4. Information & Ideas I: Central Ideas & Evidence

Central Ideas & Details questions ask for the main point ('Which choice best states the main idea?') or a specific stated fact ('According to the text, …').

• The main idea must cover the whole passage — not one detail (too narrow) and not a grander claim than the text makes (too broad).
• For a detail question, the answer is stated directly in the text. Go back and point to the exact sentence.

Command of Evidence (textual) is a signature SAT® skill. It gives a claim or hypothesis and asks: 'Which finding, if true, would most strongly support (or weaken) it?'

To answer, hold the claim in mind and test each choice: does it directly make the claim more (or less) likely? The best evidence is specific and on-target; wrong choices are true-but-irrelevant, too vague, or about a slightly different point.

⚠️ Common mistake: picking a choice that is interesting or generally related but doesn't actually bear on this claim. Relevance beats interest.

💡 Tip: for support/weaken questions, restate the claim in your own words first, then ask of each choice, 'so what — does this change my belief in the claim?'