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By Kelly Roell
Updated July 03, 2019
Before getting into a discussion on how to find an implied main idea, you have to know what the main idea is in the first
place. The main idea of a paragraph is the point of the passage, minus all the details. It's the big picture — the Solar
System vs. the planets. The football game vs. the fans, cheerleaders, quarterback, and uniforms. The Oscars vs. actors,
the red carpet, designer gowns, and films. It's the summary.
However, many of the passages you'll read on a standardized test like the SAT or GRE will have an implied main idea,
which is a little trickier. If the author doesn't directly state the main idea of the text, it's up to you to infer what the main
idea is.
Finding the implied main idea is easier if you think of the passage as a box. Inside the box, is a random group of stuff
(the details of the passage). Pull each item from the box and try to figure out what they each have in common, kind of
like the game Tri-Bond. Once you've figured out what the common bond is among each of the items, you'll be able to
summarize the passage in a snap.
2. Ask this question to yourself: "What do each of the details of the passage have in common?"
3. In your own words, find the common bond among all the details of the passage and the author's point about
this bond.
4. Compose a short sentence stating the bond and what the author says about the bond.
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In this case, the author is writing about hanging out with friends, going on an interview, and speaking publicly, which, at
first glance, don't seem to relate to each other that much. If you find a common bond among all them, though, you'll see
that the author is giving you different situations and then telling us to speak differently in each setting (use slang with
friends, be respectful and quiet in an interview, modify your tone publicly). The common bond is speaking, which will
have to be part of the implied main idea.
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