Finding the main idea of a paragraph along with making an inference, finding the author's purpose, or understanding vocab

words in context is one of the reading skills you'll need to master before taking the reading comprehension section on any standardized test. What is the main idea? The main idea of a paragraph is the point of the passage, minus all the details. It's the big picture - the Solar System vs. the planets. The football game vs. the fans, cheerleaders, quarterback, and uniforms. The Oscars vs. actors, the red carpet, designer gowns, and films. How to Find the Main Idea Summarize the Passage After you've read the passage, summarize it in one sentence that includes the gist of ever idea from the paragraph. A good way to do this is to pretend you have just ten words to tell someone what the passage was about. You'd have to think broadly, so you could included every detail in just a short statement. Look for Repetition of Ideas If you read through a paragraph and you have no idea how to summarize it because there is so much information, start looking for repeated words, phrases, ideas or similar ideas. Read this example paragraph: A new hearing device uses a magnet to hold the detachable soundprocessing portion in place. Like other aids, it converts sound into vibrations. But it is unique in that it can transmit the vibrations directly to the magnet and then to the inner ear. This produces a clearer sound. The new device will not help all hearing-impaired people - only those with a hearing loss caused by infection or some other problem in the middle ear. It will probably help no more than 20 percent of all people with hearing problems. Those people who have persistent ear infections, however, should find relief and restored hearing with the new device. What idea does this paragraph consistently repeat? A new hearing device. What's the point about this idea? A new hearing device is now available for some hearing-impaired people. And there is the

main idea. Avoiding Main Idea Mistakes Now, choosing a main idea from a set of answer choices is different than composing a main idea on your own. The writers get tricky and will give you distractor questions that sound a lot like the real answer! So be sure to avoid making these 3 common mistakes when you're selecting a main idea on a multiple-choice test. How to Find a Stated Main Idea

Introduction to Finding the Implied Main Idea

Oh, the power of suggestion. Advertisers know it welland so do writers. They know that they can get an idea across to their readers without directly saying it. Instead of providing a topic sentence that expresses their main idea, many times, they simply omit that sentence and instead provide a series of clues through structure and language to get their ideas across. Finding an implied main idea is much like finding a stated main idea. If you recall from Lesson 2, a main idea is defined as an assertion about the subject that controls or holds together all the ideas in the passage. Therefore, the main idea must be general enough to encompass all the ideas in the passage. Much like a net, it holds everything in the passage together. So far, all but one of the passages in this book have had a topic sentence that stated the main idea, so finding the main idea was something of a process of elimination: You could eliminate the sentences that weren't general enough to encompass the whole passage. But what do you do when there's no topic sentence? You use your observations to make an inferencethis time, an inference about the main idea or point of the passage.

How to Find an Implied Main Idea

Finding an implied main idea requires you to use your observations to make an inference that, like a topic sentence,

encompasses the whole passage. It might take a little detective work, but now that you know how to find details and how to understand word choice, style, and tone, you can make observations that will enable you to find main ideas even when they're not explicitly stated.

Finding the Implied Main Idea Practice and Answers Practice Passage 1
For the first example of finding an implied main idea, let's look at a statement from a parking garage manager in response to recent thefts: Radios have been stolen from four cars in our parking garage this month. Each time, the thieves have managed to get by the parking garage security with radios in hand, even though they do not have a parking garage identification card, which people must show as they enter and exit the garage. Yet each time, the security officers say they have seen nothing unusual. Now, there is no topic sentence in this paragraph, but you should be able to determine the main idea of this statement from the facts provided and from the tone. What does the statement suggest? 1. a. b. c. Which of the following best summarizes the statement's main idea? There are too many thefts in the garage. There are not enough security guards. There is something wrong with the security in the parking garage.

Answer
The correct answer is choice c, "There is something wrong with the security in the parking garage." How can you tell that this is the main idea? For one thing, it's the only one of the three choices general enough to serve as a "net" for the paragraph; choice a is implied only in the first sentence; and choice b isn't mentioned at all. In addition, each sentence on its own suggests that security in the parking garage has not been working properly. Furthermore, the word yet indicates that there is a conflict between the events that have taken place and the duties of the security officers.

Chapter Three: Implied Main Ideas

Slide 1 TEN STEPS TO ADVANCED READING John Langan Slide 2 Chapter Three: Implied Main Ideas What does this cartoon imply about the newly married couple whose car has broken down? Slide 3 IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS The details tell you the implied point. The newlyweds car has broken down. Since they are hitchhiking in opposite directions, the implied point is that their marriage has broken down as well. Slide 4 IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS An implied main idea is only suggested; _it is not clearly stated in one sentence. To figure out an implied main idea, we must look at the supporting details. Slide 5 IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS To find the main idea when it is not directly stated, we must ask the same questions weve already used to find main ideas: Who or what is the paragraph about? (What is the topic?) What is the main point the author is trying to make about the topic? When we think we know the main point, we can test it by asking: Does all or most of the material in the paragraph support this idea? Slide 6 IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS Read the paragraph below. Then answer the question. Researchers who study the science of shopping note that men always move faster than women through a stores aisle. Men spend less time looking, too. They usually dont like asking where things are, or any other questions. When a man takes clothing into a dressing room, the only thing that stops

him from buying it is if it doesnt fit. Women, on the other hand, try things on as only part of the consideration process, and garments that fit just fine may still be rejected on other grounds. Heres another contrast: 86 percent of women look at price tags when they shop. Only 72 percent of men do. For a man, ignoring the price tag is almost a measure of his masculinity. As a result, men are far more easily encouraged to buy more expensive versions of the same product than are women shoppers. They are also far more suggestible than womenmen seem so anxious to get out of the store that theyll say yes to almost anything. The topic of the paragraph is men and women shoppers. Choose the point the author is trying to make about this topic. A. Men always move faster than women when shopping. B. Women look at price tags more than men. C. Men and women behave differently when shopping. D. Men make more expensive choices when shopping. Slide 7 C is the correct answer. All of the details in the paragraph support the point that men and women behave differently when shopping. Choices A, B, and D are all supporting details for this main idea. A. Men always move faster than women when shopping. B. Women look at price tags more than men. C. Men and women behave differently when shopping. D. Men make more expensive choices when shopping. Slide 8 IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS Read the paragraph below. Then answer the question. Fifty years ago, Americans were sleeping an average of eight to twelve hours a night, but by 1990 they were down to only seven hours a night. Now many Americans average only about six hours of sleep a night. Extensive research shows that losing an hour or two of sleep every night, week after week, month after month, makes it more difficult for people to pay attention (especially to monotonous tasks) and to remember things. Reaction time slows down, behavior becomes unpredictable, logical reasoning is impaired, and accidents and errors in judgment increase, while productivity and the ability

to make decisions decline. Students fall asleep in class and fail to learn all that they should. Marriages become more stressful as sleep-exhausted parents try to cope with their children and each other. Truck and auto drivers fall asleep at the wheel, and experts estimate that accidents result in over 1,500 deaths in this country a year. Workers perform less efficiently, and those in high-risk positions can endanger us all. For example, sleep deprivation led to the accident at the nuclear power plant at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania. What is the topic of the paragraph? A. Sleep B. Loss of sleep in America C. Sleep loss for students and parents D. Sleep loss for drivers and workers Slide 9 IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS B is the correct answer - Loss of sleep in America The topic is referred to directly or indirectly in several sentences. Slide 10 IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS Which statement best expresses the main idea of the paragraph? Fifty years ago, Americans were sleeping an average of eight to twelve hours a night, but by 1990 they were down to only seven hours a night. Now many Americans average only about six hours of sleep a night. Extensive research shows that losing an hour or two of sleep every night, week after week, month after month, makes it more difficult for people to pay attention (especially to monotonous tasks) and to remember things. Reaction time slows down, behavior becomes unpredictable, logical reasoning is impaired, and accidents and errors in judgment increase, while productivity and the ability to make decisions decline. Students fall asleep in class and fail to learn all that they should. Marriages become more stressful as sleep-exhausted parents try to cope with their children and each other. Truck and auto drivers fall asleep at the wheel, and experts estimate that accidents result in over 1,500 deaths in this country a year. Workers perform less efficiently, and those in high-risk positions can endanger us all. For example, sleep deprivation led to the accident at the nuclear power plant at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania.

A. The loss of sleep in America has led to serious problems. B. Americans have lost sleep steadily over the last fifty years. C. Sleep loss affects the performance of students and parents. D. Sleep loss affects the performance of drivers and workers. Slide 11 IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS A is the correct answer. All of the supporting details in the paragraph are about problems resulting from loss of sleep. Choice B does not include the serious problems that result from loss of sleep. Choices C and D are too narrow. Each refers to only two groups that are affected by sleep loss. A. The loss of sleep in America has led to serious problems. B. Americans have lost sleep steadily over the last fifty years. C. Sleep loss affects the performance of students and parents. D. Sleep loss affects the performance of drivers and workers. Slide 12 IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS Hints for identifying the topic and main idea: Remember to look for repeated words. Mark major supporting details. Major details are often signaled by addition words. Slide 13 IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS Read the paragraph below. Then answer the question. All people have a strong need to belong to groups, stemming from evolutionary pressures that increased peoples chance of survival and reproduction when in groups rather than in isolation. This need may also be driven by the desire to feel protected against threat and uncertainty in everyday life or to gain a greater sense of personal and social identity. Moreover, people join specific groups in order to accomplish things that they cannot accomplish as individuals. Neither symphonies nor football games can be played by one person alone, and many types of work require team effort. Further, people join groups because of the social status and identity that they offer. An important part of peoples feelings of self-worth comes from their identification with particular groups. Even a relatively low-status group can be a source of pride for individuals who are held in high esteem within the group; being big fish in

small ponds can make people feel good about themselves, particularly people from individualist cultures. Finally, people may join groups simply because they like the members and want to have the opportunity to interact with them. What is the topic of the paragraph? Slide 14 IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS All people have a strong need to belong to groups, stemming from evolutionary pressures that increased peoples chance of survival and reproduction when in groups rather than in isolation. This need may also be driven by the desire to feel protected against threat and uncertainty in everyday life or to gain a greater sense of personal and social identity. Moreover, people join specific groups in order to accomplish things that they cannot accomplish as individuals. Neither symphonies nor football games can be played by one person alone, and many types of work require team effort. Further, people join groups because of the social status and identity that they offer. An important part of peoples feelings of self-worth comes from their identification with particular groups. Even a relatively low-status group can be a source of pride for individuals who are held in high esteem within the group; being big fish in small ponds can make people feel good about themselves, particularly people from individualist cultures. Finally, people may join groups simply because they like the members and want to have the opportunity to interact with them. What is the topic of the paragraph? Joining groups Slide 15 IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS Read the paragraph again. Then answer the question. All people have a strong need to belong to groups, stemming from evolutionary pressures that increased peoples chance of survival and reproduction when in groups rather than in isolation. This need may also be driven by the desire to feel protected against threat and uncertainty in everyday life or to gain a greater sense of personal and social identity. Moreover, people join specific groups in order to accomplish things that they cannot accomplish as individuals. Neither symphonies nor

football games can be played by one person alone, and many types of work require team effort. Further, people join groups because of the social status and identity that they offer. An important part of peoples feelings of self-worth comes from their identification with particular groups. Even a relatively low-status group can be a source of pride for individuals who are held in high esteem within the group; being big fish in small ponds can make people feel good about themselves, particularly people from individualist cultures. Finally, people may join groups simply because they like the members and want to have the opportunity to interact with them. What is the implied main idea of the paragraph? Slide 16 IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS All people have a strong need to belong to groups, stemming from evolutionary pressures that increased peoples chance of survival and reproduction when in groups rather than in isolation. This need may also be driven by the desire to feel protected against threat and uncertainty in everyday life or to gain a greater sense of personal and social identity. Moreover, people join specific groups in order to accomplish things that they cannot accomplish as individuals. Neither symphonies nor football games can be played by one person alone, and many types of work require team effort. Further, people join groups because of the social status and identity that they offer. An important part of peoples feelings of self-worth comes from their identification with particular groups. Even a relatively low-status group can be a source of pride for individuals who are held in high esteem within the group; being big fish in small ponds can make people feel good about themselves, particularly people from individualist cultures. Finally, people may join groups simply because they like the members and want to have the opportunity to interact with them. What is the implied main idea of the paragraph? People join groups for a number of reasons. Each major detail in the paragraph is one reason that people join groups. Note that four of the major details are signaled by addition words. Slide 17 IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS in Longer Passages

 When you read, you may have to inferfigure out on your ownan authors unstated central idea in a longer passage. The central idea is also called a thesis. Slide 18 IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS in Longer Passages To find the implied central idea in a longer passage, you must ask the same three questions you used to find the main ideas in paragraphs: Who or what is this passage about? (What is the topic?) What is the central point the author is trying to make about that topic? When you think you know the central idea, you can test it by asking: Does all or most of the material in the passage support this idea? Slide 19 CHAPTER REVIEW In this chapter, you learned the following: At times authors imply, or suggest, a main idea without stating it clearly in one sentence. In such cases, you must figure out that main idea by considering the supporting details. When you think you know the main idea, test it by asking, Does all or most of the material support this idea? To find implied central ideas in longer reading selections, you must again look closely at the supporting material. The next two chaptersChapters 4 and 5will explain common ways that authors organize their material.