Main Idea Extraction & Text Structure

Reading comprehension questions on the CEnT evaluate your speed at deconstructing short academic articles.

• Topic Sentences: The first and last sentences of a paragraph usually state the main argument or transition.
• Contrast Transitions: Pivot words ("However", "Despite", "Nevertheless", "On the other hand") signal shifts in opinion.
• Main Idea Distractors: Wrong choices are often true details from single paragraphs that fail to summarize the whole text.

1. Scan topic sentences of each paragraph.
2. Circle transition and contrast words.
3. Match answer options against explicit line references.