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Identifying the main idea | Reading
A quick guide to figuring out the main idea of a text!
What's the main idea?
On a Reading test, you might come across questions that ask you to identify the main idea of a passage.
Examples:
- Which choice best captures the central idea of the passage?
- What is the author's main point in this passage?
- The main idea of the passage is...
The main idea is exactly what it sounds like: it's the most important point or idea that the passage is trying to express. It's the idea that all the other ideas and information are there to support.
What ISN'T the main idea?
Now that we've defined what a main idea is, let's talk about what a main idea isn't!
1. The main idea is not a single detail from the passage.
Details are the specific pieces of information that support or explain the main idea. For example, if the main idea of a passage is that eating healthy is important, some of the details might include information about the benefits of eating healthy or examples of healthy foods to eat.
While details are important, they are not the main idea of the passage. Think of it like a puzzle: the details are the puzzle pieces themselves, and the main idea is the picture that you see when you put all the pieces together!
2. The main idea is NOT the same as the topic of a passage.
The topic is what the passage is about, while the main idea is the specific message the author is trying to convey. For example, if you read a passage about sharks, the topic is "sharks," but the main idea might be "why sharks are important to the ocean ecosystem."
3. The main idea is NOT a new or related idea.
The main idea must come from the passage itself. On main idea questions, you might see a choice that says something you know is true because you learned it in school, or read it somewhere else. However, if the idea can't be found in this passage, then it's not the right answer—even if it happens to be a true statement!
Also, don’t select a choice just because you think the author would agree with the idea, or because it says something that's close to or related to an idea from the passage. Again, the main idea must come from the passage itself!
Strategies
Here’s a short list of strategies that will help you understand the main idea of a passage.
- Look for clues in the title, the first sentence, and the last sentence of a passage. The author might state the main idea right at the beginning of the passage.
- Jot quick notes to yourself on scratch paper as you read. Taking notes is always helpful for understanding a passage.
- Pay attention to repeated words or ideas. If the author keeps mentioning the same thing over and over, it's likely that it's the main idea.
- Summarize the passage in your own words. If you can boil the passage down to just one or two sentences, that's probably the main idea.
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i don't have any questions(1 vote)
Wow so much information. How do you find any time to send this because of the super loud classrooms and all.(1 vote)- I dont have any questions but thank you it helped me out(1 vote)
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