The SAT reading comprehension passages should be read totally literally.
Likewise, the answer choices to reading comprehension problems should be read literally, and you must avoid the temptation to “infer” conclusions that aren’t actually there. Getting to the correct answer in reading comprehension questions is not a matter of choosing the right answer, but is a process of working backwards to throw out all the wrong ones. The way you do this is to carefully read each answer, looking for any reason to throw it out because it doesn’t line up with the information in the passage. Right answer choices tend to be those that are hardest to argue with—the most general, logical, and consistent—so if you’re ever stuck choosing between answers that all “seem correct”, take each of them apart and determine which is hardest to argue against. That’s your answer.
SAT Prep Plan: SAT Tips 
