Reading Question Types
Learn
SAT and ACT reading sections test your ability to comprehend, analyze, and interpret texts. Understanding the different question types helps you know what to look for as you read and how to approach each question strategically. This lesson covers the major reading question categories with examples and practice.
SAT Reading & Writing Domains
- Information and Ideas (~26%): Main idea, details, inferences, evidence
- Craft and Structure (~28%): Word meaning, text structure, purpose, point of view
- Expression of Ideas (~20%): Rhetorical choices, synthesis, transitions
- Standard English Conventions (~26%): Grammar, punctuation (covered separately)
Major Reading Question Types
1. Main Idea Questions
These ask about the central point or purpose of a passage or paragraph.
- Signal words: "mainly about," "central idea," "primary purpose"
- Strategy: Look at the first and last paragraphs; identify repeated themes
- Avoid: Answers that are too narrow (one detail) or too broad (beyond the passage)
2. Detail/Evidence Questions
These ask you to find specific information stated in the passage.
- Signal words: "according to," "the passage states," "which choice provides evidence"
- Strategy: Return to the passage and find the exact line; don't rely on memory
- Avoid: Answers that seem right but aren't directly supported by the text
3. Inference Questions
These ask what can be reasonably concluded based on the passage.
- Signal words: "implies," "suggests," "can be inferred," "most likely"
- Strategy: Find evidence that supports the inference; avoid wild leaps
- Avoid: Answers that require information not in the passage
4. Vocabulary in Context Questions
These ask for the meaning of a word as used in a specific context.
- Signal words: "as used in line X," "most nearly means"
- Strategy: Re-read the sentence with each answer choice; pick the one that fits
- Avoid: The most common definition if it doesn't fit the context
5. Author's Purpose/Tone Questions
These ask why the author wrote the passage or how the author feels.
- Signal words: "purpose," "tone," "attitude," "the author would most likely"
- Strategy: Note word choice and evidence selection; these reveal attitude
- Avoid: Extreme tones unless strongly supported by evidence
6. Structure/Function Questions
These ask how parts of the passage relate to each other or the whole.
- Signal words: "serves to," "in order to," "the function of"
- Strategy: Consider how the part contributes to the author's argument or narrative
- Avoid: Answers that describe what the section says rather than what it does
Reading Strategy: Active Reading
As you read, mentally note: What is the main point? What is the author's purpose? What evidence supports claims? What is the tone? This prepares you to answer questions quickly without re-reading the entire passage.
Examples
Read the following passage excerpt and work through the example questions.
Sample Passage
The discovery of penicillin is often attributed to a lucky accident, but this narrative obscures the years of methodical research that preceded it. Alexander Fleming had spent years studying bacteria and their vulnerabilities before he noticed the mold that would revolutionize medicine. When he returned from vacation in 1928 to find a petri dish contaminated with mold, he did not simply discard it. Instead, his trained eye recognized that the bacteria surrounding the mold had been killed. This observation was not mere luck; it was the result of a prepared mind encountering an unexpected phenomenon.
Moreover, the development of penicillin as a practical medicine required the work of many scientists over more than a decade. Howard Florey and Ernst Boris Chain conducted the systematic research needed to purify and mass-produce the antibiotic. Their contributions, though less celebrated than Fleming's initial observation, were equally essential to saving millions of lives.
Example 1: Main Idea Question
The main purpose of the passage is to:
Solution: C) Explain that penicillin's development involved more than luck
Analysis:
- A) Incorrect - The passage doesn't explain the mechanism of how penicillin works
- B) Too extreme - The passage doesn't argue Fleming deserves less credit, just that others contributed too
- C) Correct - The passage's main argument is that the "lucky accident" narrative oversimplifies the story
- D) Incorrect - Comparison is made, but it's not the main purpose; it supports the larger argument
Example 2: Evidence Question
According to the passage, Fleming's observation of the contaminated petri dish was significant because:
Solution: B) Fleming recognized that the bacteria near the mold had died
Analysis:
- A) Not stated in the passage
- B) Correct - The passage states "his trained eye recognized that the bacteria surrounding the mold had been killed"
- C) Not stated - The passage says he studied bacteria, not that he was looking for antibiotics
- D) Not stated in the passage
Example 3: Inference Question
The passage implies that if someone else had found Fleming's contaminated petri dish, they:
Solution: B) Might not have recognized its significance
Analysis:
- A) Too strong - The passage suggests the opposite
- B) Correct - The passage states Fleming's "trained eye recognized" the significance, implying his expertise was necessary
- C) Not supported by the passage
- D) Too strong - We can't know they definitely would have discarded it
Example 4: Vocabulary in Context
As used in the passage, "obscures" most nearly means:
Solution: B) Makes unclear or hides
Analysis:
- In context: "this narrative obscures the years of methodical research"
- The "lucky accident" story hides or overshadows the full truth
- A) More literal/physical meaning that doesn't fit
- B) Correct - The narrative makes the research less visible/understood
- C) Physical meaning that doesn't fit the context
- D) "Temporarily" isn't supported by the passage
Example 5: Author's Purpose
The author mentions Florey and Chain primarily to:
Solution: B) Support the claim that penicillin's development required more than Fleming's observation
Analysis:
- A) Too extreme - The author doesn't criticize Fleming
- B) Correct - Florey and Chain are mentioned as evidence that many scientists contributed
- C) Incorrect - The passage mentions they purified penicillin but doesn't explain the process
- D) Too extreme - The author says their contributions were "equally essential," not more important
Practice Problems
Apply what you've learned about reading question types to these practice questions.
Practice Passage:
"Urban parks provide more than aesthetic value; they serve as crucial infrastructure for public health. Studies have shown that access to green spaces reduces stress hormones, lowers blood pressure, and improves mental health outcomes. In cities where residents live within a ten-minute walk of a park, rates of depression are significantly lower than in areas without such access. However, the distribution of parks often reflects historical inequities, with wealthier neighborhoods enjoying more green space than lower-income communities."
1. The primary purpose of the passage is to:
Show Answer
B) Explain the health benefits of urban parks and note access inequities - The passage both describes health benefits and points out the unequal distribution of parks.
2. According to the passage, which of the following is a documented benefit of access to green spaces?
Show Answer
B) Reduced stress hormones - The passage directly states that "access to green spaces reduces stress hormones."
3. As used in the passage, "aesthetic" most nearly means:
Show Answer
B) Visual or artistic - "Aesthetic value" refers to beauty or visual appeal, which the passage distinguishes from health benefits.
4. The passage implies that lower-income communities:
Show Answer
B) Have less access to the health benefits of green spaces - The passage states parks are distributed unequally, with wealthier areas having more, implying lower-income areas have less access to these benefits.
5. The author mentions "historical inequities" primarily to:
Show Answer
A) Provide context for why park distribution is unequal - The phrase explains that current inequities have roots in past decisions and patterns.
6. Based on the passage, a city planner seeking to improve public health would most likely:
Show Answer
B) Prioritize adding parks in underserved areas - Given the health benefits and current inequities described, adding parks where they're lacking would address both issues.
7. The phrase "crucial infrastructure" suggests that parks are:
Show Answer
C) Essential public systems like roads or utilities - Calling parks "infrastructure" elevates them from optional amenities to necessary civic investments.
8. The tone of the passage is best described as:
Show Answer
B) Informative with a note of concern - The passage presents information about health benefits while also expressing concern about unequal access.
9. Which statement best summarizes the relationship between the two main points in the passage?
Show Answer
B) Parks have health benefits, but access to them is unequal - This captures the passage's "however" structure: benefit + qualification about access.
10. The reference to "ten-minute walk" serves to:
Show Answer
B) Provide a specific, measurable standard for park access - The detail makes the research concrete and provides a benchmark for what "access" means.
Check Your Understanding
Review these key strategies for reading questions.
1. When answering a vocabulary-in-context question, you should:
Show Answer
B) Pick the definition that fits the surrounding sentence - Always test the answer by substituting it into the original sentence.
2. For inference questions, the correct answer:
Show Answer
A) Goes beyond what the passage directly states - Inferences are logical conclusions based on evidence, but they aren't explicitly stated. However, they should be strongly supported by the text.
3. When identifying the main idea, you should avoid answers that are:
Show Answer
B) Too narrow (just one detail) or too broad - The main idea should capture the passage's overall point, not just one detail or something beyond its scope.
4. For "function" questions (why the author includes something), the answer describes:
Show Answer
B) What the section does (its purpose) - Function questions ask about purpose, not content. Consider how the part serves the author's larger argument.
Reading Question Strategies
- Main Idea: Look at first/last paragraphs; avoid too narrow or too broad
- Detail: Find the exact line; don't rely on memory
- Inference: Must be supported by text; avoid wild leaps
- Vocabulary: Test each choice in the original sentence
- Purpose/Tone: Note word choice and evidence selection
- Structure: Ask what the part does, not what it says
Next Steps
- Practice identifying question types before answering
- Read actively: note main ideas and evidence as you read
- Always return to the passage to verify your answers
- Continue to Math Question Types for comprehensive SAT/ACT prep