Reading Test Distracters

Wrong answers are called “distracters” They are designed to misdirect your thinking They could make you lose sight of your understanding of the passage and the question You need to be able to spot distracters and eliminate them

Distracter Types 1: Fly Traps Fly traps use the authors’ words but distort their meanings They take words directly from the passage and use them to create a statement that does not reflect the meaning of the passage

How it will look on the ACT: – Tom loves going to the movies with Mary. – According to the passage, which of the following statements is true regarding Tom and Mary? A. Tom fell in love with Mary at the movies. B. Tom enjoys viewing motion pictures with Mary as his companion. C. Tom and Mary generally enjoy seeing movies about love. D. Both Tom and Mary love going to the movies.

Don’t let fly traps snare you Read this natural science excerpt: – As an explanation for the age and origin of the solar system, the nebular hypothesis lost ground at the turn of the twentieth century over questions about the distribution of angular momentum. Here’s what the author says: – The nebular hypothesis was intended to explain the age and origin of the solar system. – It lost influence at the beginning of the 20 th century – That happened because people raised questions about the distribution of angular momentum, and the nebular hypothesis did not provide adequate answers.

Now evaluate the following statements. Three of them are fly traps. Which two are not fly traps? 1. According to the nebular hypothesis, the solar system was created by distributions of angular momentum. 2. The nebular hypothesis came under question at the beginning of the twentieth century. 3. The nebular hypothesis was challenged because of issues related to angular momentum. 4. Knowledge about the solar system’s angular momentum was first distributed in the twentieth century. 5. The nebular hypothesis was poorly understood until the twentieth century, when theories of angular momentum gained ground. – 1, 4, and 5 are fly traps. They distort the author’s meaning even though the words come straight from the passage.

Now complete the four examples on the handout.

Distracter Type 2: Switches Some distracters take the truth and switch it around. – 1. Professor Thorne generally explains a technological discovery first in terms of its history and then in terms of the science on which it was founded. What does he discuss first? Second?

Now look at this statement: – 2. Professor Thorne generally explains a technological discovery first in terms of the science on which it was founded, and then it terms of its history. This is the essence of The Switch

But the ACT test writers get sneaky You may not see an answer choice like statement 2, which takes the author’s statement and literally reverses the order of its words. Sometimes they change the wording and at the same time, turn the meaning upside down.

Read Statement 1 again, and then look at Statement 3: – 3. After Professor Thorne describes the scientific aspects of a technological breakthrough, he explains the historical context in which the breakthrough was made. This is a switch. It doesn’t use the words “first” or “then,” and it begins with the word “after.” What does he discuss first?

Complete the two examples on the handout.

Sometimes the switch involves a sneaky word substitution Sometimes the ACT will substitute a wrong word or name for a right one. Recall the natural science passage and look at this question: – The Aristotelian conception of the solar system was: A. inconsistent with Newtonian and Galilean insights. B. at odds with Copernican and Ptolemic views. C. [Already eliminated] D. [Already eliminated]

Lines 6-11 of the passage tell us that Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton challenged the views of Aristotle and Ptolemy. In other words, Aristotle and Ptolemy believed one thing and the other four believed another. This makes choice B a switch since Copernican belongs there, but Ptolemic does not.

Sometimes the switch gives you a simple shortcut to the right answer Sometimes the answer choices happen to feature two statements that are basically opposites ACT writers tend not to present opposing statements unless one of them is right. – 1. Blah, blah, blah... A. important in that it shows certain propositions to be true B. important in that it shows certain propositions to be false C. less precise than most scientists believe D. extremely misleading to those who fail to question its premises.

F or G is probably right G makes the same statement as the first sentence of the paragraph—but in camouflage

Distracter Type 3: Extremes If an answer choice indicates that something is always so, invariably so, or never so, then it’s usually wrong. These are examples of extremes, and you should be suspicious of them. Other words that signal an extreme: – Completely, perfectly, absolutely

Extremes tend to be wrong because they’re usually debatable – Patients who are chronically depressed never enjoy their lives. It’s pretty hard to prove that statement to be true

A political leader should seek to make peace at all costs. That’s tough to defend. It’s too debatable. In order to lead a productive life, a citizen must devote all of his energy to his work. All? Too easy to dispute.

When a standardized test writer is having trouble coming up with a wrong answer choice, she will often construct an extreme because it is easy to write.

You don’t need to read a passage to determine that an answer choice is an extreme: – The author’s claim that “cause is relative only to perspective” introduces his argument that: A. mental well-being depends on physical strength B. how something is perceived depends on its nature C. psychological health requires a perfect upbringing D. Psychiatric condition depends on numerous factors, environmental and internal.

Example: – 2. The author believes that practicing psychiatrists: F. cannot possibly help patients unless they are completely objective G. Are hopelessly confused over the genesis of mental illness H. are scientists notwithstanding the uncertainties that surround psychiatry J. Should, for the time being, treat mental disease in terms of environment

Example: – 3. According to information presented in the third paragraph, an individual organism will not survive to reproductive age unless: A. all of its compensatory mechanisms are in ideal balance. B. it has adequate homeostatic and feedback responses. C. it is capable of complete adaptati9on to every form of stress D. other individuals of the same species fail to reproduce.

Distracter Type 4: Choices that Sound Too “Nice” Some distracters will appeal to you simply because they sound “nice,” even if they have little to do with the question or the passage They may draw on something you already know They may, on the surface, seem reasonable and correct

“Nice” and “Sensible” Statements Ultimately, the voting public knows its own best interest. Structure is important, but it should not be imposed in such a way as to stifle creativity. The ideal society is one that allows for individual difference, but at the same time creates a people united in interest. All people have a right to live and die with dignity.

The previous statements seem to be beyond challenge, so you may believe that it’s the correct answer When you are drawn to such an answer, check back with the question and/or passage and ask yourself whether the answer choice is just a sweet and easy sentiment or if it really answers the question

Don’t rely solely on your prior knowledge to answer a question. Your answer must have support in the passage you read

Complete the two passages