October 2026 TEAS 7 Reading Study Guide

Topic, main idea and supporting details The topic is what a passage is about in a couple of words. The main idea is the single point the author makes about that topic, and supporting details are the sentences that prove it. Most passages state the main idea in the first or last sentence of a paragraph. Read the full guide Summarizing A summary restates the whole passage in far fewer words, keeping the main idea and dropping examples, anecdotes and repetition. It stays neutral and adds nothing the author did not say. Read the full guide Paraphrasing Paraphrasing restates one specific passage in your own words at roughly the same length. Unlike summarising, it does not compress; it swaps vocabulary and sentence structure while preserving the exact meaning. Read the full guide Finding info in a text Straight retrieval questions ask for something stated directly. Scan for the keyword from the question rather than rereading from the start, then read the full sentence around it before answering. Read the full guide Making inferences An inference is a conclusion the passage supports but never states outright. It must follow from the evidence given; if you need any outside fact to justify it, it is not the answer. Read the full guide Drawing conclusions Conclusions combine several stated details into a single judgement. Where an inference fills a gap in one place, a conclusion pulls threads from across the passage together. Read the full guide Determining a sequence of events Sequence questions ask what happened first, next or last. Signal words such as before, after, meanwhile, finally and subsequently carry the order, and the order of events is often not the order of the sentences. Read the full guide

Finding the author's purpose Every passage is written to inform, persuade, entertain or instruct. Identify which by asking what the author wanted the reader to do or feel by the end. Read the full guide Author's point of view Point of view is the position the author writes from: first person uses I and we, second person addresses you, and third person stands outside the events. It also covers the stance the author takes on the subject. Read the full guide Identifying the author's tone Tone is the author's attitude, carried almost entirely by word choice. The same fact described as "a firm decision" or "a stubborn refusal" reports identically and feels completely different. Read the full guide Text features Headings, subheadings, bold text, captions, footnotes, indexes and tables of contents all tell you where information sits before you read a word of the body text. Read the full guide Types of sources A primary source is first-hand evidence from the time: a diary, a photograph, raw data. A secondary source interprets primary material, and a tertiary source compiles both, such as an encyclopaedia. Read the full guide

Evaluating arguments An argument has a claim and evidence for it. Evaluating one means asking whether the evidence is relevant, sufficient and actually supports the claim, and separating fact from opinion throughout. Read the full guide Evaluating and integrating sources This asks you to weigh two or more texts together: where do they agree, where do they conflict, and which is more credible given who wrote it and why. Read the full guide Comparing and evaluating themes A theme is the underlying message rather than the plot. Comparing themes means identifying each text's message and judging how they relate, which is often contrast rather than agreement. Read the full guide Finding info in visuals Charts, graphs, labelled diagrams, scales, maps and product labels all carry testable information. Read the title, the axis labels and the units before looking at any data point. Read the full guide Identifying inconsistencies in a text Some passages deliberately contain a claim that contradicts another statement, or a conclusion the evidence does not reach. You are being asked to notice the mismatch, not to resolve it. Read the full guide Making predictions Predictions extend the passage forward using only its own pattern and evidence. The correct answer is the most reasonable next step given what the author has already established. Read the full guide