STEP 4: PREDICT THE ANSWER AND CHECK THE ANSWER CHOICES
When you find the detail in the passage, think about the purpose that it serves. Why does the author mention the “unremarkable
details”? If you read the lines surrounding the phrase, you should see that the author is talking about how amazing it is that Holmes
can solve mysteries based on such little evidence. Therefore, the reason the author mentions “unremarkable details” is to show how
impressive Holmes is. Now scan your answer choices.
Answer choice (D) should leap out at you.
Now that you’ve seen how to apply the Kaplan method, it’s time to back up a little and look more specifically at how to deal with
the passages.
A. Holmes’s enemies left no traces at the crime scene.
B. The character of Holmes was based on Charles Darwin.
C. Few real detectives would have been capable of solving Holmes’s cases.
D. Holmes was particularly brilliant in powers of detection.
E. Criminal investigation often involves tedious, time-consuming tasks.