Math and Reading Methods

How to Do ACT Math 3. What is the least common denominator for adding the
fractions 4 , 1 , and 3 ?
After this lesson, you will be confident A. 40
15 12 8
in your ability to: B. 120
C. 180
• Effectively and efficiently apply the ACT Math D. 480
Method E. 1,440
• Apply the backsolving strategy
• Apply the picking numbers strategy 4. Devon has 57 solid-colored disks that are either red,
blue, or green. He lines them up on the floor and finds
1. The balance in Joan’s savings account tripled during that there are 21 more red disks than green and 12
the year. Joan then withdrew $500, and the resulting more green disks than blue. How many red disks does
balance was $100. What was the balance in the he have?
account before it tripled? F. 4
A. $200 G. 8
H. 16
B. $300
J. 30
C. $400 K. 37
D. $500
E. $600 5. In an arithmetic series, the terms of the series are
equally spread out. For example, in 1 + 5 + 9 + 13 +
ACT Math Method 17, consecutive terms are 4 apart. If the first term in
an arithmetic series is 3, the last term is 136, and the
Step 1. State what the question is asking sum is 1,390, what are the first 3 terms?
A. 3, 10, 17
Step 2. Examine the given information B. 3, 23, 43
1
Step 3. Choose your approach C. 3, 36 3 , 70
• Backsolve D. 3, 69 21 , 136
• Pick numbers E. 3, 139, 1,251
• Do the traditional math
• Eliminate choices 6. Consider the equation ab + c = 0, where a is a
• Make a strategic guess positive real number and c is a negative real number.
Which of the following statements describes all
Step 4. Confirm that you answered the right question possible values of b ?
F. b ≤ –1
2. When asked his age, the algebra teacher said, “If you G. b < 0
square my age, then subtract 26 times my age, the H. b = 0
result is 56.” How old is he? J. b > 0
F. 26 K. b ≥ 1
G. 28
H. 30
J. 52
K. 56

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 Math and Reading Methods
7. This year, 75% of the graduating class of Harriet You should now feel more confident
Tubman High School had taken at least 8 math in your ability to:
courses. Of the remaining class members, 60% had
taken 6 or 7 math courses. What percent of the • Effectively and efficiently apply the ACT Math
graduating class had taken fewer than 6 math courses? Method
A. 0% • Apply the backsolving strategy
B. 10% • Apply the picking numbers strategy
C. 15%
D. 30%
E. 45%

8. Whenever k is a positive integer, then the symbol k!

refers to the product of all whole numbers
from 1 through k. For example, 5! = 5·4·3·2·1.
If k is a positive integer, which of the following
is equivalent to (k + 2)! ?
F. 2 k!
G. 6
k+2
H.
k
J. k + 2
K. (k + 2)(k + 1)

9. If r and s can be any integers such that s > 10 and

2r + s = 15, which of the following is the solution set
for r ?
A. r ≥ 3
B. r ≥ 0
C. r ≥ 2
D. r ≤ 0
E. r ≤ 2

10. What is the largest possible product for 2 even

integers whose sum is 30 ?
F. 56
G. 60
H. 104
J. 200
K. 224

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 Math and Reading Methods
Exponents, Radicals, and Absolute Value Radical Rules

After this lesson, you will be confident A radical can be written as a fractional exponent.
in your ability to: 1 1
a = a2 3
a = a3
• Apply exponent rules
b 2
• Apply radical rules
• Evaluate absolute value expressions
c
ab = a c 3
52 = 5 3
Two factors under a single radical can be rewritten
Exponent Rules as separate radicals multiplied together.

To multiply two terms with the same base, ab = a  b

add the exponents. Absolute Value
Absolute value means the distance a number is from
42 × 43 = 4(2 + 3) = 45 0 on a number line.

When dividing two terms with the same base, Because absolute value is a distance, it is always
subtract the exponents. positive.
43
= 4(3 – 2) = 41 = 4 Follow the order of operations and simplify the
42 expression from the inside set of parentheses or
absolute value brackets out.
When raising a power to another power,
multiply the exponents.
To solve an equation involving absolute value, write
two equations.
(43)2 = 4(3 × 2) = 46 2 x + 5 = 11
2x + 5 = −11 2x + 5 = 11
When raising a product to a power,
An equation involving absolute value may have only
apply the power to all factors in the product.
one solution.
3 x + 2 = 4 x + 12
(2m)3 = 23 × m3 = 8m3

A base raised to a negative exponent

can be rewritten as the reciprocal
raised to the positive exponent.

1 1
4– 2 = or = 53
42 5−3

Any non-zero term raised to a zero power equals 1.

30 = 1

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 Math and Reading Methods
11. The product (2x5y)(3x3y7) is equivalent to: 16. For which of the following values of x is the equation
A. 5x8y8 2x 1
B. 5x15y7 1
= true?
2
C. 6x8y7 8 3

D. 6x8y8
E. 6x15y7 F. 0
G. 1
12. Light travels about 9.46 × 1012 kilometers in 1 year. H. 2
About how many kilometers does light travel in 1,000 J. 3
years? K. 4
F. 9.46 × 1015
17. For all x  0 , x x =?
3
G. 9.46 × 1018
H. 9.46 × 1036 1
J. 9.46 × 10015 A. x 2
K. 9.46 × 10036 3
B. x 4
13. What real number satisfies the equation 4x + 4x+1 = 5

80(499) ? C. x 6
7
A. 49
D. x 6
B. 98
11
C. 99
E. x 6
D. 101
E. 198
18. What is the value of −5 − 7 − 33 ?
F. −31
14. Which of the following expressions is equivalent to
G. −21
(a3) – 5 ?
H. 21
1
F. J. 31
a15
K. 45
1
G.
a2
19. Which of the following is the solution set for the
H. −a
2

equation 2 x + 3 − x = 12 ?
J. −a 8

K. −a15 A. 3
xa yb z c B. 5
15. For = x 3 to be true for all positive real
xd yb z c C. 9
numbers x, y, and z, it is sufficient to know that a = ?
D. 5,9
A. −3
B. 3 E. 9,15
C. −d + 3
D. d−3
E. d+3

You should now feel more confident

in your ability to:
• Apply exponent rules
• Apply radical rules
• Evaluate absolute value expressions

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 Math and Reading Methods
Rates, Ratios, and Proportions 20. Stefano is ascending a vertical cliff. At 8:00 a.m., he is
120 feet above his starting point. At 11:00 a.m., he is
After this lesson, you will feel more confident 270 feet above his starting point. What is Stefano’s
in your ability to: average rate of ascent, in feet per hour, from 8:00 a.m.
to 11:00 a.m. ?
• Apply the rate equation F. 45
• Create a ratio to represent the relationship G. 50
between two numbers H. 70
• Set up a proportion and solve to find a missing J. 130
value K. 150

Rates
• A rate is any “something per something”—miles 21. Taj left his home at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday and
per hour, days per week, dollars per gallon, etc. traveled 720 miles. When he arrived at his destination
• Pay close attention to the units of measurement; it was 2:00 a.m. the next day. If his home and his
the rate could be given in one unit in the question destination are in the same time zone, which of the
and a different unit in the answer choices. following is closest to his average speed, in miles per
• Rate questions will often use the DIRT formula: hour, for this trip?
Distance Is Rate × Time, or d = rt A. 72
B. 60
Ratios C. 45
• A ratio is a comparison of one quantity to D. 33
another. E. 16
3
3:5 3 to 5
5 22. A lighthouse that shines a single light beam is shown
• Ratios compare one part of a group to another below. When viewed from above the lighthouse, the
part of that group (part : part) or a part of the light rotates counterclockwise (↺) at the rate of 3
group to the whole group (part : whole). rotations per minute.
• If there are 10 apples and 6 bananas in a bowl, A ship sailing directly toward the lighthouse at a
the ratio of apples to bananas is 10 = 5 . constant rate of 12 feet per second is hit by the light
6 3 beam for the first time. How many feet will the ship
sail before it is hit by the light beam for the second
10 10 5
• The ratio of apples to total fruit is = = time?
10 + 6 16 8
F. 240
Proportions G. 480
• A proportion is two ratios set equal to each other. H. 540
3 x J. 720
=
5 10 K. 1,080

• Suppose a fruit stand sells 3 peaches for every 5

apricots. How many peaches were sold the same
day 20 apricots were sold?
3 p
=
5 20

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 Math and Reading Methods
3x + 2 x
23. For the line segment below, the ratio of the length 26. What is the solution to the equation = ?
of XY to the length of YZ is 2:5. If it can be 2 5
determined, what is the ratio of the length of XY to F. −4
the length of XZ ?
G. −1

10
H. −
13
A. 2:3 8
J. −
B. 2:7 15
C. 5:2
2
D. 7:2 K. −
13
E. Cannot be determined from the given information

24. You are given a bag that contains 20 white marbles. 27. A truck sprang a leak at the bottom of its radiator,
How many black marbles must you add to the bag so which held 480 ounces of fluid when it started to leak,
the ratio of black marbles to white marbles is 2:5 ? and started losing radiator fluid at a constant rate of 4
F. 2 ounces per minute. Suppose that the radiator
G. 4 continued to leak at this constant rate and that the
H. 5 truck, traveling at 35 miles per hour, could continue
J. 8 traveling at this rate until its radiator was completely
K. 10 empty. In how many miles would the radiator be
empty?
25. An 11-year-old is given a weekly allowance of $6.00. A. 13.7
The parents want to determine an allowance for their B. 17.5
8-year-old child so that the children’s allowances are C. 35.0
directly proportional to their ages, in years. To the D. 70.0
nearest cent, how much should the weekly allowance E. 120.0
of the 8-year-old be?
A. $3.00
B. $4.36
C. $5.27
D. $5.97
E. $8.25

You should now feel more confident

in your ability to:
• Apply the rate equation
• Create a ratio to represent the relationship
between two numbers
• Set up a proportion and solve to find a missing
value

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 Math and Reading Methods
5 Minutes on Stress Reduction How to Do ACT Reading

After this lesson, you will be confident After this lesson, you will be confident
in your ability to: in your ability to:

• Describe the difference between fixed and growth • Apply the ACT Reading Passage Strategy
mindset • Apply the ACT Reading Question Method

The Physiology of Stress When you take the time to read strategically first, you
are more likely to answer questions both efficiently
“I’m not good at this.” and correctly.

ACT Reading Passage Strategy

Stress hormones Step 1. Extract everything you can from the

pre-passage blurb

Physical symptoms Step 2. Read each paragraph actively

Step 3. Summarize the passage’s main idea

Impaired thinking Get into the habit of attacking Reading questions the
same way each time. Building consistency and
efficiency now will make you faster and more accurate
Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset on test day.

Fixed Mindset Growth Mindset

ACT Reading Question Method

Step 1. Unpack the question stem

“I’m not good at this.” “I’m not good at this yet.”
Step 2. Research the answer
Step 3. Predict the answer
Avoiding challenges Effort = path to mastery Step 4. Find the one correct answer

Fear of mistakes Mistakes = useful

information

Lower achievement Higher achievement

Your Toolbox
• Mindfulness
• Stress response awareness
• Breathing
• Growth mindset phrases

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 Math and Reading Methods
SOCIAL SCIENCE: This passage is adapted from the
article “The Tease of Memory” by David Glenn (©2004 by
The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inc.).
In 1856, American author Nathaniel Hawthorne visited a
decaying English manor house known as Stanton Harcourt.
He was struck by the vast kitchen, which occupied the
bottom of a 70-foot tower.
5 Hawthorne wrote that as he stood in that kitchen, he was
seized by an uncanny feeling: “I was haunted and perplexed
by an idea that somewhere or other I had seen just this
strange spectacle before. The height, the blackness, the
dismal void, before my eyes, seemed as familiar as the
10 decorous neatness of my grandmother’s kitchen.” He was
certain that he had never actually seen this room or anything
like it. And yet for a moment he was caught in what he
described as “that odd state of mind wherein we fitfully and
teasingly remember some previous scene or incident, of
15 which the one now passing appears to be but the echo and
reduplication.”
When Hawthorne wrote that passage there was no
common term for such an experience. But by the end of the
19th century, after discarding “false recognition,”
20 “paramnesia,” and “promnesia,” scholars had settled on a
French candidate: “déjà vu,” or “already seen.”
The fleeting melancholy and euphoria associated with déjà
vu have attracted the interest of poets and novelists of many 70 day or a week later and were shown another long list of
stripes. Most academic psychologists, however, have ignored
25 the topic. Déjà vu is difficult to study because it produces no
measurable external behaviors. Researchers must trust their
subjects’ personal descriptions of what is going on inside
their minds. Psychology has generally filed déjà vu away in a
drawer marked “Interesting but Insoluble.”
30 During the past two decades, however, a few hardy souls
have reopened the scientific study of déjà vu. Alan S. Brown,
a professor of psychology at Southern Methodist University,
surveys the fledgling subfield. “What we can try to do is zero 80 something half-consciously and then give it our full attention,
in on it from a variety of different angles,” he says.
35 In Brown’s account, scientific theories of déjà vu fall into
four broad categories. In the first category are theories of
“dual processing.” The late neuropsychiatrist Pierre Gloor
conducted experiments in the 1990s strongly suggesting that
memory involves distinct systems of “retrieval” and
40 “familiarity.” In a 1997 paper, he speculated that déjà vu
occurs at rare moments when our familiarity system is
activated but our retrieval system is not.
In the second category are more purely neurological
explanations. One such theory holds that déjà vu experiences
45 are caused by small, brief seizures. Researchers have found
that déjà vu can be elicited by electrically stimulating certain
regions of the brain.
Brown’s third category consists of memory theories. These
propose that déjà vu is triggered by something we have
50 actually seen or imagined before, either in waking life, in
literature or film, or in a dream. Some of these theories hold
that a single element, perhaps familiar from some other
context, is enough to spark a déjà vu experience. (Suppose,
for example, that the chairs in Stanton Harcourt’s kitchen
55 were identical in color and shape to Hawthorne’s decorously
neat grandmother’s, but that he didn’t recognize them in this
new context.) At the other end of the scale are theories which
suggest that we sometimes falsely recognize a general visual
or audio pattern. (Suppose that the Stanton Harcourt kitchen
60 looked similar, in broad visual outline, to a long-forgotten
church that Hawthorne had once attended.)
In the final category are “double perception” theories of
déjà vu, which suggest that a brief interruption in our normal
process of perception might make something appear falsely
65 familiar. In 1989, in one of the first laboratory studies that
tried to induce something like déjà vu, the cognitive
psychologists Larry L. Jacoby and Kevin Whitehouse, of
Washington University in St. Louis, showed their subjects a
long list of words on a screen. The subjects then returned a
words, half of which had also been on the first list. They were
asked to identify which words they had seen during the first
round.
The experimenters found that if they flashed a word at
75 extremely quick, subliminal speeds (20 milliseconds) shortly
before its “official” appearance on the screen during the
second round, their subjects were very likely to incorrectly say
that it had appeared on the first list. Those results lent at
least indirect support to the notion that if we attend to
it can appear falsely familiar.
“This will be very slow progress toward a very abstract
phenomenon,” Brown says.
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 Math and Reading Methods
1. The main idea of the passage is that:
A. when Hawthorne wrote about Stanton Harcourt,
there was no accepted term for the feeling now
called déjà vu.
B. psychologists agree that déjà vu is difficult to
study because it produces no measurable external
behaviors.
C. scientists have learned that the feeling of déjà vu
can be triggered by electrically stimulating
certain regions of the brain.
D. the scientific study of déjà vu approaches the
phenomenon from various angles in an attempt to
understand it.
2. Based on the passage, a more purely neurological
explanation of Hawthorne’s déjà vu experience would
be that:
F. Hawthorne’s familiarity system was activated but
his retrieval system wasn’t.
G. Hawthorne’s déjà vu had been triggered by a
small, brief seizure.
H. Hawthorne had previously seen something
similar in a different context.
J. Hawthorne hadn’t paid conscious attention to his
surroundings at first.
3. According to the passage, who speculated that déjà vu
involves two separate memory systems?
A. Hawthorne
B. Brown
C. Gloor
D. Jacoby
4. According to the passage, which group of people has
been most interested in the melancholy and euphoria
associated with déjà vu?
F. Psychoanalysts
G. Neurologists
H. Academic psychiatrists
J. Creative writers
9 END OF SESSION
5. According to the passage, which of the following
explanations for déjà vu would Jacoby and Whitehouse
most likely give?
A. Half-conscious attention to something can make it
seem familiar later.
B. The area of the brain that is devoted to memory is
falsely activated by electrical current.
C. A small, brief seizure can make something appear
falsely familiar.
D. The person remembers a similar experience or
setting from childhood.
6. According to the passage, the hypothesis that déjà vu
can be triggered when a person sees something he or
she has previously dreamed about or imagined falls
under the category of:
F. dual processing theories.
G. neurological explanations.
H. memory theories.
J. double perception theories.
You should now feel more confident
in your ability to:
• Apply the ACT Reading Passage Strategy
• Apply the ACT Reading Question Method
Reflect
• What strategies can you use instead of traditional
math?
• What does it mean to have a growth mindset?
What actions can you take to contribute to a growth
mindset?
• What strategies can you use to efficiently tackle a
reading passage?
• What are your other takeaways from class today?
 Math and Reading Methods
Math Answers and Explanations
1. Getting to the Answer: Since the answer choices
are manageable numbers, you can use backsolving
to test the answer choices. Start with the middle
value, (C). The question stem indicates that you need
the balance in the bank account before it tripled, so
triple $400. $400 × 3 = $1200. Next, the stem
indicates Joan withdrew $500 from the account,
leaving $100. Subtract $1200 − $500 = $700. Since
$700 is more than the needed result, $100, eliminate
(C) and test a smaller answer choice.
Since (C) was much too big, try (A) next. Tripling
$200 yields $600. Subtracting $600 − $500 = $100.
The original bank balance was $200.
Another way to solve this question is to set up an
algebra equation. Let the original bank balance be x,
and perform the operations as indicated in the
question stem. Tripling the balance would yield 3x.
Then Joan withdrew $500, so subtract: 3x − $500.
The result is $100, so the final equation is
3x − $500 = $100. Solve for x: 3x = $600 → x = $200.
(A) Correct: this matches the calculations above
(B) Incorrect: this value is too large to result in a final
balance of $100
(C) Incorrect: this value is too large to result in a final
balance of $100
(D) Incorrect: this value represents the amount Joan
withdrew from the account after it tripled
(E) Incorrect: this value is too large to result in a final
balance of $100
10
2. Getting to the Answer: This question is a word
problem with answer choices that are simple
numbers, so you can backsolve. Starting with the
middle answer choice allows you to test fewer
answer choices by strategically eliminating, so
first try choice (H) to see if using 30 as the
teacher’s age results in 56. The given statement
is “If you square my age, then subtract 26 times
my age, the result is 56,” so calculate 30 2 −
26 30 = 900 − 780 = 120. This does not equal
56, so eliminate (H). Since 120 > 56, you can
also eliminate the larger choices (J) and (K).
Next, try either choice (F) or (G). For (G), 28 2 −
26(28) = 784 − 728 = 56. This does result in 56,
so the teacher’s age is 28.
Another way to solve this question is to translate
the words into an algebraic equation using a
variable like a to represent the teacher’s age.
This results in the equation a2 − 26a = 56.
Rewrite this as a2 − 26a − 56 = 0 and then factor
by finding two numbers that multiply to −56 and
add to −26. Doing so yields (a − 28)(a + 2) = 0.
Set each factor of the binomial equal to 0 and
solve for a to get a = 28 and a = −2. The
teacher’s age cannot be negative, so the
teacher’s age must be 28.
(F) Incorrect: if the teacher’s age is 26,
26 2 − 26(26) = 0, which does not equal 56
(G) Correct: this matches the calculations
above
(H) Incorrect: if the teacher’s age is 30,
30 2 − 26(30) = 120, which does not equal 56
(J) Incorrect: if the teacher’s age is 52,
522 − 26(52) = 1352, which does not equal 56
(K) Incorrect: if the teacher’s age is 56,
56 2 − 26(56) = 1680, which does not equal 56
 Math and Reading Methods
Math Answers and Explanations
3. Getting to the Answer: This question asks for the
least common denominator of the listed fractions, so
the correct answer will be the smallest number that is
a multiple of 15, 12, and 8.
Since the question asks for the least common
denominator, backsolve by testing the smallest
answer choice first, determining whether 15, 12, and
8 are all factors. Although 8 is a factor of 40 (8 × 5 =
40), 15 and 12 are not factors, so eliminate (A).
Test the next smallest answer choice next. The
denominators 15 and 8 are both factors of 120, since
15 × 8 = 120. Further, 12 is also a factor of 120, since
12 × 10 = 120. There’s no need to test additional
answers, which are all greater than 120.
(A) Incorrect: 15 and 12 are not factors of 40
(B) Correct: 15, 12, and 8 are all factors of 120
(C) Incorrect: 8 is not a factor of 180
(D) Incorrect: although 15, 12, and 8 are all factors of
480, choice (B) is a smaller common denominator
(E) Incorrect: although 15, 12, and 8 are all factors of
1,440, choice (B) is a smaller common denominator
4. Getting to the Answer: This question describes the
relationships among red, blue, and green disks and
provides numbers in the answer choices that can be
tested with backsolving. The stem asks for the
number of red disks and indicates that there are 57
disks in total.
Begin by testing the middle answer choice, (H), 16
red disks, against the information in the question
stem. The stem states there are 21 more red disks
than green, but this is impossible if there are only 16
red disks. Choice (H) can be eliminated; the number
of red disks must be bigger, so eliminate (F) – (H).
11
Testing (J), 30 red disks, would result in 9 green
disks, since there are 21 more red disks than
green (30 red − 21 = 9 green disks). But 9 green
disks does not work with the statement that there
are 12 more green disks than blue. Eliminate (J);
the number of red disks must be bigger, so (K)
must be correct. To verify, 37 red disks would
result in 37 red − 21 = 16 green disks, 16 green −
12 = 4 blue disks, and 37 + 16 + 4 = 57 disks
total.
To solve algebraically, you would need to set up
three equations since there are three unknown
variables. Given the information in the question
stem, r + g + b = 57, g = r − 21, and b = g − 12.
To find r, solve the two latter equations in terms
of r, so you can substitute for g and b in the first
equation. The second equation already provides
g in terms of r, so you just need to find b in terms
of r. For b = g − 12 → g = b + 12. Set this value
for g equal to the value of g in the second
equation: b + 12 = r − 21 → b = r − 33. Substitute
these values for g and b in terms of r into the first
equation: r + (r − 21) + (r − 33) = 57 →
3r − 54 = 57 → 3r = 111 → r = 37.
(F) Incorrect: this number of red disks is too small
for there to be 21 more red disks than green
(G) Incorrect: this number of red disks is too
small for there to be 21 more red disks than
green
(H) Incorrect: this number of red disks is too
small for there to be 21 more red disks than
green
(J) Incorrect: this number of red disks is too small
for there to be 12 more green disks than blue
(K) Correct: 37 red disks yields 16 green
disks, 4 blue disks, and a total of 57 disks
 Math and Reading Methods
Math Answers and Explanations
5. Getting to the Answer: This question provides
information about an arithmetic series and asks
which answer choice shows the first three terms in
the series. Use the information provided in the
question stem to methodically eliminate answer
choices that do not match the given criteria.
Start by evaluating the easiest criteria first: the first
term must be 3. All the answer choices meet this
criteria, so no choices can be eliminated yet.
Next, the last term must be 136. Eliminate (E),
which has a higher last term. Choices (A)–(C) are
still possibilities, since the answer choices only give
the first three terms in the series.
Next, the sum of the series is 1,390. This makes it
possible to eliminate (D). This choice ends in 136
and thus must contain the entire series, but it is too
small to add to 1,390.
12
Finally, consider that the terms must be spaced
evenly apart. Choice (A) is spaced by 7, and (B)
is spaced by 20, but (C) is not evenly spaced—
1
some number plus gives the second term,
3 2
but some number plus gives the third term.
3
Eliminate (C). Look more closely at the remaining
choices, (A) and (B), to see if you can eliminate
another. Choice (B) does not meet the criteria.
The last term of its series cannot be 136: the
terms are spaced by 20 and each term ends in 3.
Choice (A) must be correct.
(A) Correct: this matches all of the series
criteria
(B) Incorrect: this series could not have 136 as
its last term, since each term ends in 3 and the
terms are spaced by 20
(C) Incorrect: this series does not have evenly
spaced terms
(D) Incorrect: this series does not sum to 1,390
(E) Incorrect: the series does not end in 136
 Math and Reading Methods
Math Answers and Explanations
6. Getting to the Answer: This question provides an
equation with three variables (a, b, and c) but does
not give the value of any of the variables. Instead, the
question gives the properties of a and c and asks for
the statement that describes all possible values of b.
Therefore, you can pick numbers to determine all
possible b values. The given equation is ab + c = 0,
with a defined as a positive real number and c
defined as a negative real number. Pick manageable
numbers to test, such as a = 3 and c = −2.
Plugging these into the equation gives 3b + (− 2) = 0,
which simplifies to 3b + − 2 = 0. Adding 2 to both
sides gives 3b = 2, and then dividing both sides by 3
gives b = 23. Notice that no matter what the
magnitudes of a and c are, as long as a is positive
and c is negative, b will always equal a positive
number divided by a positive number. Therefore, b
will always be positive, or greater than 0.
Another way to solve this question is to use algebra
to rearrange the original equation. Solve for b by
subtracting c from both sides to get ab = −c, and
−c
then divide both sides by a to get b = a . The
question states that c is a negative number, and the
negative of a negative number is a positive number.
Therefore, the numerator will be positive. The
question also states that a is a positive number, so
the denominator will also be positive. A positive
number divided by a positive number is positive, so b
will always be positive, or greater than 0.
(F) Incorrect: as shown above, b will always be a
positive number
(G) Incorrect: as shown above, b will always be a
positive number
7. Getting to the Answer: This question provides
the percentages of students who have taken
different numbers of math courses and asks for
the percentage that have taken fewer than 6
math courses. Since the stem does not identify
the total number of students, you can pick a
number. When working with percentages, 100 is
often a good number to pick because it simplifies
the calculations.
Work through the details provided in the question
stem, using 100 as the total number of students.
If 75% of the students took at least 8 math
courses, 25%, or 25, of the 100 students took
fewer math courses. If 60% of 25 students took 6
or 7 courses, then 40% of 25 took fewer than 6
courses. Write 40% as a decimal or fraction to
solve: 0.4 × 25 = 10 students. Ten out of 100
students is 10%, so (B) is correct.
(A) Incorrect: the stem indicates that some
percentage of students took fewer than 6 math
courses
(B) Correct: this matches the calculations
above
(C) Incorrect: this is the percentage of students
who took 6 or 7 math courses
(D) Incorrect: this would be the percentage of
students who took fewer than 6 math courses if
you calculated 40% of 75%, rather than 40% of
25%, of the students
(E) Incorrect: this does not match the
calculations above

(H) Incorrect: as shown above, b will always be a

positive number

(J) Correct: this matches the calculations above

(K) Incorrect: as shown above, b can be a positive

number less than 1
13
 Math and Reading Methods
Math Answers and Explanations
8. Getting to the Answer: To find the statement that
(k + 2)!
is equivalent to k! , use the given definition of k!
to expand the original expression. As described in
the question, k! refers to the product of all whole
numbers from 1 through k. Therefore, the
denominator k! can be rewritten as k × (k − 1) ×
(k − 2) ×. . .× 1. Similarly, the numerator, (k + 2)!,
can be rewritten as k + 2 × k + 2 − 1 ×
((k + 2) − 2) × ((k + 2) − 3) ×. . .× 1, which
simplifies to (k + 2) × (k + 1) × k × (k − 1) ×. . .× 1
(k + 2)!
or just (k + 2) × (k + 1) × k!. Thus, k! can be
(k + 2) × (k + 1) × k!
rewritten as k!
. Finally, cancel the k!
in the numerator with the k! in the denominator to
get (k + 2)(k + 1).
Another way to solve this question is to pick a
number for k, like k = 3, and use this to find the
equivalent statement. First, substitute k = 3 into the
(3 + 2)! 5!
original expression to get 3!
= . Then, use the
3!
given definition of k! to rewrite this as
5×4×3×2×1
3×2×1
. Cancel the common factors in the
numerator and denominator to get 5 × 4 = 20. Use
this value to eliminate (F) and (G), and then
substitute k = 3 into the remaining answer choices
to find the one that yields the same value of 20:
k + 2 k + 1 = (3 + 2)(3 + 1) = (5)(4) = 20.
(F) Incorrect: this is the result of incorrectly
cancelling the k terms in the numerator and
denominator instead of expanding the expression
before simplifying
(G) Incorrect: this does not match the calculations
above
(H) Incorrect: this results from incorrectly cancelling
the ! symbols in the numerator and denominator
instead of expanding the expression before
simplifying
14
(J) Incorrect: this is the result of incorrectly
expanding (k + 2)! into (k + 2)k! and then
cancelling the k! terms in the numerator and
denominator
(K) Correct: this matches the prior
calculations
9. Getting to the Answer: This question involves
unknown variables, so it is a good candidate for
picking numbers. Since you are solving for the
solution set for r, first solve the given equation for
15 − s
r: 2r + s = 15 → 2r = 15 − s → r = . Then
2
choose permissible and manageable numbers
for s. Since s is an integer greater than 10, test s
15 − 11 4
= 11. If s = 11, r = = = 2 . With r = 2 as
2 2
a solution, see if you can eliminate any answer
choices. Eliminate (A) and (D), since you have a
solution for r that is less than 3 and greater than
0, respectively.
15 − 12 3
Try another value for s. If s = 12, r = = .
2 2
The value of r decreases as s increases. The
smallest s can be is 11, so the greatest r can be
is 2. Eliminate (C). This leaves (B) and (E). Any
value of s greater than 15 would result in a
negative, so eliminate (B). (E) must be correct.
(A) Incorrect: r decreases as s increases; the
smallest possible value of s is 11 (an integer
greater than 10); when s = 11, r = 2, so r cannot
be ≥ 3
(B) Incorrect: r is less than 0 when s > 15
(C) Incorrect: r decreases as s increases; the
smallest possible value of s is 11 (an integer
greater than 10); when s = 11, r = 2, so r cannot
be greater than 2
(D) Incorrect: r is greater than 0 when s is 11, 12,
13, or 14
(E) Correct: all permissible values for s (an
integer greater than 10) result in r being less
than or equal to 2
 Math and Reading Methods
Math Answers and Explanations
10. Getting to the Answer: This question asks for the
largest possible product of two integers. You can
pick numbers for the unknown integers mentioned
in the question stem.
As specified by the criteria in the stem, choose two
even integers that add to 30. Testing 10 and 20 is
an easy place to start: 10 × 20 = 200. Since you’re
looking for the greatest possible product, you can
eliminate (F)–(H), which are less than 200.
However, before choosing (J), pick additional sets
of numbers to see if (K), 224, is a possible product:
12 and 18 have a sum of 30 and a product of 216.
You might note that as the even integers approach
each other, the product is increasing, so test 14 and
16: 14 and 16 have a sum of 30 and a product of
224. Choice (K) is correct.
(F) Incorrect: although 2 × 28 = 56, larger products
are possible for two even integers that sum to 30
(G) Incorrect: 60 is not a possible product of two
even integers that sum to 30
(H) Incorrect: although 4 × 26 = 104, larger
products are possible for two even integers that
sum to 30
(J) Incorrect: although 10 × 20 = 200, a larger
product is possible for two even integers that sum
to 30 (14 × 16 = 224)
(K) Correct: since the product increases as the
integers approach each other, 14 × 16 = 224 is
the largest possible product for two even
integers that sum to 30
15
11. Getting to the Answer: Multiply like terms
separately: (2)(3) = 6, (𝑥 5 )(𝑥 3 ) = 𝑥 5+3 = 𝑥 8 , and
(𝑦 1 )(𝑦 7 ) = 𝑦 1+7 = 𝑦 8 . Thus, (2𝑥 5 𝑦)(3𝑥 3 𝑦 7 ) =
6𝑥 8 𝑦 8 .
(A) Incorrect: this is the result of adding 2 and 3
instead of multiplying them
(B) Incorrect: this is the result of adding 2 and 3
instead of multiplying them; it also multiplies the
exponents instead of adding them
(C) Incorrect: this is the result of multiplying the y
exponents instead of adding them
(D) Correct: this matches the calculations
above
(E) Incorrect: this is the result of multiplying the
exponents instead of adding them
12. Getting to the Answer: Since the distance light
travels in 1 year is given, find the distance light
travels in 1,000 years by multiplying by 1,000:
9.46 × 1012 × 1,000. Convert the 1,000 into
scientific notation to get 9.46 × 1012 × 1,000 =
9.46 × 1012 × 103 . Finally, combine like terms to
obtain 9.46 × 1012 × 103 = 9.46 × 1012+3 =
9.46 × 1015 .
(F) Correct: this matches the calculations
above
(G) Incorrect: this is the distance light travels in
1,000,000 years, not 1,000 years
(H) Incorrect: this is the result of multiplying the
exponents instead of adding them
(J) Incorrect: this is the result of not simplifying
scientific notation correctly by using 100 instead
of 10
(K) Incorrect: this is the result of not simplifying
scientific notation correctly by using 100 instead
of 10 and also multiplying the exponents instead
of adding them
 Math and Reading Methods
Math Answers and Explanations
13. Getting to the Answer: Use the exponents rules to
simplify what you can in this equation, and aim to
write the terms with a base of 4.
Rewrite the left side of the equation, using the
principle that you add the exponents when you
multiply two terms with the same base: 4x + (4x ×
41). Further simplify by factoring out the term 4x: 4x
(1 + 41) = 4x (1 + 4) = 4x(5).
Now consider how to further simplify using the
entire equation 4x(5) = 80(499). Divide both sides by
5 to get 4x = 16 (499). Note that 16 can be rewritten
with a base of 4: 4x = 42(499). Use exponent rules to
rewrite the right side of the equation: 4x = 42+99. So
4x = 4101. Since the terms on both sides of the
equation have the same base, you can set their
exponents equal to each other, so x = 101. Choice
(D) is correct.
(A) Incorrect: this answer does not match the
calculations with exponent rules above
(B) Incorrect: this answer does not match the
calculations with exponent rules above
(C) Incorrect: this answer fails to account for the
16, or 42, on the right side of the equation
(D) Correct: this matches the calculations with
exponent rules above
(E) Incorrect: this is the result of multiplying, rather
than adding, the exponents of 2 and 99 on the right
side of the equation
16
14. Getting to the Answer: Since the exponent is
raised to another exponent, multiply the two
exponents: (a3) −5 = a−15 . All of the answer
choices have positive exponents, so move the
term with the negative exponent from the
1
numerator to the denominator: a−15 = 15 . Make
a
sure to change the sign of the exponent from
negative to positive when you move the term
from the numerator to the denominator.
Another way to solve this question is to move the
term from the numerator to the denominator,
1
(a3) −5 = , and then multiply the two
(a3)5
1 1
exponents: = a15 . Make sure to change
(a3)5
the sign of the exponent from negative to positive
when you move the term from the numerator to
the denominator.
(F) Correct: this matches the calculations
above
(G) Incorrect: this is the result of adding the
exponents instead of multiplying them
(H) Incorrect: this is the result of adding the
exponents instead of multiplying them and also
having the negative in front of the variable
instead of in front of the exponent
(J) Incorrect: this is the result of adding the
absolute values of the exponents instead of
multiplying them and also having the negative in
front of the variable instead of in front of the
exponent
(K) Incorrect: this is the result of having the
negative in front of the variable instead of in front
of the exponent
 Math and Reading Methods
Math Answers and Explanations
15. Getting to the Answer: This question is simply 17. Getting to the Answer: Convert from radical
3
asking you to solve for a, which is one of the notation into fractional exponents: x x=
1 1 1
exponents in the equation. Begin by simplifying (x x) = (x1 × x ) . Then, combine the like terms
3 2 3

anything you can; yb and zc both cancel in the 1 1 1

(1+ )
1
a
x inside the parentheses: (x1 × x2 )3 = (x 2 )3 =
fraction, leaving just d = x . Use the exponent
3
3 1
x
rule that when dividing two terms with the same (x2 )3 . Since the exponent is raised to another
3 1 1
base, subtract the exponents: xa − d = x3. Since the exponent, multiply the two exponents: (x2 )3 = x2 .
bases on both sides of the equation are now the
(A) Correct: this matches the calculations
same, set the exponents equal: a − d = 3. Solve for
above
a; (E) is correct.
(B) Incorrect: this does not match the
(A) Incorrect: this choice drops the d variable from calculations above
the exponent
(C) Incorrect: this does not match the
(B) Incorrect: this choice drops the d variable from calculations above
the exponent
(D) Incorrect: this is the result of multiplying the
(C) Incorrect: this choice incorrectly solves for a exponents 12 and 13 and then adding 1 instead of
when setting the exponents equal first combining the like terms in the parentheses

(D) Incorrect: this choice incorrectly solves for a (E) Incorrect: this is the result of adding the
when setting the exponents equal
exponents 32 and 13 instead of multiplying them
(E) Correct: this matches the calculations with
18. Getting to the Answer: First, simplify the terms
exponent rules above
within the absolute values to get
16. Getting to the Answer: Convert the fractional −5 − 7 − 33 = −5 − −26 . Then turn all the
exponent in the denominator into radical notation numbers within the absolute values positive and
1
3 simplify: −5 − −26 = 5 − 26 = −21.
and simplify to get 83 = 8 = 2. Now you have
2x 1 (F) Incorrect: this is the result of keeping −5
= . Since both fractions have a denominator
2 2 negative instead of using the absolute value
of 2, set the numerators equal to each other and
2x 1 (G) Correct: this matches the calculations
solve: = → 2x = 1. Any number raised to the 0
2 2 above
power is equal to 1, so x = 0.
(H) Incorrect: this is the result of keeping −5
(F) Correct: this matches the calculations above
negative instead of using the absolute value and
(G) Incorrect: this is the value of the numerator adding 26 instead of subtracting it

(H) Incorrect: this is the value of the denominator (J) Incorrect: this is the result of adding 5 and 26
instead of subtracting 26 from 5
(J) Incorrect: this does not match the calculations
above (K) Incorrect: this is the result of adding 7, 33,
and 5
(K) Incorrect: this is the value of 22
17
 Math and Reading Methods
Math Answers and Explanations
19. Getting to the Answer: Using algebra to solve
equations with absolute values can be complex, so
backsolving can be a good approach. Note that
three of the answer choices include 9, so test that
first by substituting x = 9 into the original equation:
2(9) + |3 − 9| = 18 + 6 = 24. Because this does not
equal 12, x = 9 is not a valid solution and (C), (D),
and (E) can be eliminated. Test 5 next:
2(5) + |3 − 5| = 10 + 2 = 12, which produces the
true statement 12 = 12. Therefore, x = 5 is the only
valid solution.
Another way to solve this question is to use
algebra. First, isolate the absolute value term by
subtracting 2x from both sides of the equation to get
|3 − x| = 12 − 2x. One possible solution occurs
when 3 − x = 12 − 2x. Add 2x to both sides and
subtract 3 from both sides to get x = 9. The other
possible solution occurs when the term inside the
absolute value is negative, so −3 + x = 12 − 2x.
Adding 2x and 3 to both sides yields 3x =15, which
further simplifies to x = 5.
Since the variable x appears both inside and
outside of the absolute value, these possible
solutions should be checked in the original
equation. As shown above, x = 9 is not a valid
solution, so x = 5 is the only valid solution.
(A) Incorrect: this is not among the possible
solutions shown in the calculations above
(B) Correct: this matches the calculations above
(C) Incorrect: this is an extraneous solution that
appears to be possible but does not produce a true
statement in the original equation
(D) Incorrect: this is both of the possible solutions,
but 9 does not produce a true statement in the
original equation
(E) Incorrect: this set contains the extraneous
solution x = 9
18
20. Getting to the Answer: Distance = rate × time.
Since the question asks for a rate, rewrite this as
distance
rate = . The distance is the difference in
time
elevations above the starting point, or
270 −120 = 150 ft. The time elapsed is the 3
hours between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. Therefore, the
150
rate of ascent, in feet per hour, is = 50.
3
(F) Incorrect: this does not match the calculations
above
(G) Correct: this matches the calculations
above
(H) Incorrect: this does not match the calculations
above
(J) Incorrect: this is the result of adding the
heights (120 + 270) and then dividing by 3
(K) Incorrect: this is the distance, not the rate
21. Getting to the Answer: Distance = rate × time,
distance
so rate = . The distance is given as 720
time
miles. The time elapsed is the difference between
10 a.m. on Tuesday and 2 a.m. the next day.
From 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. Tuesday is 12 hours;
from 10 p.m. to midnight Tuesday is 2 hours; from
midnight to 2 a.m. Wednesday is 2 hours. The
total time is therefore 12 + 2 + 2 = 16 hours. The
720
average speed, in miles per hour, is = 45.
16
(A) Incorrect: this is the result of using 10 hours
as the time of the trip
(B) Incorrect: this is the result of using 12 hours
as the time of the trip
(C) Correct: this matches the calculations
above
(D) Incorrect: this is the approximate result of
using 22 hours for the time of the trip
(E) Incorrect: this is the time of the trip, not its
average speed
 Math and Reading Methods
Math Answers and Explanations
22. Getting to the Answer: Since this question 23. Getting to the Answer: The given ratio of the
mentions rates, it can likely be solved using the lengths of XY and YZ can be expressed as
distance formula. Here, the question stem asks for 2x : 5x, so the total length is 2x + 5x = 7x. Thus,
the ratio of the length of XY to the total length of
“how many feet” the ship will sail, so the distance is
2x 2
the unknown value. The rate is 12 feet per second, XZ, which is XY + YZ, is = . This is
7x 7
and the time is how long it takes between the ship equivalent to 2:7.
being hit by the light beam for the first and second
(A) Incorrect: this is the ratio of the lengths of XY
time, or one rotation of the light. The stem identifies
and YZ − XY instead of XY + YZ
that the light beam rotates at 3 rotations per minute.
The rate of the ship is given in feet per second, so (B) Correct: this matches the calculations
convert
3 rotations
to
3 rotations
. So one rotation above
1 min 60 sec
takes 20 seconds. Plug these values into the (C) Incorrect: this is the ratio of the length of YZ
formula: distance = rate × time. Distance = 12 ft to the length of XY
sec
× 20 sec = 240 ft.
(D) Incorrect: this is the inverse of the correct
ratio
(F) Correct: this matches the calculations above
(E) Incorrect: there is sufficient information to
(G) Incorrect: this represents the distance traveled
calculate the ratio
in two light rotations
24. Getting to the Answer: Set up a proportion with
(H) Incorrect: this does not match the calculations
the number of black marbles as the unknown
above
2 b
variable b: = . Cross multiply to get 40 = 5b,
(J) Incorrect: this represents the distance traveled in 5 20
and then divide both sides by 5 to get b = 8.
three light rotations
(F) Incorrect: this would be the number of black
(K) Incorrect: this does not match the calculations
marbles if there were only 5 white marbles
above
(G) Incorrect: this would be the number of black
marbles if there were only 10 white marbles

(H) Incorrect: this is the value of white marbles in

the given ratio

(J) Correct: this matches the calculations

above

(K) Incorrect: this is the product of 2 times 5,

which does not match the calculations above

19
 Math and Reading Methods
Math Answers and Explanations
25. Getting to the Answer: Set up a proportion with
the 8-year old’s allowance as the unknown variable
6 x
x: = . Cross multiply to get 11x = 48, and then
11 8
divide both sides by 11 to get x ≈ 4.36.
(A) Incorrect: this is half of the 11-year-old’s
allowance
(B) Correct: this matches the calculations above
(C) Incorrect: this does not match the calculations
above
(D) Incorrect: this is the result of finding the
difference in the children’s ages, which is 3, and
then subtracting this as cents from the $6.00
allowance: $6.00 − $0.03 = $5.97
(E) Incorrect: this is the result of switching the
denominators in the proportion
20
26. Getting to the Answer: Cross multiply the given
proportion to get 5(3x + 2) = 2x, and then simplify
to get 15x + 10 = 2x. Next, subtract 2x and 10
from both sides. This simplifies to 13x = −10, so
10
x=− .
13
(F) Incorrect: this is the result of multiplying each
numerator by its denominator to get
2(3x + 2) = 5x, rather than cross multiplying
(G) Incorrect: this is the result of setting the
numerators equal to obtain 3x + 2 = x
(H) Correct: this matches the calculations
above
(J) Incorrect: this is the result of using 1 instead
of x in the second numerator
(K) Incorrect: this is the result of forgetting to
multiply 2 times 5 when expanding 5(3x + 2)
 Math and Reading Methods
Math Answers and Explanations
27. Getting to the Answer: This question involves (A) Incorrect: this does not match the
rates, so you can use the distance formula to solve, calculations above
though the numbers in the answer choices also
make this question a good candidate for (B) Incorrect: this is the distance traveled when
backsolving. You’re asked how many miles a truck 120 ounces have leaked
going 35 miles per hour would travel until its
(C) Incorrect: this is the distance traveled when
radiator would be empty if the 480 ounces of fluid
240 ounces have leaked
were leaking at a rate of 4 ounces per minute.
(D) Correct: this matches the calculations
Start by testing (C). If the truck traveled 35 miles at above
35 miles per hour, it would have traveled for 1 hour.
(E) Incorrect: this represents the number of hours
Determine how much fluid would have leaked in 1
it would take for 480 ounces to leak if the rate of
hour—would the radiator be empty in 1 hour? Since 4 min, rather than 4 oz , were used
oz min hr min
the radiator leaks at 4 , multiply this rate by 60
min oz min oz hr
to find the rate per hour: 4 × 60 = 240 .
min hr hr
The radiator holds 480 ounces, so this is too small.
Note that doubling the 240 ounces would yield the
desired 480 ounces, so doubling the distance
traveled in (C) will provide the correct distance: 35
miles × 2 = 70 miles. Choice (D) is correct.

Another way to solve this question is to plug the

information into the distance formula, distance =
rate × time, where the rate of the truck is 35 mi/hr.
To find the time, determine how long it would take
for 480 ounces to leak. Using the calculations
oz
above, if the fluid leaks at 4 , it would leak at
oz min
240 . You can also plug this rate into the distance
hr
formula to find the time it takes for 480 ounces to
240 oz
leak: distance = rate × time → 480 oz =
1 hr
× time → time = 2 hours. Plug the time into the
mi
original formula: distance = 35 × 2 hr = 70 miles.
hr

21
 Math and Reading Methods
Reading Answers and Explanations
1. Getting to the Answer: To find the main idea of a
passage, use the passage’s big picture to make a
prediction.
(A) Incorrect: this choice is too narrow, focusing
only on the description of Hawthorne’s experience
and the introduction of the idea of déjà vu in the first
three paragraphs
(B) Incorrect: this choice is too narrow, focusing
only on a detail in the fourth paragraph
(C) Incorrect: this choice is too narrow, focusing
only on a detail related to the second category of
theories about déjà vu
(D) Correct: this choice summarizes the entire
passage, as the “various angles” refers to the
four possible scientific theories of déjà vu
2. Getting to the Answer: Use the clue of
“neurological explanation” in the question stem and
your passage notes to zero in on the relevant
paragraph (lines 43–47). The paragraph states that
one neurological theory attributes déjà vu to “small,
brief seizures.” Use this as your prediction.
(F) Incorrect: this choice reflects the dual
processing theory
(G) Correct: this choice matches the prediction
(H) Incorrect: this choice reflects the memory theory
(J) Incorrect: this choice reflects the double
perception theory
22
3. Getting to the Answer: The phrase “two
separate memory systems” in the question stem
provides a clue about where to locate the
relevant detail. Since the question is about a
theory related to two systems, the correct answer
likely appears in the paragraph with the passage
note about “dual processing” (lines 35–42). The
paragraph indicates Pierre Gloor as doing
experiments with two “distinct systems” of
memory.
(A) Incorrect: Hawthorne is the author whose
experience is used to introduce the idea of
déjà vu
(B) Incorrect: Brown is the professor who
surveyed the scientific studies of déjà vu
(C) Correct: this choice matches the
prediction
(D) Incorrect: Jacoby is one of the cognitive
psychologists who studied the double perception
theory of déjà vu
4. Getting to the Answer: The question stem asks
which group has been interested in the
“melancholy and euphoria” of déjà vu. These
more emotional terms likely appear in the
passage before the discussion of the scientific
theories; indeed, the passage note about why
déjà vu is not academically studied points to the
paragraph with the relevant detail (lines 22–29).
The terms “melancholy and euphoria” are
associated with “poets and novelists.”
(F) Incorrect: psychoanalysts would be involved
in the scientific study of déjà vu
(G) Incorrect: neurologists would be involved in
the scientific study of déjà vu
(H) Incorrect: academic psychiatrists would be
involved in the scientific study of déjà vu
(J) Correct: “creative writers” matches the
prediction of “poets and novelists”
 Math and Reading Methods
Reading Answers and Explanations
5. Getting to the Answer: Use your passage notes to
locate the paragraphs that discuss the work of
Jacoby and Whitehouse (lines 62–81). These
paragraphs discuss double perception theories and
conclude that the experiment suggests half-
conscious attention can lead to something being
“falsely familiar.”
(A) Correct: this choice matches the prediction
(B) Incorrect: déjà vu being activated by electricity
is only mentioned in relation to neurological
theories
(C) Incorrect: although this choice mentions
something being “falsely familiar,” seizures are only
mentioned in relation to neurological theories
(D) Incorrect: déjà vu occurring when remembering
a similar experience reflects memory theories
23
6. Getting to the Answer: This question asks
which hypothesis explains that déjà vu can occur
based on a dream or imagined idea. You might
be able to eliminate (F) and (J), since “dual” and
“double” relate to the number two, which is not
suggested by the question stem. You might also
be able to eliminate (G), since you’ve answered
questions about neurological theories being
related to seizures, leaving (H) as correct.
You can confirm the answer by using your note
about memory theories; lines 48–51 affirm that
déjà vu may happen when seeing “something we
have actually seen or imagined before, either in
waking life, in literature or film, or in a dream.”
(F) Incorrect: dual processing theories involve
two systems of memory, retrieval and familiarity
(G) Incorrect: neurological theories involve small
seizures
(H) Correct: this choice matches the
prediction
(J) Incorrect: double perception theories involve
false familiarity after giving partial attention to
something