Understanding Supporting Details Flashcards
7 cards from real OSSLT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Understanding Supporting Details flashcards as text
A passage about renewable energy contains the following details. Which one is the STRONGEST supporting detail for the claim 'Solar energy is becoming more affordable'?
Answer: The cost of solar panels has dropped by 89% over the past decade.
An 89% cost drop over a decade is specific, measurable evidence that directly supports the claim about affordability.
In a persuasive essay, a writer uses the phrase 'for example' followed by a specific story. This story is MOST likely:
Answer: An anecdote used as a supporting detail to illustrate the main argument.
'For example' signals that the author is about to provide a specific illustrative supporting detail.
A student reads two paragraphs about ocean pollution. Paragraph 1 focuses on plastic waste; Paragraph 2 focuses on chemical runoff. Both paragraphs contain supporting details. What do those supporting details have in common?
Answer: They each support their own paragraph's specific main idea while both relate to the broader topic of ocean pollution.
Supporting details in each paragraph develop that paragraph's own main idea, though both paragraphs relate to the overall topic.
Which sentence from a passage about music education would be considered a FACT used as a supporting detail?
Answer: Schools that offer music programs show a 15% higher graduation rate.
The graduation rate statistic is a verifiable fact that supports the value of music education, unlike the opinion-based statements.
A reader notices that a paragraph's supporting details all point to the same conclusion. This pattern suggests that the supporting details are:
Answer: Effectively unified, all working together to develop one clear main idea.
When all supporting details point toward the same conclusion, they are unified and effectively support a single main idea.
On the OSSLT, a student is asked to identify two supporting details from a reading passage. The student should look for sentences that:
Answer: Provide specific information, evidence, or examples that explain or prove the main idea.
Supporting details are the specific sentences that provide evidence, facts, or examples backing up the main idea.
A passage about volunteer work states: 'Studies show volunteers live longer, healthier lives.' A student wants to identify whether this is a main idea or supporting detail. The BEST approach is to:
Answer: Check whether the rest of the paragraph provides broader claims that this statistic supports.
Determining whether a sentence is a main idea or supporting detail requires examining how it relates to other sentences in the paragraph.