makers are thinking and what the colleges expect.  It includes
guessing strategies, key words to look out for, and how to avoid common
mistakes.  Take a look and you will see what I mean.

Program's capacity or limitations:
The Lesson files must be on the same diskette or in the same directory as
the CAI.EXE, FILE1.BUF, VV.COM, and VV.CAI files.  Since the complete
program takes up about 500K of disk storage, this means that, if smaller
diskettes are used, those four files must be on all diskettes.  If 360K
diskettes are used, for example, both 360K floppies must contain those four
files since two 360K floppies are needed to store all the files.  720K or
higher capacity disks recommended.

System Requirements:
512K memory, one floppy disk drive, monochrome monitor.  No special
graphics card or driver is needed.  Color monitors work fine.  Uses D.O.S.
version 2.1 or higher.  Any ASCII printer for the text files.

How to start the program:
Enter VV at the D.O.S. prompt.  Choose which lesson you want to study when
the menu appears.
For full instructions enter README at the D.O.S. prompt and a self-scrolling
instruction file will appear.  This can be printed.

Registration Fee, Materials, and Services:
S.A.T. VANQUISH Registration $35.00.  This has all the features of the
Complete Registration plus MATH VANQUISH, a companion program for the
Math S.A.T.
Complete Registration is $25.00.  This includes latest diskettes, support
and updates for a year, and one publication--probably the best
vocabulary builder written with the S.A.T. and similar tests in mind.  The
first publication is SCHOLASTIC APTITUDE VOCABULARY by J. R. Orgel.  This
book was the pioneering work on the S.A.T.'s and has been updated several
times.  It is not normally available in commercial bookstores.  Teachers and
tutors registering will get a teacher's guide to this as well.
These materials would also be included in a site license for schools or
businesses which is available.  The site license terms apply to tutors who
want to distribute copies for their students.
Basic Registration is $5.00.  This includes support for a year.  The author
meant this option for the students themselves so that virtually anyone could
afford registration.

List of program files and one-line description of each file:
CAI.EXE--The Computer Assisted Instruction interpeter, PC-CAI.
FILE1.BUF--A null or small file needed to run CAI.EXE.
README.EXE--Self-scrolling instruction file described above.
VV.COM--The VERBAL VANQUISH command file which runs the program.
WORDLIST.EXE--Self-scrolling list of words and word parts described above.
ORDER.EXE--Self-scrolling order form.
SATREPLY.EXE--Self-scrolling file on choosing a test preparation program.
1STARTUP.CAI--Lesson One.  How to get started with the lessons.
2PURPOSE.CAI--Lesson Two.  The Purpose and Scope of the S.A.T. Verbals.
3ANTONYM.CAI--Lesson Three.  How to do your best on Antonym questions.
4ANALGY1.CAI--Lesson Four.  How to do your best on Analogy questions.
5ANALGY2.CAI--Lesson Five.  A continuation of Lesson Four.
6SENTCOM.CAI--Lesson Six.  Doing your best on Sentence Completion questions.
7READIN1.CAI--Lesson Seven.  Doing your best on Reading Comprehension
    passages.
8READIN1.CAI--Lesson Eight.  A continuation of Lesson Seven.
9TSWE.CAI--Lesson Nine.  How to do your best on Grammar (TSWE) questions.
LASTIPS.CAI--Lesson Ten.  Hints for general test-taking and applying to
    schools.
VV.CAI--The VERBAL VANQUISH Menu file.

The compressed distribution disk currently uses LHA-based self-extracting
files.
The files on the compressed distribution disk are as follows:
READ1ST.EXE--Self-scrolling extraction instruction file.
VVFILE1.LZH--Compressed file with the four necessary files.
VVFILE2.LZH--Compressed file with the first six lesson files and README.EXE.
VVFILE3.LZH--Compressed file with the last three lesson files, WORDLIST.EXE,
             ORDER.EXE, and SATREPLY.EXE.