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Reading Comprehension: Identifying Topics, Main Ideas, and Supporting Details

The document discusses reading comprehension and identifying the key elements of passages, including the topic, main idea, and supporting details. It explains that the topic is the general subject, the main idea is the key point, and details support the main idea. Identifying these elements increases understanding. It also discusses how paragraphs are organized, with a topic sentence stating the main idea, and supporting sentences providing explanations and examples. Being able to identify the topic and main idea of paragraphs is important for comprehending texts.

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119 views3 pages

Reading Comprehension: Identifying Topics, Main Ideas, and Supporting Details

The document discusses reading comprehension and identifying the key elements of passages, including the topic, main idea, and supporting details. It explains that the topic is the general subject, the main idea is the key point, and details support the main idea. Identifying these elements increases understanding. It also discusses how paragraphs are organized, with a topic sentence stating the main idea, and supporting sentences providing explanations and examples. Being able to identify the topic and main idea of paragraphs is important for comprehending texts.

Uploaded by

NAASC Co.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Reading Comprehension

Identifying Topics, Main Ideas, and Supporting Details

Understanding the topic, the gist, or the larger conceptual framework of a textbook chapter, an


article, a paragraph, a sentence or a passage is a sophisticated reading task.  Being able to draw
conclusions, evaluate, and critically interpret articles or chapters is important for overall
comprehension in college reading.  Textbook chapters, articles, paragraphs, sentences, or
passages all have topics and main ideas.  The topic is the broad, general theme or message.  It is
what some call the subject.  The main idea is the "key concept" being expressed.  Details, major
and minor, support the main idea by telling how, what, when, where, why, how much, or how
many.  Locating the topic, main idea, and supporting details helps you understand the point(s) the
writer is attempting to express.  Identifying the relationship between these will increase your
comprehension.

The successful communication of any author's topic is only as good as the organization the author
uses to build and define his/her subject matter.

Grasping the Main Idea:

A paragraph is a group of sentences related to a particular topic, or central theme.   Every


paragraph has a key concept or main idea.  The main idea is the most important piece of
information the author wants you to know about the concept of that paragraph.

When authors write they have an idea in mind that they are trying to get across.  This is especially
true as authors compose paragraphs.  An author organizes each paragraph's main idea and
supporting details in support of the topic or central theme, and each paragraph supports the
paragraph preceding it.

A writer will state his/her main idea explicitly somewhere in the paragraph.  That main idea may be
stated at the beginning of the paragraph, in the middle, or at the end.  The sentence in which the
main idea is stated is the topic sentence of that paragraph.

The topic sentence announces the general theme ( or portion of the theme) to be dealt with in the
paragraph.  Although the topic sentence may appear anywhere in the paragraph, it is usually
first – and for a very good reason.  This sentence provides the focus for the writer while writing
and for the reader while reading.  When you find the topic sentence, be sure to underline it so that
it will stand out not only now, but also later when you review.

Identifying the Topic:

The first thing you must be able to do to get at the main idea of a paragraph is to identify the
topic – the subject of the paragraph.  Think of the paragraph as a wheel with the topic being the
hub – the central core around which the whole wheel (or paragraph) spins.  Your strategy for topic
identification is simply to ask yourself the question, "What is this about?"  Keep asking yourself
that question as you read a paragraph, until the answer to your question becomes clear. 
Sometimes you can spot the topic by looking for a word or two that repeat.  Usually you can state
the topic in a few words.

Let us try this topic-finding strategy.  Reread the first paragraph under the heading Grasping the
Main Idea.  Ask yourself the question, "What is this paragraph about?"  To answer, say to yourself
in your mind, "The author keeps talking about paragraphs and the way they are designed.   This
must be the topic – paragraph organization."  Reread the second paragraph of the same section. 
Ask yourself, "What is this paragraph about?"  Did you say to yourself, "This paragraph is about
different ways to organize a paragraph"?  That is the topic.  Next, reread the third paragraph and
see if you can find the topic of the paragraph.  How?  Write the topic in the margin next to this
paragraph.  Remember, getting the main idea of a paragraph is crucial to reading.

The bulk of an expository paragraph is made up of supporting sentences (major and minor
details), which help to explain or prove the main idea.  These sentences present facts, reasons,
examples, definitions, comparison, contrasts, and other pertinent details.  They are most important
because they sell the main idea.

The last sentence of a paragraph is likely to be a concluding sentence. It is used to sum up a


discussion, to emphasize a point, or to restate all or part of the topic sentence so as to bring the
paragraph to a close.  The last sentence may also be a transitional sentence leading to the next
paragraph.

Of course, the paragraphs you'll be reading will be part of some longer piece of writing – a
textbook chapter, a section of a chapter, or a newspaper or magazine article.  Besides expository
paragraphs, in which new information is presented and discussed, these longer writings contain
three types of paragraphs: introductory, transitional, and summarizing.
Introductory paragraphs tell you, in advance, such things as (1) the main ideas of the chapter or
section; (2) the extent or limits of the coverage; (3) how the topic is developed; and (4) the writer's
attitude toward the topic.  Transitional paragraphs are usually short; their sole function is to tie
together what you have read so far and what is to come – to set the stage for succeeding ideas of
the chapter or section.  Summarizing paragraphs are used to restate briefly the main ideas of the
chapter or section.  The writer may also draw some conclusion from these ideas, or speculate on
some conclusion based on the evidence he/she has presented.

All three types should alert you: the introductory paragraph of things to come; the transitional
paragraph of a new topic; and the summarizing paragraph of main ideas that you should have
gotten.

Exercise:

Read the following paragraph and underline the stated main idea.  Write down in your own words
what you are able to conclude from the information.

The rules of conduct during an examination are clear.  No books, calculators or papers are allowed
in the test room.  Proctors will not allow anyone with such items to take the test.  Anyone caught
cheating will be asked to leave the room.  His or her test sheet will be taken.  The incident will be
reported to the proper authority.  At the end of the test period, all materials will be returned to the
proctor.  Failure to abide by these rules will result in a failing grade for this test.

Answer:

You should have underlined the first sentence in the paragraph – this is the stated main idea. 
What can be concluded from the information is: If you do not follow the rules, you will automatically
fail the test.  This concluding information is found in the last sentence.

You can't comprehend the subject matter if you haven't identified


the topic, the main idea, and the supporting details.

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