Poorly worded questions

[dbeast]

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This is directly from an AAMC practice test and I want to hear how you guys interpret it: "the horizontal distance between adjacent crests and troughs is 1.0m..."

I won't tell you the right wavelength to not influence anybody but it seems to me like it could be interpreted as either 1m or 2m... Has anybody who has already taken the MCAT ran into wording like this? If so, how did you handle it?

 

[TFS]

for that problem, if you interpreted it the other way, was there actually a match in the multiple choice options? i think that is what steered me to interpret it the way amcas had intended.

 

[dbeast]

for that problem, if you interpreted it the other way, was there actually a match in the multiple choice options? i think that is what steered me to interpret it the way amcas had intended.

Yea, one answer matched with if you used a 1m wavelength and another answer matched with if you used a 2m wavelength.

Sorry for being unclear myself haha, not trying to give away too much for ppl who haven't taken it yet.

 

[samuraiR]

I got it wrong (coz I read it the way you read it), but I realized it was just me misreading it. I think the way they have the answer is correct and if you think about it, it makes sense. Sadly, it got me when I was taking it too 🙁

 

[EpicBearMan]

They could have worded the question better for sure. It's unclear whether they are saying it is 1 meter between two crests or 1 meter between a crest and the adjacent through. I would probably interpret it as a 2 meter wavelength. If it was a 1 meter wavelength, what was the purpose of including troughs in the sentence?

 

[pick8]

I agree that the wording here sucks. I interpreted the wavelength to be 2.0 meters, for the same reason that EpicBearMan stated. Know that for the MCAT, you do have the option of writing a letter to AAMC regarding any questions you believed to be ambiguous/poorly worded/potentially having multiple answers. Sadly, I have no idea what the chances are that these letters actually result in some sort of change.

 

[fullset]

My first interpretation was 1 m, but after looking at your explanations, I can see how it can be thought of as 2 m. Anyways, about writing a letter, even though I haven't taken the real mcat yet, i don't think i'll remember specifics of a badly worded question. I might remember that there was one, but not enough to write a letter.

 

[UMICHPremed]

I see how it is confusing. It does say adjacent crests and troughs, which essentially is adjacent crests and adjacent troughs. (with emphasis on the "s"). Had it said an adjacent crest and trough, then I would interpret it as distance between the crest and trough. But adjacent crests and adjacent troughs, I am led to see it as distance between two crests and two troughs. I don't know though; its very poorly worded.

 

[msruly12]

yeah I got screwed on that problem too