{"id":"study-main-idea-attempts-check","audience":"high-school","category":"writing-feedback","technique":"examples","track":"study","title":"Check your main idea sentences against a passage","free":false,"task":"Your SAT tutor has you write the main idea of each passage in one sentence. Get exactly 3 numbered lines, one per attempt, each labeled exactly Too narrow, Too broad or Just right using your tutor's definitions, with a reason under 12 words, plain text. Don't write a main idea sentence for you.","materialLabel":"The passage, your attempts and the tutor's definitions (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"SAT READING PRACTICE - Main idea drill (tutor: Mr. Ansah)\n\nPASSAGE:\nFor decades, city planners assumed that adding lanes to highways would reduce traffic. But studies of dozens of US cities found the opposite: within a few years of widening, traffic returned to the old levels or got worse. Researchers call this \"induced demand.\" When driving becomes easier, more people choose to drive, take longer trips, or move farther from work. Some cities have instead invested in buses and bike lanes, which moved more people without adding cars.\n\nMY THREE ATTEMPTS:\n(1) Some cities invested in buses and bike lanes.\n(2) Transportation is an important issue for cities.\n(3) Widening highways doesn't reduce traffic in the long run because easier driving leads more people to drive.\n\nMR. ANSAH'S DEFINITIONS:\n- Too narrow: true, but covers only one detail of the passage.\n- Too broad: so general it could describe many different passages.\n- Just right: captures the passage's central claim and nothing it doesn't say.\n\nNext session Saturday. SAT is March 14.","rules":[{"type":"numberedItems","count":3},{"type":"maxWords","max":60},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Asking for the main idea","why":"The AI writes the main idea for you, which skips the practice.","fix":"Say: \"Don't write it. Label my attempts.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Not giving exact labels","why":"Without fixed labels, the AI gives vague feedback like 'close'.","fix":"Say: \"Label each exactly Too narrow, Too broad or Just right.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Not naming the standard","why":"The AI may judge by its own idea of a good summary.","fix":"Add: \"Use Mr. Ansah's definitions.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Not saying how many lines","why":"The AI picks its own number, and it usually picks more lines than you need.","fix":"Be exact: \"Exactly 3 numbered lines.\"","checks":["numberedItems"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total and it often lands 20% over.","fix":"Cap each reason: \"under 10 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]},{"title":"Forgetting where it will be read","why":"AI formats for a screen, with bold and headings that show up as stray symbols in your notes.","fix":"Say: \"Plain text, no bold, no headings.\"","checks":["plainText"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Gives exact labels","patterns":["too narrow","too broad","just right","label"]},{"label":"Uses the definitions","patterns":["definition","ansah","tutor"]},{"label":"Says not to write it","patterns":["(don't|do not|no).{0,20}(write|give).{0,20}(main idea|one|answer)","label my"]},{"label":"Says how many lines","patterns":["\\b(3|three)\\b.{0,25}line"]},{"label":"Sets a length limit","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","word (limit|count)","under \\d+"]}],"hint":"The practice is judging main ideas, not reading one. Give the AI the three labels and your tutor's definitions, and tell it not to write the answer.","rubricLabels":["Each line uses exactly one label: Too narrow, Too broad or Just right","The labels match the definitions: (1) Too narrow, (2) Too broad, (3) Just right","Gives no new or improved main idea sentence"]}