<p>has anyone picked up on a clear pattern in ambiguous SAT critical reading questions? Is it always the case that when they use words such as "suggest" "infer" "imply" "interpret" etc. in question they are not in fact asking for any sort of analysis, but just asking to repeat the obvious and previously stated in the passage?</p>
<p>here is an example from a practice test I was taking today:</p>
<p>The correct answer for the question "the passage SUGGESTS that women under Frankish law were:" is "A) defined in physical or biological terms"</p>
<p>Now the first sentance of this passage is "Although the laws and customs in lands under Frankish domination emphasized the biological function and sexual nature of women, they did not deprive women of opportunities to find person fulfillment...." </p>
<p>So the passage is not SUGGESTING that women are defined in physical terms, it is flat out STATING so. Furthermore, to me the question seems to imply that we should examine and analyze the entire passage to derive our answer </p>
<p>There were 2 other similar type questions asking what can be "inferred" or what is "implied" where the answers are flat out statements</p>
<p>
[quote]
So the passage is not SUGGESTING that women are defined in physical terms, it is flat out STATING so
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Unless you think ETS wants to test whether you understand the not terribly subtle difference in meaning between the words "suggest" and "state", I "think" you should focus on understanding the author's point.</p>
<p>well of course the understanding the author's point is the most important part but when the questions start using words like suggest, interpret, imply what have you, it seems to me that they are asking for greater analysis of the text rather than just pulling a near quotation from it. So to reiterate my querey are these words that imply analysis and interpretation to me just ETS talk for stating the obvious? Is there a mix? I need some tips, my final test date is this weekend! thanks</p>
<p>The text "suggests" something rather than state it, because the text offers no absolute truth that its thesis is the case, it is just an argumentation, not a report of something.</p>
<p>Critical reading texts shouldn't be "overthought" in my experience at least. We had them as part of our English as a Foreign Language exams, and the closer you et to native speaker level, the closer you get to overthinking questions because you understand too much of what is written. Don't add your own thoughts to the analyses, focus only on what the text actually says. Look at linking words indicating relationships betwee sentences and paragraphs, look at what the key sentences are of paragraphs, summarise the text in your head after reading a paragraph, then look at the questions and see if you have an idea of what the answer might be, go back to the text and find out how it's worded axactly.</p>
<p>I would sy that suggest means that an athor says something in his argumentative text
Imply means that somethign may not be said outright in the text but that it is implied in its argumentation.
analysis and interpretation i wouldn't be able to explain the difference, just know that it's more than just looking for a quote tha has the right words or synonyms in it...</p>
<p>that's all can sa, after my 6 years of practicing reading texts in nglish. the level I've sene of the SAT seems about equal to my high school finishing level of EFL...</p>