1. Discovering Meaning Through Structure
The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
PART 2
Discovering Meaning Through Structure
Chapter 2
Topics, Main Ideas, and Details
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

2. The Art of Critical Reading The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
Topics and Main Ideas
Most paragraphs are about a particular topic or subject. The topic is usually a single word or phrase, and is often the noun that is mentioned most frequently in a paragraph. We can identify the topic by asking ourselves: “What or who is this all about?”
Paragraphs are supposed to be organized around a main idea with all sentences supporting this key point of the paragraph. The main idea can be identified by asking the question: “What does the author want me to know about the topic?”
Chapter 2: Topics, Main Ideas, and Details 2
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

3. The Art of Critical Reading The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
The main idea can be directly stated or implied. When it is implied it is the reader’s job to form a general statement that unites the author’s key details.
**Remember, all paragraphs have topics, but some background or descriptive paragraphs may not have any main idea.
Details are supporting sentences that reinforce the main idea, providing specific information, such as facts, examples, or reasons, that explain or elaborate on the main idea.
Supporting sentences that directly reinforce the main idea are called major supporting details.
Those sentences that serve only to reinforce the major supporting details are called minor supporting details.
Chapter 2: Topics, Main Ideas, and Details 3
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

4. The Art of Critical Reading The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
Locating Main Ideas and Details
The main idea can often be found at the beginning or the end of the paragraph, but it can also appear in the middle. Wherever the main idea is located, it must be supported by details.
The ability to recognize supporting details is of crucial importance in the reading process because the details will tell you whether you have correctly identified the main idea.
Chapter 2: Topics, Main Ideas, and Details 4
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

5. The Art of Critical Reading The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
Paraphrasing
When you paraphrase something, you express the author’s meaning in your own words.
Usually a paraphrase is shorter or the same length of the original statement, and maintains the same main idea in different words.
If only a few words are replaced with synonyms in a paraphrase, it can be considered plagiarism.
Chapter 2: Topics, Main Ideas, and Details 5
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

6. The Art of Critical Reading The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
Study Technique 3
Summarizing Short Articles
When you write a summary, present only the main idea and key supporting details. Identify these supporting details by answering as many who, what, where, when, why, and how questions as possible.
A summary should be about one-fourth of the length of the original article.
Chapter 2: Topics, Main Ideas, and Details 6
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

7. The Art of Critical Reading The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
Test-Taking Tip
The Day of the Test
Make sure you have the proper equipment with you--pens, pencils, dictionary, blue books, etc. and stay calm.
Read through the whole test, and remember to look on both sides of the test pages.
Decide about how much time you want to devote to each question, and don’t be concerned if some people finish the test much more quickly than you do.
Always save time to check over your answers, and make sure to write legibly and put your name on the test paper!
Chapter 2: Topics, Main Ideas, and Details 7
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

8. The Art of Critical Reading The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
Homonyms and Other Confusing Words
Homonyms are words or phrases that sound the same but may have different spellings or meanings.
Some common homonyms and confusing words are:
allusion a noun meaning “a casual or passing reference to something.”
illusion a noun meaning “something that deceives by producing a false or misleading impression of reality.”
Chapter 2: Topics, Main Ideas, and Details 8
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

9. The Art of Critical Reading The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
alot a mistake for a lot.
a lot “many, much.”
already an adverb meaning “previously.”
all ready completely prepared.
altogether an adverb meaning “wholly, entirely.”
all together “all at the same place or time.”
censure a verb meaning “strong disapproval or official reprimand.”
censor a verb, “to examine for the purpose of suppressing or deleting.”
Chapter 2: Topics, Main Ideas, and Details 9
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

10. The Art of Critical Reading The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
cite a verb meaning “to quote or mention in support.”
site a noun meaning “position or location.”
desert a noun meaning “a dry sandy region with little or no plant life. Also, a noun meaning “deserved reward or punishment.” (The pronunciation is the same as dessert.) Also, a verb meaning “to leave without intending to return.” (The pronunciation is the same as dessert.)
dessert a noun meaning “something sweet served at the end of a meal.”
die a verb meaning “to cease to live.”
dye a noun meaning “a coloring substance,” and a verb meaning “to color with a dye.”
Chapter 2: Topics, Main Ideas, and Details 10
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

11. The Art of Critical Reading The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
emigrate a verb meaning “to leave one country or
region and settle in another.”
immigrate a verb meaning “to come to a new country to settle.”
fewer an adjective meaning “not many,” refers to number.
less an adverb meaning “not so much, so many.”
Less is often used to refer to things that cannot be counted.
formally an adverb meaning “marked by form or ceremony.”
formerly an adverb meaning “at an earlier time; in the past.”
its a possessive pronoun meaning “the one or ones that belong to it.”
it’s a contraction for “it is or it has.”
Chapter 2: Topics, Main Ideas, and Details 11
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

12. The Art of Critical Reading The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
later an adverb or adjective meaning “coming after the usual
or proper time.”
latter an adjective meaning “being the second of two mentioned things.” Also, an adjective meaning “near to the end.”
lie a noun meaning “something said that is not true.” Also, a verb meaning “to say what is not true.” Also, a verb meaning “to rest or recline; to exist in a horizontal position.”
Lie is an intransitive verb.
lay a verb meaning “to put down so as to rest on, in, or against something.” Lay is a transitive verb; that is, it requires a direct object. 
Chapter 2: Topics, Main Ideas, and Details 12
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.