CELSA Reading For Main Ideas 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A paragraph discusses how urban gardens reduce food insecurity, provide fresh produce, and strengthen community bonds. What is the main idea?
- Urban gardens are expensive to maintain
- Urban gardens benefit communities in multiple ways (Correct answer)
- Community bonds are more important than food production
- Fresh produce is unavailable in cities
Correct answer: Urban gardens benefit communities in multiple ways
The paragraph covers several benefits of urban gardens — food access and community — so the unifying main idea is that urban gardens benefit communities in multiple ways.
Question 2: Which sentence from a passage would MOST LIKELY serve as the main idea?
- The river flooded twice last year.
- Soil erosion near riverbanks has worsened due to increased flooding, deforestation, and poor land management. (Correct answer)
- Some farmers use sandbags.
- Water levels rose by three feet.
Correct answer: Soil erosion near riverbanks has worsened due to increased flooding, deforestation, and poor land management.
The sentence naming multiple causes of a broader problem serves as the main idea, while the others are specific supporting details.
Question 3: After reading a business memo, a reader summarizes it as: 'Sales declined because of rising costs and weak demand.' This summary reflects the passage's:
- Conclusion only
- Supporting evidence only
- Main idea (Correct answer)
- Title
Correct answer: Main idea
A summary that captures the central point of a text represents the main idea, not just one detail or the title.
Question 4: A passage opens with: 'Despite its benefits, remote work creates significant challenges for managers.' The rest of the passage discusses coordination, oversight, and team cohesion issues. The opening sentence is BEST described as:
- A counterargument
- A conclusion
- The main idea statement (Correct answer)
- An anecdote
Correct answer: The main idea statement
The opening sentence introduces the central claim — that remote work challenges managers — which the rest of the passage supports.
Question 5: A reader encounters a passage with no clear topic sentence. How should the reader identify the main idea?
- Use the passage's title alone
- Read only the first sentence
- Identify what most details have in common (Correct answer)
- Count which word appears most often
Correct answer: Identify what most details have in common
When no explicit topic sentence exists, the main idea is inferred by finding the common thread running through the supporting details.
Question 6: A passage about a hurricane includes details on wind speed, storm surge, evacuation orders, and property damage. What is the implied main idea?
- Wind speed determines hurricane category
- Evacuation orders are always followed
- The hurricane had widespread and severe effects (Correct answer)
- Property insurance covers all storm damage
Correct answer: The hurricane had widespread and severe effects
All the details — wind, flooding, evacuations, and damage — point to the implied central idea that the hurricane caused broad, severe impact.
Question 7: A student underlines this sentence: 'Lack of sleep affects concentration, mood, and physical health.' The surrounding paragraph gives examples of each effect. The underlined sentence is:
- A transition sentence
- A supporting detail
- The main idea (Correct answer)
- A definition
Correct answer: The main idea
The sentence introduces the central claim that sleep deprivation causes multiple types of harm, making it the main idea the examples support.
CELSA Reading For Main Ideas 2
A paragraph discusses how urban gardens reduce food insecurity, provide fresh produce, and strengthen community bonds.
What is the main idea?