SAT Prep – SAT Information and Ideas

SAT Reading and Writing Section Basics

The SAT transitioned from a paper and pencil exam to a digital test in 2023 (2024 for students in the United States) and as part of this revision, important changes were made to the content of the exam. The digital SAT contains two sections: Reading and Writing, and Math. The Reading and Writing section consists of 54 questions students must complete within 64 minutes. Given the computer adaptive nature of the SAT, the Reading and Writing section is divided into two modules. The first module contains 27 questions to be answered in 32 minutes, and this module features an even mixture of easy, medium, and difficult questions. The second module also contains 27 questions to be answered in 32 minutes, but the difficulty level of the questions depends on how well the test-taker performed on the first module. If a test-taker performed well on the first module, they will receive more challenging questions on the second module. If, however, they performed poorly on the first module, the second module will feature less challenging questions. 

The Reading and Writing section of the SAT features a series of reading passages, and students must make revisions by answering multiple-choice questions, as well as identify and correct mistakes and weaknesses related to various aspects of reading and writing. Students are no longer required to write an essay as part of taking the SAT. The College Board has crafted text passages and their associated questions to assess both reading and writing skills. Each text passage is approximately 25-150 words in length, and there is only one question per text passage. Passages may be written on a variety of topics, including but not limited to career issues, history, social studies, the humanities, and science. Additionally, some passages include informational graphics such as tables, charts, and graphs.

The College Board notes that questions on the Reading and Writing section of the SAT can be divided into four broad content areas, or domains:

1. Craft and Structure
2. Information and Ideas
3. Standard English Conventions
4. Expression of Ideas

We examine Information and Ideas questions below.

Information and Ideas Content Domain

Information and Ideas questions ask a test-taker to utilize comprehension, analysis, and reasoning skills, in addition to what is stated and implied in passages (including any informational graphics) to locate, interpret, evaluate, and integrate information and ideas. These types of questions account for roughly 26% of all questions on the Reading and Writing section, and the College Board lists three subskills that are also tested by these questions:

1. Central Ideas and Details
2. Command of Evidence (Textual, Quantitative)
3. Inferences

Central Ideas and Details Questions

Central Ideas and Details questions may focus on either the central idea of a passage or the details. Central Ideas questions are usually drawn from a work of literature or a scholarly essay. Test-takers read a short passage, then identify or answer a question about the main idea, or central idea. These types of questions will appear similar to the following:

When it comes to the intellectual histories of the Mexican Revolution, ideological works and essays have frequently served as primary sources. While these sources provide important perspectives, their frequent usage has resulted in a tendency to overrepresent the perspectives of a handful of intellectuals, the vast majority of whom are male. In recent years, historians have demonstrated that expanding the types of primary sources to include written correspondence, oral histories, and artwork leads to a deeper understanding of the Revolution and the critically important roles played by Mexican women.

Q: Which choice best describes the main idea of the text?

A) Historians cannot be trusted to provide accurate information about the past since they were not alive to experience it themselves.

B) Some historians have criticized the usage of what are considered “unconventional” primary sources in understanding the Mexican Revolution.

C) The figures in the Mexican Revolution who are most frequently cited were evenly divided between men and women.

D) Using more than one type of primary source to understand the Mexican Revolution will enrich our understanding of this movement, as well as the contributions made by Mexican women.

The correct answer is D. Choice A focuses on an issue that is not addressed by the passage. Choice B does not work because the passage never once mentions complaints about unconventional versus conventional primary sources. And choice C is obviously wrong based on the text, which states that most primary sources are from men and that only by using a variety of sources can the contributions of Mexican women be better appreciated. The main idea should cover a majority of the details provided in the passage and mention any special points emphasized in the text. A main idea does not focus on only one detail from the text, nor does it contradict the text or introduce new ideas not addressed in the text.

Details questions are exactly like they sound—questions that ask test-takers to locate and identify specific details in the passage. These types of questions can generally be answered using a single sentence in the passage, and the question itself will use words, phrases, or ideas that guide test-takers to a specific sentence in the passage. Details questions will appear similar to the following:

The following passage is from Jane Austen’s 1815 novel, Emma:

“The real evils, indeed, of Emma’s situation were the power of having rather too much her own way, and a disposition to think a little too well of herself; these were the disadvantages which threatened alloy to her many enjoyments. The danger, however, was at present so unperceived, that they did not by any means rank as misfortunes with her.”

Q: According to the text, what are the real evils in Emma’s life?

A) Emma is unsure of herself and questions her ability to enact change on the world around her.

B) Emma is too used to getting what she wants while also maintaining an inflated opinion of herself.

C) Emma frequently gets in her own way, but she is aware of her weaknesses and is trying to do better.

D) Being rich and unmarried are the real evils in Emma’s life.

The correct answer is B. Choice A directly opposes what is written in the text, which states that Emma tends “to think a little too well of herself.” Choice C starts out promising, but it also opposes what is written in the text, which makes it clear in the last sentence that Emma does not see her flaws as flaws and is unaware of them. Choice D might be tempting, as privilege and wealth are important topics in the book, but neither wealth nor being unmarried are mentioned in the text at all. 

With both Central Ideas and Details questions, students should pay close attention to what is written in the text as opposed to what they may know about a particular piece of literature from school or what they might have seen in a movie adaptation of a given novel. Read these questions closely. It may be helpful for test-takers to paraphrase or summarize ideas in their own words before returning to the passage to search for the information requested in a specific question. 

Command of Evidence Questions

Command of Evidence Questions tests a student’s ability to find and use specific textual or graphical information to answer questions about claims, ideas, or conclusions within a passage, with a focus on strengthening arguments, data interpretation, and identifying logical support. Such questions come in paired formats and may be accompanied by an informational graphic. 

In textual evidence questions, test-takers are given a hypothesis about a subject in social science or science, generally in the context of new research or a particular experiment. No subject matter knowledge is needed, as all the information required to answer the question is included in the text. The task is to interpret the hypothesis and identify the research outcome that would best support the hypothesis. These types of questions will appear similar to the following:

Scientists Ray Bradley, Jennifer Wong, and Mandeep Chopra have hypothesized that the dinosaur Tyrannosaurus Rex was a strong swimmer, due to its powerful back legs and tail. To evaluate their hypothesis, they created a battery-powered mechanical model of T Rex capable of moving its legs and tail and placed it in a water-filled tank.

Q: Which finding from the model test, if true, would most strongly support the scientists’ hypothesis?

A) Upon being placed in the water, the T Rex model moved its legs and tail and immediately sank to the bottom of the tank.

B) Upon being placed in the water, the T Rex model moved its legs and tail and after sinking to the bottom, it walked across the tank.

C) Upon being placed in the water, the T Rex model moved its legs and tail and swam across the tank.

D) Upon being placed in the water, the T Rex model floated with its head above water and as its legs and tailed moved, it spun in a circle.

The correct answer is C, as this answer most strongly supports the scientists’ hypothesis that T Rex was a good swimmer due to its back legs and tail. The other answer options do not support the hypothesis but actually provide evidence against it.

To answer these types of questions, test-takers should first identify the central argument, which will be presented as a research hypothesis or an interpretation of a literary text. Once the argument in need of support has been identified, students should rephrase it in the simplest terms possible, ideally paraphrasing in their own words. The answer choices can then be tested out to see if they say something similar to or different from the identified argument. The choice that is the most similar to the argument is the correct option. 

Inferences Questions

Inferences questions provide an unfinished passage that introduces information about a particular topic. Based only on that information, students must select the choice that most logically completes the text. Inference questions deal with how information and ideas are connected to create arguments. These types of questions will appear similar to the following:

The deepest point in the ocean is located within the Mariana Trench, over 6.8 miles from the surface of the water. In the deep sea, water pressure is eight tons per square inch, and sunlight is non-existent, meaning the only available light comes from the organisms living there. Without sunlight, plants cannot produce food through photosynthesis, which creates a general scarcity of food. Fewer animal species are found in the deep sea because _________

Q: Which choice most logically completes the text?

A) the vast majority of marine life prefers to live closer to the surface where food is more readily available.

B) the lack of food, combined with the adaptations needed to survive the water pressure, results in a lower density of animals.

C) animals who live in the ocean require sunlight in order to see and catch their food

D) most marine animals cannot withstand the crushing water pressure

The correct answer is B. Answer choice C is not true for all animals that live in the ocean. Answer choices A and B are technically correct, but they are too limited, as they each only mention one factor that influences why most animals do not live in the deep sea. Answer B is the best answer because it incorporates the most information from the passage, logically completing the unfinished sentence.

With Inferences questions, it can be helpful to separate the text into bullet points in order to read it closely and create a progression for the argument being made. This allows test-takers to identify any gaps that might exist. Each bullet point or piece of information should be examined to determine how they fit together. Once a student understands the argument being made, the answer choices can be considered to find the one that best completes the argument. Any answer choices that stray from or disagree with the points made in the passage should be eliminated, and the choice that strengthens the argument should be selected as the correct answer. 

SAT Reading and Writing Section Scoring

As part of transitioning to a digital SAT, the College Board also streamlined the number of scores that are reported after the exam has been completed. This was done with the hopes of making scores easier to interpret by parents, students, and other academic professionals. Subscores were reported on previous versions of the exam, but they have been removed. After taking the SAT, students now receive three scores:

1. SAT Total Score
2. Reading and Writing Section Score
3. Math Section Score

The SAT Total score falls on a scale of 400-1600, with higher scores indicating a better test performance. The Reading and Writing section score falls on a scale of 200-800, as does the Math section score.

Purpose of the SAT Reading and Writing Section

The digital SAT taken by students in 2026 was designed to mimic the writing and editing tasks students will be asked to complete in college-level writing assignments. Every test question is based entirely on the provided passage, meaning that a strong performance on this section of the SAT does not depend on rote memorization, a frequent criticism leveled at past versions of the test that ultimately prompted significant revisions. Questions in the Reading and Writing section ask test-takers to perform tasks such as improving the quality of a given text through clarifying ideas, reorganizing the structure of information to improve logic, substituting a more precise word for a vague one, and correcting punctuation and grammar. Some passages feature accompanying informational graphics, and students must use these to identify errors in the text while improving both clarity and accuracy.

Questions and Answers on the SAT Reading and Writing Section

Reading and Writing questions are multiple-choice with each question including four possible answers. Answer choices may be more or less probable, but students should expect to encounter several choices that are very similar to one another (e.g., some answers may only be different because of the placement of a comma). 

Some questions may include the option to leave a word, phrase, or text unchanged without performing any corrections or alterations. Some questions will ask if a certain sentence should be deleted due to issues such as repetition or making the main point more difficult to understand. Other questions require students to determine the most logical place to add in supporting information or to decide which wording of an idea conveys that idea the best. Students can also expect to encounter questions asking them to combine sentences, unify passages by restating primary claims, provide additional supporting evidence, and conform to specific stylistic patterns with regards to sentence structure or rhetorical techniques. 

Preparing for the SAT Reading and Writing Section

Since the emphasis for the Reading and Writing section of the SAT is no longer on rote memorization, students would do well to familiarize themselves with the various types of questions they will encounter on this exam. Taking practice exams is one of the best ways to prepare for the SAT and gain exposure to how long questions are, how they are worded, and what answer choices look like. Taking practice exams is especially effective when done under the guidance of a test prep professional, either through group courses or a customized private tutoring program. The faster a student is able to recognize the type of question they are being asked, the faster they can employ the most effective strategy to solve the problem and answer the question correctly.