Reading & Writing Traps
7 psychological traps designed to exploit how you read and interpret
Scope Creep
Scope Creep answers expand beyond what the question actually asks.
Distortion
Distortion answers take something true from the passage and twist it slightly—changing a degree, adding a condition, or shifting the meaning just enough to make it wrong.
Opposite
Opposite answers flip the meaning of what's stated—saying 'increase' when the passage says 'decrease,' or 'supports' when it says 'challenges.
Extreme Language
Extreme Language answers use absolute terms (always, never, all, none, only, completely) when the passage uses more moderate language.
Recycled Words
Recycled Words answers borrow exact phrases from the passage but use them in a context that doesn't answer the question correctly.
Out of Scope
Out of Scope answers bring in information or concepts that aren't mentioned or implied in the passage—they may be true in the real world but aren't supported by the text.
Partial Answer
Partial Answers address only part of what the question asks, answering half the question correctly while ignoring the other half.
Math Traps
4 calculation traps that catch even strong math students
Calculation Bait
Calculation Bait answers represent common arithmetic errors—results you'd get if you made a predictable mistake in your calculation.
Unit Trap
Unit Traps involve mismatched units—your math might be perfect, but you solve for minutes when the answer needs hours, or feet when it needs inches.
Sign Flip
Sign Flip errors occur when you lose track of positive/negative signs during calculations, ending up with an answer that has the wrong sign.
Variable Swap
Variable Swap errors happen when you solve for the wrong variable—finding x when the question asks for y, or finding a value when it wants an expression.