RULE 5: IN THE WRITING SECTION, LOOK FOR THE ANSWER THAT IS UNLIKE THE
OTHERS.
You will often want to flip Rule 1 in the writing section. Take a look at this
question (it’s the kind where you are presented with alternative phrasing and
asked to choose among the choices).
For years, Drake struggled as an artist, trying to break into the death
metal scene. When he started rapping, furthermore, he found
success.
A) no change
B) moreover
C) however
D) additionallyNotice something familiar about A, B, and D? The words furthermore,
moreover, and additionally all mean basically the same thing! In what situation
would furthermore work, but additionally would not? We can’t think of one.
Answer choice C, however, is the only outlier. So that must be our answer.
SOME MORE GOOD ADVICE
If you are stuck on a problem and need to guess, you should also try skipping
and coming back. It is very, very, very common to misread a problem. If you
move on, take a crack at a couple of other problems, and then come back, you
greatly increase your chances of reading it correctly. Unbeknownst to you, while
you’re answering the next questions, your brain is still processing information
from the one you skipped. When you come back to the problem, you will be able
to start fresh and you will still remember the question. This will help you either
find the answer or make a more educated guess.
Finally, you should know that guessing on a question is no substitute for
knowing the answer. If you know the right answer, don’t guess a different
answer. When you’re taking the SAT, second-guessing yourself is almost always
a bad idea. You know a lot of things. Be confident!