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SAT Fact/Detail: Lesson, Practice Problems & Video Explanations

By Glyn Caddell, BSME · Author of Digital SAT Math Secrets · Tutoring since 2008 — Updated August 12, 2026

Digital SAT Fact/Detail Questions

Fact questions on the Digital SAT ask students to identify specific information stated in the passage. Fact questions appear on approximately 3.6% of the Digital SAT. Fact questions fall under Information & Ideas according to the College Board. 

Table of Contents

Fact Lesson

The lesson covers the types of fact questions that show up on the Digital SAT. It goes over what fact questions look like and how to solve them correctly.

What Do Fact Questions Look Like?

Fact/Detail questions include:

  • Which statement about … is best supported by the text?
  • According to the text, why was/why did/what did/how did/…

How to Answer Fact Questions Correctly on the Digital SAT

  1. Read the entire passage.
  2. Look back at the text for the answer. The information will clearly be stated in the passage; you do not have to make an inference.
  3. Do not pick an answer because it has the same wording that appears in the passage. An answer choice may contain a phrase that appears in the text but makes an incorrect statement.
  4. The answer choice will most likely be a rewording of a statement made in the passage.
  5. Never read half a sentence or half an answer. Many times, the second part of a sentence changes the statement and makes it incorrect.

Example

In the early twentieth century, chemist Irène Joliot-Curie and physicist Frédéric Joliot-Curie bombarded aluminum with alpha particles and observed that the aluminum continued to give off radiation even after the alpha-particle source had been removed. They determined that the experiment had produced a radioactive form of phosphorus, an element that did not naturally occur in that form. Their work showed that radioactive atoms could be created artificially in the laboratory.

According to the text, what did the Joliot-Curies’ experiment demonstrate?

A) Aluminum could continue emitting radiation after exposure to alpha particles because a new radioactive substance had been produced.
B) Alpha particles stopped aluminum from producing any radiation once the original source was removed.
C) Radioactive phosphorus occurred naturally in aluminum samples before the experiment began.
D) Aluminum became radioactive only because it absorbed radiation from phosphorus already present in the laboratory.

Video Explanation

Text Explanation

Correct Answer: A

Choice A is correct because the passage states that after the alpha-particle source was removed, the aluminum still gave off radiation, and the researchers determined that a radioactive form of phosphorus had been created. Choice B reverses the result: the aluminum continued to emit radiation. Choice C is tempting because phosphorus is mentioned, but the passage says the radioactive form was produced by the experiment, not naturally present. Choice D uses details about aluminum, radiation, and phosphorus but incorrectly suggests that the phosphorus already existed in the laboratory rather than being created during the experiment.

Practice Problems with Video Explanations

Here is a set of practice Digital SAT fact practice problems. After selecting an answer, press “See Answer” to see the correct answer and a video explanation showing how to properly solve the questions. At the end of the set, after you press “Submit”, you’ll be able to see all of the questions, answers, and video explanations to review.

For more practice like this, enroll in our on-demand SAT prep course here: https://caddellprep.com/sat/prep/on-demand/

1. In the early twentieth century, botanist Alice Eastwood became known not only for her research but also for her efforts to protect scientific collections. After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Eastwood reportedly rushed to the California Academy of Sciences building, where she rescued hundreds of plant specimens before fire destroyed much of the structure. Although many materials were lost, the specimens she saved allowed important parts of the academy’s botanical collection to survive.

According to the text, why were Eastwood’s actions after the earthquake significant?

Question 1 of 5

2. In 1938, chemist Roy Plunkett was attempting to develop a new refrigerant when he noticed that one gas sample had unexpectedly formed a white, waxy solid inside its container. Further testing showed that the substance was unusually slippery, resistant to heat, and unreactive with many chemicals. That accidental discovery eventually led to the widespread use of polytetrafluoroethylene, later marketed as Teflon, in products ranging from cookware to industrial equipment.

According to the text, what first drew Plunkett’s attention to the new substance?

Question 2 of 5

3. In the 1960s, oceanographer Sylvia Earle participated in research missions that allowed scientists to study marine life directly in underwater habitats. During one such project, researchers lived for days beneath the ocean’s surface, observing how fish behaved around coral reefs at different times of day. Earle later argued that prolonged observation in natural settings could reveal patterns that brief dives often missed.

According to the text, why did Earle value extended stays in underwater habitats?

Question 3 of 5

4. In the late nineteenth century, engineer Gustave Eiffel designed the internal framework of the Statue of Liberty before later completing the tower that now bears his name in Paris. For the statue project, Eiffel proposed a flexible iron support system that would allow the outer copper surface to expand, contract, and sway slightly in strong winds without cracking. His design helped the monument withstand changing weather conditions for decades.

According to the text, why did Eiffel use a flexible support system for the Statue of Liberty?

Question 4 of 5

5. In the 1840s, physician Ignaz Semmelweis noticed that patients in one maternity ward at Vienna General Hospital died from childbed fever at much higher rates than patients in another ward. The key difference, he observed, was that doctors in the first ward often examined patients immediately after performing autopsies, whereas midwives in the second ward did not. Semmelweis then required doctors to wash their hands with a chlorinated solution before treating patients, and death rates soon declined sharply.

According to the text, what led Semmelweis to require handwashing?

Question 5 of 5


 

Related Topics

Supporting & undermining and inference are topics related to fact/detail questions.

Supporting & Undermining

Fact questions are related to supporting and undermining questions because both require students to carefully understand the information in the passage. In fact questions, students need to identify what the text directly states. In supporting and undermining questions, students need to determine which answer choice would strengthen or weaken an idea from the text. Therefore, practicing supporting and undermining questions can help students improve their ability to read closely and use evidence from the passage.

Inference

Fact questions and inference questions both require students to pay close attention to the text. The difference is that fact questions ask about what is directly stated, while inference questions ask students to determine what must be true based on the information provided. Since inference questions build on a student’s ability to understand stated facts, practicing fact questions can help students prepare for more advanced inference questions.

All Reading & Writing Topics

All of our reading & writing topics are available here: https://caddellprep.com/sat/reading-writing/ for you to review and improve on your SAT. There are lessons, practice problems, and video explanations for you. If you need more help, try our on-demand SAT course with video lessons, practice tests, and sets of questions for each topic: https://caddellprep.com/sat/prep/on-demand/

Glyn Caddell - Founder of Caddell Prep

Glyn Caddell

Glyn Caddell holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from NJIT and has been tutoring New York City students since 2008. He founded Caddell Prep in 2012 and is the author of Digital SAT Math Secrets: Lessons & Tricks to Quickly Improve to a Perfect 800 on the Math Test, which contains over 900 practice problems and is used in Caddell Prep’s SAT math classes. He is founding president of the Staten Island Technical High School alumni association and teaches every lesson on this site personally.

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