Reading: Finding the Point and Proving It
What the Reading test measures
TABE Reading asks you to understand both literary and informational passages. Expect items on main idea and theme, supporting details, sequence, cause and effect, compare and contrast, vocabulary in context, author's purpose and tone, text structure, and drawing conclusions. Some questions ask you to separate fact from opinion or to judge whether evidence actually supports a claim.
Items usually fall into three families: key ideas and details, craft and structure, and integration of knowledge. For key ideas, ask "what is this mostly about?" For craft, ask "why did the author choose this word or this order?" For integration, ask "what do these sentences imply when combined?"
Traps that cost points
- A detail posing as the main idea. A statement can be true and still be too narrow to cover the whole passage.
- Extreme wording ("always," "never," "all") when the passage hedges with "often" or "some."
- Options that are merely plausible. An inference must be supported by the text, not just realistic.
- Answers drawn from prior knowledge rather than the passage.
- Tone questions answered with the topic's feeling instead of the author's attitude.
Rule of thumb
Before looking at the choices, restate the passage in one sentence. Eliminate any option that does not fit that sentence or that adds information the passage never gives.
Worked example
A passage explains that a city added bike lanes, reports fewer collisions, then notes that some shop owners worry about lost parking. The best main idea is "The bike-lane plan has both benefits and drawbacks." "Bike lanes reduce collisions" is a supporting detail, not the main idea.