Types of Geometry Items
On the SAT, geometry items are one of three basic types:
- Treasure Maps
- False Maps
- No Maps
Treasure Maps
The majority of SAT geometry items you encounter will
feature a drawn-to-scale diagram. Think of these as Treasure Map
items. The diagram is the “map” that leads you to the correct answer,
a treasure for those hoping to boost their SAT score.
The example we used above is a typical Treasure Map item.
False Maps
Beware the dreaded words Note: Figure not drawn to scale on
an item. Figures not drawn to scale will distort items, which makes
it tougher to make the correct mathematical deductions:
The lines of the triangle no longer look even. This makes
it harder to visualize the item, which in turn makes it more difficult
to take the correct steps needed to answer it.
No Maps
Look at this item:
|
|
| 7. |
Points A, B,
and C are the vertices of a triangle. Points A, C, D,
and E are the vertices of a rectangle. The length
of AB is 5 and the length of CD is
7. Sides AB and BC are congruent.
If  degrees, then what is the area of rectangle ACDE? |
| (A) |
 |
| (B) |
5 |
| (C) |
7 |
| (D) |
35 |
| (E) |
49 |
|
This is the same Treasure Map item shown above, without
a diagram. In other words, no map.
