Standardized Test Practice Strategies for determining the main idea

What is Main/Central Idea? Almost every paragraph that an author writes has a central idea. That idea holds the paragraph together and expresses what the paragraph is about. This is called the main idea. The rest of the sentences support the main idea.

How can you identify the main idea in a paragraph or passage? Ask yourself the following questions: What is the main point the writer makes? What is the most important idea? What idea summarizes the entire passage?

Stated vs. Implied Main Idea When a main idea is stated directly in text, it is easy to identify. It can be more difficult when the main idea is implied. An implied main idea is a main idea that is not stated directly, but is strongly suggested by the supporting details in the passage.

Example 1: Every morning when Clara arrives at the gym, she is greeted with a buzz of warm hellos. She starts her workout in the weight room, where her exercise regimen is always peppered with lively chats with those around her. She then moves on to the pool, where she stops and converses with other friends and acquaintances before diving in and swimming laps. As she swims, her sole focus is the calming sound of her body gliding through the water—a rare moment in her always very social days.

What is the implied main idea? A. Clara is shy. B. Clara knows everyone at the gym. C. Clara is very friendly.

What is the implied main idea? A. Clara is shy. B. Clara knows everyone at the gym. C. Clara is very friendly.

Paraphrasing and Summarizing When you can explain an idea in your own words to show you really understand what it means, that is called paraphrasing. When you paraphrase what you read, you show you understand the author’s ideas. Summarizing is another way to show your understanding of a reading passage. When you summarize, you “sum up” what the author has said with a broad, general statement about his or her main idea.

Details Authors support the central idea with details. Details may be: Descriptions, Facts, or Statistics. Envision a table supported by its legs. The central idea is a tabletop and the details are its legs.

Making Inferences and Drawing Conclusions Use the following “formulas” for determining main idea Information from the selection + Logical reasoning = Conclusion Information from the selection + Your own Knowledge = Inference

Making Inferences and Drawing Conclusions Read the following paragraph for an example of drawing a conclusion: A recent study at the University of Houston had one group of college students take a traditional course, made up of teacher lectures, print textbooks, and hard copy examinations, while another group of students took a course on the same subject, but with a ”hybrid” approach. This group received instruction through a combination of teacher lectures and “e-learning” software programs. The students in the hybrid group received dramatically higher grades than those in the traditional group.

The author doesn’t come out and say hybrid courses are more effective– the rest of the paragraph gives information to conclude the idea. Drawing Conclusions involves locating information in the text and using logical reasoning to come up with an idea. Making Inferences, on the other hand, involves using information in the text and adding your OWN KNOWLEDGE and EXPERIENCE to understand what the author suggests but doesn’t say. See example

Making Inferences Example Statement: “Are you ready to go to work, Captain?” Officer Steve Jones asked, adjusting the cinch belt on the saddle another notch tighter. “You do a good job today, and there’ll be a nice bowl of oats with your name on it when we get back to the stable.” Inference: Officer Jones is a policeman talking to his partner, a police horse.

Test Tactics When taking a reading test, the important thing to remember is that test items on inferences and conclusions want to see if you can understand what the author is “saying” without actually saying it. Here are two possible test items on the example paragraph about the study on traditional courses versus hybrid courses on the previous slide.

Based on the paragraph, the reader can conclude that hybrid courses are: A. easier to teach than traditional courses. B. more effective than traditional courses. C. more fun for students than traditional courses. D. harder to find materials for than traditional courses. The paragraph states that students taking the hybrid course received higher grades than those taking the traditional course. Therefore the answer is choice B.

Based on the paragraph, what can the reader infer about educators at the University of Houston? A. They will completely abandon traditional approaches. B. They will stop purchasing print textbooks and use all that money on software instead. C. They will use new technology as well as traditional methods. D. They will eliminate the need for teachers. For this inference question, you need to take the information from the paragraph and thinking about what it means for educators at the University. How will the results change the way they teach? The correct answer is C.