Author's Main Point
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SAT Reading & Writing › Author's Main Point
When Claude Monet’s painting of his hometown’s harbor titled Impression, Sunrise debuted in a Paris art show in 1874, critics had no idea what to make of it. Despite the qualms and complaints of art critics, Monet’s piece became famous. Many artists began to mimic the style of Monet’s painting, which departed from the carefully realistic portraiture and history paintings of previous works and instead aimed to present the suggestion of a subject, paying special attention to the interaction of light with the subject. This style eventually developed into an entire artistic movement that took its name from Monet’s painting and came to be called “impressionism.”
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
Art critics initially did not appreciate or understand Claude Monet’s painting, Impression, Sunrise.
Although critics were not favorable to Claude Monet’s painting, Impression, Sunrise, many artists liked it.
Impressionism is a style of painting that suggests a subject and emphasizes its interaction with light, rather than painting it realistically.
Despite negative initial reactions, Claude Monet’s painting, Impression, Sunrise, inspired an entire artistic movement.
Explanation
Beware that in questions that ask about the main idea of text, many incorrect answers will cite things that appeared in that text but that weren’t the main point. Here the author tells a full story: Monet painted a painting that critics didn’t like, but nonetheless other artists began to emulate its style and that style grew into an entire movement, impressionism, that took its name from that painting. And choice C reflects that entire story. Choices A, B, and D all occur in the passage, but each emphasizes just one point of the story while the author’s main point is to tell the entire tale.
From an essay by L. Patel (2017). Alexander Fleming returned from vacation in 1928 to find that a mold had invaded one of his petri dishes, killing the surrounding bacteria. Most researchers would have tossed the contaminated plate; Fleming looked more closely. His curiosity about that "ruined" experiment led to the isolation of penicillin, the first widely used antibiotic. I do not cite this episode to romanticize lab mishaps, but to emphasize that apparent failures often contain information we can use, if only we pause to examine them. A culture that treats every deviation from plan as waste squeezes out the very moments that can change a field. In research, as in life, we move forward not only by perfecting our methods but by noticing what surprises us.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
To argue that unexpected results can drive discovery.
To explain how antibiotics transformed modern medicine.
To provide a detailed biography of Alexander Fleming.
To outline laboratory procedures that prevent contamination.
Explanation
The author uses Fleming's story to argue that surprises and apparent failures can be productive. The other choices misstate the focus by narrowing it to biography or procedures or broadening it to the full impact of antibiotics.
Anita Dev, 2018, "On Plain Songs"
The poem opens with a lamplight and a quiet road, images so spare they seem harmless. Its verbs never raise their voices; no metaphor leaps to announce itself. Yet the speaker chooses not to knock at a door that might offer shelter, and that refusal ripples through the closing lines. We are left to weigh prudence against a gentler duty: to ask and be asked in. The diction's modesty invites us to pass without judgment, but the situation will not let us. By the time the lamplight goes out, the poem has taught us how easily courtesy can conceal fear. I do not mean that simplicity is a flaw. I mean it is a mask, and the poem knows exactly when to lift it.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
To summarize the poem's narrative about a traveler hesitating at dusk
To show that the poem's simple language conceals a morally complex situation
To argue that all modern poetry should avoid decorative language
To refute the common, but inaccurate, claim that poetry must rhyme to be memorable
Explanation
The critic argues that plain diction hides and then reveals moral complexity. The other options are either mere summary or positions the passage does not take.
From an essay by Dr. Laila Singh, 2021.
In several small trials, patients who knew they were taking placebos nonetheless reported real relief from chronic symptoms. No one was fooled; the pills were labeled placebo, and participants were told as much. The improvements invite an uncomfortable question: what, besides pharmacology, helps people heal? Researchers propose explanations ranging from expectation and ritual to the simple regularity of taking a pill. None of this suggests we should replace effective treatments with sugar, but it does suggest that the form care takes matters. If open-label placebos can help some conditions without deception, we should find out why, for whom, and how to use them responsibly.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
To make the claim that placebos can cure any illness when used properly
To report surprising findings about open-label placebos and argue for studying how to use them responsibly
To advocate for the potentially-controversial practice of deceiving patients if it leads to better outcomes
To recount the author's various childhood and adolescent encounters with medicine and pharmacological treatments
Explanation
The text reports unexpected results with open-label placebos and calls for research into mechanisms and responsible use. The other choices either endorse deception, overpromise cures, or describe a topic not present.
Sara Kim, 2020, "Counting What We Share"
Wildlife maps built only from professional surveys leave vast blank spaces where budgets do not reach. Citizen science can help fill those blanks, if we design it to value enthusiasm without sacrificing accuracy. Critics worry that novices will misidentify species, and they are right to flag that risk. But projects like eBird demonstrate how to catch errors: require photos for unusual sightings, weight reports by observer reliability, and route anomalies to volunteer experts. With such guardrails, millions of submissions become patterns that conservationists actually trust. Rather than dismiss public participation as sloppy, we should invest in platforms that train contributors, flag outliers, and provide feedback. The result is not a replacement for experts but a map dense enough for both scientists and citizens to use.
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
It presents a proposal, addresses a likely objection, and supports the proposal with an example.
It recounts a historical trend and predicts its reversal.
It defines a technical term and lists several unrelated applications.
It critiques a failed policy and recommends abandoning it.
Explanation
The author proposes citizen science, acknowledges accuracy concerns, and cites eBird as evidence of workable safeguards. The other options do not match the sequence or purpose of the argument.
Nonprofits measure what they can: tutoring hours logged, meals served, beds filled. These numbers help donors and boards see progress, but they can also bend an organization's behavior toward what is easiest to count. One tutoring program, praised for its soaring total of hours, later realized students' reading levels had barely moved. The staff was hitting the target and missing the point. Metrics are not the villain; they are tools. Yet tools need context. Pairing quantitative goals with periodic qualitative checks—classroom observations, student interviews, teacher feedback—can keep attention fixed on learning rather than on tallies. Before celebrating a metric, leaders should ask: What does this number leave out, and how do we know? Accountability should illuminate the mission, not replace it.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
To demonstrate that qualitative stories are more persuasive than numerical data
To caution that focusing solely on metrics can distort a nonprofit's mission and to propose a balanced approach
To present a historical survey of philanthropy since the nineteenth century
To prove that measuring outcomes is inherently unethical and should be abandoned
Explanation
The author warns against metric-only thinking and suggests combining quantitative and qualitative measures. The other choices exaggerate, narrow, or misrepresent the scope of the discussion.
Conventional wisdom says library late fees teach responsibility, but the evidence suggests they simply keep people away. After Chicago and San Francisco eliminated fines, both systems reported higher circulation and the return of patrons who had long avoided the library over small debts. Critics worry that materials will vanish without penalties; yet neither city saw a sustained spike in losses, and both invested in reminder systems that proved more effective than threats. Libraries exist to expand access, not to police it. If the goal is getting books into people's hands and back again, then fines are a blunt tool that miss the mark. Municipalities should follow these examples and replace fees with policies that encourage borrowing and returning rather than punishing it.
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
Presents two unrelated case studies without drawing any conclusions
Defines a technical term and traces its historical evolution over centuries
Introduces a policy debate, presents evidence addressing a concern, and recommends a course of action
Narrates a librarian's personal story before speculating about national politics
Explanation
The op-ed sets up a claim, counters a concern with evidence, and ends with a recommendation. The other choices mischaracterize the content or its cohesiveness.