What the question looks like
This skill is in Expression of Ideas, the last domain in each module. College Board says it asks you to strategically integrate provided information to form an effective sentence achieving a specified rhetorical aim. Every question has the same parts: While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes, then four to six bullet points, then a goal, and the stem Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
The method: goal first
- Skip to the goal. It is the sentence that starts The student wants to...
- Make a checklist. Circle the action (introduce, compare, contrast, explain, emphasize) and list what must appear.
- Check each choice against the list. Do not reread every note. The choices already contain the facts.
- Pick the one that ticks every box. If two do, look for the audience or a word like both or while.
| Goal says | Right answer must | Typical wrong answer |
|---|---|---|
| emphasize a similarity | Name both things and show what they share (both, like, also) | Describes only one, or shows a difference |
| emphasize a difference or contrast | Name both things and show how they differ (while, whereas, unlike) | Gives a shared trait, or facts about only one |
| introduce X to an audience unfamiliar with it | Say what or who X is | Uses she or the study without explaining it |
| present a finding or conclusion | Give the result, not the method | Describes who was studied or how |
| explain how or why | Give the process or cause | Gives a result or an unrelated fact |
Worked examples
Example 1: a similarity
Problem Notes: Jupiter and Saturn are the two largest planets in our solar system. Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a storm larger than Earth. Saturn has bright rings made mostly of ice. Both planets are made mostly of hydrogen and helium. The student wants to emphasize a similarity between Jupiter and Saturn. Choices: Jupiter and Saturn are both made mostly of hydrogen and helium. / Jupiter has a storm larger than Earth, while Saturn has bright rings of ice. / Saturn's rings are made mostly of ice. / Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a storm larger than Earth.
- Checklist: Jupiter, Saturn, something they share.
- The second choice names both but shows a difference (while). The last two name only one planet.
- The first choice names both and uses both to show what they share.
Answer Jupiter and Saturn are both made mostly of hydrogen and helium.
Example 2: an audience that does not know the person
Problem Notes: Katherine Johnson was a mathematician who worked for NASA. She calculated flight paths for early American space missions. Before John Glenn's 1962 orbital flight, he asked that she personally check the computer's calculations. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015. The student wants to introduce Katherine Johnson to an audience unfamiliar with her. Choices: Katherine Johnson, a NASA mathematician, calculated flight paths for early American space missions. / Before his 1962 flight, John Glenn asked that she check the computer's calculations. / Johnson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015. / The calculations for John Glenn's 1962 flight were checked by hand.
- Checklist: her full name, and who she was (what she did), for someone who has never heard of her.
- The second choice says she and never names her. The third gives an award but not who she was. The fourth does not mention her at all.
- The first choice gives her name, her job and her main work.
Answer Katherine Johnson, a NASA mathematician, calculated flight paths for early American space missions.
Common mistakes and fixes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Reading all the notes first | Read the goal first. The notes have extra facts you do not need. |
| Picking the choice with the most information | More is not better. The right choice does the stated job, often in fewer words. |
| Checking only whether a choice is true | All four are usually accurate. Check the goal, not the facts. |
| Missing half of a two-part goal | If the goal names two things, the answer must mention both. |
| Ignoring the audience | Unfamiliar audiences need a short introduction: who or what something is. |
Practice
Five notes questions
Notes: African elephants and Asian elephants are the two main kinds of elephants. African elephants have very large ears. Asian elephants have smaller, rounded ears. Both kinds eat grasses, leaves and bark. The student wants to emphasize a difference between the two kinds of elephants. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
- Both African and Asian elephants eat grasses, leaves and bark.
- There are two main kinds of elephants: African and Asian.
- African elephants have very large ears.
- African elephants have very large ears, while Asian elephants have smaller, rounded ears.
Show answer
Answer: African elephants have very large ears, while Asian elephants have smaller, rounded ears.
A difference needs both kinds and a contrast, which while provides. The Both ... eat choice is a similarity, African elephants have very large ears mentions only one kind, and There are two main kinds names both without any difference.
Notes: From 2015 to 2016, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly spent 340 days on the International Space Station. His identical twin, Mark Kelly, also an astronaut, stayed on Earth. Researchers compared the twins' health before, during and after the mission. They found that most of the changes in Scott's body returned to normal within six months of his return. The student wants to present the study's main finding. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
- Scott Kelly spent 340 days on the International Space Station while his twin stayed on Earth.
- After comparing the twins, researchers found that most changes in Scott's body returned to normal within six months of his return.
- Researchers compared the twins' health before, during and after the mission.
- Mark Kelly, also an astronaut, is Scott Kelly's identical twin.
Show answer
Answer: After comparing the twins, researchers found that most changes in Scott's body returned to normal within six months of his return.
A finding is what the researchers learned. Only this choice gives the result. The others describe the setup, the method, or the people.
Notes: Fireflies produce light through a chemical reaction. The reaction takes place in special light organs in the firefly's abdomen. It involves a chemical called luciferin and an enzyme called luciferase. Many fireflies flash in patterns to attract mates. The student wants to explain how fireflies produce light. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
- Many fireflies flash in patterns to attract mates.
- Fireflies make light through a chemical reaction in their abdomens that involves luciferin and the enzyme luciferase.
- Luciferase is an enzyme found in fireflies.
- Fireflies are well known for producing light.
Show answer
Answer: Fireflies make light through a chemical reaction in their abdomens that involves luciferin and the enzyme luciferase.
How asks for the process, and this choice gives the reaction, where it happens, and what it involves. Attracting mates is why, well known for producing light explains nothing, and the luciferase choice names one ingredient without the process.
Notes: The architect Antoni Gaudí began working on the Sagrada Família church in Barcelona in 1883. Gaudí died in 1926, when the church was far from finished. Construction has now continued for more than 140 years. Builders today use computer models to plan parts of the church. The student wants to emphasize how long the church has been under construction. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
- Gaudí died in 1926.
- The Sagrada Família, which Gaudí began working on in 1883, has been under construction for more than 140 years.
- Builders today use computer models to plan parts of the Sagrada Família.
- The Sagrada Família is a church in Barcelona designed by Antoni Gaudí.
Show answer
Answer: The Sagrada Família, which Gaudí began working on in 1883, has been under construction for more than 140 years.
Only this choice states the length of construction and backs it with the start date. Gaudí's death, modern computer models, and a basic description do not emphasize how long the work has taken.
Notes: Desert plants have different ways to save water. Cacti store water in thick stems. Some desert shrubs drop their leaves during dry seasons. Many desert plants open the tiny pores in their leaves or stems mainly at night, when it is cooler, so they lose less water. The student wants to introduce the topic of how desert plants save water and give two examples. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
- Cacti store water in thick stems.
- Many desert plants open their pores mainly at night, when it is cooler.
- Some desert shrubs drop their leaves during dry seasons.
- Desert plants save water in different ways: cacti store it in thick stems, and some shrubs drop their leaves during dry seasons.
Show answer
Answer: Desert plants save water in different ways: cacti store it in thick stems, and some shrubs drop their leaves during dry seasons.
The goal has two parts: introduce the topic and give two examples. Only this choice does both. Each of the others gives a single example with no introduction.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to read every note?
Usually not in detail. Read the goal first, then check the four choices against it. Every choice is built from the notes, so you rarely need to look back. Go back to a note only when you need to check that a choice states something accurately.
What if two choices both seem to meet the goal?
Reread the goal word by word. Look for a second requirement you skipped, such as an audience that does not know the topic, a word like both, or a request to include a specific detail like a date or a name. One choice will meet every part.
Are wrong answers on notes questions false?
Almost never. They use real facts from the notes but do the wrong job: a similarity when you need a difference, a method when you need a finding, a detail when you need an introduction. That is why checking the facts alone does not help.
Sources
- College Board, Assessment Framework for the Digital SAT Suite, version 3.01 (August 2024), accessed October 1, 2026
- College Board, The Reading and Writing Section, accessed October 1, 2026
