Track relationships among details (sequence, cause–effect, comparison) within the passage.
Core Idea
Follow how details connect to each other — through time order, cause and effect, or comparison — within the passage.
Understanding
Some questions don't ask "What happened?" but "How do the details relate to each other?" The three relationships you'll see most often are sequence (what happened first, next, last), cause–effect (what made something happen), and comparison (how two things are alike or different).
Signal words are your best friends here. "Because," "as a result," and "consequently" flag cause–effect. "Before," "after," and "subsequently" flag sequence. "Unlike," "whereas," and "similarly" flag comparison. Train yourself to circle these words — they tell you exactly how the author is connecting ideas.
The most common mistake is flipping the direction. If the passage says "A caused B," a wrong answer will say "B caused A." Read the sentence structure carefully: the subject of the cause is not always the subject of the sentence.
Step by Step
- Identify what relationship the question is asking about (time order, cause–effect, or comparison).
- Find the relevant sentences and look for signal words (because, after, unlike, as a result, etc.).
- Map the relationship clearly: What comes first? What causes what? What is being compared to what?
- Check each answer choice against your map. Eliminate choices that reverse the order, flip the cause and effect, or mix up which item has which quality.
- Select the choice that matches the relationship the passage actually states.
Misconceptions
- Reversing cause and effect — if the passage says drought caused migration, a wrong answer might say migration caused drought. Always check the direction.
- Assuming chronological order matches the order sentences appear in — authors sometimes describe the effect first, then explain the cause.
- Misreading comparison signals — "unlike" introduces a contrast, not a similarity. Mixing these up leads to choosing the opposite answer.
Worked Example
Before the invention of mechanical clocks in 14th-century Europe, communities relied on church bells and sundials to organize daily activities. The introduction of portable mechanical timepieces in the 16th century further transformed social life: workers could now coordinate schedules independently, and merchants began setting precise meeting times rather than approximate ones. As a result, punctuality shifted from a vague social expectation to a concrete economic necessity.
According to the text, what was a consequence of the introduction of portable mechanical timepieces?
Select an answer to see the explanation