Why You Get Stuck on Multiple-Choice Questions: A Checklist to Beat Traps

1. The 3 Common Trap Patterns
Ever found yourself stuck between two options, only to choose the wrong one? It's likely because you fell for one of these common "distractor" patterns designed by exam creators.

Pattern 1: Partial Match
The option sounds correct because it uses keywords from the text, but the overall meaning of the sentence is actually different.

Pattern 2: Paraphrasing Nuance
A word is replaced with a synonym, but the nuance is slightly off—the tone might be too strong, or the context might have shifted.

Pattern 3: Causal Reversal
The facts mentioned are correct, but the logic is flipped. For example, "B happened because of A" is twisted into "A happened because of B."

2. The Anti-Trap Checklist: Check These Before You Choose
Instead of relying on your gut feeling, run through this quick checklist for every option:

Is the Subject correct? (Who exactly is doing the action?)

Is the Tense consistent? (Is it past, present, or a future plan?)

Are the Conditions the same? (Check limiters like "if," "even if," or "must.")

Is the Degree matching? (Watch out for adverbs like "always," "sometimes," or "slightly.")

3. Summary: Rely on Grammar, Not Just "Focus"
To beat traps, you need to look beyond the vocabulary and focus on the grammar and sentence structure.

In our paid course, we are adding questions specifically designed with these "trap patterns" in mind to sharpen your judgment. You will learn to spot the subtle differences between a "correct-looking" answer and the truly right one.

Curious about how well you can spot these traps?
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