What is the main idea of a passage?

• A. The number of pages in the text.
• B. The most important point the author is trying to tell you.
• C. The setting of the events.
• D. The author’s personal background.

Answer: (B)

The main idea is the most important point the author is trying to tell you. It’s the big message that ties all the details together, so the whole passage is building toward that one idea. To find it, notice what the passage repeats or emphasizes, and try to restate the whole piece in one sentence. If you can say that sentence and it fits with what the author is teaching or explaining, you’ve got the main idea.

The other ideas aren’t the main message. The number of pages is just a detail about length, the setting is where or when events happen, and the author’s background is information about the writer, not the big message the passage is communicating.