B.

Finding The Main Idea

When Lesson 1 talked about establishing the facts—the who, what, when, where, and
how, it omitted one very important question, “Why?” Now you’re ready to tackle that all-
important question. Just as there’s a motive behind every crime, there’s also a “motive” behind
every piece of writing.
All writing is communication: A writer writes to convey his or her thoughts to an
audience, the reader: you. The reader might ask, “Why did the author write this? What idea is he
or she trying to convey?”What you’re really asking is, “What is the writer’s main idea?”
The main idea of a paragraph is the point of the passage, minus all the details. It is the
main point or concept that the author wants to communicate to the readers about the topic.
Hence, in a paragraph, when the main idea is stated directly, it is expressed in what is called
the topic sentence. It gives the overarching idea of what the paragraph is about and is supported
by the details in the paragraph. In a multi-paragraph article, the main idea is expressed in
the thesis statement. The main idea is the brief, but all-encompassing summary. It covers
everything the paragraph talks about in a general way, but does not include the specifics.
Not all main ideas are stated directly. When an author does not state the main idea
directly, it should still be implied, and is called an implied main idea. This requires that the
reader look closely at the content - at specific words, sentences, images that are used and
repeated - to deduce what the author is communicating. This may take a little more effort on the
part of the reader. Finding the main idea is critical to understanding what you are reading. It
helps the details make sense and have relevance, and provides a framework for remembering the
content.

How to Find Stated Main Idea

 Identify the Topic
 Read the passage through completely, then try to identify the topic. Who or what is the
paragraph about?
 Summarize the Passage
After reading the passage through thoroughly, summarize it in your own words in one
sentence that includes the gist of every idea from the paragraph. A good way to do this is
to pretend you have just ten words to tell someone what the passage is about. 
 Look at the First and Last Sentences of the Passage
Authors often put the main idea in or near either the first or last sentence of the paragraph or article.
Determine whether either of these sentences capture the main idea. Sometimes, however, the author
will use what is called a reversal transition in the second sentence – words like but, however,  in
contrast, nevertheless, etc. - that indicate that the second sentence is the main idea. If you see one of
these words that negate or qualify the first sentence, that is a clue that the second sentence is the main
idea.
  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.

Stated Main Idea Example (1 paragraph):

Topic Counterfeiting is the act of making phony money that looks official. It is a very old crime
but recent advances in printing have made it possible for even amateurs to produce decent
counterfeits. Fortunately, there are some ways that you can detect counterfeits. The first and
most telling inspection is to pay attention to how the money feels. It is difficult to reproduce the
texture of real money. If the money feels suspicious, look carefully at the micro printing on the
bill. Many features along the portrait and border of a genuine bill contain writing that is too small
to reproduce in most printers. If you are still suspicious, hold the bill up to the light and look for
the strip that says the value of the bill. With a little diligence, you can keep yourself from HOW?
becoming a victim of this rising trend.

The main idea: How to detect a counterfeit bill. Repeated

ideas

How to Find Implied Main Idea

 Read the passage of text
 Ask this question to yourself: "What do each of the details of the passage have in
common?"
 In your own words, find the common bond among all the details of the passage and the
author's point about this bond.
 Compose a short sentence stating the bond and what the author says about the
bond.

Implied Main Idea Example (1 paragraph):

As troops fought their way throughout the desert during the war in Iraq, the narrative
from the mainstream media was nearly synonymous with that of the anti-war left. The military
mission was continuously undermined by media reports claiming that American troops were
killers and that the war on terror was all but lost. Frustrated with the lies and exaggerations
perpetuated by the media, Melanie Morgan decided to fight back. So Morgan joined forces with
political strategists Sal Russo and Howard Kaloogian to create a pro-troop nonprofit organization
that hosts Troopathon, a yearly web telethon fundraiser that raises money to send care packages
to troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. Since the first Troopathon was held three
years ago, the organization has raised over $2 million.

The implied ideas: Melanie Morgan created the Troopathon to counteract the negative
personification of troops displayed by the media.
Common
bonds
Practice 1
Read the text and answer the questions.

Advanced governments around the world often practice intelligence gathering with

espionage. Espionage is the practice of spying or using spies typically by governments to obtain
political and military information. Countries like the United States of America, Russia and Great
Britain secretly conduct espionage to learn about important issues going on in other countries
that may not want these secrets to be public for national security, military plans or civil relations.
Sometimes this involved kidnapping or assassinating enemy agents or politicians. With the aid of
espionage the Russians were able to copy the work of the U.S. and create the A-bomb in just four
years, greatly reducing the timeline for them based on their resources and lack of leading
scientific knowledge.
The reading paragraph is taken from www.scribd.com/document/339452683/steam-project-espionage

1. What is the topic?

2. What is the main idea? (write your answer in a sentence)
3. Is the main idea stated or implied?

Practice 2
Read the text and answer the questions.

At one time or another, most adults have been in a romantic relationship. A guy walks up
to a girl at a bar, gets her number, and the beginning of a relationship is formed. A guy and a girl
meet in Physics class, get paired as study partners, and the rest is history. Two high school
sweethearts rekindle an old flame on Facebook after years apart. These types of simple
encounters may lead to relationships, and even though that first meeting is easy, the entire
relationship is not. A lot of work goes into making a true bonded relationship, and when that
work is bypassed, the relationship may not last.

1. What is the topic?

2. What is the main idea? (write your answer in a sentence)
3. Is the main idea stated or implied?