HSPT: Main idea: the sentence that covers the whole passage
Learn to find the central point of a passage by checking that a choice covers every paragraph, without shrinking to one detail or stretching past what the writer says.
How do you tell the main idea from a detail or a claim that goes too far?
Short answer
Ask what every part of the passage is working toward, and say it in one sentence. The right choice covers the whole passage, including where it ends up, and claims no more than the writer does.
Know first: Explicit detail: finding stated facts, Reading a passage from start to finish
Step 1 of 5
The main idea covers everything
The main idea is the central point the whole passage makes. Every paragraph supports it. A single example, step or fact is part of the passage, but it isn't the main idea, because it doesn't cover everything.
The HSPT lists main ideas and details as a Reading skill. Questions ask for the main point, central idea or what the passage mainly explains. The right choice is broad enough to cover the passage and narrow enough to match what it actually says.
| Size | What it does | Example for a passage on school gardens |
|---|---|---|
| Too narrow | Names one detail or example | Tomatoes need six hours of sun. |
| Too broad | Claims more than the passage or makes a rule | Every school should replace its lawn with gardens. |
| Just right | Covers every paragraph and stays within them | A school garden gives students hands-on lessons in science. |
Step 2 of 5
Test each choice against the whole passage
A short informational passage
Many people think1 honeybees do almost all the work of pollinating crops. Yet2 flies, beetles and moths also carry pollen from flower to flower. Some wild bees work in cold, wet weather3 when honeybees stay inside their hives. Farmers who protect many kinds of pollinators4 can rely less on any single one.
- The opening belief. The passage is about to complicate it.
- The turn. The writer's point comes after this word.
- A supporting example.
- The ending pulls the examples together.
Worked example: Pollinators
Using the passage above: What is the main idea of the passage?
- AHoneybees pollinate almost all crops.
- BSome wild bees work in cold weather.
- CMany kinds of animals pollinate crops, so protecting a range of them helps farmers.
- DFarmers should stop keeping honeybees.
- 1
Ask what every sentence works toward
The common belief is challenged, other pollinators are listed, and farmers are told to protect many kinds.
- 2
Say it in one sentence
Crops depend on many kinds of pollinators, and protecting them all helps farmers. That's C.
- 3
See why the other choices are there
A is the opening belief the passage challenges. B is one supporting detail. D is too broad: the passage never says honeybees are unimportant or should be replaced.
Answer
C. Many kinds of animals pollinate crops, so protecting a range of them helps farmers.
Find the wrong step
A student reads a passage that opens: Many people think octopuses are simple sea creatures. It goes on to describe octopuses opening jars, slipping out of locked tanks and recognizing the faces of their keepers. Question: What is the main point?
- 1
Notes the opening sentence about octopuses being simple.
- 2
Chooses Octopuses are simple sea creatures, because the first sentence says so.
What went wrong
The student stopped at the opening belief. Every example after it shows the opposite, so the passage is arguing against that belief.
- 3
Moves on to the next question.
The fix
Read through the examples to the end. The main point is closer to Octopuses are far smarter than many people think.
Step 3 of 5
Find the central point
Check yourself · Question 1
Some people think a good night's sleep is wasted time. In fact, the brain stays busy during sleep. It sorts the day's memories and clears away waste that builds up while we're awake. Students who sleep well often remember more of what they studied.
Which statement best expresses the main idea?
Answer: B
The passage challenges the opening belief and then lists the work the brain does during sleep. B covers every sentence after the turn.
Trap answer: The brain clears away waste.
Too narrow
- Why it looks right
- It's stated in the passage, so it feels safe.
- Why it's wrong
- It covers one clause. Memory sorting and the point about students would be left out.
- The right answer
- The brain does useful work during sleep, which includes every example.
Check yourself · Question 2
The town's first public library opened in 1912 in a single rented room. When books overflowed the shelves, volunteers built a wooden addition. In 1958 the town paid for a brick building, and in 2004 it added a computer lab. Each change answered a need that readers in that time had raised.
What does the passage mainly explain?
Answer: C
The passage moves through the library's history, and the last sentence names the pattern: each change answered a need. C covers the whole time line and that point.
Common mistake
Picking the first idea you read.
- Why it's tempting
- Opening sentences often sound like a thesis, and they come first.
- Do this instead
- Read to the end. If the passage turns with but, yet, in fact or however, the main idea usually comes after the turn.
Step 4 of 5
What to remember
Remember
- The main idea is the point every paragraph supports.
- Cross off choices that name one detail and choices that claim more than the writer does.
- When a passage turns with but, yet or in fact, look for the main idea after the turn.
Step 5 of 5
Practice on a real question
Use what you just learned on this question, then check the explanation.
In your own words
In the practice question, what did the passage start with, where did it end up, and which choice covers both?