i think the key to understanding hard science is to understand that the name itself is irrelevant, it's simply a label to organize information with. if you have a hard time reading and understanding science questions like i do, take the The Martian approach and just call it a pirate-ninja. the name doesn't matter as long as you know what it does.
ex.
"Which of the following contributes to lichen symbiosis by producing sugar through photo synthesis?"
what
"Which of the following helps grass helpers by making sugar through photosynthesis?"
better
is lichen grass? no, but the word makes me think of grass for some reason every time i read it, so it's easier to just call it grass. i know that symbiosis is when two or more organisms help each other, but sometimes there's so much jargon i need to simplify it.
ex 2
"In which phase of bacteriophage infection do the tail fibers stick to the receptors of the host cell?"
huh
"In which phase of infection do the bacteria stick to the host?"
better
the key is to look at what the question is asking first.
-First, start with the interrogative: who, what, when, where, why, which, etc
[In which phase] of bacteriophage infection do the tail fibers stick to the receptors of the host cell?
-Next, ignore jargon and pick out what looks familiar.
[In which phase] of bacteriophage [infection] do the tail fibers [stick to] the receptors of the [host] cell?
-Change/eliminate jargon
In which phase of bacteriophage (adjective) infection do the tail fibers (excess info) stick to the receptors (excess info) of the host cell?
Which of the following contributes to lichen symbiosis grass helpers by producing sugar through photosynthesis?
tip: if multiple choice, answers can contribute to knowledge and understanding. read the entire question and answer set before making a decision
-FINAL IMPORTANT STEP BEFORE ANSWERING
Once you have a better understanding of what the question is asking, you must go back and learn the details. Maybe tail fibers was important, because it's different from when something else attaches to it. Knowing the actual term for pirate-ninjas will be essential for actual learning (you can still call them pirate-ninjas, dw).
This strategy can be applied to any reading btw, and the important thing is to practice (and remember dictionaries exist lol i forget that a lot)
reading/media comprehension and being able to use context clues to understand what you don't know are essential to everyday life, even if you're not a big reader!
i actively encourage you to engage with material that's "too hard" or "too advanced" for you, because even if you don't end up understanding it, you at least tried, and it benefits your brain significantly!
feel free to reblog/reply if you want further elaboration or have questions i'm happy to answer :)
(also they got rid of underlining in posts so i color coded stuff, unfortunately i'm not sure about the colorblind-friendliness of that so i included brackets/quotes around/strikethroughs through the colorful text as well)
