Determine the main idea of a passage
Key notes:
A main idea is the most important idea or claim that a text communicates. The details in a text support, prove or illustrate the main idea.
Learn with an example
🔥Read the passage.
Supporting Biliteracy
There are many good reasons to learn a second language. A second language can improve your understanding of your native language, open the door to new job opportunities and help you learn about other cultures. Yet American students are less likely than European students to study foreign languages in school. To address this gap, several US states have begun doing more to encourage biliteracy—the ability to read and write in two languages. California, New York and Illinois are among the states that have passed laws establishing a state ‘Seal of Biliteracy’. A Seal of Biliteracy shows that a student has achieved proficiency in a second language. Supporters of the seals say that they honour the importance of second-language learning. The seals also provide universities and future employers with evidence of students’ abilities.
🔥What is the main idea of the passage?
- Although second-language learning is important, students in the United States are less likely than those in Europe to learn a second language.
- Fewer American students than European students learn a second language, so some US states are promoting the study of foreign languages.
The main idea of the passage is Fewer American students than European students learn a second language, so some US states are promoting the study of foreign languages.
Notice the phrase to address this gap. It suggests that the main idea involves a possible solution to a problem. Here, the main idea is that some US states are addressing the problem of a lack of biliteracy in the United States. The title also suggests this.
🔥Read the passage.
Making Towers Bird-Friendly
The lights on tall communication towers warn pilots to avoid the towers when flying at night. Unfortunately, the steady red lights often used on towers have the opposite effect on birds: the bright beams attract and confuse them. Instead of avoiding the lights, the birds fly directly towards them, crashing into the towers or becoming entangled in power lines. Millions of birds have died this way. However, there is a solution. Unlike steady lights, flashing or blinking lights don’t attract birds. In response to demands from conservation groups, in 2016 the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States began requiring communication towers to use blinking lights instead of steady ones.
🔥What is the main idea of the passage?
- Birds are attracted to the steady red lights on communication towers.
- To save birds, communication towers have begun using blinking lights.
The main idea of the passage is To save birds, communication towers have begun using blinking lights.
Notice the phrase there is a solution. This suggests that the main idea involves a solution to a problem. Here, the main idea is that the problem of birds crashing into communication towers can be solved by replacing steady lights with blinking ones. The title also suggests this.
🔥Read the passage.
The First ‘Newspaper’ War
The Crimean War was fought in the 1850s between Russia on one side and Britain, France and Turkey on the other. Although it was a major conflict, it is perhaps best remembered as the first war in which journalists were present on the battlefield. News dispatches from William Howard Russell, a reporter for the Times of London, exposed military blunders and revealed the filthy conditions that existed in military hospitals and camps. Photographers such as James Robertson and Roger Fenton made hundreds of photographs of soldiers on the battlefield. These news reports and photographs provided an uncensored look at life on the frontlines. The Crimean War marked the first time in history that people back home were exposed to the horrors of war.
🔥What is the main idea of the passage?
- The Crimean War was fought between the Russians and the British, French and Turkish.
- The Crimean War was the first war to be documented for civilians.
The main idea of the passage is The Crimean War was the first war to be documented for civilians.
The title suggests that the main idea involves newspaper reporting. Many details are about news reports and photographs created during the Crimean War. This suggests that the main idea involves the importance of this first use of reporting from the battlefield.
let’s practice!
Read the passage.
Saving the Rhinos
Poachers in Africa are killing large numbers of rhinos for their horns. Rhinoceros horns, valued for use in traditional medicines in Vietnam and China, can be sold at large sums for just one kilogram. Officials have tried to protect the rhinos: they have created fenced areas for the animals, patrolled their habitats and even tried removing their horns. Despite these efforts, the number of rhinos in Africa has been dwindling. One creative solution to the poaching problem is to remove the rhinos from Africa altogether. Ray Dearlove, the founder of the Australian Rhino Project, came up with a plan to relocate eighty rhinos to a safari park outside Adelaide, Australia, where a breeding herd can be established.
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