{"id":3233,"date":"2022-05-04T03:14:35","date_gmt":"2022-05-04T03:14:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.testgeek.com\/blog\/?p=3233"},"modified":"2022-05-18T17:53:54","modified_gmt":"2022-05-18T17:53:54","slug":"evading-the-reading-section-answer-choice-traps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.testgeek.com\/blog\/evading-the-reading-section-answer-choice-traps\/","title":{"rendered":"Evading the SAT Reading Section Answer Choice Traps"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

As we talked about with the SAT reading section question types,<\/a> the SAT will only ever provide one completely 100% no doubt correct answer choice.\u00a0 In spite of this, the SAT still has some tricks up its sleeve to try and pull students off the path of ace-ing the test.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

No matter the question type and no matter the answer choices, (pardon the incoming cliche) your best defense will always be a strong offense.\u00a0 Treat every question like it\u2019s a fill-in-the-blank and come up with your own rock-solid answer before ever looking at the answer choices.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\r\n

Kickstart Your SAT Prep with Test Geek\u2019s Free SAT Study Guide.<\/a><\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

If you go into the answer choices with your own answer locked in, your chances of falling into answer choice traps are already significantly lower.\u00a0 Analyzing answer choice traps should be your safety net to answering correctly- never your only strategy.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Listed below are seven common traps with which the SAT will try and lead you astray.\u00a0 Armed with your own unique answers and this guide, you\u2019re sure to approach each question informed, prepared, and set to succeed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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1. The Good with the Bad<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Breakdown: answer choice traps that fall under the Good with the Bad category are typically two-part answer choices where one part is correct and the other is juuuust<\/em> close enough to being correct that at first glance, we might pick it. Two-part answers show up when there is a shift, connection, tension, or change in the passage.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The Good with the Bad trap relies on you being in a hurry. A lot of the SAT\u2019s trickiness relies on you being in a hurry, in fact. Knowing this, we fight back by taking our time.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Read the whole answer choice from start to finish. That\u2019s it!\u00a0 That\u2019s the tip.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I know it doesn\u2019t sound revelatory, but it works.\u00a0 If you have your own idea of the answer beforehand and you read an answer choice all the way through, you can decide for yourself if each part matches what you already know to be true.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Let\u2019s look at an example.\u00a0 Question 27 of your passage asks: Over the course of the passage, the primary focus shifts from\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

We know we\u2019re looking at a Big Picture question, and we know that our answer choices will most likely be two-part answers.\u00a0 This clues us into the possibility of a Good with the Bad trap.\u00a0 Our plan of attack is to answer this on our own first and then read each choice all the way through.\u00a0 Our correct answer is the only one that aligns 100% with our reading of the text.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

2. Incorrect Scope<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Breakdown: when approaching a question on the SAT reading section, it\u2019s important to understand the scope <\/em>of what\u2019s being asked of you. Is it a Big Picture question that wants you to summarize the main idea of the whole passage?\u00a0 That\u2019s a pretty broad scope. Is it a Detail question asking about Jesse\u2019s face on line 48? That\u2019s a pretty narrow scope.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Whatever the scope of your question, your answer choice should match. Broad scope question = broad scope answer. Nice and easy!\u00a0 Where the trouble may come is in tricky answer choices that include some <\/em>of what was in the passage but have the entirely wrong scope.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Let\u2019s say I\u2019m trying to find the main argument of a scientist in a passage. I know that I\u2019m going to be summarizing a lot of information and glossing over some of the more tiny details.\u00a0 I start running behind on timing and rush to the answer choices. When I do, answer B that correctly restates one of the scientist\u2019s results jumps out to me. I choose B.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Tragedy strikes: I get that question wrong.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Where did I go wrong? The answer is scope. If my question told me to find the main idea, one tiny experiment result isn\u2019t going to cut it.\u00a0 What happened to me, and to lots of test-takers, is I started to run out of time and I panic-chose the choice that looked closest to something I recognized. Your best friend in the reading section is going to be a small test-appropriate watch.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Keeping on track of time will help you avoid situations like the one above so that you have time to double-check the scope and make sure your answer choice follows the same pattern.<\/p>\r\n

Feeling Overwhelmed? Get 1-on-1 SAT Help from a Test Geek Tutor.<\/a><\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

3. True But Not Correct<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Breakdown: True but not Correct and Incorrect Scope answer traps have the same tempting component that may lead us to pick them by accident.\u00a0 They have a detail that makes them seem true <\/em>or logical, but in the specific context of our question, they won\u2019t fit perfectly.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

One clue that the answer choice might be True but not Correct is if it feels really familiar, but you can\u2019t find it anywhere in the passage. Oftentimes the SAT will put answer choices in the reading section that either matches popular opinion or sound like common sense. Don\u2019t fall for these traps.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Always, always prove your answer choices to yourself. If the detail is not in the passage, it shouldn\u2019t be part of your answer.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\r\n
\r\n
\"\"

Think of the SAT answer choices as solving a puzzle. All you have to do is figure out the pattern.<\/p><\/div>\r\n

<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

4. Imprecise Word Meanings<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Breakdown: Imprecise Word Meaning answer choices show up when we\u2019re dealing with Vocab-in-Context questions, and they look similar to ways we <\/em>might use that vocab word. The Vocab questions, and their answer choices, test you to see whether or not you go back to the text and read through the selected sentence.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

When you see a vocab question, go back to the text, read the whole <\/em>sentence, replace the vocab word with your own, and only then, come back and look at the answer choices.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Answering Vocab questions this way helps you avoid falling into the trap of Imprecise Word Meanings. If you come to the answer choices with an idea of context and <\/em>a word replacement of your own already in mind, you are far less likely to be pulled off course by imprecise meanings.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Long story short, always go back to the text and come up with a vocab word of your own. It\u2019ll be your not-so-secret weapon.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

5 & 6. Wrong Interpretations and Incorrect Labels<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Breakdown: For both Wrong Interpretation and Incorrect Label answer choices, the advice is the same. Take the wording on the SAT as literally as possible. If the question asks about a \u2018conflict\u2019 in paragraph 4, your answer choice should only <\/em>be about that conflict. If the passage argues that women in the 1920s \u201cenjoyed fewer rights than men, rendering them separate from political spheres of society,\u201d and an answer choice says women had no <\/em>rights… It\u2019s a trap.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Wrong Interpretation arises when information from the text is imprecisely translated into an answer choice. This will often look like over-generalization, vague wording, or mixing words around.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Incorrect labels rely on your own generalization. Say the question directs you to lines 23-41 of the passage and asks what the purpose of the selection is. A specific and precise summary might be \u201crising tension between two academic rivals.\u201d If you look at the answer choices and see C: A fight between classmates, you might be tempted to choose C.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

That would be an incorrect<\/em> and imprecise<\/em> label for the test selection.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Basically, if the question points you towards a \u2018problem\u2019, make sure you\u2019re answering about a \u2018problem\u2019. If you summarize a text selection, make sure your summary and your answer choice are precise and text-based.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

7. Backwards Causation<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Breakdown: On science and social science passages, you\u2019ll often encounter questions that ask you to correctly order information. Information, like rivers, only flows in one direction. One domino falling down leads to another, then another, then another. But not the other way around. Here is an example I love showing my students. I feel like it makes ordering information really clear.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Passage text: \u201c…the researchers found that meditating for at least twenty minutes per day caused an increase in attention spans compared to the control group.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Possible answer choice: \u201cThe researchers found that meditation is more likely to be done by people with longer attention spans.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

On first glance, this answer choice looks like it could be the one. It has all the right information. It shows that there\u2019s a connection between the information.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Just one tiny thing: it\u2019s in the wrong order. Meditation<\/em> caused longer attention spans<\/em> in participants. Participants with longer attention spans<\/em> didn\u2019t choose to meditate<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

If you keep your information organized and check for its correct direction in your answer choices, you should steer clear of this trap.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

No matter the question type and no matter the answer choice trap, the SAT reading section is consistent about one thing: there is only one right answer. With these strategies and the question breakdowns, combined with practice creating unique answers before looking at the choices, you have all the tools necessary to decipher and conquer your SAT reading section.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Good luck and happy testing!\"\"<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As we talked about with the SAT reading section question types, the SAT will only ever provide one completely 100% no doubt correct answer choice.\u00a0 In spite of this, the SAT still has some tricks up its sleeve to try and pull students off the path of ace-ing the test.\u00a0 No matter the question type and no matter the answer choices, (pardon the incoming cliche) your best defense will always be a strong offense.\u00a0 Treat every question like it\u2019s a fill-in-the-blank and come up with your own rock-solid answer before ever looking at the answer choices.\u00a0\u00a0 Kickstart Your SAT Prep […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3683,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[190,188],"tags":[169,168,20,166],"class_list":["post-3233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sat","category-sat-reading","tag-answer-choices","tag-reading-questions","tag-sat","tag-sat-reading-section"],"yoast_head":"\nEvading the SAT Reading Section Answer Choice Traps - 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