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DISTRACTORS
On a multiple-choice test, the wrong answer choices aren’t called wrongs, they’re called distractors. A distractor is a plausible 128 but incorrect answer designed to potentially mislead students. In the SAT Math section, each wrong answer choice is a distractor that represents a mistake a student might reasonably make due to misreading, miscalculating, or having a misconception. For example:
A) 2 3𝑥−4𝑚 B) 4 𝑥 C) 4 𝑥−2𝑚 D) 6 𝑥
Which of the following is an equivalent form
8 𝑥−𝑚 2 𝑚
of
?
Don’t deny it: B looks good. Maybe C too. Wrong and wrong. If you chose either, you took the bait. But that’s a distractor’s job: to draw you away from the correct answer and confuse you. Look at the definition of distract .
distract
1. to draw or direct (as in one’s mind or attention) to a different object or direction 2. to stir up or confuse with conflicting motives or emotions
SIMPLICITY BIAS A cognitive bias in which someone chooses a solution that is simple, readily apparent, or the least cognitively demanding even if it seems suspect.
Answer Choice
What you probably did
4 𝑥
8÷2 ; Canceled the m ’s
B C D
4 𝑥−2𝑚
8÷2 ; Subtracted m from – m
6 𝑥
8−2 ; Canceled the m ’s
B, C, and D are all scams. Life is full of them, and so is the SAT. And just like in life, the best way to avoid getting scammed is to be informed and employ best practices. After you successfully complete this book, you will have accomplished both.
THE CON
con
1. a deceptive trick or scheme used to manipulate someone
The Con 129 is a special type of distractor. It’s basically an answer choice that is TGTBT: Too Good To Be True. It’s a very tempting answer choice—something quick and easy— maybe a little too quick and easy!
128 Having an appearance of truth or reason; believable 129 The word con is a shortened form of confidence trick or confidence game , first popularized in the mid-19th century to describe schemes where a confidence man gained a victim's trust to deceive and exploit them. In other words, from our point of view, the SAT is the Con Man.
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