ACT Reading: Integrating Knowledge and Ideas (Deep Comprehension Skills)

Author's claim

The main point or position the author wants readers to believe; it is broader than a single detail and should fit the whole passage.

Topic

The general subject a passage is about, such as urban gardens or remote work.

Theme

A broader message about life or society, often found in literary passages, rather than a specific argument about a topic.

Supporting detail

A single piece of information that helps explain or support the author's claim but is not the main point itself.

Scope

The range a statement covers; a correct main claim should match the whole passage, not just one paragraph or example.

Fact

A statement that can be checked and proven true or false using evidence, records, measurements, or observation.

Opinion

A judgment, belief, interpretation, or value statement that depends on perspective rather than direct verification.

Evidence

Specific support an author uses, such as examples, data, studies, historical references, comparisons, or expert statements.

Neutral researcher test

A way to tell fact from opinion by asking whether a neutral researcher could verify the statement.

Agreement

A relationship between texts in which both support the same general conclusion or claim.

Partial agreement

A relationship in which texts share some common ground but differ in reasoning, limits, or emphasis.

Disagreement

A relationship between texts that reach conflicting conclusions about the same issue.

Different focus

A relationship in which texts discuss the same topic but are addressing different questions rather than directly conflicting.

Argument

A structured attempt to persuade readers of a claim by using reasons, evidence, and sometimes responses to opposing views.

Reason

A supporting explanation that tells why the author believes the claim is true.

Counterargument

A competing viewpoint or objection that the author acknowledges within the passage.

Rebuttal/qualification

The author's response to a counterargument, either by refuting it or by limiting the strength or scope of the claim.

Function question

A question that asks what a sentence or paragraph does in the passage, such as introducing, illustrating, contrasting, or concluding.

Organizational pattern

The structure an author uses to build an argument, such as problem-cause-solution or claim-evidence-implication.

Overgeneralization

A reasoning error in which limited evidence is used to make a sweeping claim about a larger group or situation.

Correlation vs. causation

The difference between two things happening together and proof that one actually caused the other.

Cherry-picking

A weak reasoning pattern in which an author selects only supportive examples and ignores counterexamples or conflicting evidence.

Irrelevant support

Information that may be true but does not actually connect to or prove the author's claim.

Qualified language

Limiting words such as some, often, may, or in this case that narrow a claim and prevent it from becoming too absolute.

Graphic integration

The skill of combining information from a passage with a graph, table, figure, map, or chart to reach an accurate conclusion.