When tackling the Critical Reading section of the SAT, it is helpful to know the types of questions you will encounter and be able to quickly evaluate as to the intent or purpose of the questions. Knowing what the question is really asking will certainly direct you to use the right tactic to answer the question.
There are six main types of questions commonly found in the SAT Critical Reading:
Main idea: The “main idea” question aims to test your ability to find the central message in a particular passage. It would ask you to make a judgment on the significance of the main thought. These questions might be phrased in the following way:
- The main point of the passage is to
- The writer’s purpose/intent in this passage is to
- The major focus of the passage is
- The central theme of the passage is concerned with
- Which of the following statements best describes the content of the passage?
Inferences: Questions that ask you to look deeper into the content of the passage and to draw on understated information to understand its implications are referred to as ‘inference’ questions. They might be stated in the following ways:
- The author implies that
- From the passage, it can be inferred that
- The passage suggests that the writer would support which of the following views?
- Which of the following statements regarding…can be inferred from the content of the passage?
- From the passage, the author is like to have the viewpoint that
Specific Details: To spot questions that ask for specific details or what is explicitly stated, look for the following ways the questions might be worded:
- The author states all of the following EXCEPT
- According to the passage, which of the following is true of the
- According to the passage, the main characteristic of the subject is
- Which of the following is NOT cited in the passage as evidence of
- The passage best supports which of the following statements?
Tone/Attitude: These types of questions test how you perceive the author’s emotional state, feelings or attitude towards the subject matter in the passage. They also ask you to assess the character’s state of mind and emotions. Here are some of the ways they might be stated:
- The author’s tone in the passage is
- The author’s attitude to the situation can best be described as
- Which of the following statements best describes the author’s attitude to the problem?
- The author’s message seems to suggest a tone of
- The passage indicates that the author experiences a feeling of
Contextual vocabulary: Some questions will test your ability to decipher the meaning of words that used in context. To recognize this type of question, look for the following ways they are worded:
- The phrase…is used in the passage to mean that
- The word…in the passage means
- In the passage, the term…can best be described as
Technique and Organization: The following questions test your ability to identify a passage’s structure, organization or technique:
- The relationship between the second paragraph and the third paragraph can best be described as
- Which of the following statements best describes the development of this passage?
- In outlining the argument, the author does all of the following EXCEPT…
Becoming familiar with all of the main types of reading questions will help you isolate the ones that will take more content analysis to answer and plan your time better.
