ACT Reading
Preparation
(for use in Social Science)
University of Illinois-Chicago
Curriculum Framework Project
Spring 2011
FHS Social Sciences
Overview of Unit
• Introduction – ACT Reading Test
• Lesson 1 – Active Reading
• Lesson 2 – Question Types: MI & SD
• Lesson 3 – Questions Types: Inference
• Lesson 4 – Distracters: Weasel & Shift
• Lesson 5 – Distracters: Enticer & Extreme
Introduction to the Test:
Four Types of Passages
The ACT Reading passages almost always
appear in the following order:
• Prose Fiction
• Social Science
• Humanities
• Natural Science
Our Focus - the Social
Science Reading
Description
- 775 words
- Questions based on passages from
any of the following subjects:
Anthropology, Archaeology,
Economics, History,
Political science, and Sociology.
Introduction to the Test:
Types of Questions
• Main Idea Questions (MI)
• Supporting Detail Questions (SD)
• Inference/Evaluation Questions (I)
Introduction to the Test:
Main Idea Questions
• Understanding theme/thesis
• Understanding author’s purpose
• Determine which of the answer choices best
summarizes the information presented in the
passage either as a whole or in a specific
paragraph.
Introduction to the Test:
Main Idea Question Stems
• Which of the following is the main point…?
• The main argument the author makes
about. . . is:
• What is the main purpose of [a specific
paragraph or line]?
Introduction to the Test:
Supporting Details Questions
• Shows understanding of individual points
• Demonstrate comprehension and careful
understanding
• Determine which fact(s) best supports main idea.
• Sequence the events in the passage
Introduction to the Test:
Supporting Details Question Stems
•
According to the [a specific paragraph/section/passage]…
•
Who/when/what/where did…
•
According to the passage, all of the following are true about ----- EXCEPT. . .
•
The passage makes it clear that…
Introduction to the Test:
Inference-Evaluation Questions
• Make judgments
• Identify the implications of the supporting details in
the passage.
• Draw conclusions based on reading the passage
• Determine the author’s idea through generalization
of the facts
Introduction to the Test:
Inference-Evaluation Questions
• Analyze cause-and-effect relationships
• Identify multiple meanings of a word and determine
its definition with context clues from the passage
• Determine the implications of the author’s general
tone or attitude
Introduction to the Test:
Inference-Evaluation Question Stems
•
The author suggests/implies/ that…
•
It can most reasonably be inferred that the author….
•
With which of the following statements would the author agree?
•
According to the passage, the WORD/TERM ‘…’ means which
of the following?
•
The idea….is best exemplified by which of the following
quotations from the passage?
•
The attitude of the author toward x is…
Lesson #1: Active Reading
• Structural Clues
• Annotating
• Hinge Words
Active Reading: Structural Clues
 Each passage was written by a PERSON,
and people write for a purpose.
 Some authors want to trace historical causes or
consequences.
 Some authors want to critique a theory.
 Some authors want to draw a comparison between two
things.
 Some authors want to tell a story.
 Some authors just want to describe something.
Active Reading: Structural Clues
Why is it
important to
figure out
WHY
an author wrote
a passage?
Many questions ask
you what the
AUTHOR means,
NOT what YOU
think!
Knowing what the
AUTHOR would say
can help you answer
confusing questions!
Active Reading: Structural Clues
 Think of the passage as a map
 Questions are like hints as to where to go
next
 The passage gives you the rest: Anticipate
author’s direction by noticing structural clues
(how passage is organized, where
paragraphs break, what words are bold or
italicized)
Active Reading: Structural Clues
 Look up the answers
 Don’t remember them—find them!
 Think of the passage as a reference book
and refer back.
 Don’t trust your memory!
Active Reading: Annotate
 WRITE ON THE
TEST as you read!!
 Use different marks
to mean different
things.
• Circle names of
people
• Underline critical
phrases, terms,
main ideas
• Number (“1,” “2,”
“3,” etc.) ideas in a
sequence
No matter what,
underline
“key words” in the
question stem.
Look for those
“key words” in the
passage.
Active Reading: Example from Humanities
(56A)
Question
21. The passage indicates that religion,
support groups, and soap operas
are alike in that they all:
A. Are circulated by a common
culture
B. Provide a way to combat
loneliness.
C. Appear intimate but are remote.
D. Enable people to participate
vicariously.
Text from Passage
“Undoubtedly, each of these notions does
explain part of the soaps’ mass appeal.
Soaps can ease the loneliness and
boredom of life. They do offer advice,
sometimes implicitly, often explicitly, on
what to wear, how to conduct love
affairs, how to save a marriage, how to
handle one’s children, how to cope with
heartache, how to enjoy the intrigue of
romance.” (lines 19-25)
“Loneliness, we are repeatedly told, has
become pandemic in
America…Whether through religion,
clubs, associations, or support
groups—or through daily immersion in a
favorite soap—many Americans search
for some kind of communal life to
counter varying degrees of social
isolation and alienation.” (lines 42-48)
Active Reading: Example from Humanities
(56A)
Question
21. The passage indicates that religion,
support groups, and soap operas
are alike in that they all:
A. Are circulated by a common
culture
B. Provide a way to combat
loneliness.
C. Appear intimate but are remote.
D. Enable people to participate
vicariously.
Text from Passage
“Undoubtedly, each of these notions does
explain part of the soaps’ mass appeal.
Soaps can ease the loneliness and
boredom of life. They do offer advice,
sometimes implicitly, often explicitly, on
what to wear, how to conduct love
affairs, how to save a marriage, how to
handle one’s children, how to cope with
heartache, how to enjoy the intrigue of
romance.” (lines 19-25)
“Loneliness, we are repeatedly told, has
become pandemic in
America…Whether through religion,
clubs, associations, or support
groups—or through daily immersion in a
favorite soap—many Americans search
for some kind of communal life to
counter varying degrees of social
isolation and alienation.” (lines 42-48)
Active Reading: Example from Humanities
(56A)
Question
21. The passage indicates that religion,
support groups, and soap operas
are alike in that they all:
A. Are circulated by a common
culture
B. Provide a way to combat
loneliness.
C. Appear intimate but are remote.
D. Enable people to participate
vicariously.
Text from Passage
“Undoubtedly, each of these notions does
explain part of the soaps’ mass appeal.
Soaps can ease the loneliness and
boredom of life. They do offer advice,
sometimes implicitly, often explicitly, on
what to wear, how to conduct love
affairs, how to save a marriage, how to
handle one’s children, how to cope with
heartache, how to enjoy the intrigue of
romance.” (lines 19-25)
“Loneliness, we are repeatedly told, has
become pandemic in
America…Whether through religion,
clubs, associations, or support
groups—or through daily immersion in a
favorite soap—many Americans search
for some kind of communal life to
counter varying degrees of social
isolation and alienation.” (lines 42-48)
Active Reading: Example from Social
Science (56A)
Question
17. Which of the following events was
the first to occur, according to the
passage?
A. The National American Woman
Suffrage Association began their
campaign.
B. The first women’s rights meeting was
held in Seneca Falls.
C. Massachusetts held a referendum on
whether suffrage should be extended
to females.
D. The General Federation of Women’s
Clubs endorsed women’s suffrage.
Text from Passage
“In 1910 the fight for women’s suffrage
was more that sixty years old, a
national campaign by the National
American Woman Suffrage Assoc
was twenty years old..” (Lines 3 - 6)
“First women’s rights meeting at Seneca
Falls in 1848.” (Line 38)
“1895 Massachusetts conducted a
referendum …whether suffrage
should be extended to females.”
(lines 56 – 60)
“ The General Federation of Women’s
Clubs did not endorse suffrage until
1914.” (lines 84 – 85)
Active Reading: Example from Social
Science (56A)
Question
17. Which of the following events was
the first to occur, according to the
passage?
A. The National American Woman
Suffrage Association began their
campaign.
B. The first women’s rights meeting was
held in Seneca Falls.
C. Massachusetts held a referendum on
whether suffrage should be extended
to females.
D. The General Federation of Women’s
Clubs endorsed women’s suffrage.
Text from Passage
“In 1910 the fight for women’s suffrage
was more that sixty years old, a
national campaign by the National
American Woman Suffrage Assoc
was twenty years old..” (Lines 3 - 6)
“First women’s rights meeting at Seneca
Falls in 1848.” (Line 38)
“1895 Massachusetts conducted a
referendum …whether suffrage
should be extended to females.”
(lines 56 – 60)
“ The General Federation of Women’s
Clubs did not endorse suffrage until
1914.” (lines 84 – 85)
Active Reading: Example from Social
Science (56A)
Question
17. Which of the following events was
the first to occur, according to the
passage?
A. The National American Woman
Suffrage Association began their
campaign.
B. The first women’s rights meeting was
held in Seneca Falls.
C. Massachusetts held a referendum on
whether suffrage should be extended
to females.
D. The General Federation of Women’s
Clubs endorsed women’s suffrage.
Text from Passage
“In 1910 the fight for women’s suffrage
was more that sixty years old, a
national campaign by the National
American Woman Suffrage Assoc
was twenty years old..” (Lines 3 - 6)
“First women’s rights meeting at Seneca
Falls in 1848.” (Line 38)
“1895 Massachusetts conducted a
referendum …whether suffrage
should be extended to females.”
(lines 56 – 60)
“ The General Federation of Women’s
Clubs did not endorse suffrage until
1914.” (lines 84 – 85)
Active Reading: Hinge Words
 Underline or circle
hinge words
• Words or phrases that
are used to alert you
to shifts in thought
• Words or phrases that
are used to drive a
point home
• Answers are often
located near hinge
words!
 Common Hinge Words
but, although, yet,
however, as a result,
nevertheless, on the
other hand, despite,
while, in spite of,
consequently,
therefore, thus,
alternatively
Active Reading: Example from Social
Science (56A)
Question
15. The passage presents the
information that in 1910 “women could
vote in only Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, and
Colorado” (lines 6-7) primarily to make
the point that the:
A. Women’s suffrage movement had made
little progress up to that time.
B. Women’s suffrage movement was just
then beginning to get started.
C. Women’s suffrage movement has made
tremendous strides since then.
D. Western states were the first to be
receptive to the cause of women’s
suffrage.
Text from Passage
“In 1910 the fight for women’s suffrage
was more than sixty years old, a
national campaign by the National
American Woman Suffrage
Association was twenty years old,
and yet women could vote in only
Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, and
Colorado.” (lines 3-7)
Active Reading: Example from Social
Science (56A)
Question
15. The passage presents the
information that in 1910 “women could
vote in only Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, and
Colorado” (lines 6-7) primarily to make
the point that the:
A. Women’s suffrage movement had made
little progress up to that time.
B. Women’s suffrage movement was just
then beginning to get started.
C. Women’s suffrage movement has made
tremendous strides since then.
D. Western states were the first to be
receptive to the cause of women’s
suffrage.
Text from Passage
“In 1910 the fight for women’s suffrage
was more than sixty years old, a
national campaign by the National
American Woman Suffrage
Association was twenty years old,
and yet women could vote in only
Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, and
Colorado.” (lines 3-7)
(this implies that there HAD
been action, but the word
“yet” tells you that the long
period of action had not
accomplished much!!!)
Active Reading: Example from Social
Science (56A)
Question
15. The passage presents the
information that in 1910 “women could
vote in only Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, and
Colorado” (lines 6-7) primarily to make
the point that the:
A. Women’s suffrage movement had made
little progress up to that time.
B. Women’s suffrage movement was just
then beginning to get started.
C. Women’s suffrage movement has made
tremendous strides since then.
D. Western states were the first to be
receptive to the cause of women’s
suffrage.
Text from Passage
“In 1910 the fight for women’s suffrage
was more than sixty years old, a
national campaign by the National
American Woman Suffrage
Association was twenty years old,
and yet women could vote in only
Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, and
Colorado.” (lines 3-7)
(this implies that there HAD
been action, but the word
“yet” tells you that the long
period of action had not
accomplished much!!!)
Recap Lesson 1: Active Reading
• Structural Clues
• Annotating
• Hinge Words
Lesson #2 – Question Types:
Main Ideas & Supporting Details
• Review Information from Introductory Lecture
• Examine Specific Questions from
Practice Test 56A
• Identify Strategies to Help Answer Difficult Questions
• Practice the Strategies
Practice Test Question 13:
Main Ideas
Question
13. The passage indicates that at
the time of the women’s suffrage
movement, one of the
fundamental assumptions of
American politics was that the
basic political unit was the:
A. individual voter.
B. precinct.
C. village or town.
D. family.
Text from Passage
“Women’s suffrage challenged
one of the fundamental
assumptions of American
politics: that the basic unit of
political life was the family,
with the father standing at its
head representing and
protecting his wife and
children in the wider world.
To grant suffrage to women
would be to break up that
fundamental unit.”
(lines 12-18)
Strategies to Help Answer This Question
• Active Reading: Underline “key words” in the question stem.
• Identify which key words in the question stem also appear in
the text.
• Look back at the passage!
Do not try to REMEMBER the
answer.
• When looking at the answer choices, think about meanings,
not exact words.
Practice Test Question 13:
Main Ideas
Question
13. The passage indicates that at the
time of the women’s suffrage
movement, one of the fundamental
assumptions of American politics was
that the basic political unit was the:
A. Individual voter.
B. Precinct
C. Village or town
D. Family
Text from Passage
“Women’s suffrage challenged one of
the fundamental assumptions of
American politics: that the basic unit
of political life was the family, with the
father standing at its head
representing and protecting his wife
and children in the wider world. To
grant suffrage to women would be to
break up that fundamental unit.”
(lines 12-18)
Practice Test Question 11:
Supporting Details
Question
11. The passage indicates that
women’s demand for property rights
was agreed to primarily because men
realized that:
A. Women were indeed individuals
deserving of their own rights.
B. If they gave in on the property rights
issue, they’d be able to hold firm on
suffrage.
C. Conceding the right would provide men
with a way to protect themselves from
creditors.
D. Women had unique interests and were
needed as students in universities and
teachers in schools.
Text from Passage
”Men gradually agreed to
extend property rights to
women, because
property in a wife’s
name could save a man
from his creditors.”
(lines 44-46)
Strategies to Help Answer This Question
• Active Reading: Underline “key words” in the question stem.
• Identify which key words in the question stem also appear in
the text.
• Look back at the passage!
Do not try to REMEMBER the
answer.
• When looking at the answer choices, think about meanings,
not exact words.
Practice Test Question 11:
Supporting Details
Question
11. The passage indicates that
women’s demand for property rights
was agreed to primarily because men
realized that:
A. Women were indeed individuals
deserving of their own rights.
B. If they gave in on the property rights
issue, they’d be able to hold firm on
suffrage.
C. Conceding the right would provide men
with a way to protect themselves from
creditors.
D. Women had unique interests and were
needed as students in universities and
teachers in schools.
Text from Passage
”Men gradually agreed to
extend property rights to
women, because
property in a wife’s
name could save a man
from his creditors.”
(lines 44-46)
Practice Test Question 12:
Supporting Details
Question
12. At the women’s right meeting in
Seneca Falls, all of the following were
called for EXCEPT the right to:
A. Vote in elections.
B. Enter any profession.
C. Divorce abusive husbands.
D. Receive equal education.
Text from Passage
“When Elizabeth Cady Stanton
organized the first women’s rights
meeting at Seneca Falls in 1848,
the many goals that were at first
identified as worthy of support did
not include the vote. Women
wanted property rights, the right to
divorce abusive husbands, the
right to an education equal to any
man’s, and the right to join any
profession. But the idea of the
vote seemed too extreme.”
(lines 37-44)
Strategies to Help Answer This Question
• Active Reading:
Identify Hinge Words
• “BUT”
• Active Reading: Underline Key Words in the Question Stem
• “NOT”
• Look back at the text!!
Practice Test Question 12:
Supporting Details
Question
12. At the women’s rights meeting in
Seneca Falls, all of the following were
called for EXCEPT the right to:
A. Vote in elections.
B. Enter any profession.
C. Divorce abusive husbands.
D. Receive equal education.
Text from Passage
“When Elizabeth Cady Stanton
organized the first women’s rights
meeting at Seneca Falls in 1848,
the many goals that were at first
identified as worthy of support did
not include the vote. Women
wanted property rights, the right to
divorce abusive husbands, the
right to an education equal to any
man’s, and the right to join any
profession. But the idea of the
vote seemed too extreme.”
(lines 37-44)
Lesson #3 – Question Types:
Inference
• Review Information from Introductory Lecture
• Examine Specific Questions from
Practice Test 56A
• Identify Strategies to Help Answer Difficult Questions
• Practice the Strategies
Practice Test Question 22:
Inference—Meaning of Words
Question
22. As it is used in line 65, the word
engendered most nearly means:
F. Diminished
G. Produced
H. Denied
J. Discouraged
Text from Passage
“Here lies the extraordinary appeal
and irony of the daytime soap
opera; it is circulated by the very
commercial culture which has
engendered the need for it in the
first place.” (lines 63-66)
Strategies to Help Answer This Question
• Look back at the text!
• Reread the lines before AND after the word in the
question stem.
• Identify “hinge words” that help you understand the
overall sentence.
• Read the answer choices carefully.
Practice Test Question 22:
Inference—Meaning of Words
Question
22. As it is used in line 65, the word
engendered most nearly means:
F. Diminished
G. Produced
H. Denied
J. Discouraged
Choices F, H, and J are all the
OPPOSITE of choice G. Each is
too similar to be the right answer.
Therefore, G is the logical choice!
Text from Passage
“Here lies the extraordinary appeal
and irony of the daytime soap
opera; it is circulated by the very
commercial culture which has
engendered the need for it in the
first place.” (lines 63-66)
Practice Test Question 19:
Inference—Meaning of Words
Question
19. As it is used in line 24, the word
liability most nearly means:
A. Obligation
B. Drawback
C. Probability
D. Result
Text from Passage
“But women’s ideological advantage
in the United States was offset by
a crippling liability—the central
importance of the family to
maintaining social order.”
(lines 23-26)
Strategies to Help Answer This Question
• Look back at the passage!
• Reread the lines before AND after the word in the
question stem.
• Look for “hinge words” that help you understand the
overall sentence.
Practice Test Question 19:
Inference—Meaning of Words
Question
Text from Passage
19. As it is used in line 24, the word
liability most nearly means:
A. Obligation
B. Drawback
C. Probability
“But women’s ideological advantage
in the United States was offset by
a crippling liability—the central
importance of the family to
maintaining social order.”
(lines 23-26)
D. Result
Hinge word!
“crippling” has a negative
connotation! (just like
“drawback”)
Practice Test Question 16:
Inference— Drawing Conclusions
Question
16. It can reasonably be inferred that
suffrage leader Susan B. Anthony’s
statement (lines 63 – 65) is
presented primarily to express the
movement’s:
F. questioning whether women had
earned the right to vote.
G. criticism of the generals in their
army.
H. frustration with women’s lack of
interest in gaining suffrage.
J. doubts about the attainability of
women’s suffrage.
Text from Passage
“In
the indifference, the
inertia, the apathy of
women, lies the
greatest obstacle to the
enfranchisement.”
(lines 63 - 65)
Strategies to Help Answer This Question
• Look back at the passage!
• Reread the lines and underline key words that help
you understand the overall nature of the statement.
Practice Test Question 16:
Inference— Drawing Conclusions
Question
16. It can reasonably be inferred that
suffrage leader Susan B. Anthony’s
statement (lines 63 – 65) is
presented primarily to express the
movement’s:
F. questioning whether women had
earned the right to vote.
G. criticism of the generals in their
army.
H. frustration with women’s lack of
interest in gaining suffrage.
J. doubts about the attainability of
women’s suffrage.
Text from Passage
“In
the indifference, the
inertia, the apathy of
women, lies the
greatest obstacle to the
enfranchisement.”
(lines 63 - 65)
Lesson #4 – Distracters
Weasel and Shift
• Introduction to Distracters
• Definitions
• Examples
• Practice Overcoming Distracters
Understand Distracters
 Distracters = the “other” answer choices
 Distracters are THINKING CHALLENGES designed to make
wrong answers seem correct


Prey upon your tendency to rush
They are supposed to DISTRACT YOU
 Inference Questions: seek opinions from facts


The answers are not directly stated in the reading
Read your “road map” differently
 ACT constantly tries to make distracters more distracting

Practice with them!
The FOUR Types of Distracters
The Weasel
The Shift
The Enticer
The Extreme
Distracters: The Trick
 There is often ONE distracter
that is REALLY DIFFICULT to
get around.
 Watch out for this distracter.
 Which one depends on the
question.
Distracter #1: The Weasel
Definition
Any attempt to change or misrepresent the
author’s words or author’s meaning…regardless
of how small. The answer can not be verified by
the passage.
Adds words
Takes out words
Flips words
Example of The Weasel
(Practice Test 56A, Social Science)
Question
11. The passage indicates that
women’s demand for property rights
was agreed to primarily because men
realized that:
A. Women were indeed individuals
deserving of their own rights.
B. If they gave in on the property rights
issue, they’d be able to hold firm on
suffrage.
C. Conceding the right would provide men
with a way to protect themselves from
creditors.
D. Women had unique interests and were
needed as students in universities and
teachers in schools.
Text from Passage
”Men gradually agreed to extend
property rights to women, because
property in a wife’s name could save
a man from his creditors. They
accepted coeducation, because
universities needed students and
society needed trained teachers. But
the vote was something else. To give
women the vote would mean
recognizing them as individuals with
their own rights and interests.”
(lines 44-51)
Distracter #1: The Weasel
Which distracter
is a “Weasel?
Example of The Weasel
(Practice Test 56A, Social Science)
Question
11. The passage indicates that
women’s demand for property rights
was agreed to primarily because men
realized that:
A. Women were indeed individuals
deserving of their own rights.
B. If they gave in on the property rights
issue, they’d be able to hold firm on
suffrage.
C. Conceding the right would provide men
with a way to protect themselves from
creditors.
D. Women had unique interests and were
needed as students in universities and
teachers in schools.
Text from Passage
”Men gradually agreed to extend
property rights to women, because
property in a wife’s name could save
a man from his creditors. They
accepted coeducation, because
universities needed students and
society needed trained teachers. But
the vote was something else. To give
women the vote would mean
recognizing them as individuals with
their own rights and interests.”
(lines 44-51)
This idea is nowhere in the passage!
Distracter #2: The Shift
Definition
The answer answers another question about the
passage but does not answer this one.
Answer choices may actually appear in the text
Watch out for choices that look like statements in the
passage …even direct quotes
Remember, this is not a matching test!
understand meanings, not just words!
You must
Example of The Shift
(Practice Test 56A, Social Science)
Question
11. The passage indicates that
women’s demand for property rights
was agreed to primarily because men
realized that:
A. Women were indeed individuals
deserving of their own rights.
B. If they gave in on the property rights
issue, they’d be able to hold firm on
suffrage.
C. Conceding the right would provide men
with a way to protect themselves from
creditors.
D. Women had unique interests and were
needed as students in universities and
teachers in schools.
Text from Passage
”Men gradually agreed to extend
property rights to women, because
property in a wife’s name could save
a man from his creditors. They
accepted coeducation, because
universities needed students and
society needed trained teachers. But
the vote was something else. To give
women the vote would mean
recognizing them as individuals with
their own rights and interests.”
(lines 44-51)
Distracter #2: The Shift
Which distracter
is a “SHIFT”?
Example of The Shift
(Practice Test 56A, Social Science)
Question
11. The passage indicates that
women’s demand for property rights
was agreed to primarily because men
realized that:
A. Women were indeed individuals
deserving of their own rights.
B. If they gave in on the property rights
issue, they’d be able to hold firm on
suffrage.
C. Conceding the right would provide men
with a way to protect themselves from
creditors.
D. Women had unique interests and were
needed as students in universities and
teachers in schools.
Text from Passage
”Men gradually agreed to extend
property rights to women, because
property in a wife’s name could save
a man from his creditors. They
accepted coeducation, because
universities needed students and
society needed trained teachers. But
the vote was something else. To give
women the vote would mean
recognizing them as individuals with
their own rights and interests.”
(lines 44-51)
This is why men agreed to
coeducation, but NOT property rights!
READ and REREAD QUESTIONS!!!
Lesson #5 – Distracters
Enticer and Extreme
• Definitions
• Examples
• Practice Overcoming Distracters
Distracter #3: The Enticer
Definition
It’s a con. It looks right, but it’s too good to be
true.
Sounds great – warm and fuzzy
Seems reasonable and correct
Just because the choice says, “love is all we need,”
doesn’t mean it’s the answer to the question you are
being asked!
Example of The Enticer
(Practice Test 56A, Social Science)
Question
11. The passage indicates that
women’s demand for property rights
was agreed to primarily because men
realized that:
A. Women were indeed individuals
deserving of their own rights.
B. If they gave in on the property rights
issue, they’d be able to hold firm on
suffrage.
C. Conceding the right would provide men
with a way to protect themselves from
creditors.
D. Women had unique interests and were
needed as students in universities and
teachers in schools.
Text from Passage
”Men gradually agreed to extend
property rights to women, because
property in a wife’s name could save
a man from his creditors. They
accepted coeducation, because
universities needed students and
society needed trained teachers. But
the vote was something else. To give
women the vote would mean
recognizing them as individuals with
their own rights and interests.”
(lines 44-51)
Distracter #3: The Enticer
Which distracter is
an “Enticer”?
Example of The Enticer
(Practice Test 56A, Social Science)
Question
11. The passage indicates that
women’s demand for property rights
was agreed to primarily because men
realized that:
A. Women were indeed individuals
deserving of their own rights.
B. If they gave in on the property rights
issue, they’d be able to hold firm on
suffrage.
C. Conceding the right would provide men
with a way to protect themselves from
creditors.
D. Women had unique interests and were
needed as students in universities and
teachers in schools.
Text from Passage
”Men gradually agreed to extend
property rights to women, because
property in a wife’s name could save
a man from his creditors. They
accepted coeducation, because
universities needed students and
society needed trained teachers. But
the vote was something else. To give
women the vote would mean
recognizing them as individuals with
their own rights and interests.”
(lines 44-51)
Sounds nice, right? HOWEVER, this is
NOT why men gave property rights. In
fact, they did NOT want this!
Distracter #4: The Extreme
Definition
An incorrect answer choice which might be true if
it did not include extreme words such as: always,
completely, perfectly, all.
If you can find an exception, it’s a wrong answer
If the answer is debatable, it’s a wrong answer
WATCH OUT!
incorrect.
Not all extreme answer choices are
Remember Distracter #4?
The Extreme
 An incorrect answer choice may include
extreme words such as “always” and
“completely”
 An incorrect answer may go too far—the
author would not agree with how far the
answer choice goes
 If you can think of one exception, or if the
answer is debatable, then the extreme answer
choice is incorrect.
 Not all extreme answer choices are incorrect.
Extreme: Examples
--Europeans won all their battles.”
--they established an ideal
community
--the bank was always busy.
--Impressionism was an entirely
different style of painting.
--It was impossible for him to
overcome his past.
--Men were incapable of
recognizing the equality of
women
You can do this!!!
Focus, discipline, and
PRACTICE are the keys to
success!!!
Be better tomorrow
than you were
yesterday!