8 questions covering main idea, inference, text structure, author's purpose, and data interpretation.
A student writes: 'First, gather all materials. Second, mix the ingredients. Finally, bake for 30 minutes.' A paraeducator asks: 'What does the author use here to organize the information?' What is the best answer the paraeducator should guide the student toward?
Reading comprehension questions make up the largest share of the Reading category on ETS 5758. Topics tested include: identifying main idea and summarization, drawing inferences and implications (conclusions not directly stated), analyzing text structure (problem/solution, cause/effect, compare/contrast, sequence, description), identifying author's perspective and purpose (inform, persuade, entertain), interpreting data from charts and graphs, and evaluating the relevance of textual evidence. Most comprehension questions are passage-based — a short original text is provided above the question.
Main idea is directly stated in the text — it is the sentence that tells you what the whole passage is mostly about. Inference is a logical conclusion that the text suggests but does not directly state — you combine what the text says with reasoning to reach a conclusion not written anywhere. On the exam, inference questions often say 'suggests,' 'implies,' or 'most likely.' Always select the answer that is supported by specific words in the passage, not by your general knowledge of the topic.