OSSLT Identifying the Main Idea 4

Question 1

A short story follows a teenager who struggles to join a sports team, fails twice, but persists and succeeds on the third try. What is the main idea?

Accepted Answer

Persistence in the face of failure leads to eventual success.

Answer

The repeated failure and ultimate success convey the story's central message about the value of perseverance.

Question 2

A passage has five sentences. Four discuss benefits of reading, and one mentions the cost of books. What is the main idea?

Accepted Answer

Reading has many advantages worth celebrating.

Answer

Four of the five sentences support benefits of reading, so that is the dominant and central idea of the passage.

Question 3

An OSSLT reading selection about a scientist ends with: 'Her discoveries changed medicine forever.' How does this sentence function in the passage?

Accepted Answer

It restates or reinforces the main idea as a conclusion.

Answer

A strong concluding sentence often restates the main idea, summarizing the significance of everything discussed.

Question 4

A graphic text is a poster showing steps for hand-washing with brief labels. What is the main idea of this graphic text?

Accepted Answer

Proper hand-washing technique involves specific sequential steps.

Answer

The poster's purpose is to teach the correct procedure for hand-washing, which is the central idea conveyed by the steps and labels.

Question 5

Which answer choice would be too broad to serve as the main idea of a short passage about recycling plastic bottles?

Accepted Answer

Environmental responsibility is important for everyone.

Answer

A statement about all of environmental responsibility is too general to be the main idea of a passage specifically about recycling plastic bottles.

OSSLT - Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test Practice Test