OSSLT Identifying the Main Idea 2 ā Questions and Answers
Question 1: A news article reports that city council voted to install bike lanes on three major streets, facing opposition from drivers but support from cyclists and pedestrians. What is the main idea?
- City council members disagree with each other frequently.
- The city is adding bike lanes despite mixed community reaction. (Correct answer)
- Cyclists and pedestrians are more important than drivers.
- Bike lanes are the safest form of urban transportation.
Correct answer: The city is adding bike lanes despite mixed community reaction.
The central point is the council's decision to add bike lanes, with community reaction providing context.
Question 2: Which part of a paragraph most reliably states the main idea?
- A vivid descriptive detail in the middle
- The topic sentence, usually at the beginning (Correct answer)
- The longest sentence in the paragraph
- The final sentence that wraps up examples
Correct answer: The topic sentence, usually at the beginning
The topic sentence introduces the central claim that all other sentences in the paragraph support.
Question 3: A passage describes how monarch butterflies migrate thousands of kilometres, navigate using the sun, and store energy in fat reserves. What is the main idea?
- Monarch butterflies are in danger of extinction.
- Monarch butterflies have remarkable migration abilities. (Correct answer)
- Fat reserves help all insects survive long journeys.
- The sun is essential for butterfly navigation.
Correct answer: Monarch butterflies have remarkable migration abilities.
All three detailsādistance, navigation, and energy storageāsupport the overarching idea of the butterflies' impressive migration capabilities.
Question 4: What is the difference between the main idea and supporting details?
- Supporting details are always facts; the main idea is always an opinion.
- The main idea is the central point; supporting details explain or prove it. (Correct answer)
- The main idea appears only in the conclusion of a passage.
- Supporting details are more important than the main idea.
Correct answer: The main idea is the central point; supporting details explain or prove it.
The main idea is the broad central claim, while supporting details provide evidence, examples, or explanations for that claim.
Question 5: A graphic text shows a pie chart of how students spend free time, with reading at 10%, gaming at 40%, and social media at 50%. What is the main idea of this graphic?
- Students should read more in their free time.
- Most students spend the majority of free time on screens. (Correct answer)
- Gaming is more popular than reading among students.
- Social media is harmful to student well-being.
Correct answer: Most students spend the majority of free time on screens.
The combined 90% for gaming and social media shows that screen-based activities dominate students' free time.
Question 6: An essay argues that school cafeterias should offer more vegetable options, citing student health data, environmental benefits, and cost savings. What is the main idea?
- Vegetables are cheaper than meat for schools to purchase.
- School cafeterias should expand their vegetable offerings. (Correct answer)
- Students do not currently eat enough vegetables at lunch.
- Environmental concerns should drive all school food decisions.
Correct answer: School cafeterias should expand their vegetable offerings.
The essay's central argument is the recommendation for more vegetables; health, environment, and cost are the supporting reasons.
Question 7: If a passage's main idea is implied rather than stated, how should a reader identify it?
- Choose the first sentence of the passage as the main idea.
- Summarize what all the details have in common to infer the central point. (Correct answer)
- Look for the most repeated word and use it as the topic.
- Assume the author's opinion is always the main idea.
Correct answer: Summarize what all the details have in common to infer the central point.
When the main idea is implicit, readers must synthesize the supporting details to infer the unifying central point.
OSSLT Identifying the Main Idea 2
A news article reports that city council voted to install bike lanes on three major streets, facing opposition from drivers but support from cyclists and pedestrians.
What is the main idea?