Word Clues Test Strategy

Words that harden statements make them difficult to defend: all, every, always, will, must, certainly, invariably, surely, no one, ever, any, no matter, nothing. A choice containing one of these words is asserting something rigid and absolute — if there is any exception in the passage, the answer is wrong.

Words that soften statements make them easy to defend: some, many, sometimes, may, possibly, generally, probably, usually, often, can, could, might, occasionally. A choice with these words leaves room for exceptions and is more likely to be correct.

These words appear both in the fact pattern and in the answer choices. Get in the habit of underlining or circling them as you read. The difference between 'will be assigned to a hydrant' (wrong — says will) and 'may be assigned to a hydrant' (correct — says may) is exactly this.

Hard statements are sometimes correct answers. If the passage itself uses absolute language — 'the firefighter must always notify the officer in charge' — then an answer choice using 'must always' can be correct. Do not automatically rule out hard statements, but examine them carefully against the exact wording of the fact pattern before accepting them.

The test maker must be able to defend the correct answer and defend why the other three are wrong. These softening and hardening words are often exactly the mechanism they use. Being sensitive to them is one of the most practical skills you can develop for written exams.