Quiz Hacker Drill #37
This FREE exercise will help you conquer even the most challenging questions on digital SAT Reading, paper SAT Reading, and ACT Reading!
This drill will help you master a crucial strategy for success on digital SAT (dSAT) Reading, paper SAT Reading, and ACT Reading: Hyper-Literal Textual Analysis (HLTA). Unlike most of my other drills, which target specific question types, this exercise aims to build your general skills in HLTA, which is relevant for every question you'll encounter on the ACT and SAT Reading sections.
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Before you dive into the exercise, consider taking a few minutes to:
Review or familiarize yourself with the principles of HLTA.
Read up on complementary strategies, specifically:
These strategies form the backbone of effective SAT and ACT Reading test prep. Mastering them will not only increase your accuracy but will also drastically reduce the time spent deliberating between answer choices. This, in turn, boosts your confidence and lowers your stress levels as you navigate the Reading sections.
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Drill
Consider the following passage:
In the early 20th century, the practice of mindfulness meditation started gaining ground in Western countries. Rooted in ancient Eastern traditions, this form of meditation aims to focus the practitioner's mind on the present moment, encouraging a deep awareness of their thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations. Unlike other forms of meditation that seek an empty mind or a singular focus, mindfulness meditation fosters a non-judgmental awareness. Meditators who find their minds wandering to distractions such as past regrets or a future worries are encouraged to simply acknowledge the thought without labeling it as “good” or “bad,” and then to gently bring their focus back to the present.
While initially met with skepticism, mindfulness meditation has been shown to yield significant mental health benefits. Research conducted by Dr. Emile Thompson at the University of Mindfulness Studies indicates that it can lower levels of anxiety, depression, and stress, and even improve cognitive functions. Moreover, it is now being incorporated into various therapy programs and is recommended by healthcare professionals as an effective tool for emotional regulation and mental well-being. According to world-renowned therapist Sam Williams, "Mindfulness meditation isn't just a trend. It's a validated approach that helps people gain control over their emotional landscape, enhancing both mental clarity and resilience.”
The passage most strongly suggests that mindfulness meditation is distinct from other forms of meditation in that it:
A) discourages participants from engaging in principled reflection and advocates the appreciation of immediate events.
B) encourages non-judgmental awareness of thoughts, emotions, and sensations as a more authentic alternative to empty mind techniques.
C) is supported by research conducted by Dr. Emile Thompson, demonstrating its effectiveness in lowering anxiety, depression, and stress.
D) focuses primarily on cultivating a deeper awareness of the body in order to improve mental well-being.
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Why You Should Read All Answer Explanations
It's crucial to read through all the answer explanations. Each answer choice has been carefully crafted to exhibit characteristics commonly found on the actual SAT and ACT exams. Understanding the logic behind both the correct and incorrect options is invaluable for sharpening your test-taking skills. This comprehensive understanding will better prepare you for the challenges you'll encounter on test day, greatly increasing your chances of achieving significant score improvement.
Answer Explanations
A) Discourages participants from engaging in principled reflection and advocates the appreciation of immediate events.
This answer choice accurately restates how the passage differentiates mindfulness meditation from other forms. The idea of discouraging “principled reflection” encapsulates the passage's characterization of mindfulness meditation as “unlike other forms” in that it fosters “non-judgmental awareness.” It restates the idea that mindfulness meditation avoids labelling thoughts “as ‘good’ or ‘bad.’”
Similarly, the phrase “advocates the appreciation of immediate events” restates the idea of meditators being encouraged to “bring their focus back to the present” in order to “maintain deep awareness of their thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations.” Note that, in this context, “appreciation” is used in a narrow sense, meaning “to be fully aware of.” This valid but less familiar sense of the word is sometimes employed in ACT and SAT Reading answer choices.
Note also the use of abstract and generalized language in this answer choice. Such wording is often used to “camouflage” correct answers on the ACT and SAT Reading Tests. The aim is to make the correct answer less immediately recognizable by framing it in language that may not readily register in your mind—as if concealing the answer behind a smokescreen. This ploy is not primarily about testing your comprehension of the passage. Rather, it gauges your ability to map concretely-stated ideas to their more abstractly-worded counterparts.
B) encourages non-judgmental awareness of thoughts, emotions, and sensations as a more authentic alternative to empty-mind techniques.
This answer choice employs a "bait and switch" ploy, a common tactic used on the ACT and SAT Reading tests to mislead test takers. The beginning of this answer choice closely aligns with the passage's description of mindfulness meditation, specifically its emphasis on "non-judgmental awareness of thoughts, emotions, and sensations." This “bait” might lure the test-taker into thinking it's the correct answer.
However, the “switch” portion—"as a more authentic alternative to empty-mind techniques”—subtly disqualifies this answer choice. While the passage does mention that mindfulness meditation is "unlike other forms of meditation that seek an empty mind" it does not label mindfulness meditation as a "more authentic" alternative to those approaches. The passage does not address the authenticity of different meditation styles.
Despite coming close to accurately paraphrasing the relevant portion of the passage, this answer choice subtly distorts the passage by interpolating the idea authenticity. In using this bait and switch ploy, the test-writers aim to test not just your comprehension of the passage but also your attention to detail and your ability to spot subtle differences that make an answer choice incorrect.
C) is supported by research conducted by Dr. Emile Thompson, demonstrating its effectiveness in lowering anxiety, depression, and stress.
This answer choice is based on the passage's second paragraph, which talks about the benefits of mindfulness meditation and the research supporting it. While the information in this answer choice is true according to the passage, it is not directly related to the question, which asks how mindfulness meditation is distinct from other forms of meditation. The passage does not address the question of whether other forms of meditation are or are not supported by research demonstrating their health benefits.
This is an example of a common type of incorrect answer: one that is accurate in its restatement of the passage but is nonetheless incorrect because it is irrelevant to the specific question being asked.
D) focuses primarily on cultivating a deeper awareness of the body in order to improve mental well-being.
This answer choice introduces new ideas and engages in subjective interpretation. It errs by extrapolating details that some test takers might feel the author intended to convey but did not explicitly state or necessarily imply.
While the passage does mention that mindfulness meditation encourages a deep awareness of “thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations,” it does not state that the primary focus is on the body. Nor does it establish that such a focus is aimed specifically at improving mental well-being.
The passage portrays mindfulness meditation as fostering a more holistic approach, emphasizing thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations alike. By indicating a primary focus on bodily sensations, this answer choice introduces a new idea. This new idea is invalid, as it does not meet the standard for Allowable Inferences.
Secondly, the answer choice posits a direct causal relationship between focusing on bodily sensations and enhancing mental well-being. The passage indeed indicates that mindfulness meditation can have mental health benefits, but it does not specify the mechanism by which this occurs. Nor can such a connection be derived by an Allowable Inference.
Therefore, while this answer choice may seem like a plausible interpretation, it does not meet the stringent criteria for inferences on ACT and SAT Reading. Rather, it adds new ideas and involves subjective interpretation, going beyond what must logically be true based on a strictly literal reading of the passage.
Key Takeaways
Abstract Language as Camouflage: The correct answer may use abstract or generalized language that doesn't immediately mirror the wording in the passage. This ploy is used not only to obscure the correct answer, but also to test your skill in mapping concrete ideas to their abstract counterparts.
Bait and Switch Tactics: Some answer choices may start off closely aligning with the passage but later introduce a subtle distortion that makes them incorrect. This tests your attention to detail and your ability to spot nuanced differences between the answer choice and the passage.
Irrelevant But True Information: An answer choice may accurately restate information from the passage yet be incorrect if it doesn't specifically address the question being asked. Always ensure that the answer choice is relevant to the specific question posed.
Avoid Subjective Interpretation: Some answer choices introduce new ideas or implications that the passage does not explicitly state or necessarily imply. These choices might seem plausible yet not meet the stringent criteria for Allowable Inferences on the ACT and SAT.
Focus on Necessary Inferences: When it comes to inferences, your focus should be on identifying what must logically be true based on the passage, rather than on merely plausible interpretations.
By understanding these key issues, you can sharpen your ability to dissect answer choices effectively, thereby increasing your ACT and SAT Reading scores!
Need more practice? Click here to do more ACT Reading and SAT Reading HLTA drills!
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To explore Reading Questions on official exams, visit the Self Prep section of Quiz Hacker Test Prep. You'll find a Question Type Inventory (QTI) for the tests in the Official ACT Prep Guide and the Official SAT Study Guide.