Wrong Referent
SAT glossary · Course Foundations
Definition
A true statement about the wrong sentence, study, author, or site. Defense: circle the subject of the question in the stem.
Wrong Referent in plain English
'Wrong Referent' describes an answer choice that is a completely TRUE, accurate statement — but about the WRONG sentence, study, author, or specific location than what the question is actually asking about. The passage might discuss several different studies or people, and a trap answer correctly describes one of them, just not the one the question specifically named. The reliable defense: physically circle (or mentally flag) exactly which specific subject the question stem is asking about, before you even start evaluating the answer choices.
Sign up free: all 157 SAT terms as flashcards, plus practice questions with full explanations →