Identifying the Main Idea Flashcards
7 cards from real OSSLT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Identifying the Main Idea flashcards as text
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?
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.
Which part of a paragraph most reliably states the main idea?
Answer: The topic sentence, usually at the beginning
The topic sentence introduces the central claim that all other sentences in the paragraph support.
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?
Answer: Monarch butterflies have remarkable migration abilities.
All three details—distance, navigation, and energy storage—support the overarching idea of the butterflies' impressive migration capabilities.
What is the difference between the main idea and supporting details?
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.
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?
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.
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?
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.
If a passage's main idea is implied rather than stated, how should a reader identify it?
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.