Practice three reading skills: identifying the author’s position, limiting a claim to its evidence, and comparing explanations. These examples are unscored.
A writer can present an idea without accepting it. First identify the source of the claim. Then look at what the writer does with it: adopts it, objects to it, or accepts a limited part.
Other voice: “Every description changes what we see.”
Concession: descriptions can direct attention.
Author’s qualification: some descriptions reveal rather than distort a relationship.
Predict: Does agreeing that descriptions influence attention commit the author to rejecting all descriptions?
No. The concession concerns influence, not universal distortion. The conclusion distinguishes effects rather than rejecting every description. On new material, identify the concession before deciding what conclusion belongs to the writer.
Keep the population, conditions, and strength of a claim visible. “Some” is not “all”; “may” is not “must.” A strong answer is not necessarily a well-supported answer.
Observed: an approach helped this group under these conditions.
Possible next test: a different group or changed conditions.
Not established: the approach helps everyone under all conditions.
Transfer: An exhibition helps visitors who already know its language. What would be needed before claiming the same benefit for every visitor?
Evidence about other visitors. A boundary on the observation is not proof that transfer will fail; it marks what has not yet been established.
When two features change together, an outcome alone may not identify which mattered. Ask what comparison would make the competing explanations predict different results.
Original comparison: audience changes + topic changes → tone changes.
More informative comparison: same topic + different audience → compare tone.
Interpretation: connect the changed feature to the observation; do not claim more than the design supports.
Use this as a reasoning pattern, not a substitute for the details of a new problem. Use the practice sets to apply these skills to full passages.