Kaplan Test Strategies 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When you encounter a long, complex reading passage on a standardized test, what is the most efficient first step?
- Read every word slowly before looking at questions
- Skim the passage for structure and main idea, then use questions to guide a closer read (Correct answer)
- Skip the passage and answer questions using common sense
- Memorize each paragraph before moving on
Correct answer: Skim the passage for structure and main idea, then use questions to guide a closer read
Skimming first gives you a roadmap of the passage so you can locate specific answers efficiently.
Question 2: Kaplan's 'Back-Solving' strategy is most useful when:
- The question involves a vocabulary word you don't know
- The answer choices are numbers and plugging them in is faster than algebra (Correct answer)
- The passage is too long to read
- You need to choose between two similar answer choices
Correct answer: The answer choices are numbers and plugging them in is faster than algebra
Back-solving (plugging in answer choices) saves time on math questions when working backward is simpler than solving algebraically.
Question 3: What does Kaplan mean by an 'attractors' trap in answer choices?
- Correct answers that use exact wording from the passage
- Wrong answers that seem appealing because they use familiar words or partial truths (Correct answer)
- Answer choices listed in alphabetical order
- Questions that repeat the same concept twice
Correct answer: Wrong answers that seem appealing because they use familiar words or partial truths
Attractors are wrong answers designed to lure test-takers by echoing passage language or common assumptions.
Question 4: If you have 10 minutes left and 15 questions remaining, what is the best approach?
- Spend equal time on every question regardless of difficulty
- Skip all questions and guess C for each one
- Prioritize the easiest remaining questions first, then guess on the hardest (Correct answer)
- Stop answering and review your previous answers only
Correct answer: Prioritize the easiest remaining questions first, then guess on the hardest
Tackling easier questions first maximizes correct answers within the time constraint, then strategic guessing covers the rest.
Question 5: On a test with no guessing penalty, the optimal strategy for unanswered questions is to:
- Leave them blank to avoid lowering your score
- Always choose answer choice A
- Fill in every unanswered question before time expires (Correct answer)
- Only answer questions where you are 100% certain
Correct answer: Fill in every unanswered question before time expires
With no penalty, a random guess has a positive expected value, so leaving questions blank is always suboptimal.
Question 6: Kaplan's method for tackling 'EXCEPT' or 'NOT' questions involves:
- Treating the question normally and picking the first correct answer
- Using process of elimination to find the one choice that does NOT fit the pattern (Correct answer)
- Skipping these questions entirely as they are trick questions
- Reversing all answer choices before evaluating them
Correct answer: Using process of elimination to find the one choice that does NOT fit the pattern
EXCEPT/NOT questions require identifying three correct statements and eliminating them, leaving the one that doesn't belong.
Question 7: The 'Predict the Answer' strategy in Kaplan's method is designed to:
- Help you guess without reading the passage
- Formulate your own answer before looking at choices to avoid being misled by attractors (Correct answer)
- Rank the difficulty of questions before attempting them
- Identify which questions will appear on the test
Correct answer: Formulate your own answer before looking at choices to avoid being misled by attractors
Predicting an answer before reading choices makes you less vulnerable to well-crafted wrong answers.
Kaplan Test Strategies 2
When you encounter a long, complex reading passage on a standardized test, what is the most efficient first step?