Main Idea

What is the Main Idea?

The main idea is what the whole passage (or paragraph) is mostly about. It is the most important point the author wants you to understand.

Think of the main idea as the umbrella — all the other sentences (supporting details) fit under it.

How to Find the Main Idea

1. Read the whole passage.
2. Ask: "What is this mostly about?"
3. Look for the topic sentence — often the first or last sentence of a paragraph.
4. Check: does your main idea cover all the sentences, not just one?

Tip: The main idea is general enough to include everything in the passage, but specific enough to describe only this passage.

Tips for Test Day

• Too narrow: If an answer describes only one detail, it's probably wrong.
• Too broad: If an answer could describe any story ever, it's probably wrong.
• The best main idea answer summarises the whole passage in one sentence.