MAIN IDEA IN A PARAGRAPH

1. The main idea is the sentence that makes the central point about the topic or subject of a
paragraph.
2. The strategies explained in this section are:
3. Making your own main idea.
Ask three key questions:
 What is the topic?
 What is listed about the topic?
 What do the major details have in common?

Sample Passages SET 1

Sometimes too much of a good thing can become a very bad thing indeed. In an earnest attempt to
consume a healthy diet, dietary supplement enthusiasts have been known to overdose. Vitamin C,
for example, long thought to help people ward off cold viruses, is currently being studied for its
possible role in warding off cancer and other diseases that cause tissue degeneration. Unfortunately,
an overdose of vitamin C – more than 10,000 mg. – on a daily basis can cause nausea and diarrhea.
Calcium supplements, commonly taken by women, are helpful in warding off osteoporosis. More
than just a few grams a day, however, can lead to stomach upset and even kidney or bladder stones.
Niacin, proven useful in reducing cholesterol levels, can be dangerous in large doses to those who
suffer from heart problems, asthma, or ulcers.

1. The main idea expressed in this paragraph is

A. supplements taken in excess can be a bad thing indeed.
B. dietary supplement enthusiasts have been known to overdose.
C. vitamins can cause nausea, diarrhea, and kidney or bladder stones.
D. people who take supplements are preoccupied with their health.

Most children have an interest in learning to play a musical instrument at one point or another
during their growing-up years. Parents need to take advantage of that urge to play when it appears.
Some very small children become intrigued with music because they see their parents or their older
siblings play. The Suzuki method of instruction capitalizes on that early willingness to learn by
involving the parent and the child in the child’s instructions. Elementary-aged youngsters often are
exposed to stringed instruments or band instruments in their school music classes. Because kids like
to do what other kids do, parents who are not musicians themselves can take advantage of both
instruction and enthusiasm. It is at the middle school level, however, that peer pressure can really
work to the benefit of parents who want to hear the sound of music around the house.

2. The most accurate expression of the central or controlling idea of this paragraph is
A. most children have an interest in learning to play a musical instrument during their growing-up
years.
B. some very small children become intrigued with music because they see their parents or siblings
play.
C. at various points, parents can take advantage of their children’s desire to play a musical
instrument.
D. middle-school children take delight at selecting and learning to play an instrument along with
their friends.

Malcolm X occupied himself in jail by reading the dictionary, a pursuit resulting in his acquisition of a
tremendous amount of knowledge embodied in an enormous vocabulary. One has only to turn to
the pages of a dictionary to see why this is the case. For example, on page 317 of the American

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Heritage Dictionary, we find everything from continental code (which is defined as a form of Morse
Code, minus dots and dashes, used outside North America) to contract (which is defined in
numerous ways depending on whether it is used as a noun or verb). In between, we discover that
continents, having shifted over time, contain geographical features including elevations from which
their river systems originate, and slopes that become submerged, first gradually and then
precipitously, at that point where the continent meets the ocean and then drops to meet the ocean
floor. On just one page, the same page, we also learn something about math, education,
morphology, music, birth control – and on and on. As a source of knowledge, the dictionary is
invaluable.

3. The main idea expressed in this paragraph is

A. Malcolm X occupied himself in jail by reading the dictionary.
B. The dictionary is an invaluable source of knowledge.
C. Dictionaries contain many definitions of each word.
D. The American Heritage Dictionary was the source of Malcolm X’s knowledge .

Impressionism was “born” in 1874 when an art critic reviewed the exhibition of several artists at
Nader’s photography studio in Paris. Very unimpressed with Monet’s 1872 printing entitled
“Impression Sunrise,” the critic used the term impression and later the word impressionist
derogatorily. The name stuck and was worn almost as a badge of honor by the artists who used
methods and style similar to Monet’s, and Monet became known as the Father of Impressionism.
One might think that this radical departure from the accepted norm rose full blown in Monet and
that his comrades merely followed his lead. This oversimplification is natural for laypersons, but it is
akin to saying Darwin discovered evolution, or Freud discovered the unconscious mind. While all
three men are indisputably tied to the concepts with which we identify them, their true genius and
claim to being discovered or “Father of . . .” lies more in their ability to synthesize rather than to
create.

4. Which statement best expresses the central idea of this paragraph?

A. Monet became known as the Father of Impressionism after a critic reviewed an 1874 exhibition in
Paris.
B. Monet’s genius, like that of Darwin or Freud, lies more in the ability to synthesize than in the
ability to create.
C. Oversimplification is natural for the layperson viewing Monet’s art.
D. A derogatory name can sometimes be worn as a badge of honor as it was for Monet and his
fellow artists.

SET 2

1. People often refer to taxes in terms of their being much too high. In reality, they are probably
even higher than you think, because in addition to the federal income tax we are now studying,
there are many other Federal, State, and local taxes, including sales taxes, inheritance taxes, state
income taxes, personal property taxes, real estate taxes, and others. These are just some of the most
obvious ones.

a. Taxes are much too high.

b. We pay more taxes than we may realize.
c. Inheritance taxes and real estate taxes are unfair.
d. Some taxes are hidden.

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2. The fact that electronic computers are now used for data processing has led the general public to
believe that it is a mysterious, complicated science and that the computers are giant brains. Both of
these ideas are false. A computer is basically just a high-speed adding machine that performs the
functions it is told to. If the input data are varied even a little, the computer is unable to operate
until it is programmed to accept the variations. The business operations it performs are impressive
only because of the extremely high speed of manipulation, but most of these operations have been
used for decades. Unlike man, the computer performs repetitive calculations without getting tired or
bored.
a. A computer is a high-speed adding machine.
b. A computer is a mysterious giant brain.
c. A computer is impressive because of its high speed.
d. A computer is superior to man in many ways.

3. The Louisiana Purchase proved to be one of the shrewdest business pacts in the entire history of
the United States. The purchase doubled in the area of the country and provided territory from
which fourteen new states were created either wholly or in part. It also gave us control over the
mouth of the Mississippi River and opened up the way to foreign trade. Prior to the purchase, the
waterway had been blocked by the Spanish, probably with the approval of Napoleon. The land that
was bought was rich in timber, minerals, and natural resources of many kinds. Finally, the cost of the
transaction was unbelievably low; the total of $15 million amounted to about four cents an acre.

a. The Louisiana Purchase was a very good business deal for the U.S.
b. The land bought by the Louisiana Purchase was rich in minerals.
c. The land bought by the Louisiana Purchase was very cheap.
d. Most Americans were very pleased with the purchase.

4. There is a common belief that while the dog is man’s best friend, the coyote is his worst enemy.
The bad reputation of the coyote traces back to his fondness for small animals; he hunts at night and
is particularly destructive to sheep, young pigs, and poultry. Yet it is sometimes wise to encourage
coyotes. Provided valuable farm animals are protected, the coyote will often free the property of
other animals, like rabbits, which are ruinous to crops and certain trees. He is especially beneficial in
keeping down the rodent population. Where coyotes have been allowed to do their work without
molestation, ranchers and fruit growers have found them so valuable that they would no more shoot
them than they would shoot their dogs.

a. Under certain conditions the coyote is helpful to man.

b. The coyote is feared because of his fondness for small animals
c. Modern ranchers would no sooner shoot coyotes than they would shoot dogs.
d. The coyote usually prefers rabbits and other rodents to sheep and poultry.

5. In earlier days those who had overseas business which they believed should be discussed
personally, took ship and set out across the briny deep. Once aboard they transacted their affairs,
engaging in commercial and social matters or conducting government business. Today ships and
passengers continue to sail the seven seas, and airplanes soar overhead. But above them all, words
speed through the sky – telephone conversations quickly bring together in the most personal fashion
people who are separated by thousands of miles.

a. Overseas telephone service today is ruling out all need for overseas travel.
b. Nothing can take the place of person-to-person conversation in settling business, social, and
government problems.
c. Many conversations which once required overseas travel can now be conducted by telephone.

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d. Even with modern overseas telephone service people continue to travel abroad by ship or by
plane.

6. The attitudes of Americans toward gambling are amazingly contradictory. You may find, for
example, that horse racing is legal in your state, but that you cannot legally play poker for money on
your front porch; bookies may be prosecuted by state law, but they are supposed to purchase a
federal license nonetheless; one church condemns gambling, while another raises money by
sponsoring Bingo games. Gambling laws are inconsistent from state to state or even from town to
town and are very difficult to enforce.

a. Americans have negative attitudes toward gambling.

b. Gambling laws are difficult to enforce
c. Gambling laws are inconsistent from community to community.
d. Churches do not have uniform ideas about gambling.

Caffeine is a natural ingredient in coffee, cocoa, tea, and chocolate, and is added to some
prescription and non-prescription drugs. 2. Despite being "natural," caffeine is also a
powerful drug which greatly affects the body. 3. In healthy, rested people, a dose of 100
milligrams (about one cup of coffee) increases alertness, banishes drowsiness, quickens
reaction time, it enhances intellectual and muscular effort, and increases heart and
respiratory rates. 4. Drinking one to two cups of coffee an hour before exercise encourages
the body to preserve glycogen and burn fat -----something that results in greater endurance.
5. In addition, caffeine masks fatigue. 6. In doses above 300 milligrams, caffeine can produce
sleeplessness, nervousness, irritability, headaches, heart palpitations, and muscle twitches.
7. Caffeine is also habit-forming, and those who try to suddenly stop after heavy use may
experience such withdrawal symptoms as headaches, lethargy, irritability, and difficulty in
concentrating. The main idea of this passage is that caffeine

a. is a powerful drug that affects the body in numerous ways.

b. is good to drink before working out.
c. is linked to various health concerns.
d. is a strong drug that only enhances the body when used.

Human beings have always polluted their environment, but in the past it was easier for
them to move on and live somewhere else. 2.They knew that given time, the environment
would take care of pollution they left behind and they relied on the "out of sight, out of
mind" philosophy. 3. Today, an increasing human population, which uses an increasing
amount of energy sources, no longer has the luxury to ignore pollution. 4. The human
population is approximately 7 billion. 5. Our overall energy consumption has gone up by a
hundredfold from 2,000 per/person/day to 230,000 per/person/day in modern industrial
nations like the United States. 6. This high energy consumption allows us to mass produce
many useful and economically affordable organic products that pollute the atmosphere and
groundwater damage forests and lakes causing global warming, and even deplete the ozone
layer. (Borrowed from a biology textbook) The main idea of this passage is that

a. pollution is difficult on the environment regardless of your location.

b. due to growth in the human population, humans can no longer ignore pollution.
c. pollution is destroying our environment.

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d. modern nations like the United States should find ways to reduce the rapid growth of
their populations.