SAT reading: find the main idea and prove it with evidence

Digital SAT Reading and Writing questions use short passages, each followed by a question. For a central-idea question, read for the passage’s overall point: what topic is discussed, and what does the author say about it?

Try a one-sentence summary in your own words before looking at the choices. That makes it easier to reject an option that repeats one detail but misses the larger point.

Sample passage: “A city replaced several paved schoolyards with planted areas. Measurements showed cooler afternoon temperatures at those schools, though researchers noted that the study covered only one summer.” A fair summary is that planted schoolyards were associated with cooler afternoons in this study, with a limitation on how broadly to apply the finding.

An answer claiming that planted yards always cool every neighborhood goes too far. Another answer focused only on the one summer may be too narrow. The best choice reflects the central point and the limits the author gives.

For a command-of-evidence question, start with the conclusion the question asks you to support. Then look for a sentence, measurement, or comparison that directly backs it up. A detail can be true but still fail to support the particular conclusion.

In the sample, the temperature measurements support the claim that the planted areas were cooler during the observed afternoons. The one-summer limitation supports caution about generalizing. Each detail has a different job, so choose the one that matches the question.