© 2008 Townsend Press Fourth Edition John Langan Fourth Edition John Langan T EN S TEPS TO B UILDING C OLLEGE R EADING S KILLS

Chapter Nine: Implied Main Ideas THIS CHAPTER IN A NUTSHELL Main ideas may be clearly suggested, or implied, rather than stated directly. In such cases, figure out the main idea by considering the supporting details. Look closely at the details provided and then decide what general idea includes or summarizes those details. A general idea must “fit” the details; it must not be either too narrow or too broad for those details.

What is the main idea of this poster?

The hangman’s noose is around one cigarette, and the other cigarettes are waiting in line for the noose. The details of the poster express the idea that smoking kills, so anyone who smokes is standing in line to die. Explanation

The poster suggests the main idea. It does not state it directly. In the same way, authors sometimes imply, or suggest, a main idea without stating it directly in one sentence.

FINDING IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS IN READING In the paragraph below, the main idea is not directly stated. Read the paragraph, and then answer the question. I was in an alley dressed in light summer clothing. Coming out of the darkness at the end of the alley were hundreds of large gray rats. Their razor-sharp teeth glistened with saliva, and their eyes glowed red with a cold fury. I turned to run away, but attacking in the other direction were a dozen angry dogs—pit bulls! And these particular pit bulls were foaming at the mouth; they all had rabies. “Just my luck,” I muttered and did my best to wake up as quickly as possible. A. The writer is losing his mind. B. Gray rats and pit bulls are scary animals. C. The writer had a really bad dream. Which statement best summarizes all the supporting details in the paragraph?

I was in an alley dressed in light summer clothing. Coming out of the darkness at the end of the alley were hundreds of large gray rats. Their razor-sharp teeth glistened with saliva, and their eyes glowed red with a cold fury. I turned to run away, but attacking in the other direction were a dozen angry dogs—pit bulls! And these particular pit bulls were foaming at the mouth; they all had rabies. “Just my luck,” I muttered and did my best to wake up as quickly as possible. A. The writer is losing his mind. The last sentence of the paragraph makes it clear that the writer was having a nightmare, not going mad. B. Gray rats and pit bulls are scary animals. The statement that rats and pit bulls are scary does not account for the last sentence, in which the writer reveals all the previous statements describe a nightmare. C. The writer had a really bad dream. The words “I... did my best to wake up as quickly as possible” plus all the scary details make clear that this is the implied main idea. Explanation FINDING IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS IN READING

Step 1:Recognizing implied general ideas Step 2:Putting implied general ideas into your own words Step 3:Recognizing implied main ideas I Step 4:Recognizing implied main ideas II A four-step process will develop your skill at finding implied main ideas:

FINDING IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS IN READING 1.Does the general idea cover all of the specific ideas listed? If not, it is too narrow. 2.Does the general idea cover more ideas than the specific ideas listed? If so, it is too broad. When you are trying to discover a general idea, ask yourself these questions:

FINDING IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS IN READING Step 1: Recognizing Implied General Ideas The general idea is A. sports hats B. clothing. C. hats. Specific ideas: baseball cap, football helmet, Easter bonnet Read the list of specific ideas and choose the general idea.

FINDING IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS IN READING Step 1: Recognizing Implied General Ideas The general idea is A. sports hats B. clothing. C. hats. Specific ideas: baseball cap, football helmet, Easter bonnet Read the list of specific ideas and choose the general idea. Choice A, sports hats, is too narrow because it does not include Easter bonnet. Choice B, clothing, is too broad because it covers specific ideas other than hats (such as shirts and shoes). Choice C, hats, includes all three of the specific ideas.

The general idea is: A. common remarks. B. common excuses. C. common student excuses. Read the list of specific ideas and choose the general idea. Specific ideas: “I couldn’t take the final because my grandmother died.” “I couldn’t come to work because I had a migraine headache.” “I couldn’t study because I forgot to bring my book home.” FINDING IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS IN READING Step 1: Recognizing Implied General Ideas

The general idea is: A. common remarks. B. common excuses. C. common student excuses. Read the list of specific ideas and choose the general idea. Specific ideas: “I couldn’t take the final because my grandmother died.” “I couldn’t come to work because I had a migraine headache.” “I couldn’t study because I forgot to bring my book home.” FINDING IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS IN READING Step 1: Recognizing Implied General Ideas All three items are common excuses. Common remarks is true, but it is too broad because all three items are a specific kind of remark (excuses). Common student excuses is too narrow because the second item is a worker excuse, not a student excuse.

What is the general idea? Read the list of specific ideas and figure out what the general idea is. Specific ideas:orange juice water milk blood FINDING IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS IN READING Step 2: Putting Implied General Ideas in Your Own Words

What is the general idea? Read the list of specific ideas and figure out what the general idea is. Specific ideas:orange juice water milk blood FINDING IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS IN READING Step 2: Putting Implied General Ideas in Your Own Words All four items are liquids. An answer like drinks or beverages would be too narrow because it would not include blood (unless you are Dracula). An answer like substances would be too broad because it covers any kind of material, liquid or not. Explanation Liquids

What is the unstated main idea? A.Men think women don’t trust them. B.Men accuse women of talking too much. C.Men have various complaints about women. D.Men have strong positive and negative views about women. Read the supporting statements. Then figure out what the unstated main idea is. Support: Men accuse women of not trusting them. Men complain that women have little interest in sports. Men say that women change the subject when they’re losing an argument. FINDING IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS IN READING Step 3: Recognizing Implied Main Ideas I

What is the unstated main idea? A.Men think women don’t trust them. B.Men accuse women of talking too much. C.Men have various complaints about women. D.Men have strong positive and negative views about women. Read the supporting statements. Then figure out what the unstated main idea is. Support: Men accuse women of not trusting them. Men complain that women have little interest in sports. Men say that women change the subject when they’re losing an argument. FINDING IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS IN READING Step 3: Recognizing Implied Main Ideas I Item A applies to only one of the statements. It is too narrow. Item B is another specific point, like the three given. It is too narrow. Item C covers all three supporting statements. It is the main idea. Item D is too broad. It refers to positive and negative statements.

What is the unstated main idea? A.Children’s stories are about stepfamilies. B.Cinderella was treated like a slave. C.Animals and children are important characters in children’s stories. D.Children’s stories often deal with evil and violence. Read the paragraph. Then figure out what the unstated main idea is. If people stop to think about the plots in children’s stories, they may be surprised. Hansel and Gretel, for example, were abandoned by their father and stepmother and left to wander in a dark forest. In another well-known story, Cinderella was treated like a slave by her stepmother and stepsisters. Then there is the case of Little Red Riding Hood, who was eaten by a wild animal. Finally, consider the example of the three blind mice. As if being blind were not bad enough, they also had to deal with the horror of having their tails cut off by the farmer’s wife. FINDING IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS IN READING Step 4: Recognizing Implied Main Ideas II

What is the unstated main idea? A.Children’s stories are about stepfamilies. B.Cinderella was treated like a slave. C.Animals and children are important characters in children’s stories. D.Children’s stories often deal with evil and violence. Read the paragraph. Then figure out what the unstated main idea is. If people stop to think about the plots in children’s stories, they may be surprised. Hansel and Gretel, for example, were abandoned by their father and stepmother and left to wander in a dark forest. In another well-known story, Cinderella was treated like a slave by her stepmother and stepsisters. Then there is the case of Little Red Riding Hood, who was eaten by a wild animal. Finally, consider the example of the three blind mice. As if being blind were not bad enough, they also had to deal with the horror of having their tails cut off by the farmer’s wife. FINDING IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS IN READING Step 4: Recognizing Implied Main Ideas II Item A is too narrow. Only two of the details are about stepfamilies. Item B is too narrow. Only one detail refers to Cinderella. Item C is incorrect because the detail about Cinderella has nothing to do with children or animals. Item D is correct because all the details are about children’s stories that deal with evil and violence.

CHAPTER REVIEW In this chapter, you learned the following: At times authors imply, or suggest, a main idea without stating it directly in one sentence. You can recognize an implied main idea by thinking carefully about the supporting details. To find the main idea, look for a general idea that exactly covers the details in question, rather than one that is too broad or too narrow. The final chapter—Chapter 10—will help you recognize the point in an argument and evaluate the support for that point.