Flashcard-style notes for the ATI TEAS 7 Reading section. Cover the answer column, work down the list, and check yourself. Original Aspire material - updated July 2026.
Term | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
Main idea | What is the main idea of a passage? | The single overall point the whole passage supports. It is broad enough to cover every paragraph, but not so broad that it goes beyond the text. A common trap answer is a true detail that is too narrow to be the main idea. |
Topic vs main idea | What is the difference between the topic and the main idea? | The topic is what the passage is about, usually stated in a word or phrase ('community gardens'). The main idea is what the author says about that topic ('community gardens build social ties'). |
Supporting detail | What is a supporting detail? | A fact, example, statistic or reason that backs up the main idea. Details prove the point; they are not the point itself. |
Theme | What is a theme? | The broader message or lesson underneath a text, most often asked about narrative passages. Unlike a main idea, a theme is usually implied rather than stated. |
Summary | What makes a good summary? | It is shorter than the original, covers the whole passage rather than one part, stays neutral, and adds no new opinions. Answers containing extreme words like 'everyone must' are usually wrong. |
Inference | What is an inference? | A logical conclusion drawn from evidence in the text plus common sense. It is never stated directly. Choose the most cautious option the text supports, not the most dramatic. |
Inference trap | What is the most common inference mistake? | Choosing the answer that is true in real life rather than the answer the passage supports. On the TEAS, only the text counts. |
Author's purpose | What are the three main authors' purposes? | To persuade (convince you of a position), to inform (explain facts neutrally), or to entertain (tell a story). Some texts also aim to instruct. |
Persuasive clues | How do you spot a persuasive text? | Look for opinion words, 'should' and 'must', emotional language, strong adjectives, and direct rebuttals of an opposing view. |
Tone | What is tone? | The author's attitude toward the subject, revealed through word choice. Examples include admiring, critical, hopeful, skeptical, nostalgic and neutral. |
Point of view | What is the difference between first and third person? | First person uses I and we, so the narrator is inside the story. Third person uses he, she and they. Third-person omniscient knows every character's thoughts; limited knows only one. |
Fact | What makes a statement a fact? | It can be proven true or false with evidence - dates, measurements, documented events. 'Water freezes at 0 degrees C' is a fact. |
Opinion | What makes a statement an opinion? | It expresses a judgment, belief or preference that cannot be proven. Signal words include best, worst, should, beautiful and most important. |
Bias | What is bias? | A slant for or against something that stops a text being balanced. Signs include one-sided evidence, loaded language, and ignoring counterarguments. |
Credible source | Which source is most credible? | Peer-reviewed research and expert publications rank highest. Least credible are anonymous blogs, advertisements and viral social posts. |
Primary source | What is a primary source? | An original, first-hand record - a researcher's own study, a diary, an interview transcript, a photograph taken at the event. |
Secondary source | What is a secondary source? | A work that analyzes, interprets, or summarizes primary sources - a textbook, a review article, a news report about a study. |
Cause and effect | What signals cause-and-effect structure? | Words like because, since, therefore, as a result, consequently, leads to and due to. |
Sequence | What signals sequence structure? | First, next, then, after, before, finally, and explicit dates or step numbers. Common in instructions and historical accounts. |
Compare and contrast | What signals compare-and-contrast structure? | Similarly, likewise and both signal comparison. However, unlike, whereas, on the other hand and in contrast signal contrast. |
Problem and solution | What signals problem-and-solution structure? | The text names an issue, then proposes one or more ways to fix it. Look for 'the problem is', 'one answer', 'to address this'. |
Description | What is descriptive or spatial structure? | The text organizes information by physical position - above, below, beside, to the north, across from. Common in directions and place descriptions. |
Vocabulary in context | How do you answer a vocabulary-in-context question? | Ignore the definition you remember and read the surrounding sentence. Substitute each option back in; the correct one keeps the sentence's meaning intact. |
Context clues | What are the four types of context clue? | Definition (the meaning is stated), example (instances are given), contrast (an opposite is offered), and inference (meaning is deduced from the situation). |
Denotation and connotation | What is the difference between denotation and connotation? | Denotation is a word's literal dictionary meaning. Connotation is the feeling attached to it. 'Thrifty' and 'stingy' share a denotation but carry opposite connotations. |
Prefix | Which prefixes appear most on the TEAS? | un-, in-, im- and dis- mean not. re- means again. pre- means before. post- means after. sub- means under. hyper- means over, hypo- means under. |
Root words | Which roots are worth memorizing? | cardi (heart), derm (skin), gastr (stomach), neur (nerve), oste (bone), path (disease), pulmon (lung), vas (vessel), hemo (blood). |
Suffix | What do common suffixes tell you? | -itis means inflammation, -ology means the study of, -osis means an abnormal condition, -ectomy means surgical removal, -able means capable of. |
Table of contents | What is a table of contents used for? | Finding chapters and major sections in the order they appear. It is located at the front of a book. |
Index | What is an index used for? | Finding every page where a specific topic is mentioned. It is alphabetical and located at the back. |
Glossary | What is a glossary used for? | Finding the definitions of key terms used in the text. It is alphabetical and usually at the back. Index gives page numbers; glossary gives meanings - a favourite trap. |
Appendix | What is an appendix? | Supplementary material at the back of a text - charts, raw data, forms or extra reference tables that would interrupt the main text. |
Headings | What do headings and subheadings do? | They show how the text is organized and preview what each section covers, letting a reader locate information quickly. |
Graphic aids | What are graphic aids and why do they matter? | Diagrams, charts, graphs, maps, timelines and legends present information visually. TEAS questions ask you to read values, identify trends and draw supported conclusions. |
Legend or key | What is a legend on a map or chart? | The box explaining what the symbols, colors or line styles represent. Always read it before interpreting the graphic. |
Following directions | What is the rule for following-directions questions? | Read literally and in order. Do not add steps, skip steps, or apply outside knowledge. The answer is exactly what the text says. |
Text evidence | What does 'which detail best supports' mean? | You must find the specific line that proves the stated claim. The right answer directly backs that claim; wrong answers are true statements that support something else. |
Drawing conclusions | How do you draw a conclusion from a graph? | State only what the data shows. A rise from January to June means 'it increased in the first half of the year' - not that it will keep rising. |
Predicting | What makes a prediction defensible? | It extends a pattern already established in the text without inventing new information. Extreme or precise predictions are usually wrong answers. |
Time strategy | How much time do you get per Reading question? | 45 questions in 55 minutes - about 73 seconds each, including reading the passage. Read the passage once carefully, then answer; do not re-read the whole text for every question. |
How to use these notes
Cover the Answer column and try to state it from memory before checking - retrieval beats re-reading.
Mark the cards you miss and revisit only those the next day.
Once the terms feel solid, move to passage practice; Reading is a skills section, so applying these ideas to real passages is what raises the score.
Next step: put these into practice with the TEAS Reading - Long Passages test (45 questions across nine passages, with an explanation on every answer).