Emily E. answered • 03/21/19
Perfect Scorer-Expert Tutor
Hey! So the science passages are similar to the other non-fiction passages in that they usually state their main point somewhere in the first half of the passage and reiterate it again at the end. Sometimes the science passages start by talking about what people used to think about the topic, and then the author shifts to writing about what the new research shows. Whatever the new research is is the main point.
There is not a tidy formula that will always help you find the main point, but I have some suggestions about how to set yourself up to find it. First, I would always read the informational blurb, paying particular attention the the title (titles can be mini-thesis statements). Then, I would read the passage slowly from the start looking for two things: the topic (what the heck the passage is about) and the thesis statement. Once you've found those two things, you can pick up your pace a bit. Slow down again at the conclusion because authors often restate their main point at the end. If you're still confused by the time you've finished the passage, I would skip the main point question, do all the other questions in the set, and then try it again. Sometimes doing the other questions can help you clarify your understanding of the content. And make sure to always use process of elimination even when answering big picture questions. The right answer doesn't have to seem great to you, but you can know what to pick if the other three are definitely wrong.
Hope that helps!
Emily
