All flashcards
Flashcard 1: What is the safest way to answer a question about who said or believed something in the passage?
Answer: Identify the speaker/source named in the relevant sentence. Attribution questions demand locating the explicit naming of the source in the context of the statement.
Flashcard 2: What should you do first when a question asks for a specific name, date, or place?
Answer: Scan for the proper noun or number in the passage. Specific identifiers like names or dates are easily located through targeted scanning due to their unique and literal appearance in text.
Flashcard 3: What is the most reliable way to confirm an answer is explicitly stated?
Answer: Match your choice to the passage using the same meaning. Confirmation relies on semantic equivalence between the answer and passage to verify explicit statement without inference.
Flashcard 4: Which part of the passage should you use to answer an explicit-detail question?
Answer: The exact sentence(s) where the detail is stated. Explicit-detail questions demand evidence from precise textual locations to ensure the information is directly quoted or paraphrased.
Flashcard 5: What does it mean to find information stated explicitly in a passage?
Answer: Locate a detail that is directly written, not inferred. Explicit information retrieval requires identifying details directly presented in the text without requiring deduction or interpretation.
Flashcard 6: Identify the best method to locate a stated detail quickly in a long passage.
Answer: Use the question keywords to scan for the matching section. Keyword scanning efficiently narrows the search to relevant sections containing the explicit detail.
Flashcard 7: What should you do when an explicit-detail question uses synonyms instead of the passage’s exact words?
Answer: Find the line with the same meaning, not the same wording. Synonymous phrasing tests comprehension of meaning equivalence rather than exact lexical matches.
Flashcard 8: What does a question asking "What happened first?" require you to use from the passage?
Answer: The stated sequence of events (time-order details). Chronological questions rely on the passage's direct depiction of event order without interpretive resequencing.
Flashcard 9: What should you do if the question asks for a detail from a specific paragraph number?
Answer: Go directly to that paragraph and locate the stated fact. Paragraph-specific queries allow focused retrieval of explicitly stated facts from the designated section.
Flashcard 10: Which option is an explicit-detail question: "What is the author’s tone?" or "What did the committee decide?"
Answer: "What did the committee decide?" is explicit-detail. Factual decision queries seek direct statements, unlike tone assessments that involve interpretive analysis.
Flashcard 11: What should you do when an explicit-detail question asks for "the main reason stated"?
Answer: Find the sentence that directly gives the reason. Reason-based questions require identifying the passage's overt explanation without adding inferred motives.
Flashcard 12: Limited application: Passage: "The recipe requires 2 cups of flour." How many cups of flour are required?
Answer: 2 cups. The quantity is overtly specified in the recipe description within the passage.
Flashcard 13: Limited application: Passage: "After the vote, the mayor signed the bill on Tuesday." On what day did the mayor sign?
Answer: Tuesday. The day is explicitly indicated in the passage's sequence of events following the vote.
Flashcard 14: What should you do when an answer choice uses extreme words like "always" or "never"?
Answer: Select it only if the passage explicitly uses that certainty. Extreme language must be mirrored exactly in the text to qualify as explicitly stated information.
Flashcard 15: Limited application: Passage: "In 1912, Lina moved to Boston." What year did Lina move?
Answer:
- The year is directly stated in the passage as the time of the event, exemplifying explicit detail retrieval.
Flashcard 16: Limited application: Passage: "The museum opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m." What time does it close?
Answer: 5 p.m. Closing time is explicitly provided in the passage's description of operating hours.
Flashcard 17: Limited application: Passage: "The storm damaged roofs, fences, and power lines." What did the storm damage?
Answer: Roofs, fences, and power lines. Damaged items are listed directly in the passage, requiring no inference to identify.
Flashcard 18: Limited application: Passage: "Because the bridge was icy, the bus took a detour." Why did the bus detour?
Answer: The bridge was icy. The cause for the detour is stated explicitly using a causal connector in the passage.
Flashcard 19: Limited application: Passage: "Dr. Chen, not her assistant, wrote the report." Who wrote the report?
Answer: Dr. Chen. The author is named directly in the passage, distinguishing from alternatives mentioned.
Flashcard 20: What does the phrase "The passage states" signal you should look for?
Answer: A detail that appears verbatim or as a clear paraphrase. Such phrasing cues the need for information that matches the text either identically or through synonymous rephrasing.
Flashcard 21: What is a strong clue that an answer choice is NOT explicitly supported?
Answer: It adds a new cause, motive, or judgment not stated. Introduction of unstated elements indicates the choice exceeds explicit content and ventures into inference.
Flashcard 22: What should you do if you remember an answer but cannot find the supporting line in the passage?
Answer: Reject it and reread until you can cite the text. Memory without textual citation risks inaccuracy, necessitating re-examination for verifiable explicit support.
Flashcard 23: Which question type is explicit: "According to the passage, why did X happen?" or "What can be inferred?"
Answer: "According to the passage" is explicit; "inferred" is not. Phrasing like 'according to the passage' directs to direct statements, unlike inference cues that prompt deduction.
Flashcard 24: What should you do when multiple answer choices sound plausible for an explicit-detail question?
Answer: Choose the one directly supported by a specific line. Plausibility alone is insufficient; explicit questions require direct textual backing from identifiable lines.
Flashcard 25: What is the key difference between an explicit detail and an inference?
Answer: Explicit is stated; inference is concluded from clues. Explicit details are overtly provided, whereas inferences require synthesizing implicit hints to form conclusions.