IDENTIFYING THE

MAIN IDEA
MICHELLE I. DEVERA
At the end of the lesson, learners are expected to:

a) identify the important information in the text and also to activate

their background knowledge.
b) understand the significance of identifying the main idea in reading
comprehension
b) predict what information may be in a passage. make guesses that are
later rejected or confirmed
What I need to know

To read efficiently, one must be able to recognize the topic

sentences of the text, since they convey the main information. At the
point when the primary thought of a passage isn't really expressed,
when there is no such thing as a topic sentence, the students may think
that it’s harder to choose what the general meaning of that paragraph is.
It is therefore necessary to prepare students to find out the main idea in
passages of that type.
What I Know?

Activity 1. Identify the main idea in this paragraph, encircle the letter of
your answer on the answer sheet provided.
1. (1) You read the advertisement in the Saturday morning paper, and the
deal seems too good to be true. (2) It seems that the computer you had
been shopping for is available at the local computer store for half the
price you found in your search. (3) You arrive at the store in the early
morning, but you are greeted with a salesman's disappointing reply that
the store is already sold out. (4) Still, he continues, the store can offer
what you want with some upgrades for slightly more money. (5) This
tactic is called bait and switch, and it is a marketing strategy used to lure
customer into the store with the purpose of pressuring them into buying
more than they had originally planned.
a. Sentence 1 c. Sentence 3
b. Sentence 2 d. Sentence 4 e. Sentence 5
2. Which is a strategy used to identify the main idea of a passage?
a. Read the entire passage
b. Summarize each paragraph in the margin
c. Read the first and last sentence
d. Rewrite the paragraph in your own words
3. All of the following statements about main ideas and details are true
EXCEPT:
a. Main ideas are more general than supporting details.
b. Major details are more general than minor details.
c. Minor details are the primary support to develop main ideas.
d. Minor details are the most specific ideas in the passage.
How to Define the Main Idea

The main idea of a paragraph is the primary point or concept that the
author wants to communicate to the readers about the topic.
Think of the main idea as a brief but all-encompassing summary. It
covers everything the paragraph talks about in a general way, but does
not include the specifics.
How to Find the Main Idea

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. Try these specific
tips to pinpoint the main idea of a passage.
1) Identify the Topic

Read the passage through completely, then try to identify the topic.
Who or what is the paragraph about? This part is just figuring out a
topic like "cause of World War I" or "new hearing devices;" don't worry
yet about deciding what argument the passage is making about this
topic.
 KFC claims, on its website, that its animal-welfare advisory
council “has been a key factor in formulating our animal welfare
program.” But Dr. Duncan, along with five other former members of
this advisory council, say otherwise. They all resigned in disgust over
the company’s refusal to take animal welfare seriously. Adele Douglass,
one of those who resigned, said in an SEC filing reported on by the
Chicago Tribune that KFC “never had any meetings. They never asked
and advice, and then they touted to the press that they had this animal-
welfare advisory committee. I felt like I was being used.”

What is the topic of the

paragraph?
Answer:

The KFC’s animal welfare advisory council is key to its animal

welfare program.
1. You’ve probably heard that older men die before older women virtually
everywhere in the world. In the United States, women are expected to live an
average of 80.4 years, while men live only 75.2 years. Sociologists attribute
many factors to this trend. For example, men have higher testosterone levels
than women, which may make men more likely to abuse alcohol and tobacco,
drive aggressively, and engage in other life-threatening behaviors. Men also
choose riskier types of work and become involved in wartime aggression,
which are connected to men’s decreased life expectancy. Studies also show that
women are less likely to experience life-threatening illnesses and health
problems than men are.
—Carl, Think Sociology, p. 211
a. women’s health c. testosterone and age
b. men and risky behaviors d. men’s life expectancy
2) Summarize the Passage

After reading the passage thoroughly, summarize it in your own words

in one sentence. Pretend you have just ten to twelve words to tell
someone what the passage is about—what would you say?
3) 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, so isolate those sentences to see if
they make sense as the overarching theme of the passage. Be careful:
sometimes the author will use words like but, however, in contrast,
nevertheless, etc. that indicate that the second sentence is actually the
main idea.
4) 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, or related ideas.
Example:
A new hearing device uses a magnet to hold the detachable sound-
processing 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.
 In the past few years, social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, and
Twitter have become hugely popular across all ages. Despite the opinions of some that
young people are in danger of turning into crouching androids glued to their computers,
research shows that the majority of friendships are still maintained offline. Offline
friendships are characterized by more interdependence, depth, understanding, and
commitment, but online friendships can gain some of these qualities with time. Most
online friends tend to be rather cautious about disclosing personal information. However,
this does not apply to people with a negative view of themselves and others; they instead
seem to share more information, possibly in an attempt to become more self-confident in
their interactions. Interestingly, even in online friendships people seem to gain more
satisfaction when befriending people of a similar age and place of residence.
—Kunz, THINK Marriages & Families, p. 82
a. offline vs. online friendships c. personal information sharing online
b. technology and self-image d. satisfaction in online friendships
What’s More
EXERCISE I. Direction. Read each selection carefully to
find the main idea and answer the questions that follow.
Paragraph 1.
Tides had been occurring for thousands of years before one knew what caused
them. Finally, in the seventeenth century, an English scientist named Isaac
Newton discovered the reason for them. He explained that they are caused by
forces of attraction between bodies in the universe. We call the pull of the Earth
on all objects on its surface the force of gravity. However, forces of attraction
act not only between the Earth and everything on it, but also between all bodies
in the universe.
1) The paragraph as a whole talk about _________________.
a. ocean tides
b. the cause of tides
c. the effect of tides
d. the English scientist Newton
2) Which sentence is not true?

a. Newton discovered the cause of tides.

b. Tides were unknown until Newton discovered their cause.
c. The Earth’s pull on all objects on its surface is called the force of
gravity.
d. Gravity acts between all bodies in the universe.
What I Can Do
EXERCISE II. Directions. Read the following paragraphs and compose a one-sentence main idea
for each on the separate answer sheet provided.

Paragraph 1:
Critical thinking is significant that it urges you to interface thoughts,
inspect for irregularities in thinking, take care of issues, and consider your
own convictions. Especially in the present culture, these characteristics are
indispensable outside of secondary school whether an understudy goes to
school or not–whether an understudy turns into an English major or not.
Scholarly literary analysis requests that you reinforce your basic reasoning
skills.
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