Reading for the Main Idea Flashcards
7 cards from real SELT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Reading for the Main Idea flashcards as text
Paragraph: 'The library offers free Wi-Fi, tutoring sessions, tax assistance, and job-search resources.' What is the main idea?
Answer: The library provides a wide range of community services beyond books.
The list of diverse services shows that the library offers far more than traditional book lending.
A passage argues that sleep deprivation harms memory, reaction time, and emotional regulation. A reader summarizes it as 'Sleep is important.' This summary is:
Answer: Too general — it omits the specific harms the passage details.
A valid main idea must reflect the passage's specific argument about harms, not just a generic statement about sleep's importance.
Which of the following is NOT a strategy for identifying the main idea of a passage?
Answer: Choosing the most interesting sentence as the main idea
Interest level is irrelevant to identifying the main idea; effective strategies focus on structure, repetition, and logical support.
Passage excerpt: 'Many ancient civilizations built near rivers. The Nile supported Egypt, the Tigris and Euphrates sustained Mesopotamia, and the Indus supported early Indian societies.' The main idea is:
Answer: Rivers were central to the development of early civilizations.
All three examples illustrate the same point: rivers were foundational to ancient civilizations.
A news article headline reads: 'City Council Votes to Expand Public Transit Network.' The body discusses new bus routes, extended hours, and reduced fares. The main idea of the article is:
Answer: The city council approved measures to improve and expand public transit.
The headline and all supporting details point to the council's decision to expand and improve the transit system overall.
A paragraph has five sentences. Four describe specific health benefits of walking, and one compares walking to running. The main idea of this paragraph is most likely:
Answer: Walking provides significant health benefits.
Four of the five sentences describe walking's health benefits, making that the dominant and most supported main idea.
Which sentence from a passage on recycling is most likely the main idea?
Answer: Recycling reduces waste, conserves natural resources, and cuts greenhouse gas emissions.
This sentence makes a broad, multi-part claim about recycling's impact, while the others are specific facts that would support it.