Praxis Core Reading cheat sheet

Main idea = the claim the whole passage supports; a detail supports only one paragraph and cannot substitute for it.

Topic vs. main idea: the topic is a word or phrase ("urban bees"); the main idea is a full assertion about the topic ("urban beekeeping is rising despite legal limits").

Summary rule: a correct summary omits examples and restated evidence but keeps the central claim and its scope qualifiers (all, most, some, only).

Inference must be forced by the text; if a reader needs outside knowledge or a guess, the choice is wrong even if true in real life.

Sequence questions: anchor on time markers (first, by 1990, after that) and cause-effect verbs (led to, resulted in, followed) before ordering events.

Support questions: locate the sentence that names the claim, then confirm the cited evidence is the same idea, not merely the same paragraph.

Attitude/opinion is signaled by evaluative adjectives (flawed, remarkable, modest) and by concession words (although, admittedly) more than by facts.

Character or author motive: check what changes between the opening and closing of the passage; the shift reveals the point being made.

Word-in-context: substitute each option into the sentence and keep only the one whose connotation and register fit the surrounding words.

Structure mapping: label each paragraph as claim, evidence, counterpoint, or conclusion; the function question is answered by that label, not by paragraph content alone.

Transition logic: contrast (however, nevertheless), addition (moreover, likewise), cause (therefore, consequently), and example (for instance) each demand a specific relationship.

Sentence purpose: a sentence that begins with a concession ("Granted, ...") usually sets up the author's rebuttal in the next sentence.

Tone words carry connotation: "childish" vs. "childlike," "cheap" vs. "inexpensive," "states" vs. "insists" differ in judgment, not in literal meaning.

Pronoun and referent questions: the antecedent must agree in number and make sense in the sentence; nearest noun is often a trap.

Figurative language: identify the two things compared, then state the shared trait; the correct answer names the trait, not just the comparison.

Author's purpose choices (to explain, to persuade, to describe, to criticize) must match the dominant verb pattern in the passage, not one vivid sentence.

Paired passages: determine each author's position first, then classify the relationship as agree, oppose, or qualify (partly agree, partly disagree).

A qualification answer is correct when one author accepts a premise but disputes its extent, cause, or recommended action.

Evidence questions across passages: the cited detail must come from the passage named in the question and must actually support the stated claim.

Evaluate an argument by separating claim, evidence, and assumption; a flaw is usually an unstated assumption or evidence that does not bear on the claim.

Wefakeness tests for evidence: relevance (bears on the claim), sufficiency (enough to support it), and representativeness (not a single atypical case).

Analogies and applications: the correct choice preserves the same relationship as the passage, not merely the same subject matter.

Data or graphic descriptions in text: match the stated trend (increase, plateau, decline) and the stated comparison group before choosing.

Author's use of an opposing view: if the author presents a rival claim and then rebuts it, the rival view serves as a foil, not as the author's position.