Identifying Central Ideas and Themes
💡 What’s Tested:
- The main point or purpose of the passage
- The author's central claim or argument
- How ideas build across the passage 🛠️ How to Build the Skill:
- Read the first and last paragraph closely—they often contain the thesis and conclusion.
- After each paragraph, ask: What’s the main point here?
- Practice writing 1-sentence summaries of nonfiction articles.
- Don’t confuse examples with the main idea—look for general statements that everything else supports. 📝 Sample ACT-Style Questions:
- Which of the following best states the central idea of the passage?
- The author’s primary purpose is to…
- What main point does the author make about urban development in the 20th century?
Understanding Relationships Between Ideas or Events
💡 What’s Tested:
- Cause and effect
- Comparisons or contrasts
- Sequences of events or logic 🛠️ How to Build the Skill:
- Mark signal words like "however," "therefore," "in contrast," "as a result."
- Ask: Is this paragraph building on the last one or shifting direction?
- Diagram simple cause-effect chains after reading a section.
- Compare two viewpoints or systems discussed in a passage. 📝 Sample ACT-Style Questions:
- What caused the increase in suburban migration during the 1950s, according to the passage?
- Which of the following contrasts does the author make between public and private education?
- How does the second paragraph expand on the idea introduced in the first?
Understanding the Author’s Perspective and Interpretation
What’s Tested:
- The author’s tone or stance
- How the author interprets events or facts
- Inferences about their attitude or biases How to Build the Skill:
- Ask why the author included a detail or example—does it support or challenge something?
- Pay attention to adjectives, adverbs, and qualifiers: they often show subtle bias or emphasis.
- Practice distinguishing objective fact vs. interpretive commentary. Sample ACT-Style Questions:
- What is the author’s attitude toward the use of social media in education?
- Which phrase best reflects the author's view of the policy change?
- The author most likely believes that government intervention in housing markets is…
Locating and Interpreting Supporting Details
What’s Tested:
- Specific facts, statistics, or examples in the text
- The role or meaning of a particular sentence or phrase
- Locating evidence that supports a larger claim How to Build the Skill:
- Underline or annotate facts and examples as you read.
- Try to connect details to the claim they support.
- Be precise: ACT questions often include tempting answer choices that are almost right but distort the detail. Sample ACT-Style Questions:
- According to the passage, what role did railroads play in western migration?
- What does the author mention as a consequence of the 1965 immigration reform?
- Which statement is best supported by the information in paragraph 4?
Summarizing Information or Arguments
What’s Tested:
- Condensing multiple ideas into a general summary
- Understanding how evidence supports the argument
- Recognizing how different points fit together How to Build the Skill:
- Practice outlining arguments: claim → support → conclusion.
- Summarize each paragraph in a short phrase (e.g., "historical context," "example," "counterargument").
- Pay attention to the flow of logic—how the argument builds over time. Sample ACT-Style Questions:
- Which of the following best summarizes the author’s overall argument?
- How do the examples in paragraphs 2 and 3 support the passage’s main idea?
- Which of the following statements best encapsulates the author's conclusion?