EPSOHQ
FR IT

Qualifier Detection

P1

Spot absolute words (always, never, all, most) added by distractors that the passage does not use.

Understanding this concept

This is distractor pattern P1, responsible for about 30% of wrong answer traps. The passage says "some member states adopted the policy" — the distractor says "all member states adopted the policy." The added qualifier ("all") makes the statement false. Watch for: always, never, all, most, exclusively, invariably, without exception.

How to defend against it

  • Circle any absolute qualifier in an answer option: always, never, all, none, every
  • Check: does the passage use that same qualifier? If not, the option is almost certainly false
  • The passage often uses hedged language: "some," "several," "many," "approximately"
  • If an option turns hedged language into absolute language, reject it

Example

Passage: "Several member states have raised concerns about the proposal." Trap: "All member states oppose the proposal." The jump from "several" + "concerns" to "all" + "oppose" is a double qualifier escalation.