ELIMINATE ANY DEFINITELY WRONG ANSWERS AND CHOOSE THE BEST ANSWER F...

4. Eliminate any definitely wrong answers and choose the best answer from the remaining choices.

A stated detail question asks about one piece of information in the passage rather than the

passage as a whole. The answers to these questions are generally given in order in the passage, and the

correct answer is often a restatement of what is given in the passage this means that the correct answer

often expresses the same idea as what is written in the passage, but the words are not exactly the same.

Example:

The passage:

Flutes have been around for quite some time, in all sorts of shapes and sizes and made from a

variety of materials. The oldest known flutes are, about 20,000 years old, they were made from

hollowed-out bones with holes cut in them. In addition to bone, older flutes were often constructed from

bamboo or hollowed-out wood.

Today flutes are generally made of metal, and in addition to the holes they have a complicated

system of keys, levers, and pads. The instrument belonging to well-known flautist James Galway is not

just made of any metal, it is made of gold.

The question:

According to the passage, the oldest flutes

A. had holes cut in them B. were made of metal

C. were made 200,000 years ago D. had a complicated set of levers and pads

Since this question asks about the oldest flutes, you should see that this question is answered in the

second sentence. The passage states that the oldest known flutes were bones with holes cut in them, so

the best answer is answer A.. Answers B. and D. are true about today's flutes but not about the oldest

flutes, so they are incorrect. Answer C. is an incorrect number; the oldest flutes are 20,000 years old,

not 200,000 years old.

The followings outline the key information that you should remember about stated detail questions:

HOW TO IDENTIFY THE QUESTION

According to the passage… It is stated in the passage...

The passage indicates that… Which of the following is true...?

WHERE TO FIND THE ANSWER

The answers to the questions are found in order in the passage.

HOW TO ANSWER THE QUESTION