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Friday, August 2, 2013

WRONG answer choices in Reading Comprehension

In Reading comprehension, It is crucial to know why right answer right, wrong answers wrong. Today, I am going to describe the wrong answer choices and types of it. Later, a short reading comprehension along with question with answer will be provided to better understand the strategy of applying wrong answer choices. Eliminating the wrong answer choices is important for difficult question ,especially for the inference question. Do not pick a response simply because it is a true statement. Although true, it may not answer the question posed.

TYPES OF WRONG ANSWER CHOICES:

BROAD SCOPE:
Sometimes the scope is broader than the passage states. For example, if a passage discusses about genetic engineering, the broad scope could be biology. So broad scope is wrong.

NARROW SCOPE:
Narrow scope means the answer choice captures with specific topic rather than the broader scope the passage illustrates., For instance, If the passage discusses about Biology and the answer choices discuss about genetic engineering , then, this answer choice will be narrow scope, so it is incorrect.

OUT OF SCOPE: 
Some answer choices are out of scope which is not discussed in the passage. For example, any answer choice that bring the concern of biology whereas the passage discuss about physics, then it will be out of scope.

EXTREME WORDS: 
Sometimes wrong answer choices might have extreme words( like always, all, only etc), but they are wrong. The tone of the answer should be usually modest (like some, many, might).

DISTORTION:
Many answer choices which are wrong may distort the answer choice, for example, If the passage says "he goes to school", then the distorted choice will say "he doesn't go to school""

TRAP ANSWER:
These answer choices are the most tempting choice which lure students to get puzzled, but be aware of this trap answer which may sound like the right answer but not.

PARTIALLY CORRECT:
Some answer choices are correct but partially. These are wrong. Be careful about these half right-half wrong  choices.

APPLICATION OF STRATEGY:

During the construction of the Quebec Bridge in 1907, the
bridge’s designer, Theodore Cooper, received word that the
suspended span being built out from the bridge’s cantilever
was deflecting downward by a fraction of an inch (2.54
centimeters). Before he could telegraph to freeze the project,
the whole cantilever arm broke off and plunged, along with
seven dozen workers, into the St. Lawrence River. It was the
worst bridge construction disaster in history. As a direct result
of the inquiry that followed, the engineering “rules of thumb”
by which thousands of bridges had been built around the
world went down with the Quebec Bridge. Twentieth-century
bridge engineers would thereafter depend on far more
rigorous applications of mathematical analysis.


Which one of the following statements can be properly inferred from the passage?
(A) Bridges built before about 1907 were built without thorough mathematical analysis and, therefore, were         unsafe for the public to use.
(B) Cooper’s absence from the Quebec Bridge construction site resulted in the breaking off of the cantilever.
(C) Nineteenth-century bridge engineers relied on their rules of thumb because analytical methods were       inadequate to solve their design problems.
(D) Only a more rigorous application of mathematical analysis to the design of the Quebec Bridge could have prevented its collapse.
(E) Prior to 1907 the mathematical analysis incorporated in engineering rules of thumb was insufficient to completely assure the safety of bridges under construction.


Answer and explanation:
A. DISTORTION: THE Passage never says that prior to 1907 , the brides were made without mathematical analysis.
B. OUT OF SCOPE: THE passage never mentioned that.
C. ONE WORD WRONG: This answer choice mentions 19th century, But is there
in the passage?
D. EXTREME WORDS: While the passage suggests that a more rigorous application of mathematical analysis would have prevented the collapse of the bridge, it offers no evidence that it is the only way the collapse could have been prevented.
E.CORRECT:Thus, (E) is the correct response.

3 comments:

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  3. Really nice information..helped me for my GRE preparation.

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