The Reading and Writing portion of the SAT combines reading comprehension and writing skills. Consisting of multiple-choice questions based on short passages from a variety of subjects—including literature, history, social sciences, and natural sciences—this section tests your abilities to understand and analyze texts and evaluate arguments (reading skills), as well as edit passages for clarity, grammar, and punctuation (writing skills).
As you work through your SAT studies, you have probably already spent several hours filling out these types of multiple-choice questions, contemplating which of the four answers is, officially, the correct answer.
However, what is equally important to identifying the right answers is actually identifying the wrong answers. As soon as you can identify an incorrect answer, you can confidently cross it out, drop it from your brain, and focus solely on your search for the correct answer. This can save you valuable time and energy as you proceed through this timed exam.
This article highlights five types of incorrect answers you might come across on the Reading and Writing section of the SAT: the HONET answers.
H – Half-right.
These multiple-choice options are tricky, because they lure you in with some correct information. However, you must remember: EVERY single portion of the answer needs to be correct. As soon as you identify a piece of the option that is even slightly untrue, it’s time to move on.
O – Opposite.
Sometimes, a multiple-choice option appears that is the direct opposite of the correct answer. This one might seem obvious to detect, but when you are pressed for time and are looking for specific words in your answer choices, it’s easy to misinterpret these types of options. Make sure you are carefully and thoughtfully reading each answer choice. And again, as soon as you identify something you know to be untrue, cross the answer out and move on!
N – No information.
One of the harder incorrect answers to identify are those that are inferring or assuming too much, and those that have no direct evidence, no information, to back up their claims. Remember to not get carried away drawing conclusions beyond what is explicitly alluded to in the reading passage.
E – Extreme.
These types of answers may lean towards the correct answer but will use words such as ‘always’ and ‘never’ that make the answer too extreme to be correct. Be wary of these sorts of definitive adverbs!
T – True, but not for this question.
Sometimes, even if what the answer choice is saying seems right, it is not actually answering the question at hand. Be sure you are keeping the question top of mind when reviewing your answers.
As a reminder, these HONET answer choices only capture some of the incorrect answers you may come across. Still, it is helpful to keep a look out for these types of choices.
Happy studying!
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