Questions about the "main idea" of a passage are popular on reading comprehension tests. Sometimes those questions are pretty difficult to answer. Many students are not completely sure they understand what the main idea really is. Finding the main idea of a passage is one of the most important reading skills to master. Try these tips to find the main idea of a passage.
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". Don't worry about deciding what argument the passage is making about this topic.
After reading the passage, summarize it in your own words in one sentence. If you have just ten to twelve words to tell someone what the passage is about--what would you say?
Authors often put the main idea in or near either the first or last sentence of the paragraph or article. Be careful: sometimes the author will use words like but, however, in contrast, etc. that show the second sentence is actually the main idea. If you see one of these words, that is a clue(线索) that the second sentence is the main idea.
If you read through a passage and you have no idea how to summarize it because there is so much information, start looking for repeated words, phrases, or related ideas. Sometimes an author does not state the main idea directly. This requires the reader to look closely at specific words or sentences that are used and repeated--to infer what the author is communicating.
|
A. It will need those details to support the argument. B. Look for repetition(重复) of ideas C. Identify(确认) the topic D. Look at the first and last sentences of the passage E. How to find the main idea Summarize the passage |
微信扫码预览、分享更方便
