TEAS reading craft and structure: the 9 questions, each skill, 14 practice questions
Craft and structure is 9 of the 39 scored questions on TEAS reading. It asks how and why a passage was written: what a word means in its sentence, the author's purpose, point of view and tone, fact versus opinion and bias, how the text is organized, and what its headings and other features do. Every answer is in the passage; you need no outside knowledge.
Below is each skill with a method, a worked example and the trap that costs points, then three practice passages with 14 questions and answers, and a 7-day drill.
What is craft and structure on the TEAS?
The reading section is 45 questions in 55 minutes, 39 scored, about 73 seconds a question including reading time (ATI exam details). ATI splits it into three content areas:
| Content area | Scored questions | The question it asks |
|---|---|---|
| Key ideas and details | 15 | What does the passage say? |
| Craft and structure | 9 | How and why is it written? |
| Integration of knowledge and ideas | 15 | How does it fit with other sources and evidence? |
Nine questions is the smallest area, but they are among the most learnable: the same six question types come back every time, and each has a method. The first area is covered in TEAS reading key ideas and details; the whole section is in the TEAS reading study guide.
The six craft and structure skills
| Skill | How the question reads |
|---|---|
| Fact, opinion and bias | "Which statement is an opinion?" "Which sentence shows the author's bias?" |
| Word meaning in context | "As used in paragraph 2, the word acute most nearly means…" |
| Figurative language and word choice | "What does the phrase a wall of paperwork suggest?" |
| Author's purpose | "The author's main purpose is to…" |
| Point of view and tone | "Which word best describes the author's tone?" |
| Text structure and features | "How is the passage organized?" "Why is the heading in bold?" |
Fact, opinion and bias
Method: ask "could this be checked?" A fact can be proved true or false with a record, a measurement or a source. An opinion is a judgment: someone could reasonably disagree.
- Opinion signals: best, worst, should, must, beautiful, terrible, I believe, clearly, obviously, the most important.
- A sentence with a number can still be an opinion: "Twelve hours is far too long for a shift" is a judgment wrapped around a fact.
- Bias is a one-sided view: loaded words ("reckless", "heroic"), only one side's evidence, or the other side left out or mocked.
Worked example. "The clinic opened in 2019. It now sees about 300 patients a week. It is the best thing to happen to this town." The first two sentences can be checked; the third is an opinion.
Trap: picking a sentence because you agree with it. A true-sounding judgment is still an opinion.
Word meaning in context
Method: cover the word, read the sentence and the one around it, and put your own word in the gap. Then pick the choice closest to your word, and read it back into the sentence.
| Clue type | Signal | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | is, means, that is, or, commas or dashes | "Edema, or swelling from trapped fluid, …" |
| Synonym | also, likewise, similarly | "She was meticulous; her notes were likewise careful." |
| Antonym (contrast) | but, however, unlike, although, instead | "Unlike yesterday, when she was alert, today she was lethargic." |
| Example | such as, for example, including | "Analgesics, such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen, …" |
| General sense | the rest of the passage | "The storm left the roads impassable; no car could get through." |
Worked example. "Unlike yesterday, when she was alert and chatting, today the patient was lethargic and barely lifted her head." Unlike signals a contrast with alert, and "barely lifted her head" adds the sense: lethargic means sluggish and drowsy.
Trap: the dictionary meaning you know best. Words with several meanings ("the acute angle" vs "an acute illness") are tested in the sense the sentence uses. Word parts help too; the prefix and root tables are in our TEAS vocabulary list.
Figurative language and word choice
Denotation is a word's dictionary meaning; connotation is the feeling it carries. "Thrifty" and "stingy" both mean careful with money; one praises, one criticizes. Questions ask why an author chose a word, and the answer is usually its connotation.
| Device | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simile | A comparison with like or as | "The waiting room was as quiet as a library." |
| Metaphor | A comparison without like or as | "The night shift was a marathon." |
| Personification | Human traits for a thing | "The old monitor groaned to life." |
| Hyperbole | Deliberate exaggeration | "I have a million forms to sign." |
| Idiom | A phrase that doesn't mean its words | "Hit the books" means study. |
Trap: reading figurative language literally. "A wall of paperwork" is not a wall; it says the paperwork blocks progress.
Author's purpose
Method: ask what the author wants the reader to do after reading: know something, believe or do something, enjoy a story, or feel something. Then match the passage type.
| Purpose | Passage type | Clues |
|---|---|---|
| To inform or explain | Expository | Facts, neutral words, definitions, no call to act |
| To persuade | Persuasive | A claim, reasons, should and must, a call to act |
| To entertain | Narrative | Characters, events, dialogue, a story arc |
| To describe | Descriptive | Sensory detail: what things look, sound and feel like |
| To instruct | Technical | Numbered steps, directions, warnings, specifications |
Worked example. A passage lists the steps to wash your hands for 20 seconds, then says "everyone who works in a clinic should follow these steps every time." The steps inform, but the closing "should" shows the main purpose: to persuade readers to follow the routine.
Trap: answering from one sentence. Purpose is about the whole passage; look at the opening and the last line, where authors state their point.
Point of view and tone
Point of view has two meanings on the TEAS. The narrative point of view is who tells it: first person (I, we), second person (you), third person (he, she, they). The author's point of view is the stance the author takes on the subject: for, against, or neutral.
Tone is the author's attitude, carried by word choice. Name it from the words, not from the topic: a passage about illness can be hopeful.
| Tone word | Sounds like |
|---|---|
| Objective, neutral | Facts, no judgment words |
| Critical | Points out faults: "fails to", "ignores" |
| Skeptical | Doubts a claim: "it remains unclear", "supposedly" |
| Optimistic, hopeful | "Promising", "a real chance", "better days" |
| Urgent | "Now", "before it is too late", short sentences |
| Sympathetic | Understanding of people's hardship |
| Nostalgic | Fond memory of the past |
| Sarcastic, ironic | Says the opposite of what it means |
| Enthusiastic | Excited praise, exclamations |
Trap: extreme tone words. TEAS passages are mostly informational, so "objective", "informative" and "concerned" are right far more often than "furious" or "joyful".
Text structure and text features
| Structure | How it's built | Signal words |
|---|---|---|
| Sequence (chronological) | Events or steps in order | first, next, then, after, finally, in 1990 |
| Cause and effect | Why something happens and what follows | because, so, as a result, therefore, leads to |
| Compare and contrast | How two things are alike and different | similarly, both, unlike, however, whereas |
| Problem and solution | A problem, then one or more fixes | the problem is, one answer, to solve, fix |
| Description | The traits of one subject | for example, such as, characteristics, features |
Text features are the parts that aren't sentences: titles, headings and subheadings (break the text into topics), bold and italics (mark key terms), captions (explain an image), sidebars (extra detail apart from the main text), bullet and numbered lists (steps or items), footnotes, a glossary, an index and a table of contents. A question asks what a feature is for: "The heading Side effects tells the reader the next section will describe what can go wrong."
Trap: picking a structure from one signal word. A passage can use "because" once and still be a compare-and-contrast passage. Ask how the whole passage is arranged.
To see how your reading compares with the other three sections, take our free TEAS practice test: 15 questions scored against your program's minimum, with the reason for every answer.
14 TEAS craft and structure practice questions
Three short passages we wrote in the TEAS style. Give yourself about 4 minutes for each passage and its questions.
Passage 1
Many hospitals now ask patients to rate their pain on a scale from 0 to 10. Supporters say the scale is quick and gives nurses a shared language. Critics reply that a single number can't capture what pain feels like, and that patients rate the same pain differently. Still, the scale has one clear strength: it lets staff see whether pain is rising or falling over a shift. The best hospitals use it alongside a conversation, not instead of one.
- Which sentence is an opinion? (a) Many hospitals ask patients to rate pain from 0 to 10. (b) Critics reply that a single number can't capture pain. (c) The best hospitals use it alongside a conversation, not instead of one.
Answer: (c). "The best" is a judgment. (b) reports what critics say, which can be checked. - How is the passage organized? (a) sequence (b) compare and contrast of two views (c) problem and solution (d) description
Answer: (b). Supporters, then critics, then the author's view. - The author's point of view is best described as: (a) strongly against the scale (b) in favor of it as one tool among others (c) neutral, with no view
Answer: (b). "One clear strength" and "alongside a conversation". - As used in the passage, capture most nearly means: (a) catch (b) fully express (c) imprison (d) photograph
Answer: (b). - The word "Still" at the start of sentence 4 signals: (a) a contrast with the critics (b) a time sequence (c) an example
Answer: (a).
Passage 2
Before your blood test
1. Do not eat or drink anything except water for 8 hours.
2. Bring a list of the medicines you take.
3. Wear a shirt with sleeves that roll up easily.
Note: If you have diabetes, ask your clinic before you fast.
- The author's main purpose is to: (a) persuade readers to get a blood test (b) instruct readers how to prepare (c) explain how blood tests work
Answer: (b). Numbered steps are a technical, instructional text. - Why is the note set in italics? (a) It is a quotation (b) It sets apart an exception that applies to some readers (c) It is the title
Answer: (b). - Which text feature shows the reader what the whole text is about?
Answer: the bold heading, "Before your blood test". - The tone of the passage is best described as: (a) urgent (b) neutral and direct (c) sympathetic
Answer: (b).
Passage 3
I still remember the first night shift my grandmother told me about, in a small county hospital in 1968. The ward was a cave of shadows, lit by one lamp at the nurses' desk. She had forty patients and a single phone. Charts were paper, and every dose was written by hand. Today's nurses work with screens and scanners, but she would recognize the heart of the job at once: someone awake, watching, while everyone else sleeps.
- The narrative point of view is: (a) first person (b) second person (c) third person
Answer: (a). "I still remember". - "The ward was a cave of shadows" is an example of: (a) simile (b) metaphor (c) hyperbole (d) idiom
Answer: (b). A comparison with no like or as. - Which word best describes the tone? (a) critical (b) nostalgic (c) skeptical (d) sarcastic
Answer: (b). A fond memory of the past. - The passage is mainly organized by: (a) cause and effect (b) comparing the past and the present (c) problem and solution
Answer: (b). 1968, then "Today's nurses". - The author's purpose is mainly to: (a) inform readers about 1968 hospital budgets (b) entertain and reflect through a family memory (c) persuade readers to become nurses
Answer: (b).
For a full timed set across all three reading areas, take the TEAS reading practice test: 39 free questions on 10 passages.
A 7-day craft and structure drill
About 20 minutes a day. Use any short informational text you read anyway: a news article, a health leaflet, a textbook page.
| Day | Drill | Done when you can |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fact, opinion, bias | Mark every sentence in one article F or O, and name one loaded word |
| 2 | Context clues | Guess 10 unknown words from context, then check them in a dictionary |
| 3 | Figurative language and connotation | Name the device in 10 phrases; swap 5 words for ones with the opposite feeling |
| 4 | Author's purpose | Sort 5 short texts into inform, persuade, entertain, describe, instruct |
| 5 | Point of view and tone | Name the tone of 5 texts with a word from the table and a quoted clue |
| 6 | Structure and features | Name the structure of 5 texts and what each heading or bold term does |
| 7 | The 14 questions above, timed, then a mixed reading set | 13 of 14 in 12 minutes; redo every miss |
Mistakes that cost points on craft and structure
- Using the meaning you know instead of the meaning in the sentence.
- Calling a sentence a fact because it is true. Facts are checkable; agreement doesn't make one.
- Naming tone from the topic rather than from the words.
- Choosing a purpose from one sentence. Look at the opening and the close.
- Mixing narrative and author's point of view. One is who tells; the other is what they think.
- Spending three minutes on one question. At 73 seconds a question, pick your best answer, flag it in your head and move on.
TEAS craft and structure FAQ
How many craft and structure questions are on the TEAS 7?
9 scored questions, out of 39 scored reading questions. Key ideas and details and integration of knowledge and ideas have 15 each.
What does craft and structure mean on the TEAS?
How a text is made: the words the author chose, why they wrote it, the attitude they take, and how the text is arranged and formatted.
Is craft and structure the hardest part of TEAS reading?
Many applicants find tone and purpose questions the least familiar, because school reading tests focus on facts and main ideas. They are also the most coachable: the tables above cover the answer choices you will see.
Do I need outside knowledge for these questions?
No. Every answer comes from the passage. Knowing a word's usual meaning can even mislead you when the passage uses it differently.
How do I practice craft and structure?
Read short real texts every day and ask the six questions: fact or opinion, what this word means here, any figurative language, the purpose, the tone, the structure. The 7-day drill above turns that into a habit. For every reading question type on one page, see the TEAS reading cheat sheet.
Sources
- ATI, ATI TEAS exam details: reading questions, minutes and the three content areas. Read for our format guide, October 2026.
- ATI, ATI TEAS Version 7 content outline: the craft and structure objectives, including fact and opinion to spot bias.
- Archer Review, What should you know about the reading section of the TEAS 7: 9 craft and structure questions. Read 2026-11-03.
More reading guides: the TEAS reading study guide, TEAS reading key ideas and details, the TEAS reading cheat sheet, the TEAS reading practice test, or all guides. To find out how far your reading is from your program's minimum, take the free practice test: 15 questions across the four sections, scored, with the reason for every answer.