Page 50 - PET 101 EBOOK
P. 50
TWO TYPES OF
MAIN IDEA
1. STATED MAIN IDEA
It is written directly in the text.
Authors sometimes come right out
and write the main idea in the
passage for a variety of reasons –
they don't want you to miss the
point, they are new writers and have
not figured out the art of subtlety,
they like clear, informational
writing.
2. IMPLIED MAIN IDEA
If the author doesn't directly state the main
idea of the text, it's up to you to infer what
the main idea is.
Finding the implied main idea is easier if
you think of the passage as a box. Inside
the box, is a random group of stuff (the
details of the passage). Pull each item from
the box and try to figure out what they
each have in common, kind of like the game
Tri-Bond. Once you've figured out what the
common bond is among each of the items,
you'll be able to summarize the passage in a
snap.