DAT Reading Comprehension cheat sheet

Explicit answers are directly paraphrased in the passage; the correct choice restates stated content without adding interpretation.

Dates, names, quantities, and causal verbs (because, since, led to) are the highest-yield targets for detail questions.

A choice that is true in real life but absent from the passage is wrong; verify each word against the text.

Watch for scope shifts: passage says "some studies" while a choice says "all studies" - the choice is unsupported.

Sequence details (first, then, after) are frequently tested; track order markers while reading.

Numbers and comparatives (more than, twice, fewer) must match exactly; approximate restatements are traps.

Negative phrasing (except, NOT) reverses the task: three choices will be stated, one will not.

When a question cites a line, read the sentence before and after it; the answer often depends on adjacent context.

Main idea = topic + the author's specific claim about the topic; a topic-only choice is too broad to be correct.

Purpose verbs signal the task: describe, explain, argue, compare, criticize, or reconcile.

Test each candidate by asking whether the whole passage supports it; a choice supported by one paragraph is a detail, not the main idea.

Too-narrow choices restate a single paragraph; too-broad choices extend beyond the passage's scope.

The first and last paragraphs usually state or restate the thesis; the final sentence often reveals the author's aim.

If the passage presents two views, the main idea typically includes the relationship between them, not just one view.

For "primary purpose" questions, prefer the choice covering the passage's structure (e.g., "to evaluate a hypothesis") over content summaries.

A valid inference follows necessarily from stated evidence plus minimal common knowledge; it is not a guess.

Qualified language (likely, suggests, may) in a choice usually signals a defensible inference; absolute language (always, never, proves) usually does not.

Use the "if true, then what must also be true" test to eliminate choices that merely could be true.

Contrast markers (however, although, yet) often carry the implied point the author stops short of stating.

An implication can be the author's assumption: what must be true for the stated argument to hold.

Choices that go beyond the passage's time frame, population, or setting are unsupported extrapolations.

Predict the answer before reading choices; inference distractors often reuse passage wording in a false relationship.

Tone words are calibrated: "skeptical" differs from "dismissive," and "cautious optimism" differs from "enthusiasm."

Adjectives, adverbs, and verbs of judgment (flawed, promising, merely, unfortunately) reveal attitude more than factual nouns.

Neutral or objective tone is correct when the author reports findings without evaluative language.

Hedging (seems, appears, tends to) signals caution rather than certainty or rejection.

Irony and understatement appear when praise or criticism is phrased mildly; match the choice to the degree of evaluation.

Style questions target diction and sentence structure: technical, conversational, polemical, or detached.

The author's attitude toward a subject may differ from the attitude toward a quoted researcher; keep the two separate.

Substitute each option into the original sentence and check grammar and logic, not just rough meaning.

The tested word often has a secondary meaning; the common meaning is usually the distractor.

Use nearby contrast or definition clues (that is, or, rather, in other words) to fix the intended sense.

Connotation matters: two synonyms can differ in evaluative charge (thrifty vs. stingy).

Check the word's part of speech in context; a noun use rules out verb-only options.

For unfamiliar words, infer from the surrounding clause's function - cause, contrast, example, or restatement.

Technical terms in the passage are usually defined in apposition; the answer should match that local definition.

Map the passage's structure: thesis, supporting evidence, counterargument, rebuttal, conclusion.

Transition words encode logic: however and yet signal contrast; therefore and thus signal conclusion; for example signals illustration.

A paragraph's function can be to qualify, concede, illustrate, or rebut - identify which before answering.

Chronological passages organize by time; comparison passages alternate between two subjects.

Questions about "why the author mentions X" ask for the rhetorical function, not the content of X.

Where a passage shifts from general to specific (or claim to evidence), a structural question often targets that shift.

The final paragraph frequently serves to extend, qualify, or apply the thesis rather than introduce a new topic.