The SAT Reading section challenges students with college-level passages drawn from poetry and literature, social sciences, and natural sciences, often written in dense, technical, or archaic language. Questions require students to infer meaning, analyze arguments, and support answers with textual evidence, while carefully avoiding “trap” choices that sound right but are not fully supported in the text. Despite very short passages of 3-5 sentences, there are complex reasoning demands, and tight time limits—about a minute per question—which students often find more difficult than their typical high school reading assignments. Success here isn’t about memorization; it’s about strategy and practice. Below, we break down the main types of Reading questions and give you practical tips to share with your teen.
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📖 Key Types of Reading Questions & Tips
1. Main Idea
- Encourage your student to read the entire passage first.
- Focus on the first and last sentences, where main ideas often appear.
- Have them predict the main idea in their own words before looking at answer choices.
💡 Example: “Which choice best states the main idea of the passage?”
2. Function
- Ask not just what the sentence says, but what is it doing in relation to the rest of the passage.
- Pay attention to answer choices with specific verbs like describe, explain, support, criticize, or illustrate.
💡 Example: “Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence?”
3. Main Purpose
- Students should consider why the author wrote the passage.
- Look for positive or negative tones in answer choices to eliminate wrong options.
💡 Example: “Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?”
4. Detail Questions
- Remind your student: Paraphrase first, then eliminate answers that do not agree.
- Correct answers will always be directly supported by the passage.
💡 Example: “According to the text…?”
5. Text Support & Evidence
- Focus on claims: What supports or weakens them?
- Students should paraphrase ideas, then match them to the best supporting evidence or quotation.
💡 Examples:
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- “Which finding would most directly support…?”
- “Which quotation most effectively illustrates the claim?”
6. Words in Context
- Read the sentence before and after the target word.
- Define the word in your own words before looking at answer choices.
💡 Example: “As used in the text, what does the word ___ most nearly mean?”
7. Data Analysis in Reading
- Some questions combine charts, graphs, or tables with the passage.
- Encourage students to verify that the answer is true for both the passage and the data or just the data alone.
💡 Example: “Which choice most effectively uses data from the table…?”
🗓 Upcoming Test Dates
PSAT 2025: Mid-October (check with your school, as dates vary)
SAT 2025: September 13, October 4, November 8, December 6
SAT 2026: March 14, May 2, June 6
👉 Students register for the SAT at collegeboard.com.
✅ Takeaways
Reading success comes from practice and strategy, not speed. Encourage your student to:
- Paraphrase before answering.
- Predict answers before reading choices.
- Use context (tone, structure, supporting evidence) to eliminate wrong answers.
With practice, these strategies will help your student feel confident and prepared on test day.