Reading Informational Text: Main Idea, Structure, and Evidence
What the questions test
Informational passages on the TASC ask you to find what a text says, how it says it, and what it implies. Learn to separate topic (the broad subject), main idea (the claim the author makes about the topic), and supporting details (facts, examples, statistics that back the claim). The main idea is often stated in the first or last sentence of a paragraph, but it may be implied, so ask yourself after each paragraph: "What did the author want me to believe here?"
Structure and purpose
Recognize common organizational patterns: cause and effect, comparison and contrast, chronological order, problem and solution, and claim plus evidence. Signal words such as however, therefore, as a result, and in contrast mark these shifts. Also identify the author's purpose (to inform, persuade, or explain) and tone, which is the author's attitude revealed through word choice.
Traps to watch for
- True but not the main idea: an answer choice that repeats a real detail but does not cover the whole passage.
- Too broad or too narrow: "All pollution is harmful" overshoots; "One river was tested in 2019" undershoots.
- Extreme language: choices with always, never, proves, or everyone usually overstate the text.
- Outside knowledge: correct answers are supported by the passage, not by what you already know.
Rule of thumb
Before reading the choices, write a one-sentence summary in your own words. Then eliminate any choice that does not match that summary or that cannot be pointed to in the text. For inference questions, the right answer is a small, logical step beyond the text, not a leap.
Worked example
A passage describes how a city added trees along busy streets and reports that summer temperatures on those blocks fell by three degrees. A choice saying "Trees lower street temperatures" fits; "Trees solve climate change" is too broad; "Trees are pretty" is true of the topic but unsupported as the point.