Problem With Main Idea (Skill 1) Questions

Almost every reading passage on the TOEFL test will have a question about the main idea of a passage. Such a question may be worded in a variety of ways; you may, for example, be asked to identify the topic, subject, title, primary idea, or main idea. These questions are all really asking what primary point the author is trying to get across in the passage. Since TOEFL passages are generally written in a traditionally organized manner; it is not difficult to find the main idea by studying the topic sentence, which is most probably found at the beginning of a paragraph.If a passage consists of only one paragraph, you should study the beginning of that paragraph to determine the main idea.


Example I

The passage:

Basketball was invented in 1891 by a physical education instructor in Springfield, Massachusetts, by the name of James Naismith. Because of the terrible weather in winter, his physical education students were indoors rather than outdoors. They really did not like the idea of boring, repetitive exercises and preferred the excitement and challenge of a game. Naismith figured out a team sport that could be played indoors on agymnasium floor, that involved a lot of running, that kept all team members involved, and that did not allow the tackling andphysical contact of American-style football.

The question:

What is the main idea of this passage?
(A) The life of James Naismith
(B) The history of sports
(C) Physical education and exercise

(D) The origin of basketball

Analysis:
 

The first sentence of this passage discusses the invention of basketball, so this is probably the topic. A quick check of the rest of the sentences in the passage con firms that the topic is in fact the beginnings of the sport of basketball. Now you should check each of the answers to determine which one comes closest to the topic that you have determined. Answer (A) mentions James Naismith but not basketball, so it is not the topic. Answer (B) is too general; it mentions sports but does not mention basketball. Answer (C) is also too general; it mentions physical education but does not mention basketball. The best answer is therefore answer (D); the origin of basketball means that the invention of basketball is going to be discussed.

The following chart outlines the key information that you should remember about main idea questions.