PSAT 89

The Reading and Writing section measures how well you comprehend, analyze, and revise written English. Every question is built on a short passage (or a pair of passages) of roughly 25 to 150 words drawn from literature, history, social studies, and science, and each passage has exactly one question. The questions fall into four content domains, and questions of the same type are grouped together within each module.

Information and Ideas questions test what a passage says directly and what it reasonably implies. You locate and evaluate evidence, identify central ideas, draw logical inferences, and use data from tables and graphs.

Command of Evidence: Textual Evidence

Every claim an author makes should be supported by evidence in the passage. Command of Evidence questions ask you to find the specific sentence, detail, or quotation that directly supports a given interpretation or conclusion.

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Identify exactly what needs

Find statements that address the

Drop choices with new or

The most direct and complete

support

claim

contradictory information

support

EvidenceType	WhatItLooksLike
Directstatement	Theauthorexplicitlystatesthepointbeingsupported
Specificexample	Aninstancethatillustratesabroaderclaim
Statisticaldata	Numericalinformationthatvalidatesanargument
Expertquotation	Wordsfromanauthoritycitedwithinthepassage
Descriptionofoutcomes	Events observations orresultsthatdemonstrateapoint , ,

Supporting Claims with Evidence

A claim is an assertion the author wants readers to accept. Evidence consists of the facts, examples, data, or reasoning that make the claim believable. Strong evidence is relevant, specific, and sufficient; weak evidence is tangential, vague, or inadequate. When you evaluate evidence, ask whether it directly addresses the claim, whether it is factual and verifiable, and whether it is sufficient in quantity and quality.

For "which finding would most directly support the claim" questions, restate the claim in a few words before reading the choices. The correct choice matches the claim's exact subject and direction; a choice about a related topic, or one that supports only half of the claim, is a trap.

Command of Evidence: Quantitative (Data from Graphics)

Some passages are paired with a table, bar graph, line graph, or scatter plot. Read the title, labels, and units first, identify the overall trend or notable values, and then connect the data to the specific claim in the text. The correct answer must be true according to the graphic and relevant to the claim in the passage.

Graphic	WhatItShows	WhattoCheck
Table	Dataorganizedinrowsandcolumns	Whateachrowandcolumnrepresents;patterns
		andnotablevalues
Linegraph	Changeovertimeortherelationshipbetween	Directionofthetrend;whereitrises falls or , ,
	variables	levelsoff
Bargraph	Quantitiescomparedacrosscategories	Whichcategoriesarehighestandlowest;
		differencesbetweenbars
Piechart	Proportionsofawhole	Therelativesizeofeachpart
Scatterplot	Therelationshipbetweentwovariables	Positive negative ornoassociation;outliers , ,

Central Ideas and Details

The main idea is the central point the author most wants readers to understand. In well-structured paragraphs it often appears in the topic sentence, usually the first or last sentence; in longer texts it may appear in the introduction or conclusion, and sometimes it is implied rather than stated. Main ideas are broad; supporting details are specific and explain, illustrate, or prove the main idea. If you remove the supporting details, the main idea should still make sense on its own.

An Effective Summary…	An Effective Summary Avoids…
Includesonlyessentialinformation	Personalopinionsoroutsideinformation
Omitsminordetailsandexamples	Overemphasizingminorpoints
Keepstheauthor'smeaningandintent	Omittingcrucialinformation
Ismuchshorterthantheoriginal	Misrepresentingtheauthor'sposition

Understanding Relationships

Passages present ideas in structured relationships. Signal words reveal how pieces of information connect.

Relationship	HowItWorks	SignalWords
Causeandeffect	Oneeventorconditionleadstoanother	because therefore consequently asaresult due , , , ,
		to since ,
Comparisonandcontrast	Ideasareexaminedforsimilaritiesand	similarly likewise however ontheotherhand , , , ,
	differences	whereas incontrast ,
Sequence	Eventsorstepsarepresentedinorder	first next then finally before after subsequently , , , , , ,
Problemandsolution	Aproblemisfollowedbyoneormore	theproblemis thesolutionis toaddressthis one , , ,
	solutions	approachis

Making Inferences

An inference is a logical conclusion based on evidence in the passage combined with your own reasoning. On the digital test, inference questions often ask which choice "most logically completes the text."

Analyzing Arguments

Argumentative passages combine claims, evidence, and reasoning. The central claim is the main argument; supporting claims bolster it; counterclaims are opposing arguments the author may address and refute. Evaluate evidence for relevance, sufficiency, credibility, and currency.

ReasoningType	HowItMoves	Example
Deductive	Fromageneralprincipletoaspecificconclusion	Allmammalsbreatheair;whalesare
		mammals;sowhalesbreatheair .
Inductive	Fromspecificobservationstoageneralconclusion	Everysampletestedsofarcontainediron so ,
		theorelikelycontainsiron .
Analogical	Fromacomparisonbetweensimilarsituations	Theheartworkslikeapump movingfluid ,
		throughasystemofpipes .

Craft and Structure

Craft and Structure questions test how authors use words, organize texts, and write for particular purposes and audiences. This domain includes vocabulary in context, text structure and purpose, and connections between two related texts.