Main Idea Mania
Every Saturday, volunteers meet at Riverside Park to collect trash. Over the past year, they have removed hundreds of bags of litter. The group also installed recycling bins and planted trees near the playground. Organizers hope their work will encourage visitors to take better care of the park.
What is the main idea?
A. Riverside Park has a playground.
B. Volunteers are working to improve Riverside Park.
C. Recycling is better than throwing things away.
D. The volunteers meet every Saturday.
ANSWER: B
Which answer covers MOST of the paragraph?
Choices A and D are true details, but they are too small to be the main idea.
“Our city should add more public trash cans because litter has increased downtown.”
What is the claim?
The city should add more public trash cans.
The abandoned factory stood like a skeleton at the edge of town.
What technique is being used?
A. Comparison/imagery
B. Statistics
C. Repetition
D. Instructions
ANSWER: A
What picture does “skeleton” put in your head?
Jamal had missed several practices because his car kept breaking down. When the coach announced the starting lineup, Jamal was disappointed to learn that another player had taken his position.
What caused Jamal to lose his starting position?
ANSWER: Missing practices.
If two answers both sound reasonable, what should you do?
ANSWER: Go back to the passage and choose the one with stronger textual evidence.
Every Saturday, volunteers meet at Riverside Park to collect trash. Over the past year, they have removed hundreds of bags of litter. The group also installed recycling bins and planted trees near the playground. Organizers hope their work will encourage visitors to take better care of the park.
Which detail BEST supports the main idea?
A. The group meets on Saturdays.
B. The park has a playground.
C. Volunteers removed trash, installed recycling bins, and planted trees.
D. Visitors sometimes leave trash.
ANSWER: C
Main idea = big umbrella.
Supporting details = things underneath the umbrella.
Which evidence BEST supports the claim that a school should offer free breakfast?
A. Some students like pancakes.
B. A survey found that 28% of students regularly arrive without eating breakfast.
C. The cafeteria opens at 7:30.
D. Teachers also eat breakfast.
ANSWER: B
Teaching point
Good evidence must actually help prove the claim.
Ask:
“So what?”
If the evidence does not help answer “Why should I believe this claim?”, it probably is not strong evidence.
We waited for change. We asked for change. We voted for change. Now we must create change.
Why does the writer repeat the word change?
A. To confuse the reader
B. To emphasize the central idea
C. To give a definition
D. To show that the author dislikes change
ANSWER: B
Authors repeat things because they want you to notice them.
Put these events in the correct order:
The restaurant changed its menu.
Customers complained about long wait times.
The owner reduced the number of complicated dishes.
Average wait times decreased.
ANSWER: 2 → 1/3 → 4
1 and 3 are closely connected; the important relationship is:
complaint → change → result
Which answer is usually safer on a reading test?
A. The answer that sounds smartest
B. The answer closest to what the text actually supports
ANSWER: B
Maria began taking the bus to work instead of driving. At first, she worried that the trip would take much longer. After several weeks, however, she realized that she could read during the ride and no longer had to pay for downtown parking. She now prefers taking the bus.
What conclusion can you draw?
A. Maria dislikes reading.
B. Maria discovered advantages to taking the bus.
C. Maria plans to buy a new car.
D. Parking downtown is free.
ANSWER: B
What does the passage make reasonable, even though it does not say those exact words?
That is an inference.
A speaker argues:
“My cousin started exercising last month and now gets better grades. Therefore, exercise always causes students to earn better grades.”
What is wrong with this argument?
A. It uses no conclusion.
B. It relies on one example to make a very broad claim.
C. Exercise is unhealthy.
D. Grades cannot be measured.
ANSWER: B
One person ≠ everybody.
Although the new policy may reduce traffic, it could also make commuting more difficult for people who live outside the city.
What is the author doing?
A. Pretending there is only one side
B. Qualifying the argument by acknowledging a limitation
C. Making a joke
D. Giving instructions
ANSWER: B
The author is basically saying:
“Yes, BUT…”
When Elena was young, her family frequently moved because her parents could not afford stable housing. As an adult, Elena became an attorney who specializes in helping tenants facing eviction.
How does Elena's past influence her present?
ANSWER: Her childhood housing instability likely influenced her decision to help people facing similar problems.
Past event → later motivation/action
A passage says:
Some residents opposed the proposal.
Which statement is supported?
A. Every resident opposed it.
B. No residents supported it.
C. At least some residents disagreed with it.
D. The proposal failed.
ANSWER: C
Do not make the passage say more than it says.
For years, the town library closed at 5 p.m. After residents complained that working adults could rarely visit, the library began staying open until 8 p.m. three nights each week. Evening attendance increased almost immediately.
Which conclusion is BEST supported?
A. Most residents dislike libraries.
B. The library should close earlier.
C. Longer evening hours made the library more accessible.
D. Everyone in town works until 5 p.m.
ANSWER: C
Why is D tempting?
Because the passage mentions working adults—but “everyone” makes the claim much stronger than the evidence allows.
Watch for extreme words: always, never, everyone, completely, only.
ARGUMENT A
The city should expand its bus system. Last year, 42% of surveyed residents said transportation problems prevented them from accepting at least one job opportunity.
ARGUMENT B
The city should expand its bus system because buses are cool and lots of people probably like them.
Which argument is stronger?
ANSWER: A
Why?
It uses specific, relevant evidence.
The company describes the layoffs as “right-sizing.” For the 300 employees who lost their jobs, however, there was nothing “right” about it.
What effect does the repeated word right have?
ANSWER: It creates irony/contrast and challenges the company's wording.
A factory installed new machines that could produce twice as many products per hour. Production increased, but the company soon discovered that its warehouse could not store the additional products.
Which relationship is MOST important?
A. Comparison
B. Cause and effect
C. Definition
D. Chronological biography
ANSWER: B
New machines → more production → storage problem
The question asks:
Which detail BEST supports the author's conclusion?
What should you look for first?
ANSWER: Figure out what the conclusion/claim actually is.
Then evaluate the evidence.