What this skill covers
Informational passages present facts, data, or arguments rather than a story. These questions test whether you can state what a passage is mainly about, point to the detail that supports a claim, and recognize why an author included a specific piece of information.
Some questions present two short passages on a related topic and ask you to combine them — the correct answer is usually the most modest claim that both passages actually support, not a claim only one of them makes.
Worked examples
Example 1
A city added a digital check-in kiosk to its main hospital's emergency room. In the six months afterward, average patient wait times fell and patient satisfaction scores rose.
Which choice best states the main idea of the passage?
A. The hospital eliminated all patient wait times.
B. Patient satisfaction depends only on wait times.
C. The kiosk replaced all hospital staff.
D. Adding a check-in kiosk was associated with shorter waits and higher patient satisfaction.
Why: This combines both reported findings — shorter waits and higher satisfaction — without overstating either one into an absolute claim the passage doesn't make.
Example 2
Passage 1: A city's tree-planting program lowered average summer sidewalk temperatures in the neighborhoods where it was installed.
Passage 2: Separate research on the same tree-planting program found that it also reduced the amount of stormwater runoff during heavy rain.
Passage 2: Separate research on the same tree-planting program found that it also reduced the amount of stormwater runoff during heavy rain.
Based on both passages, which conclusion is best supported by both authors?
A. Urban tree planting can provide more than one environmental benefit at once.
B. Trees are the only effective way to reduce urban heat.
C. Passage 2 shows that Passage 1's finding was incorrect.
D. Stormwater runoff is the main cause of higher summer temperatures.
Why: Each passage reports a separate, real benefit of the same program (cooler sidewalks, less runoff); together they support the modest claim that tree planting has multiple benefits. The other choices overstate ('only effective way'), misread the passages as contradicting each other, or reverse an unrelated cause-and-effect.
How to practice this on TSI Practice Prep
Open TSIA2 Practice to answer original TSIA2 questions on Informational Text Analysis & Synthesis, get an explanation for every choice, and see this skill tracked separately in your progress and mistake review.
Practice score estimates are learning indicators, not official scores or admission guarantees.