a common situation tat I encounter on the blue book is that the words are super complicated and cant really summarize it into my own words and get confused.

I am facing the same problems and even though I haven't overcome them I think these tips can help: 1] DON'T READ THE NAMES. Collage board for some reason just loves giving weird names for basically everything in the passage. Instead of reading the entire name just remember the first letter of each word in a name, for example: "Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s 2013 novel Americanah chronicles the divergent experiences of Ifemelu and Obinze, a young Nigerian couple... " I'd read it as- "C N A’s 2013 novel Amr chr the divergent experiences of Ife and Obz, a young Nigerian couple..." 2] If you can't summarise paragraphs, summarise sentences. Now, this shouldn't be your first option, try summarising the passage as a whole. If and only if you get stuck do this coz it takes a bit longer and you can't do it on every question but you can prob pull it off on a few of the tough ones. 3] If you don't know a particular word try splitting it and determining its meaning. Now granted you might have to learn a few common prefixes and suffixes to do this but that's way better than learning a dictionary. 4] Take it slow. I don't consider myself to be very good at the reading and writing section but I still am able to complete the practice test modules 5 to 8 mins ahead of time so just sold down, and as David says "you got this." :)

It would be so much better, If there were vocabulary bank especially for SAT in Khan Academy

SAT tests vocabulary in context: it's about understanding how a word means one thing in one context, another thing in another. If you want to rapidly expand your English vocabulary, though, try working through the book _Word Power Made Easy_ by Norman Lewis. It teaches words as symbols for ideas, and teaches using the root word and word-origin (etymology) approach. Merriam-Webster's Word of The Day is also a great way to learn vocabulary using a similar approach. I've also heard students recommend vocabulary.com though I have never used it myself.

Where I can find exercises that are similar to these kinds?

On bluebook you can find full tests, and practice questions here on khanacademy, other than that there aren't any im aware of

What is supposed to be so hard about this? Both times the answer is directly stated and can be found in the first two sentences.

This is the Foundations course. To see more challenging questions, please go to the Advanced course.

The *last* question has a grammatical _*ERROR*_. In the last sentence, there is a *conjunction* (_and_) after the semicolon which is incorrect according to Khan Academy → DSAT → Reading & Writing → Lesson 11 → Boundaries → Punctuations. Please correct me if I am wrong and please provide me with an explanation.

That Lesson 11 is standard english, and like occarius (in the comments section of your section) said, English has changed a LOT from the 1880s. Although from a longer time, thee was prevalent around the end of the 18th century, and now thee is no longer used except if an author chooses to incorporate it for formal purposes or really just for the "fun" of it. You will see "thee" a ton if you read Shakespeare's plays, stories, poems, etc.

How do I understand the main claim / central idea of a short poem? I find this part very difficult and end up with the wrong option! Need some help in understanding short poem based central idea.

You need to summarize the text first before analyzing the options. It will help you to align your summary with the options that are given there.

do you have any tips on how to practice? besides de 4pdfs on college board and practice tests from bluebook. would you use the old sat tests to study for the digital one?

I would definitely use those after I exhaust all the Bluebook and Khan Academy resources. They're actually a great way to bolster your reading comprehension skills and have quite a lot of useful information that still applies to the DSAT, although some may say otherwise.

finding the main theme or the any kind of central ideas is most hardest part for me, even the trick from khan academy itself doesn't work for me can you tell how you guys encounter this type of question?

The key to answering a central idea/ theme question is to look for the general gist or scope that the passage is trying to "outline." Whenever I read a short story, I focus on the details that lead me to find the general idea of the passage. The SAT is designed such that you are not forced to grasp every detail that a passage offers, so try not to get too caught up on the passage. If you should not focus too much on unnecessary details as they may incorrectly guide you. If you find summarizing the passage in your own words difficult, it may be helpful to just directly go to the questions. Though this strategy may be useful, it is still vital that you understand the claim and other essential points stated in the passage. I would finally suggest selecting an answer choice that isn't too specific. Specificity is important when considering answer choices, but getting too specific will draw you away from the MAIN idea of a passage.

Is it possible to have more than 1 central idea?

>2 central idea = 2 centers >center is singular, a circle doesn't have plural centers

Why's SAT constantly becoming easier and easier? There used to be that essay, then it was removed, while the reading questions still involved long passages and a lot more patience and comprehension...Now the reading part becomes so concise and simple!

Digital SAT was made to grade students based on their individual performance. Each question is of different marks. If you get an easier question wrong, you lose more marks.

Main content

Course: Digital SAT Reading and Writing > Unit 2

Lesson 3: Central Ideas and Details

Central ideas and details | Lesson

Google Classroom

A guide to "central ideas and details" questions on the digital SAT

What are "central ideas and details" questions?

On the Reading and Writing section of your SAT, some questions will present a short passage for you to read. The passage may be excerpted from a work of literature or from a scholarly essay.

Once you read the passage, you'll be asked either to identify the main idea of the text or to answer a specific question based on the text.

Central ideas and details questions will look like this:

Central ideas and details: Example

Many intellectual histories of the Black Power movement of the 1960s and 1970s rely heavily on essays and other explicitly ideological works as primary sources, a tendency that can overrepresent the perspectives of a small number of thinkers, most of whom were male. Historian Ashley D. Farmer has shown that expanding the array of primary sources to encompass more types of print material—including political cartoons, advertisements, and artwork—leads to a much better understanding of the movement and the crucial and diverse roles that Black women played in shaping it.

Which choice best describes the main idea of the text?

(Choice A)
Before Farmer’s research, historians had largely ignored the intellectual dimensions of the Black Power movement.
(Choice B)
Farmer’s methods and research have enriched the historical understanding of the Black Power movement and Black women’s contributions to it.
(Choice C)
Other historians of the Black Power movement have criticized Farmer’s use of unconventional primary sources.
(Choice D)
The figures in the Black Power movement whom historians tend to cite would have agreed with Farmer’s conclusions about women’s roles in the movement.

We should start by paraphrasing the passage in our own words:

Histories of the Black Power movement tend to focus on men.
Ashley D. Farmer studies a wider variety of sources.
Farmer's work increases understanding of Black Power movement, especially women's roles.

In order to describe "the main idea of the text", the best choice will need to accurately capture these ideas. It will also need to avoid introducing information that's not covered in the passage.

If we were to make a prediction, the main idea might be something like

"Farmer has improved the study of the Black Power movement by exploring the roles of women."

Now let's look at the choices. Do any of them match our prediction?

Choice A actually says the opposite of what we learned in the passage. We're told that there were "many intellectual histories" of the Black Power movement before Farmer's. We can eliminate this choice.

Choice C introduces information not included in the passage. The text doesn't mention what other historians think of Farmer's research. If it's not mentioned, then it can't be a "main idea". We can eliminate this choice.

Choice D introduces information not included in the passage. We're not told about the beliefs of "figures in the Black Power movement." If the text doesn't mention this information, then it can't be a "main idea". We can eliminate this choice.

Only choice B accurately captures the central ideas we identified in the text, including a specific mention of "Black women's contributions" to the Black Power movement. Choice B also avoids introducing any ideas that can't be found in the passage. Choice B is the answer.

How should we think about central ideas and details questions?

Central ideas and details questions focus on reading comprehension, and they do so in a fairly straightforward way.

We won't need any outside knowledge. We won't need to analyze the text too deeply or do any complex reasoning. We'll simply need to read the passage carefully.

Central ideas

Central ideas questions ask us to identify "the main idea" of the passage. Since the passages for these questions are fairly short, finding this main idea shouldn't be too tricky.

The main idea should

cover a majority of the details introduced in the text.
mention any particular points of emphasis from the text.

The main idea should not

focus too intently on just one detail from the text.
introduce new ideas not addressed within the text.
contradict information from the text.

Details

Details questions ask us to answer a specific question about an idea contained in the passage. Details questions can usually be answered using information from one particular sentence in the text.

These questions will contain words, phrases, or ideas that direct us to the appropriate part of the text. Once there, we simply need to find the correct detail needed to answer the question.

How to approach central ideas and details questions

To solve a central ideas and details question, consider following these steps:

Step 1: Summarize the text in your own words

Don't just skim the passage. Read it closely, and try to summarize the ideas you encounter in your own words. By the time you finish reading, you should have a strong understanding of the information contained in the passage.

Step 2: Determine the task

The question that follows the passage will reveal your task. Does it ask about the "main idea"? Or does it ask about a particular piece of information?

Step 3: Revisit the text

If the question is about the main idea, then revisit your summary of the text to find the overarching theme.

If the question asks about something specific, then head to that section of the passage to search out the correct detail.

Step 4: Predict and eliminate

Based on your understanding of the passage, you should be able to answer to the question fairly accurately without even looking at the choices. If someone asked you to summarize the text, what would you say?

For instance, in the example question above, we might predict that the main idea is something like

"Ashley D. Farmer has improved the study of the Black Power movement by exploring the roles of women."

Once you predict the answer in your own words, it should be pretty easy to find a match among the choices. If you're still not sure, you can eliminate your way to the answer by getting rid of choices that contradict the passage or introduce new ideas.

Top tips

Stay specific

Don't stray beyond the focus of the passage. Eliminate choices that broaden or blur the ideas in discussed in the text. And look out for small twists and turns that make a choice seem relevant when it actually expresses something unsupported by the passage.

Keep your prediction as short and simple as possible

If your prediction is just as long as the passage itself, it’s not simple enough! Keep simplifying it until you can sum it up in one brief idea, then use that prediction as a test. The more concise your prediction, the quicker and easier it will be to check it against the choices.

Use keywords as a map

When a question asks about a detail from the passage, it will often do so by referencing key words and phrases from the text. Find those words in the passage: they'll direct you towards the answer you seek!

Your turn

Central Ideas and Details

The following text is adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1883 novel Treasure Island. Bill is a sailor staying at the Admiral Benbow, an inn run by the narrator’s parents.

Every day when [Bill] came back from his stroll he would ask if any seafaring men had gone by along the road. At first we thought it was the want of company of his own kind that made him ask this question, but at last we began to see he was desirous to avoid them. When a seaman did [stay] at the Admiral Benbow (as now and then some did) he would look in at him through the curtained door before he entered the parlour; and he was always sure to be as silent as a mouse when any such was present.

According to the text, why does Bill regularly ask about “seafaring men”?

(Choice A)
He isn’t sure that other guests at the inn will be welcoming of sailors.
(Choice B)
He’s trying to secure a job as part of the crew on a new ship.
(Choice C)
He’s hoping to find an old friend and fellow sailor.
(Choice D)
He doesn’t want to encounter any other sailor unexpectedly.

This question asks about a detail from the text.

Specifically, the question references Bill ""asking about seafaring men". Let's use that phrase as a guide and find it in the passage:

Every day when [Bill] came back from his stroll he would ask if any seafaring men had gone by along the road.

Ok, so this just tells us that Bill does ask about "seafaring men", but it doesn't tell us why. Let's check the next sentence to see if it tells us what we need to know:

At first we thought it was the want of company of his own kind that made him ask this question, but at last we began to see he was desirous to avoid them.

Here we go. This sentence tells us that Bill "was desirous to avoid [seafaring men]". In other words, he wanted to stay away from them!

Let's use that as our prediction:

"Bill wants to stay away from sailors".

Which choice says something similar to our prediction?

Choice D is similar to our prediction. Choice D is the answer.

Want to join the conversation?

Sort by:

That Soviet player
Posted a year ago. Direct link to That Soviet player's post “a common situation tat I ...”
a common situation tat I encounter on the blue book is that the words are super complicated and cant really summarize it into my own words and get confused.
Button navigates to signup pageComment on That Soviet player's post “a common situation tat I ...”
(108 votes)
Answer
- Terence Tao
  Posted a year ago. Direct link to Terence Tao's post “I am facing the same prob...”
  I am facing the same problems and even though I haven't overcome them I think these tips can help:
  
  1] DON'T READ THE NAMES.
  Collage board for some reason just loves giving weird names for basically everything in the passage. Instead of reading the entire name just remember the first letter of each word in a name, for example:
  
  "Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s 2013 novel
  Americanah chronicles the divergent experiences of
  Ifemelu and Obinze, a young Nigerian couple... "
  
  I'd read it as-
  "C N A’s 2013 novel
  Amr chr the divergent experiences of
  Ife and Obz, a young Nigerian couple..."
  
  2] If you can't summarise paragraphs, summarise sentences.
  Now, this shouldn't be your first option, try summarising the passage as a whole. If and only if you get stuck do this coz it takes a bit longer and you can't do it on every question but you can prob pull it off on a few of the tough ones.
  
  3] If you don't know a particular word try splitting it and determining its meaning.
  Now granted you might have to learn a few common prefixes and suffixes to do this but that's way better than learning a dictionary.
  
  4] Take it slow.
  I don't consider myself to be very good at the reading and writing section but I still am able to complete the practice test modules 5 to 8 mins ahead of time so just sold down, and as David says "you got this." :)
  Comment on Terence Tao's post “I am facing the same prob...”
  (343 votes)
ISKO.SALIMJANOV
Posted a year ago. Direct link to ISKO.SALIMJANOV's post “It would be so much bette...”
It would be so much better, If there were vocabulary bank especially for SAT in Khan Academy
Button navigates to signup pageComment on ISKO.SALIMJANOV's post “It would be so much bette...”
(75 votes)
Answer
- G. Tarun
  Posted 10 months ago. Direct link to G. Tarun's post “SAT tests vocabulary in c...”
  SAT tests vocabulary in context: it's about understanding how a word means one thing in one context, another thing in another.
  
  If you want to rapidly expand your English vocabulary, though, try working through the book Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis. It teaches words as symbols for ideas, and teaches using the root word and word-origin (etymology) approach. Merriam-Webster's Word of The Day is also a great way to learn vocabulary using a similar approach. I've also heard students recommend vocabulary.com though I have never used it myself.
  Comment on G. Tarun's post “SAT tests vocabulary in c...”
  (29 votes)
Slushy
Posted 8 months ago. Direct link to Slushy's post “Is it possible to have mo...”
Is it possible to have more than 1 central idea?
Button navigates to signup pageButton navigates to signup page
(4 votes)
Answer
- mertali.tercan
  Posted 8 months ago. Direct link to mertali.tercan's post “>2 central idea = 2 cente...”
  >2 central idea = 2 centers
  >center is singular, a circle doesn't have plural centers
  Comment on mertali.tercan's post “>2 central idea = 2 cente...”
  (36 votes)
yubrajkhatri005
Posted 8 months ago. Direct link to yubrajkhatri005's post “finding the main theme or...”
finding the main theme or the any kind of central ideas is most hardest part for me, even the trick from khan academy itself doesn't work for me can you tell how you guys encounter this type of question?
Button navigates to signup pageComment on yubrajkhatri005's post “finding the main theme or...”
(7 votes)
Answer
- 24gargaa
  Posted 8 months ago. Direct link to 24gargaa's post “The key to answering a ce...”
  The key to answering a central idea/ theme question is to look for the general gist or scope that the passage is trying to "outline." Whenever I read a short story, I focus on the details that lead me to find the general idea of the passage. The SAT is designed such that you are not forced to grasp every detail that a passage offers, so try not to get too caught up on the passage. If you should not focus too much on unnecessary details as they may incorrectly guide you. If you find summarizing the passage in your own words difficult, it may be helpful to just directly go to the questions. Though this strategy may be useful, it is still vital that you understand the claim and other essential points stated in the passage. I would finally suggest selecting an answer choice that isn't too specific. Specificity is important when considering answer choices, but getting too specific will draw you away from the MAIN idea of a passage.
  Comment on 24gargaa's post “The key to answering a ce...”
  (25 votes)
cuc.diamond
Posted a year ago. Direct link to cuc.diamond's post “Where I can find exercise...”
Where I can find exercises that are similar to these kinds?
Button navigates to signup pageButton navigates to signup page
(14 votes)
Answer
- sincosancont
  Posted a year ago. Direct link to sincosancont's post “On bluebook you can find ...”
  On bluebook you can find full tests, and practice questions here on khanacademy, other than that there aren't any im aware of
  Comment on sincosancont's post “On bluebook you can find ...”
  (3 votes)
DorianA
Posted a year ago. Direct link to DorianA's post “What is supposed to be so...”
What is supposed to be so hard about this? Both times the answer is directly stated and can be found in the first two sentences.
Button navigates to signup pageComment on DorianA's post “What is supposed to be so...”
(9 votes)
Answer
- Sergio García
  Posted a year ago. Direct link to Sergio García's post “This is the Foundations c...”
  This is the Foundations course. To see more challenging questions, please go to the Advanced course.
  Comment on Sergio García's post “This is the Foundations c...”
  (9 votes)
Shishir
Posted 9 months ago. Direct link to Shishir's post “The *last* question has a...”
The last question has a grammatical ERROR. In the last sentence, there is a conjunction (and) after the semicolon which is incorrect according to Khan Academy → DSAT → Reading & Writing → Lesson 11 → Boundaries → Punctuations.

Please correct me if I am wrong and please provide me with an explanation.
Button navigates to signup pageComment on Shishir's post “The *last* question has a...”
(9 votes)
Answer
- Ayush_K.
  Posted 9 months ago. Direct link to Ayush_K.'s post “That Lesson 11 is standar...”
  That Lesson 11 is standard english, and like occarius (in the comments section of your section) said, English has changed a LOT from the 1880s. Although from a longer time, thee was prevalent around the end of the 18th century, and now thee is no longer used except if an author chooses to incorporate it for formal purposes or really just for the "fun" of it. You will see "thee" a ton if you read Shakespeare's plays, stories, poems, etc.
  Comment on Ayush_K.'s post “That Lesson 11 is standar...”
  (5 votes)
Larissa Rampazzo
Posted a year ago. Direct link to Larissa Rampazzo's post “do you have any tips on h...”
do you have any tips on how to practice? besides de 4pdfs on college board and practice tests from bluebook. would you use the old sat tests to study for the digital one?
Button navigates to signup pageComment on Larissa Rampazzo's post “do you have any tips on h...”
(8 votes)
Answer
- jlee26
  Posted a year ago. Direct link to jlee26's post “I would definitely use th...”
  I would definitely use those after I exhaust all the Bluebook and Khan Academy resources. They're actually a great way to bolster your reading comprehension skills and have quite a lot of useful information that still applies to the DSAT, although some may say otherwise.
  Button navigates to signup page
  (7 votes)
Nadia
Posted 8 months ago. Direct link to Nadia's post “How do I understand the m...”
How do I understand the main claim / central idea of a short poem? I find this part very difficult and end up with the wrong option! Need some help in understanding short poem based central idea.
Button navigates to signup pageComment on Nadia's post “How do I understand the m...”
(9 votes)
Answer
- samyakp3
  Posted 8 months ago. Direct link to samyakp3's post “You need to summarize the...”
  You need to summarize the text first before analyzing the options. It will help you to align your summary with the options that are given there.
  Button navigates to signup page
  (3 votes)
Msk2006
Posted 10 months ago. Direct link to Msk2006's post “Why's SAT constantly beco...”
Why's SAT constantly becoming easier and easier? There used to be that essay, then it was removed, while the reading questions still involved long passages and a lot more patience and comprehension...Now the reading part becomes so concise and simple!
Button navigates to signup pageButton navigates to signup page
(0 votes)
Answer
- Devansh Sharma
  Posted 10 months ago. Direct link to Devansh Sharma's post “Digital SAT was made to g...”
  Digital SAT was made to grade students based on their individual performance. Each question is of different marks. If you get an easier question wrong, you lose more marks.
  Comment on Devansh Sharma's post “Digital SAT was made to g...”
  (18 votes)