Literary Texts
40%of exam
Informational Texts
60%of exam
Comprehension
Not publishedof exam
Inference + Interpretation
Not publishedof exam
Analysis
Not publishedof exam
Synthesis + Generalization
Not publishedof exam
Quick Facts
- Subtest
- Language Arts – Reading
- Format
- 50 multiple-choice
- English time
- 65 minutes
- Spanish time
- 80 minutes
- Literary
- About 40%
- Informational
- About 60%
- Text length
- ≈400–600 words; Spanish often longer
- Processes
- 4 categories
- Subtest pass
- 8 / 20
- Battery total
- 45 / 100
- CCR benchmark
- 15 / 20
- Unscored
- Some questions may not count
Tone + Mood
Tone: author/speaker | Mood: reader
Tone: author/speakerMood: readerBoth: word choice
Literary vs Informational
Literary
- About 40%
- Characters and themes
- Style and devices
Informational
- About 60%
- Ideas and claims
- Reasons and evidence
Theme/character versus ideas/evidence
Literary Picker
- Character trait asked→Actions and dialogue
- Character motive asked→Goals, words, actions
- Tone asked→Author or speaker wording
- Mood asked→Reader atmosphere
- Theme asked→Recurring ideas plus outcome
- Symbol asked→Object plus recurring meaning
- Irony asked→Expectation versus result
- Viewpoint asked→Identify narrator stance
Literary Signals
- Character trait
- Supported by behavior
- Character feeling
- Revealed through evidence
- Character motive
- Explains choices or actions
- Theme
- Broader supported message
- Point of view
- Narrator or speaker perspective
- Mood
- Atmosphere felt by reader
- Tone
- Speaker or author attitude
- Foreshadowing
- Hints at later events
- Flashback
- Returns to earlier events
- Irony
- Expectation conflicts with result
- Symbolism
- Concrete detail suggests meaning
- Connotation
- Emotional word association
Tone vs Mood
Tone
- Author or speaker
- Attitude toward subject
- Word choice reveals
Mood
- Reader experience
- Atmosphere created
- Details build it
Author/speaker attitude versus reader atmosphere
Argument Chain
Claim | Reasons | Evidence | Explanation
Claim: positionReasons: whyEvidence: supportExplanation: connection
Claim vs Evidence
Claim
- Author position
- Needs support
- Can be challenged
Evidence
- Supports claim
- Facts or examples
- Judge quality
Position versus proof
Informational Picker
- Argument asked→Claim, reasons, evidence
- Main idea asked→Central claim plus details
- Purpose asked→What author seeks
- Structure asked→Signal words and order
- Evidence quality asked→Relevance plus sufficiency
- Chart or table asked→Labels, units, pattern
- Texts compared→Track shared feature
- Information conflicts→Classify fact or interpretation
Informational Signals
- Topic
- General subject
- Main idea
- Central point about topic
- Claim
- Position requiring support
- Reason
- Why claim should stand
- Evidence
- Support for a claim
- Explanation
- Connects evidence to claim
- Viewpoint
- Author position or perspective
- Conflicting evidence
- Challenges author position
- Emphasis
- Details author highlights
- Loaded language
- Signals viewpoint or purpose
Relevant vs Sufficient
Relevant
- Directly related
- Supports exact claim
- One quality dimension
Sufficient
- Enough overall support
- Coverage matters
- Quantity and strength
Fits versus enough
Argument + Evidence
- Claim
- Arguable author position
- Reason
- Logical support for claim
- Evidence
- Facts or examples offered
- Reasoning
- Connects evidence and claim
- Relevant evidence
- Directly supports claim
- Sufficient evidence
- Enough support overall
- Irrelevant evidence
- Does not support claim
- Sound reasoning
- Logical and well-supported
- Conflicting viewpoint
- Challenges author position
- Response
- Author addresses conflict
Four Processes
C-I-A-S: Comprehend | Infer | Analyze | Synthesize
C: explicit meaningI: implied meaningA: purpose and craftS: combine evidence
Denotation vs Connotation
Denotation
- Literal meaning
- Dictionary sense
- Context still controls
Connotation
- Associated feeling
- Positive or negative
- Shapes tone
Definition versus association
Question Type Picker
- Asks stated fact→Return to exact lines
- Asks word meaning→Use local context
- Asks implied meaning→Combine clue and logic
- Asks main idea→Cover whole text
- Asks author purpose→Identify the author's aim
- Asks text structure→Trace organization
- Asks argument quality→Test reasons and evidence
- Asks multiple texts→Compare stated feature
- Asks about visual→Integrate visual and text
Official Exam Blueprint
- Questions
- 50 multiple-choice
- English form
- 65 minutes
- Spanish form
- 80 minutes
- Literary texts
- About 40%
- Informational texts
- About 60%
- Text length
- ≈400–600 words; Spanish often longer
- Process categories
- Four official categories
- Unscored items
- May appear
- Subtest pass
- Scaled 8 of 20
- Battery total
- At least 45 of 100
Official Selection Forms
- Narrative
- Events form a story
- Memoir
- Personal experience recalled
- Essay
- Develops ideas or viewpoint
- Biographical sketch
- Profiles a person
- Editorial
- Argues a position
- Poetry
- Compressed language and imagery
- Subject matter
- Varies across selections
- Purpose and style
- Vary across selections
Explicit Details
- Explicit detail
- Directly stated information
- Paraphrase
- Same meaning, new wording
- Key detail
- Supports central idea
- Sequence
- Order of events or ideas
- Cause
- Produces an effect
- Effect
- Result of a cause
- Comparison
- Shows similarities
- Contrast
- Shows differences
- Reference word
- Points to earlier noun
- Scope
- Limits what answer covers
Vocabulary + Word Choice
- Context meaning
- Meaning within passage
- Nearby definition
- Direct clue
- Nearby example
- Illustrates meaning
- Contrast clue
- Opposite reveals meaning
- Cause-effect clue
- Relationship reveals meaning
- Denotation
- Literal dictionary meaning
- Connotation
- Associated feeling or idea
- Figurative meaning
- Nonliteral intended meaning
- Word impact
- Changes meaning or tone
- Substitution test
- Replace word, preserve meaning
Pacing Moves
- English raw average
- 78 seconds/question; passage time included
- Spanish raw average
- 96 seconds/question; passage time included
- First read
- Map purpose and structure
- Detail item
- Return to exact lines
- Context item
- Read surrounding sentence
- Inference item
- Find supporting clues
- Paired texts
- Track each viewpoint
- Visual item
- Read labels and units
- Uncertain item
- Eliminate unsupported choices
- Final check
- Answer every item
Scores + Reports
- Subtest minimum
- 8 of 20
- Battery minimum
- 45 of 100
- Writing essay
- At least 2 of 6
- CCR benchmark
- 15 of 20
- Scaled score
- Compares different test forms
- Individual report
- Shows subtest detail
- Comprehensive report
- Tracks highest subtest scores
- Official MC score
- About three business days on average
- Paper score timing
- May take longer
- State credential
- May add requirements
Inference Formula
Clue + Reasoning = Supported Inference
Clue: passage evidenceReasoning: logical linkAnswer: no overreach
Explicit vs Inferred
Explicit
- Directly stated
- Locate exact lines
- Paraphrase may appear
Inferred
- Not directly stated
- Combine clues
- Must remain supported
Locate versus reason
Evidence Picker
- Answer seems stated→Match exact detail
- Two choices fit→Find stronger support
- Choice adds outside facts→Reject it
- Choice is too broad→Narrow to passage
- Choice reverses relation→Reject it
- Choice uses absolutes→Demand complete support
- Inference requested→Combine multiple clues
- Texts disagree→Locate exact difference
Supported Inference
- Inference
- Evidence plus reasoning
- Implied meaning
- Not directly stated
- Conclusion
- Follows from text clues
- Character trait
- Infer from actions
- Character feeling
- Infer from words and behavior
- Character motive
- Infer why action occurs
- Subtext
- Meaning beneath spoken words
- Support
- Passage detail justifies answer
- Overreach
- Goes beyond available evidence
- Outside knowledge
- Cannot replace passage evidence
Nonliteral Language
- Simile
- Comparison using like or as
- Metaphor
- Direct nonliteral comparison
- Personification
- Human traits given nonhumans
- Symbol
- Object carries added meaning
- Irony
- Expectation and reality differ
- Connotation
- Feeling attached to word
- Imagery
- Sensory descriptive language
- Interpretation
- Must fit passage context
Visual Information
- Chart
- Displays relationships visually
- Graph
- Shows patterns or change
- Table
- Organizes values by category
- Title
- Defines visual subject
- Axis
- Defines scale or variable
- Legend
- Explains symbols or series
- Units
- Control numeric interpretation
- Integration
- Combine visual and prose
Structure Signals
Time | Cause | Compare | Problem
Time: chronologyCause: resultCompare: similaritiesProblem: solution
Main Idea vs Theme
Main idea
- Text-specific point
- Covers whole passage
- Supported by details
Theme
- Broader message
- Often literary
- Supported by pattern
Central point versus message
Main Idea + Purpose
- Topic
- What text discusses
- Main idea
- What text says overall
- Theme
- Broader message supported
- Summary
- Key ideas without extras
- Purpose
- What author aims to do
- Viewpoint
- Position author presents
- Development
- Idea changes across text
- Interaction
- Elements influence one another
- Emphasis
- Detail receives special focus
- Omission
- Relevant detail left out
Purpose vs Viewpoint
Purpose
- What author aims to do
- May answer, explain, or describe
- Action author performs
Viewpoint
- Position author holds
- Perspective on topic
- Emphasis reveals it
Goal versus position
Text Structures
- Chronological
- Time order
- Cause-effect
- Reason followed by result
- Compare-contrast
- Similarities and differences
- Problem-solution
- Issue followed by response
- Analogy
- Explains through comparison
- Timeline
- Events arranged by time
- Style
- Author's expression choices
- Structure
- Organization of ideas
- Mood
- Atmosphere created
- Tone
- Attitude conveyed
Summary vs Analysis
Summary
- Condenses key ideas
- No added judgment
- Covers whole text
Analysis
- Explains how or why
- Examines relationships
- Uses evidence
What versus how
DOK Ladder
- DOK
- Cognitive demand level
- Level 1
- Recall explicit details
- Level 2
- Infer beyond surface
- Level 3
- Analyze beyond text
- Level 4
- Synthesize through complex reasoning
- Surface understanding
- Explicit text meaning
- Strategic thinking
- Analyze and make meaning
- Extended thinking
- Complex synthesis
DOK 2 vs DOK 3
DOK 2
- Skill or concept
- Inference beyond surface
- Processes text
DOK 3
- Strategic thinking
- Analyze beyond text
- Makes deeper meaning
Inference versus strategic analysis
Paired-Text Lens
Topic | Treatment | Evidence | Difference
Topic: sharedTreatment: approachEvidence: supportDifference: exact conflict
Synthesis Moves
- Synthesis
- Combines multiple details
- Generalization
- Broad supported conclusion
- Prediction
- Evidence-based future outcome
- Conclusion
- Follows several evidence pieces
- Application
- Transfers concept appropriately
- Qualification
- Limits claim to evidence
- Pattern
- Repeated relationship across details
- Connection
- Links ideas across text
- Whole-text view
- Integrates all sections
- Best support
- Uses strongest combined evidence
Paired Texts
- Shared topic
- Both texts discuss it
- Treatment
- How each text presents topic
- Structure
- Compare organization
- Style
- Compare expression choices
- Point of view
- Compare perspectives
- Emphasis
- Compare highlighted details
- Agreement
- Claims align
- Disagreement
- Facts or interpretations conflict
- Source type
- Primary or secondary
- Cross-text conclusion
- Both texts support it
Common Traps
English vs Spanish time
English: 65 minutes ≠ Spanish: 80 minutes
Literary vs informational share
Literary: about 40% ≠ Informational: about 60%
Main idea vs detail
Main idea covers whole ≠ Detail supports one part
Theme vs topic
Theme is message ≠ Topic is subject
Inference vs invention
Inference uses clues ≠ Invention adds unsupported facts
Tone vs mood
Tone: author or speaker attitude ≠ Mood: atmosphere for reader
Purpose vs content
Purpose asks why ≠ Content asks what
Relevant vs sufficient
Relevant fits claim ≠ Sufficient provides enough
Summary vs opinion
Summary stays faithful ≠ Opinion adds judgment
DOK vs length
DOK measures cognitive demand ≠ Long question may stay simple
Reading vs credential
Reading needs 8/20 ≠ Credential adds other requirements
Last Minute
- 1.English: 50 questions; 65 minutes
- 2.Spanish reading: 80 minutes
- 3.Literary 40%; informational 60%
- 4.Texts: ≈400–600 words; Spanish often longer
- 5.Processes: comprehend, infer, analyze, synthesize
- 6.Some questions may not count
- 7.Reading pass: scaled 8/20
- 8.Battery total: at least 45/100
- 9.Writing essay: at least 2/6
- 10.CCR benchmark: scaled 15/20
- 11.Explicit detail: return to text
- 12.Inference: clue plus reasoning
- 13.Main idea covers whole text
- 14.Theme is broader message
- 15.Tone: author/speaker; mood: reader
- 16.Claim needs reasons and evidence
- 17.Relevant fits; sufficient is enough
- 18.Paired texts: compare exact feature
- 19.Visuals: read labels and units
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