Cheat codes / Reading and Writing
Extreme words are a warning
Words like always, never, only and all are a red flag, because the real world, and the SAT, is mostly 'often', 'may' and 'some'.
How I think about it
The code in steps
- 1Circle extreme words in each option: always, never, only, all, completely, must, proves.
- 2Check the text for the same strength.
- 3Cross out the option if the text is more careful than the option.
- 4Keep it only if the text itself forces the strong word.
Learn it
1. What it is
Extreme words are words that leave no room: always, never, only, completely, all, none, must, every, entirely, proves. A statement with one of these words is true only if there is no exception at all.
Passages on the SAT are usually careful. They say 'may', 'suggests', 'some', 'often', 'in many cases'. A wrong option often takes that careful idea and makes it extreme.
2. The exact steps
1. Circle any extreme word in an option (always, never, only, completely, all, must, every, proves, no).
2. Go back to the text and ask: does the text say it with the same strength?
3. If the text uses a careful word ('may', 'suggests', 'some') and the option uses an extreme one, cross the option out.
4. If the text itself uses the extreme word, or the facts force it, keep the option.
3. When extreme words are wrong (most of the time)
The text says 'may matter more' and the option says 'always matters more'. The text gives one study and the option says 'proves'. The text talks about one group and the option says 'all'. In each case the option goes further than the evidence.
4. The rare case when they are right
Sometimes the text really forces an all-or-nothing conclusion, for example when it says 'the total rose' and 'regular riders did not change', and the question says 'must have come from'. Then the strong word is earned. Also, a quoted claim in the passage can contain the extreme word, and the correct answer can be about that word, such as 'the word only is too strong'.
So extreme words are not an automatic 'no'. They are a warning light. When it turns on, check the text.
5. A tiny drill
Pick five questions. Underline every extreme word in the options and in the text. For each, write 'text agrees' or 'text is more careful'. Notice how often the text is more careful.
Why it works
A careful passage can support a careful statement, but a strong statement needs a strong proof, and a short passage rarely has one. Test writers also need wrong options that are wrong for a clear reason, and 'goes further than the text' is the clearest reason there is. This is why correct options on the SAT often use hedged words like 'may', 'suggests' and 'some'.
Watch out: Do not cross out an option only because it has the word 'all' or 'only'. Check the text first. When the passage says 'all three towns' or 'only after the storm', the extreme word may be exactly right. Also, a hedge word like 'may' can appear in a wrong option, so a careful word does not make an option right by itself. Use it as a warning light only.
See it work on real questions
Try each question your usual way first. Then open the box to see the code at work.
Central Ideas and Details · question 5
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Central Ideas and Details · question 7
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Cross-Text Connections · question 3
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Cross-Text Connections · question 4
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Rhetorical Synthesis · question 8
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Inferences · question 5
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Do not just believe me. Test it.
Take 12 Reading and Writing questions with long options. On a sheet of paper, write for each: how many options had an extreme word, whether the correct one had one, and whether the text was careful or strong in that spot. Count how many of the correct answers had an extreme word. Do not decide from one session. Do it again with 12 new questions. You will then know how much to trust the warning for yourself, and you will see the rare cases for yourself.