Identifying the Main Conclusion
Find the claim the argument is ultimately trying to establish and distinguish it from reasons, examples and intermediate conclusions.
How to prepare for the TARA
Learn the official question types, practise five-option reasoning without a calculator, and rehearse one 40-minute writing process that explains, counters and judges a proposition.
Core concepts
Concept 1
A conclusion is the statement supported by the rest of the reasoning and may appear anywhere in the passage.
Exam cue: Ask what the writer is ultimately trying to get the reader to accept.
Concept 2
An intermediate conclusion is supported by reasons and then supports the main conclusion.
Exam cue: Trace which claim the other substantive claims support.
Concept 3
Indicator words can help, but structural support matters more than sentence position or wording.
Exam cue: Test each option's role rather than selecting the passage's strongest-sounding sentence.
Risk pitfalls and guardrails
Assuming the conclusion must appear last.
Guardrail: Do not import subject detail the task does not require or confuse a plausible result with one established by the supplied reasoning.
Selecting an important reason or example as the conclusion.
Guardrail: Do not import subject detail the task does not require or confuse a plausible result with one established by the supplied reasoning.
Stopping at an intermediate conclusion when the argument continues.
Guardrail: Do not import subject detail the task does not require or confuse a plausible result with one established by the supplied reasoning.
Memory anchors
Ultimate Claim
The main conclusion is the claim the whole argument is organised to support.
Anywhere in the Passage
A conclusion may appear at the beginning, middle or end.
Support Direction
Reasons point toward conclusions, not the other way around.
Intermediate Step
An intermediate conclusion both receives and provides support.
Indicator, Not Proof
Therefore and so are clues; argument structure confirms the role.
Option Role
Classify each option as reason, example, intermediate claim or main conclusion.
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
The town's night buses carry few passengers, but most riders are hospital and care workers whose shifts end after ordinary services stop. Taxis cost them nearly an hour's pay. The council should therefore retain the night route, while reviewing its timetable to reduce empty journeys. Which option best states the main conclusion?
A school can afford either new tablets or repairs to its leaking roof this term. Tablets would help some lessons, yet water damage is already closing two classrooms and will worsen if untreated. The roof repairs must take priority, although the school should seek a grant for devices. Which option best expresses the main conclusion?
Answer all questions to submit.
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