ALWAYS FIND THE POINT—THE “SO WHAT?” OF THE PASSAGE
Use your inference skills to figure out what the author’s point is—the answer will not be stated, but it will be strongly
implied.Inference Questions
An Inference question, like a Detail question, asks you to find relevant information in the passage. But once you’ve located the
details, you’ve got to go one step further: to figure out the underlying point of a particular phrase or example.
Now that you’ve been introduced to the question types, it’s a good idea to get some practice with them. Take three to four minutes to
read the following passage. As usual, mark it up. Read it with the goal of answering questions afterward.
2. Which of the following is not mentioned as one of the reasons for the success of the Hudson River School?F. American nationalism increased after the War of 1812.
G. Americans were nostalgic about the frontier.
H. Writers began to focus on the wilderness.
J. The United States wanted to compete with Europe.
K. City dwellers became concerned about environmental pollution.Which of the following best describes what is suggested by the statement that the Hudson River School paintings “fitted the
bill perfectly” (lines 26–27)?3.
A. The paintings depicted famous battle scenes.
B. The paintings were very successful commercially.
C. The paintings reflected a new pride in the United States.
D. The paintings were favorably received in Europe.
E. The paintings were accurate in their portrayal of nature.The first truly American art movement was
formed by a group of landscape painters that
emerged in the early nineteenth century called the
Hudson River School. The first works in this style
( 5 ) were created by Thomas Cole, Thomas Doughty,
and Asher Durand, a trio of painters who worked