Reading Comprehension
What this section measures
Passages on the SAEE are short but dense: a paragraph or two of exposition or argument, followed by questions on main idea, detail, inference, tone, and author's purpose. Most points are lost not to hard passages but to answer choices that are true yet unresponsive.
Main idea versus detail. The main idea must cover the whole passage. A choice that accurately restates one sentence is a detail, not the main idea, no matter how true it is.
Inference. A valid inference is a small, forced step from the text, not outside knowledge. If you needed a fact the passage never supplies, the choice is wrong.
Purpose and tone. Ask why the author included a particular example or paragraph; answers usually begin with verbs such as illustrate, qualify, concede, refute, criticize.
Structure. Note contrasts (however, by contrast), concessions (admittedly, granted), and conclusions (therefore, thus). These mark where the author's real position sits.
Traps that appear
- Choices true to the passage but not answering the question asked.
- Extreme wording: always, never, all, proves where the passage says often, may, suggests.
- Reversed causality, or an effect described as the author's claim.
- An answer drawn from the first or last sentence only.
Rule of thumb
Read the question stem first, predict the answer in your own words, then scan the choices for the closest match. If a choice is tempting, ask: does this answer this question?
Worked example. A passage notes that a city's bike-lane program cut collisions at intersections but that collisions rose on two-lane streets without lanes. Question: what is the author's point? The correct answer is that results were mixed and depended on street design, not that the program failed or succeeded.