ASVAB CampSupporting Details flashcards
8 cards with the formulas, rules and traps from this lesson. Answer in your head, then flip to check.
Term · 1/8
What is a supporting detail in a reading passage?
A specific piece of stated information that backs up the main point: a name, date, place, amount, step, reason or example. Detail questions often start with who, what, when, where, how many or 'according to the passage.'
Strategy · 2/8
What is the three-step routine for a detail question?
1) Pin down exactly what kind of answer is asked for (time, person, number, reason). 2) Locate the sentence holding that fact. 3) Check each choice against it word by word: subject, action, numbers and conditions must all match.
Rule · 3/8
Can a correct detail answer use different words than the passage?
Yes. Correct answers are often paraphrases. Accept a reworded choice if its meaning is identical, with nothing added, dropped or changed in strength.
Common trap · 4/8
What is the matching-word trap on detail questions?
A wrong choice borrows exact words from the passage but changes the fact, e.g. 'repaired' becomes 'replaced.' Reward matching meaning, not matching vocabulary.
Common trap · 5/8
What is the false precision trap?
A choice adds exactness the passage lacks, such as 'exactly seven days' for 'about a week,' or 'three hours' for 'up to three hours.' Keep the passage's level of precision.
Rule · 6/8
Passage: 'If it rains, the event moves indoors.' Can you conclude it rained whenever the event is indoors?
No. Reversing an if-then statement makes a claim the passage never made; the event could move indoors for other reasons. Keep conditions in their stated direction.
Common trap · 7/8
A choice pairs a real number from the passage with the wrong group. How do you catch it?
Check that each number, its unit and the thing it describes stay together (e.g. 15 nurses vs 9 doctors; per day vs per week). A correct number on the wrong subject is wrong.
Strategy · 8/8
On a detail question, what should override your background knowledge?
The passage. If the text gives a fact (say, a bridge built in 1932) that differs from what you remember, or a choice is true in general but not stated, answer from the text alone.