MCAT Verbal: Question Types/Trap Answers Help?

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
1

<p>For the verbal portion of the mcat, there are those question types, usually on assumptions or inferences that seem to be the most difficult. These might be worded like:</p>

<p>"Which of the following is an assumption made by the author that is not supported in the passage?"</p>

<p>"Which of the following if true would most strengthen (or weaken) the author's argument?"</p>

<p>"Does this claim support the author and to what extent?"
**Usually the answer choices are "Yes, completely," "Yes, to some extent," "It doesn't support or weaken," "No not at all."</p>

<p>Does anyone have strategies/algorithmic ways of getting answers to these questions. Almost all the time, these questions are questions that I either am completely baffled on or can get right but it takes way too long.</p>

<p>Also, does anyone have any advice on trap answers? Yes, I know the standard ones that all the test companies give like extreme answers never being right. However, what about trap answers for the more complex questions? One trap answer type I've found is that for the first question type I listed, the answer choice must both be an actual assumption within the passage and without supporting evidence (a lot of attractive answer choices that mess me up seem to be things that may have no support and seem to be implied by the passage, but the author never explicitly states it). So any advice on the more difficult trap answers? Thanks!</p>

2

<p>bump…</p>

3

<p>I’d say 75% of the time, “yes, completely” and “No, not at all” are the wrong answer.</p>

<p>Remember on the Verbal section of the MCAT that extreme answers are rarely right, unless the author’s tone and choice of support fully showcases and embellishes only one side of the argument.</p>

<p>Most of the time you can find either somewhere quickly where the author has agreed or disagreed with the statement, eliminating at least one answer. If you can’t find where he agrees or disagrees with a statement like that, then the answer is probably “Doesn’t strengthen or weaken”</p>

<p>Even if the first point is a negative one, don’t immediately put “No, not at all”.
It’s hard to teach how to do it, but if the author was fair to both sides of the argument in his passage, then the answer is probably something in the middle, not one of the extremes.</p>

<p>That being said, it’s a difficult test and they definitely try to trip you up constantly, so the most important thing is to check your answers, but don’t excessively double-guess yourself. I used to do that, while following all the tricks that I was taught in my MCAT class, and I found out after reviewing my practice tests, that when I changed my answer on the second pass, I would change it to a wrong answer more often than I would change it to a right answer.</p>

<p>Therefore, as crazy as it sounds, I stopped going back over my verbal section; instead, I just took my time going through it the first time; even if I had to spend a minute reasoning out/looking for stuff in a question, it was ok. That being said, you obviously can’t spend 1 minute on EVERY question, otherwise you won’t finish the section.</p>