Though the ACT Reading test is a less devious beast than its SAT counterpart, it still contains several common traps designed to lure unsuspecting students into choosing wrong answer choices. In today’s post, we’ll cover the three most common ACT Reading trap answers to help take your process of elimination skills to the next level!

1) Twisty Twists

One of the most common ACT Reading trap answer choices can take language from the text and twist its meaning. In some cases, the meaning of an answer choice directly contradicts the passage (these are often pretty easy to eliminate). In other cases, however, the ideas in the answer choice may contain additional words or phrases that partially align with the passage yet express an incorrect relationship or sequence of events. To avoid these errors, read the evidence carefully and make your own prediction about the correct answer before even looking at the answer choices.

2) Irrelevant

Some ACT Reading trap answers can take information from the parts of the passage that don't actually pertain to the question being asked. These traps are particularly dangerous for students who try to remember what the passage said rather than looking back to double-check the evidence—ACT Reading is an open-book test, so there’s no need to try and memorize each 800-word passage in the first readthrough. For each question, your goal should be to locate and underline evidence in the passage that both answers the question and directly matches with one (and only one) of the answer choices.

3) Possible, But Not Provable

The third most common type of ACT Reading trap answer is an answer choice that may make complete sense yet is not supported by evidence from within the passage. For example, an answer choice could refer to a scientific principle you've recently covered in school, and you may see a clear connection between this principle and a logical answer to the question. However, ACT Reading answers should always (always, ALWAYS!) be supported by evidence in the passage, so try not to go mentally "off-roading." The longer you spend convincing yourself of an answer, the less likely it is that you're making the right choice.

As you approach each question on the ACT Reading test, critically examine each of the four answer choices, and keep these three types of trap answers in mind as you eliminate your way to the correct answer! For more personalized assistance in navigating the twists and turns of ACT Reading (and other sections of the test), schedule your free session with a Student Success Advisor to get started on your ACT prep plan today!