This unit provides a brief introduction to the different types of questions you'll encounter on the digital SAT Reading & Writing section.

The Importance of Knowing the Question Types

Understanding the types of questions you'll face on the SAT is a crucial step in improving your score. There are two main reasons it's critically important to know how to identify the question types:

1) The question type lets you know which specific skill or knowledge you're being tested on.

2) The question type informs you which strategies and tactics you should employ.

The Benefits of Knowing the Question Types

Knowing the question types improves confidence, accuracy, and speed. In fact, because knowledge of the question types opens the door to consistently using the correct strategies, it's your number-one "time management" tactic. By learning how to instantly identify question types, you'll not only be better equipped to find the right answer, you'll also able to do so more quickly.

Question Type Order

On every SAT Reading & Writing module, the major question types are presented in the same order. However, there can be slight variations in the subtypes of Core Reading Questions you'll encounter and the order in which they'll appear.

The general order for SAT Reading & Writing modules is as follows:

1. Words in Context (usually 4 or 5 questions)

2. Core Reading Questions (usually 4 or 5 questions, total). This question type has several subtypes. The order of the subtypes varies from module to module, and not every subtype appears on every module.

   • Function

   • Main Idea

   • Main Purpose

   • Details

   • Structure

   • Cross-Text Connections ("paired passages")

3. Command of Evidence (usually 4 or 5 questions)

4. Inference (usually 2 questions)

5. Standard English Conventions ("grammar" - usually about 6 questions)

6. Transitions (usually about 3 questions)

7. Rhetorical synthesis ("notes" - usually 2 to 4 questions)

Identifying SAT Reading Question Types

Words in Context (WIC) Questions

These are always the first questions in each Reading and Writing module. WIC Questions test your ability to determine the meaning of a word based on its context within a passage.

Wording: WIC Questions are worded in two, and only two, ways.

• "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?"

  • The vast majority of WIC Questions use this wording.

• "As used in the text, what does the word/phrase “[ ]” most nearly mean?"

  • This WIC wording is rare.

Core Reading Questions:

There are several subtypes of Core Reading Questions (my name for this category, not the College Board's). Not all subtypes appear on every module, and the order in which they appear varies. However, regardless of the specific subtypes, all Core Reading Questions appear between WIC Questions and Command of Evidence Questions.

The Core Reading subtypes are as follows:

Function Questions

These ask about the function of an underlined portion of the text.

Wording: Function Questions are worded in one of two ways:

• "Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?"

• Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion?

Main Idea Questions

These assess your understanding of the overall point of a passage.

Wording: Main Idea Questions are only worded in one way:

• "Which choice best states the main idea of the text?"

Main Purpose Questions

These assess your understanding of the passage's overall purpose.

Wording: Main Purpose Questions are only worded in one way:

• "Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?"

Details Questions

As the name suggests, Details Questions often ask about particular details in the passage.

Wording: Wording varies. Some examples:

• "What does the text indicate about the [specific passage detail]? "

• "According to the passage, what is one reason some philosophers oppose publicly displaying ancient texts?"

• Occasionally, they ask you to draw an inference about a detail in the passage. Example:

  • "It can most reasonably be inferred from the text that [specific passage detail] is important for which reason?"

Structure Questions

These ask you to identify how a passage is organized.

Wording: Structure Questions are worded as follows:

• "Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?"

Cross-Text Connections Questions

These involve comparing or contrasting two short passages.

Wording: These questions typically ask how the author of one passage would respond to a claim made in another passage. For example:

• “Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the underlined claim in Text 1?”

• “Based on the texts, what would the author of Text 2 most likely say about Text 1’s characterization of [ ]?”

Command of Evidence Questions (COE)

COE Questions always appear after Core Reading Questions and just before Inference Questions. They require you to support, or occasionally weaken, a claim from the passage. This is the only question type that includes graphs or tables. However, not all COE Questions include them.

Wording: The wording of COE Questions, while varied, follows a similar pattern. They ask you to support a claim or complete a "statement" or "example."

• “Which finding, if true, would most directly support the hypothesis?"

• “Which choice best describes data from the table that support the researchers’ conclusion?”

• “Which quotation from the short story 'Cabby' most effectively illustrates the claim?”

• “Which choice most effectively uses data from the graph to complete the example?”

Inference Questions

These questions always appear immediately after Command of Evidence Questions and just before Standard English Conventions Questions. They require you to draw a logically valid conclusion from the passage.

Wording: All Inference Questions are always worded exactly the same:

• "Which choice most logically completes the text?"

Standard English Conventions Questions

These have several subtypes, which are covered in detail in the course. These questions always appear after Inference Questions, just before Transition Questions.

Wording: All Standard English Conventions Questions are always worded exactly the same:

• "Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?"

Transition Questions

These always appear after Standard English Conventions Questions, just before Rhetorical Synthesis Questions.

Wording: All Transition Questions are always worded exactly the same:

• "Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?"

Rhetorical Synthesis Questions

These always appear after Transition Questions. They are always the last question type on an SAT Reading & Writing module.

Wording: All "Notes" Questions are two sentences long. The first sentence cites criteria specific to the notes in the passage, so the wording varies. (For example: "The student wants to specify how beaver colonies store caloric energy for the winter.") However, the second sentence is always worded exactly the same:

• "Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?"

Conclusion

Memorizing how to identify the types of questions you will face on digital SAT Reading and Writing is the first step toward mastering the test. Knowing the question types is essential because it informs you which specific skill or knowledge set you're being tested on and indicates which strategies and tactics to employ. Thus, you gain the ability to approach the test with greater confidence, accuracy, and speed.