Reading Detail guide

Reading Detail questions test whether you can retrieve a specific fact from the passage and match it to the option that states it accurately — including where the correct option paraphrases the passage rather than quoting it.

The method

Locate the sentence in the passage that the question is about.
Verify the option against it word by word — distinguish a faithful paraphrase from a subtle change of meaning.
Check the question's exact scope: watch for 'except', 'only', 'unless' and other limiters.
Resolve pronouns and references ('it', 'they', 'this') back to what they point to in the passage.

A fast evidence-location method for reading detail questions

Detail questions reward retrieval, not memory. Read the question for two or three anchor words, scan for the matching sentence, and widen by one sentence on either side only when a pronoun, contrast or reference depends on context.

Once located, compare every option with the text at word level. A distractor often preserves the topic while changing a date, actor, amount or degree. The winning option is the one that restates the passage without adding or weakening anything important.

Final check before you answer

Identify the question's anchor words before rereading the passage.
Resolve pronouns and contrast words such as however or although.
Reject an option if even one material detail changes.

Reading comprehension test strategy

A reading comprehension test often mixes detail questions with main idea, inference and author-purpose questions. For detail questions, do not reread the passage from the beginning. Use the wording in the question to locate the relevant sentence, then compare the options against that sentence for scope, time and quantity. A nearly accurate option is still wrong if it changes “some” to “all”, a past fact to a current one, or a possibility into a certainty.

Common mistakes

Answering from memory instead of re-reading the passage.
Merging details that come from two different sentences.
Missing an exception or limiting word.
Reference-resolution slips — attaching 'it' to the wrong noun.

Worked examples

Three real questions from this category, moving from easy to hard, with the verified answer and the exact evidence that decides each one.

Example 1: easy

All passwords are changed every ninety days. Laptops are locked when left unattended. Guest Wi-Fi is kept separate from the main network. Phishing reports are sent to the help desk. USB drives are not allowed on work machines.

According to the passage, which statement is correct?

Verified answer: D — Phishing reports are sent to the help desk.

The evidence

The highlighted text decides the answer.

What to notice

The passage states that phishing reports are sent to the help desk.

The rule

Pick the option that restates one stated fact with the same entity, value and destination; reject any option that swaps the destination, widens the scope, mixes two facts, or adds an unstated topic.

Why the others are wrong

A — Staff connect to internal systems through a company VPN client.: Not stated: the passage never mentions a VPN client — it is outside what the passage covers.
B — Every device on the network is kept separate from the main network.: Over-generalised: only the guest Wi-Fi is kept separate, not every device on the network.
C — Laptops are locked when left unattended and their passwords change every ninety days.: Conflation: the lock rule is for laptops and the ninety-day rule is for all passwords; the passage never makes the interval a laptop-specific rule.
E — Phishing reports are sent to the marketing team.: Contradicts the passage: phishing reports go to the help desk, not the marketing team.

Example 2: medium

Any applicant with fewer than ten staff qualifies for the small-team funding stream. The review panel meets twice a year. The Harlow workshop employs six staff. The application form is limited to four pages.

According to the passage, which statement is correct?

Verified answer: C — The Harlow workshop is eligible for the small-team funding stream.

The evidence

The highlighted text decides the answer.

What to notice

The eligibility threshold sits in one sentence and the Harlow workshop's staff count in another; only joining them settles whether the workshop qualifies.

The rule

Read the rule's cut-off, then find the figure it tests in another sentence: six staff is fewer than ten, so the Harlow workshop qualifies for the small-team funding stream.

Why the others are wrong

A — The Harlow workshop is too large for the small-team funding stream.: Contradicts the passage: six staff is fewer than ten, so the workshop qualifies rather than being too large.
B — Every applicant qualifies for the small-team funding stream.: Over-generalised: only applicants with fewer than ten staff qualify, not every applicant.
D — Successful applicants receive their award as a single lump sum.: Not stated: the passage never says how an award is paid — award structure is outside what the passage covers.
E — The Harlow workshop qualifies because the review panel meets twice a year.: Conflation: the panel meeting twice a year is unrelated to eligibility, which depends only on staff count.

Example 3: hard

A candidate build may be promoted to production only when its regression coverage exceeds the configured floor and no critical vulnerability remains unresolved. Although the documentation portal lists several historical thresholds, the configured coverage floor for the current release cycle stands at eighty-five percent. The November candidate build, which the security team triaged last week, reported regression coverage of ninety-one percent, and every critical vulnerability identified during that triage had already been remediated. The deployment window, irrespective of which build is selected, is reserved for Thursday evenings when production traffic subsides.

According to the passage, which statement is correct?

Verified answer: D — The November candidate build, whose regression coverage exceeds the configured floor, may be promoted to production.

The evidence

The highlighted text decides the answer.

What to notice

Promotion depends on two conditions in the rule sentence; the floor value and the build's actual figures sit in two later sentences, so all three must be combined.

The rule

Read the two-part rule, then gather the floor and the build's status from the other sentences: ninety-one percent exceeds the eighty-five percent floor and no critical vulnerability remains, so both conditions are met and the build may be promoted.

Why the others are wrong

A — Any build whose regression coverage exceeds the configured floor may be promoted to production.: Over-generalised: the rule needs both adequate coverage and no unresolved critical vulnerability, so coverage alone does not authorise promotion.
B — The November candidate build is blocked from production because its coverage sits below the configured floor.: Contradicts the passage: ninety-one percent coverage exceeds the eighty-five percent floor, so the build is not below it and is not blocked on coverage.
C — A failed promotion automatically reverts the environment to the previous release.: Not stated: the passage never describes what a failed promotion does to the environment — rollback behaviour is outside what the passage covers.
E — The November candidate build may be promoted because its deployment window falls on a Thursday evening.: Conflation: the Thursday-evening window applies to whatever build is selected and is not a reason any build may be promoted; eligibility turns on coverage and vulnerabilities.

Frequently asked questions

Should I read the whole passage first?

Skim for structure, then locate the specific sentence the question targets. Detail questions reward precise location over full re-reading under time pressure.

Practise this now

See more worked examples Start practising — free

Use this skill in SHL-style verbal practice

Editorial responsibility: Alexander Torstensson. See the verification and corrections process.