SAT Reading: HELP! 2 Answers Left? Which One?

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1

How do you determine which answer is the better answer once you get it down to 2 choices?
I always seem to get stuck there and then I just guess. Both the answers are VERY similar.

For example, there’s a passage regarding the research done on extraterrestrial beings and the validity of their existence; I have it down to 2 answers- one reads: “questions the literary value of science fiction”, while the other reads: “contrasts fictional notions with a scientific perspective”.

Does anyone have any tips/tricks on how to narrow down 2 or even 3 possible answers to the 1 correct answer?
Thanks

2

This is a super common issue that a lot of students face. In the closest answer choices, it can come down to a single word that invalidates an answer choice. Yes, the SAT does make things that difficult on purpose.

To get good at eliminating answer choices, you need to identify what part of the answer choice invalidates it, and why the passage doesn’t support that answer choice.

Remember that every correct answer choice is unambiguously correct and supported by the passage, and every incorrect answer choice is unambiguously incorrect because the passage fails to support it.

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In this particular case, the two answer choices may seem similar, but they’re actually saying pretty different things. If you were to describe the general sentiment of each answer choice, they appear to be different:

“questions the literary value of science fiction” → “the author thinks science fiction is useless as a literary genre, likely especially compared to realistic fiction like Steinbeck or Austen”

“contrasts fictional notions with a scientific perspective” → “the author compares mythical science rumors with what’s realistic - eg ETs have a hold on the public imagination but are unlikely to exist at Area 51 for scientific reasons”

(I’m guessing at this based only on the answer choices you give me and not the passage… but I think I’m right)

If the author does NOT suggest that science fiction is a useless genre, then the first answer choice is wrong. If I were to guess based on your passage research, I would say this is likely to be the wrong answer choice, as it seems the passage is more about myths about ETs and UFOs than about science fiction.

I think you might also be confused about the use of “fiction” here. “Science fiction” is a specific literary genre, while “fictional” used in “fictional notions” means “imaginary” or “not confirmed by fact.”

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I wrote a more detailed breakdown of how to eliminate answer choices here: http://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-800-on-sat-reading-10-strategies-by-a-perfect-scorer

Every time you miss a question, it’s important to go through this logic of being able to unambiguously eliminate all the incorrect answer choices. Otherwise you’ll never learn from your mistakes and move past your weaknesses.

3

Thanks, that’s really helpful!

And yes, you’re right about “questions the literary value of science fiction” being the incorrect answer.
I’m surprised you were able to get the correct answer without even having read the passage.
I was also confused on the use of fiction, as you mentioned.

4

Be careful when your last two candidates are too similar … you might have excluded the correct answer earlier. The correct answer is rarely similar to another … when understood correctly. Rather than guessing (never a good idea) you should check the problem and make sure you read it correctly.

5

@xiggi what can I practice/do to ensure that I don’t end up with the 2 choices that are completely off from the correct answer? That seems to happen to me sometimes, and I don’t really know why. Like I’ll end up with 2 choices, and they’re both wrong. Is there some sort of way to “check” your answer as you do on math problems? Or no?

6

In general, except for the inferences questions, one answer should be directly supported by the text. In simple words, the correct answer will be found within the text (not outside) and the incorrect answers should be directly contradicted by the text or have NOTHING to do with it. Vague and overly generic answers are never a correct answer.

As far as practice, there is no substitute to take a stack of tests and read through all the CR parts critically with the answers in front of you. Do this until you recognize why one answer is correct and four are not. After a while, your mind will start to think like the test writers and probably differently from the (mis)education received at your high school. The SAT is a precise test and the verbal is no different from the Math in that regard.

Do not overthink or look for the smallest of details; the clues are usually pretty obvious.