Subject and Purpose
Identify the passage's subject and communicative purpose without importing an unstated motive.
How to prepare for the CSVT
Use 601 original passage-and-statement questions to locate relevant wording, preserve scope and qualifiers, distinguish support from contradiction, and stop assumptions filling evidence gaps.
Core concepts
Concept 1
central subject
Exam cue: Summarise the passage in one neutral sentence before testing the statement.
Concept 2
stated purpose
Exam cue: Separate what the writer does from why you imagine they do it.
Concept 3
supporting detail
Concept 4
unstated motive
Risk pitfalls and guardrails
Choosing a vivid detail as the whole subject.
Guardrail: Do not copy official questions, invent a fixed test length or weighting, replace passage evidence with outside knowledge, treat unsupported as False, infer score from difficulty or rely on returning to an earlier item.
Attributing an intention the passage never states.
Guardrail: Do not copy official questions, invent a fixed test length or weighting, replace passage evidence with outside knowledge, treat unsupported as False, infer score from difficulty or rely on returning to an earlier item.
Memory anchors
Subject is coverage
Name what the passage actually discusses.
Purpose needs evidence
Do not invent the writer's motive.
Detail serves the whole
A supporting example is not automatically the main point.
Neutral summary first
A short factual summary anchors later decisions.
Topic is not conclusion
What a passage concerns may differ from what it establishes.
Checkpoint rule
Do the check-up only after you can summarize each concept in one sentence and identify one dangerous pitfall from memory.
Knowledge Check (after reading)
Short check-up to confirm understanding of this module.
Check-up Questions
Passage: This leaflet explains how residents can request a replacement food-waste caddy. It lists the online form, telephone number and information needed for either route. Statement: The leaflet's purpose is to explain how to obtain a replacement caddy.
Passage: The note compares the energy use of the old and refurbished civic halls. It records monthly consumption but makes no recommendation about future building work. Statement: The note recommends demolishing the old civic hall.
Answer all questions to submit.
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Move forward only after this module is stable.
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