Find the Detail on the Line

One tiny word can unlock a whole reading question. The answer is not hiding between the lines. It is sitting ON the line... if you know where to look.

When a question asks for a detail, your job is to retrieve words the passage states directly. First, circle the key words in the question: a person, place, object, action, number, or time. Those key words become your searchlights. Scan the passage for the same words, or a clear matching phrase. Next, stop at the matching sentence. Read that whole sentence, then point to the exact words that answer the question. Copy only what you need. If you cannot underline evidence for your answer, do not choose it yet. A nearby detail may sound sensible, but nearby is not the same as correct. An idea may also be likely, yet still be an inference. For explicit-detail questions, the passage must SAY it. Match the meaning in this sentence, not a familiar meaning from somewhere else.

Let's work through an example. Read this passage: "On Saturday morning, Priya carried a red rucksack to Willow Park. She met her cousin Ben beside the pond. Together, they counted twelve ducklings before buying hot chocolate." The question asks: What colour was Priya's rucksack? Underline the key words "colour" and "Priya's rucksack". Now scan. The first sentence contains "Priya" and "rucksack", so stop there. Read it fully: "On Saturday morning, Priya carried a red rucksack to Willow Park." The exact colour word is "red". Do not choose "Willow" because it sits nearby, or "brown" because many rucksacks are brown. Neither answers the colour using stated evidence. "Red" appears directly beside "rucksack", so the explicit answer is: Priya's rucksack was red.

Remember: find the question's key words, scan for their match, and prove your answer with the passage's exact words. Stay on the line, not between the lines. Clear evidence first, every single time. You can retrieve the right detail quickly and confidently!