TACHS: Evidence: find the reason the passage gives
Learn to answer “why did the character do that?” questions with the reason the passage states, and to reject reasons that only sound sensible in real life.
When a question asks why someone did something, how do you pick the right reason when several choices sound believable?
Short answer
Find the action in the passage and read the sentence around it. The answer is the reason those words state or point to, even if another choice sounds just as natural.
Know first: Finding a sentence in a short passage, Words that show a reason, such as because, so that and to
Step 1 of 5
The reason sits next to the action
Many TACHS Reading questions ask why a person did something. The passage almost always answers in words, usually in the same sentence as the action or the sentence right after it.
Every Reading question has four choices. In a why question, at least one wrong choice is a reason a real person might have. That's the trap. If the passage doesn't say it or point to it, it can't be the answer.
| Signal | What it looks like | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Reason word | because, since, so that | She whispered because the baby was asleep. |
| To + action | a purpose right after the action | He climbed the ladder to reach the nest. |
| What the place or tool allows | where, which, so it would | She stood by the door, where she could hear the bell. |
| The next sentence | a problem that the action solves | He closed the gate. The goats had escaped twice that week. |
When there is no reason word, the problem described next to the action is usually the reason.
Step 2 of 5
Follow the action to its reason
A pie on the top shelf
Before the bake sale, Tomas set the cherry pie on the top shelf1 of the hall closet. That morning, the family's puppy had pulled a napkin off the kitchen table2 and chewed a corner of the tablecloth. Tomas pushed the pie to the very back and shut the closet door firmly3.
- The action the question will ask about.
- The next sentence names a problem: the puppy grabs things within reach.
- Every later action points the same way: keep the pie out of reach.
Worked example: Why the top shelf?
In the excerpt above, why did Tomas put the pie on the top shelf?
- ATo let it cool faster
- BTo keep it away from the puppy
- CTo hide it from his sister
- DTo save room on the counter
- 1
Find the action
Tomas sets the pie on the top shelf, in the first sentence.
- 2
Read around it
There's no because, so look at the next sentence. It describes the puppy grabbing things from the table.
- 3
Say the reason
He wants the pie where the puppy can't get it. The last sentence, pushing it back and shutting the door, confirms that.
- 4
See why the other choices are there
Cooling a pie on a shelf is something real bakers do, so A is tempting, but the excerpt never mentions heat. C invents a sister. D sounds practical, but the counter never comes up.
Answer
To keep it away from the puppy. It's the only reason the excerpt points to.
Find the wrong step
Ana wrapped her phone in a plastic bag before the canoe trip. Her brother had dropped his own phone in the lake the summer before. Why did Ana wrap her phone? (A) to keep it dry if it fell in the water (B) to keep it clean (C) to stop it from ringing (D) to hide it from her brother
- 1
Finds the action: Ana wraps her phone in a plastic bag.
- 2
Notes that the bag goes on before a canoe trip.
- 3
Thinks, People usually bag things to keep dust off, and picks (B) without reading the next sentence.
What went wrong
That reason comes from the student's own life. The excerpt never mentions dirt or dust, and the next sentence, about the phone in the lake, gives the real reason.
The fix
Read the next sentence: her brother's phone fell in the lake. The reason the excerpt points to is (A) to keep it dry if it fell in the water.
Step 3 of 5
Match the reason the passage states
Read this excerpt
Celia tied a bright red ribbon to the handle of her suitcase. At the airport, dozens of black bags would slide around the same belt, and she wanted to spot hers from across the room. When the belt started moving, she saw the ribbon right away.
Check yourself · Question 1
Why did Celia tie a ribbon to her suitcase?
Answer: B
The excerpt says she wanted to spot her bag among dozens of black bags. Finding it quickly is the stated reason.
Trap answer: To keep strangers from taking it by mistake
Sounds reasonable, never stated
- Why it looks right
- Travelers really do mark bags so no one grabs the wrong one, so it feels like common sense.
- Why it's wrong
- The excerpt gives a different reason in words: she wanted to spot hers from across the room. Common sense can't outrank the text.
- The right answer
- To find it quickly among many similar bags, the reason the excerpt states.
Read this excerpt
Before the concert, Devon taped the song list to the stage floor beside his drum. The stage lights were bright, and the only music stand had been given to the singers. Halfway through the second song, he glanced down and found his place.
Check yourself · Question 2
Why did Devon tape the song list to the floor?
Answer: D
The next sentence explains the problem: the only music stand went to the singers. Taping the list to the floor let him read it while playing, which the last sentence confirms.
Common mistake
I picked the reason I would have had if I were the character.
- Why it's tempting
- Your own experience helps you picture the scene, so its reasons feel like the right ones.
- Do this instead
- Use your experience to understand the passage, never to answer. Put your finger on the words that give the reason before you choose.
Step 4 of 5
What to remember
Remember
- Find the action, then read the sentence before and after it.
- Say the reason in your own words before you look at the choices.
- A reason that only sounds sensible is wrong unless the passage states it or points to it.
Step 5 of 5
Practice on a real question
Use what you just learned on this question, then check the explanation.
Try another one
In your own words
In the practice question, which words in the passage give the reason? Which wrong choice sounds sensible but is never stated?