Literacy: Reading and Writing
What the literacy questions test
Literacy tasks ask you to do two related things: understand a text and respond to it clearly. For reading, you need to find stated information, infer what is implied, identify main idea versus supporting detail, recognize a writer's purpose and tone, and explain how word choice or structure shapes meaning. For writing, you need control of sentence structure, grammar and punctuation (especially commas, apostrophes, and agreement), paragraph organization, and the ability to support a claim with relevant evidence.
Traps to watch for
- Answering from memory instead of the text. Even a plausible statement is wrong if the passage does not support it.
- Confusing main idea with detail. A true detail is not automatically the main point; ask what the whole paragraph is mostly about.
- Over-reading inference. Choose the smallest inference the evidence requires, not the most dramatic one.
- Ignoring the question word. "Explain how" wants a cause-and-effect link, not a summary; "compare" wants both sides.
- Punctuation slips. A comma splice (two full sentences joined by only a comma) and a missing apostrophe in possessives are the most common writing errors.
Rule of thumb: the evidence sandwich
When asked to support an idea, use three steps: state the point, quote or cite the detail, explain the link. For example, if asked why a character feels relieved, write: The narrator is relieved because the letter finally arrives; the text says her hands "stopped shaking" once she saw the envelope, showing her worry ended. Notice the point, the evidence, and the explanation are all present.
For editing questions, read the sentence aloud and check that each clause has a subject and verb, that pronouns match their nouns, and that commas separate items or clauses correctly rather than joining two complete sentences.