I’ve gone through Week 1’s Day 1 and Day 2 for verbal so far, and I am really missing the logic of the math strategy. After determining if the sentence contains a positive/support or negative/contrast indicator word, I am very lost. I know that we need usually need to look to the opposite side of where the blank is, but beyond that, I don’t understand what other words we are looking for. Would someone be able to help me out?
Hey there -
Before I address what I understand from your question, let’s go through the steps of the math strategy once:
- Destroy the answer choices. Jumping to read the options is a big mistake - you need to understand the need of the sentence first before completing it.
- Look for words indicating support (+) or contrast (-). These are usually conjunctions such as but, though, because, since, etc.
- Look for the other “clue” indicating a positive (+) idea or negative (-) idea. It’s usually a single word or an idea/phrase - the opposite of which fills the blank and makes sense with respect to the sentence. The clue is “emphasized” in a way.
- Multiply the two polarities. If (+), the blank is the positive form of the clue. If (-), the opposite. Look for the words from the options that fit the similar meanings.
- Choose the correct option. To be precise, the answer must be backed by evidence within the same sentence. In other words, when someone asks you why a specific word fills the blank, you should be able to explain why using just the information in the sentence.
Once you’ve understood and practiced the strategy, you’ll understand that you don’t necessarily need the entire sentence - just 3 parts is enough: the conjunction, the clue, and the blank.
The true beauty of the strategy is that it allows you to eliminate the options on first glance. You already know the meaning that the blank needs - if a word doesn’t support it, it becomes a no brainer. You end up comparing fewer options.
This also applies to the parts of the sentence you consider - you don’t use the part of the sentence which tells you no hint or clue about the blank.
I think you might be confused about finding the “idea” or evidence besides the indicator word (but, because, etc.) in step 3, and that’s okay. I think it takes practice - feel free to watch a lecture a second time, or redo the practice problems which are discussed in the walkthrough. There’s nothing wrong with going through a concept again or feeling stuck - some strategies take time to understand better. Be patient, and it’s okay to feel negative for a bit - just remember that we can always improve. : )
Hope this helps!