Main Idea, Supporting Details, and Summarization
What this domain asks you to do
You must decide what a passage is mostly about, find the details that support it, and condense the passage into a short summary. The main idea is often stated at the beginning or end of a passage, but sometimes it is implied and you must build it yourself.
Concepts to master
- Stated vs. implied main idea: a stated main idea appears in a topic sentence; an implied one requires you to combine details.
- Relevant vs. irrelevant details: relevant details support the main idea; irrelevant ones are interesting but off-topic.
- Summarizing: a good summary is shorter than the original, keeps the main idea and key details, and leaves out minor examples.
- Paraphrasing: restating in your own words without changing the meaning.
Traps to watch for
- A summary that is too narrow (covers only one paragraph) or too broad (covers far more than the passage).
- A summary that copies the original wording word for word.
- A summary that adds information not in the passage.
- Choosing a detail as the main idea because it appears first.
Rule of thumb
Use the one-sentence test: if you had to tell a friend what the passage was about in one sentence, what would you say? Then check that your summary includes the main idea and the most important supporting details-and nothing extra.
Worked example: A passage describes how honeybees communicate through a "waggle dance," how they find flowers, and how they return to the hive. A strong summary is: Honeybees use a special dance to share the location of flowers with the hive. A weak summary would list every flower type mentioned-those are minor details.