Determine the main idea of a passage
key notes :
Definition: The main idea is the central point or message that the author wants to communicate through the passage.
Identifying the Main Idea: Look for the most important information that summarizes the overall content of the passage. This is often found in the topic sentence of a paragraph or explicitly stated near the beginning or end of the passage.
Supporting Details: The main idea is supported by details, examples, or explanations throughout the passage. These details help clarify and develop the central message.
Ignoring Irrelevant Information: Focus on information that directly relates to the main idea. Ignore details that are unrelated or peripheral to understanding the central message.
Summarizing: To determine the main idea, it can be helpful to summarize the passage in your own words. This helps in distilling the key points and understanding how they contribute to the main idea.
Practice: Practice identifying the main idea by reading various passages and asking questions like “What is the passage mostly about?” or “What is the author trying to tell me?”
Multiple Perspectives: Sometimes a passage may have more than one main idea. Consider different viewpoints or themes that the author might be exploring.
Learn with an example
Read the passage.
Naming Pluto
When ‘Planet X’ was discovered in 1930, astronomers began debating what to call it. An eleven-year-old girl named Venetia Burney suggested the name ‘Pluto’ to her grandfather, who passed the idea along to a friend who was a professor of astronomy. The professor, in turn, immediately forwarded the suggestion to scientists at the Lowell Observatory, where the planet had been discovered. The astronomers appreciated the fact that Pluto was the ancient Romans’ name for the god of the underworld, making it a fitting moniker for such a cold and distant celestial body. In addition, its first two letters matched the initials of Percival Lowell, the astronomer who first proposed the existence of Planet X. The matter was eventually put to a vote, with Pluto the hands-down winner.
What is the main, or central, idea of the passage?
- Pluto is a good name for a cold, distant planet because it is the name of the Roman god of the underworld.
- After an eleven-year-old girl suggested ‘Pluto’, astronomers chose it as the name of a newly discovered planet.
The main, or central, idea of the passage is After an eleven-year-old girl suggested ‘Pluto’, astronomers chose it as the name of a newly discovered planet.
Some details are about Venetia’s suggested name for ‘Planet X’. Other details are about the astronomers’ views of the name. This suggests that the main idea is that the astronomers approved of the girl’s idea.
Read the passage.
April Fools’ Days Around the World
April Fools’ Day is celebrated around the world, although it varies somewhat from country to country. In the United States, for example, it’s a day to play practical jokes. In France, where the holiday is known as Poisson d’Avril, or April Fish, people secretly tape paper fish on their friends’ backs. A common April Fools’ prank in Portugal is to throw flour on someone; in Scotland, the most popular trick involves sending someone on a useless errand. Denmark celebrates April Fools’ Day on 1 April, but some people there celebrate again in May. Maj-kat, on 1 May, is yet another day for jokes and pranks in the spring.
What is the main, or central, idea of the passage?
- On Poisson d’Avril, France’s version of what some people call April Fools’ Day, pranksters tape paper fish to people’s backs.
- Though there are variations in how different countries observe April Fools’ Day, the celebrations all involve playing pranks.
The main, or central, idea of the passage is Though there are variations in how different countries observe April Fools’ Day, the celebrations all involve playing pranks.
All of the details are about days when people play jokes. This suggests that the main idea involves the similarities among the celebrations. The phrase another day for jokes and pranks also suggests this.
Let’s practice!
Read the passage.
AC vs DC
In the 1880s, the War of the Currents began. Thomas Edison developed direct current, or DC, a type of electricity that flows in one direction. By 1887, DC was in use around the United States. It had some drawbacks, though. Converting it to lower or higher voltages was difficult; that is, the current’s force couldn’t be changed easily. Transmitted at the low voltage needed for use in homes and businesses, it lost power after travelling only one and a half kilometres. Meanwhile, Nikola Tesla was working with alternating current, or AC. AC reverses direction many times per second and can be changed to different voltages. At high voltage, it can be transmitted efficiently, travelling hundreds of kilometres with little energy loss. Because of its advantages, AC triumphed by the end of the nineteenth century.