ENGLISH

ELEVENTH GRADE

Module 2 - Lesson 3

Main Idea

If someone asked you what a paragraph or article was about, you would tell what the topic was in a word or two. If someone asked you what the main idea was, you would tell the most important idea about the topic. When you look for the main idea, you may find it in a sentence in the passage. If the main idea is not given, you have to figure it out and tell it in your own words. Knowing the main idea helps you better understand what you read. Other sentences in a passage usually contain supporting details that tell more about the main idea.

An author does not always state the main idea of a paragraph or an article directly. Sometimes as you read you will need to figure out what the main idea is. You can do this by thinking about the supporting details. Ask yourself, “What idea does these details all tell about?” Then you can create a topic sentence that summarizes the most important information in the details.

Main idea

Practicing exercise

I.                 Read the following paragraph about the octopus. As you read, think about the topic, the main idea, and supporting details:

1. Some people may think the octopus is a strange and scary creature when they see its eight snakelike arms. 2. The octopus tentacles are actually useful tools. 3. They help the octopus crawl along and explore the ocean floor. 4. The octopus also uses its tentacles to hunt for food. 5. Lining each tentacle are two rows of strong, circular suckers. 6. The octopus can quick grab and hold a small fish or crab with the suckers while stunning it with a poisonous bite. 7. Losing a tentacle is not a problem for an octopus. 8. It just grows a replacement.

II.               On the chart below, write the topic and the sentence from the passage that tells the main idea. Then write three supporting details.

Topic: _________________________________________

Tip: The main idea is the most important idea. Details support the main idea. To check yourself, ask, “Do all the details tell about the main idea?”

Main idea

Practicing exercise-Answer key

Topic: The octopus

~Answers will vary~

Main idea

Practicing exercise II

I. Read the paragraph and then select the main idea for the paragraph.

1. What is a mortgage? A mortgage is a particular kind of a loan. When someone takes out a mortgage, they get money to buy a house. They must pay the money back, plus interest. Usually people make a mortgage payment once each month. The house is collateral on the loan. That means that, if the payments aren't made, the bank can take the house. In fact, the bank holds the deed to the house until the mortgage is paid.
The main idea in this passage is:

1. a definition of the word collateral
2. a definition of the word mortgage
3. information about buying a house
4. pros and cons of buying a house

2. It can be played by one person, or by three or more. A single player would hold one end of the rope in each hand. Then she would turn the rope so that it goes over her head. Each time the rope approaches her feet, she would jump over. For three or more players, two girls would each hold one end of a long rope. They would turn the rope so that it touches the ground at the bottom, and goes above the players' heads at the top. The other girls would take turns jumping.
The main idea in this passage is:

1. one-person jump rope
2. the best rope jumper
3. three-person jump rope
4. how to jump rope

3. A person who is color blind has trouble distinguishing contrasting colors. The most common type of color blindness pertains to seeing the colors red and green. You cannot tell that a person is color blind just by looking at them. Their disability can be annoying, but it does not limit a person very much. People who are color blind may need to label their clothes. They may have trouble reading from a chalkboard. They may also have trouble seeing traffic lights accurately. There are ways they can handle this challenge.
The main idea in this passage is:

a.      Color blindness can be cured.

b.      Color blindness is a serious disability.

c.      A person who is color blind can learn to function well.

d.      The most common type of color blindness pertains to the color yellow.

Main idea

Practicing exercise II-Answer key

1.      B

2.      D

3.      C

Main idea

Practicing exercise III

The main idea of a paragraph is what all the sentences are about. Read the paragraph and ask, “What’s your point?” That will help you zero in on the main idea.

I.  Read each paragraph carefully. Choose the best answer to the questions that follow.

1. Juan loves to play games. His favorite game is chess because it requires a great deal of thought. Juan also likes to play less demanding board games that are based mostly on luck. He prefers Monopoly because it requires luck and skill. If he’s alone, Juan likes to play action video games as long as they aren’t too violent.

What is the main idea of this paragraph?

a. Juan dislikes violence.
b. Juan likes to think.
c. Juan enjoys Monopoly.
d. Juan enjoys playing games.

2. Maria is watching too much television. A toddler shouldn’t be spending hours staring blankly at a screen. Worse yet, some of her wild behavior has been inspired by those awful cartoons she watches. We need to spend more time reading books with her and pull the plug on the TV!

What is the main idea of this paragraph?

a. Watching a lot of television isn’t good for Maria.
b. Books are good.
c. All cartoons are bad.
d. Some cartoons are bad for Maria.

3. Samantha, I can’t eat or sleep when you are gone. I need to hear your scratchy voice and see your lovely toothless smile. I miss that special way that you eat soup with your fingers. Please come home soon!

What is the main idea of this paragraph?

a. Samantha, you have bad manners.
b. Samantha, you should see a dentist.
c. Samantha, I miss you.
d. Samantha, I have lost my appetite.

4. Someday we will all have robots that will be our personal servants. They will look and behave much like real humans. We will be able to talk to these mechanical helpers and they will be able to respond in kind. Amazingly, the robots of the future will be able to learn from experience. They will be smart, strong, and untiring workers whose only goal will be to make our lives easier.

Which sentence from the paragraph expresses the main idea?

a. Someday we will all have robots that will be our personal servants.
b. We will be able to talk to these mechanical helpers and they will be able to respond in kind.
c. They will look and behave much like real humans.
d. Amazingly, the robots of the future will be able to learn from experience.

Contributing to the Main Idea

Every sentence in a paragraph must contribute to the main idea. Most of the sentences in a paragraph simply support the main idea. Some may state or summarize that idea.

II. There is one sentence in each of the following paragraphs that does not contribute to the main idea. It does not belong in the paragraph. Underline the sentence that should be removed from each paragraph.

1. I am looking forward to Election Day. It’s fun to vote and exciting to watch the election results. I’ll be rooting for my candidate to win and enjoying the suspense if the vote is close. The following day will be a good time to play video games. No matter who wins, an election is a special occasion.

2. April is beginning the lengthy process of choosing a college to attend. She is buying and reading guides to the best schools. She hasn’t completely ruled out working for a year before attending college. She’s checking out the many Websites that provide information for picking the right college or university. She’s even researching the climate of the area of every school she considers.

3. Bill is one of those people who just don’t have to worry about gaining too much weight. He is the best tennis player I’ve ever met. Bill can eat any amount of any food he likes without putting on an ounce. He can go for weeks without exercising with any apparent effect. It just doesn’t seem fair!

4. Scientists are learning a great deal about the aging process. This knowledge will allow doctors to help their patients live longer and better lives. They will be able to defeat diseases associated with aging and perhaps even delay the onset of old age. Many doctors would agree that some medicines are much too expensive.

Main idea

Practicing exercise III-Answer key

 I.

1.      D

2.      A

3.      A

4.      C

 II.

1.      The following day will be a good time to play video games.

2.      She hasn’t completely ruled out working for a year before attending college.

3.      He is the best tennis player I’ve ever met.

4.      Many doctors would agree that some medicines are much too expensive.

Main idea

Quiz

I.                 Read the following passage. As you read, think about the main idea.

An experienced climbing party gathers at the food of the mountain. Recent storms have put layers of snow on the rocks and trees. The climbers know that the snow layers may be unstable. Because each heavy layer of snow may not stick well to the next, avalanche danger is high.

During an avalanche, snow can slide down a mountain slope at speeds from 20 to 100 miles an hour. Avalanches can catch climbers by surprise and carry them miles down the mountain.

The climbers study the conditions. They are judging the chances of a snow slide. Then they careful group turns back. They decide that the danger of an avalanche is too high to climb that day.

1.    Is the main idea of this passage stated or unstated? ___________

2.    One way to figure out the main idea of a passage is to look for an important word that is repeated in many of the sentences. List some of the words that are repeated throughout the passage:

A.    ________________________

B.      ________________________

C.      ________________________

3.    Reread the supporting details. Then select the best main idea for this passage.

A.    _______ The climbers are starting up the mountain and notice the heavy snow.

B.     _______ Experienced mountain climbers must be aware of the danger of avalanches.

C.     ________ An avalanche can slide down a mountain slope at speeds from 20 to 100 miles an hour.

D.    ________ Mountain climbing is an extremely dangerous sport.

4.    Write two supporting details that helped you figure out the main idea:

A.   

B.    

Main idea

Quiz-Answer key

1.      Unstated

2.      Mountain, snow, avalanche

3.      Experienced mountain climbers must be aware of the danger of avalanches.

4.      During an avalanche, snow can slide down a mountain slope at speeds from 20 to 100 miles an hour. Avalanches can catch climbers by surprise and carry them miles down the mountain.

Main idea

Test

I.                 Read the paragraphs then circle the main idea:

1.             Many families in Japan collect dolls. These families have a Doll Day for Girls and a Doll Day for Boys. On the girls’ day, families bring out special dolls. These dolls are dressed as old kings and queens from Japan. On the boys’ day, families bring out other dolls. The dolls are dressed as famous fighters from the past. These doll days are very special to the people of Japan.

A.    How much the famous dolls cost

B.     What dolls days are like in Japan

C.     Which dolls are famous in Japan

D.    Who plays with dolls in Japan

E.     Which dolls people prefers in Japan

2.             James Fenimore Cooper wrote books in the 1800’s. One day his wife was reading a book. He told her that he could write a better one. She dared him to do it. Cooper wrote his first book. He wrote many books about the people who settled in America. He is the author of The Deerslayer.

A.    That Cooper’s wife read many books

B.     That Cooper explored the American wilderness

C.     That Cooper was a writer in the 1800’s

D.    That The Deerslayer was about James Cooper

E.     How everyone love Cooper

3.             People used to get together to build a barn. Families from all around the world come to help. Barn building was like a big party. The women cooked a meal. The men worked together to pull up the sides of the barn and to build a roof. The women took care of the children and placed the meals on the tables. Everyone worked together. When the sun went down, a new barn stood shining and tall.

A.    Who cooked the food for the builders

B.     How helping by working together could be fun

C.     When all the men worked together

D.    How everyone hated the party

E.     How beautiful were the barns

4.             All winter long bears do nothing but sleep. To get ready for their winter sleep, they eat. They eat much food to get fat. The fat will become food their bodies will use while sleep. Bears choose sleeping places such as caves. But they may also choose a hollow log or even a big pile of brush. If it gets warm on a winter day, the bears might come out to walk around. But they don’t stay out long. Only in the spring do they finally get up and look for food.

A.    What kind of life a bear leads

B.     Who likes caves for sleeping

C.     Where bears sleeps during the summer

D.    Why bears love honey

E.     How bears look

5.             Many farmers today grow fields of yellow sunflowers. People have many uses for sunflower seeds. After the seeds are dried and salted, people buy them to eat. Some sunflower seeds are pressed to make cooking oil. Some seeds are also ground to make a kind of butter.

A.    Why people eat salty seeds

B.     How sunflower seeds are of great value

C.     Who uses cooking oil

D.    Who likes sunflower butter

E.     How sunflower seeds are a machine

6.             Southern California is known for its tourist attractions and its theme parks. People come from all over the world to get a look at Hollywood, and such things as the "Walk of Fame" where many celebrities’ names are found on gold stars on Hollywood Boulevard. Tourists are also attracted to the area with hopes of catching sight of the movie stars who live in the hills surrounding Los Angeles. Many visitors come to shop in the glamorous shops on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Among the theme parks that attract visitors are Disneyland in Anaheim, Knott’s Berry Farm, Magic Mountain Amusement Park, and Raging Waters Park. Folks who want to combine tourist attractions and theme parks can visit Universal Studios which offers both.

A.          Disneyland is famous all over the world.

B.           Have you ever been to Southern California?

C.           Most tourists enjoy Southern California.

D.          Southern California has both tourist attractions and theme parks for visitors.

E.           Many movie stars live in the Southern California area.

7.             Dogs are good for children because they teach children to be responsible. Children who have and to walk the dog learn to be responsible for the life of another being. Cats also teach children responsibility, and along with this, children who own a cat learn about independence since cats are quick to teach this. Rabbits teach children about having babies because as anyone who has owned more than one rabbit knows, they have a lot of babies. Snakes, rats, fish and gerbils are also good to teach children about cleanliness and proper bathing habits. Most pets teach children valuable lessons.

A.    Children that own pets

B.     Rabbits having babies

C.     Most pets teach children valuable lessons.

D.    Rabbits have a lot of babies and feeding them

E.     How children walk the dog

8.             Police use fingerprints to tell one person from another. Roses have fingerprints, too. But the prints aren’t found on the pretty flowers. They’re on the leaves. Each rose leaf has holes in it. The holes are like people’s fingerprints. The holes of each different kind of rose have a special shape and size. By looking at the holes, people can tell the name of the rose.

A.    How all the holes are the same size

B.     How rose leaves have fingerprints

C.     Why flowers have fingerprints

D.    What the holes in the flowers are like

E.     How flowers take babies away

Main idea

Test_Answer key

1.      B

2.      C

3.      B

4.      A

5.      B

6.      D

7.      C

8.      B