Exercise 3
Directions: Each paragraph is followed by a statement of the main idea that is not quite accurate
or precise enough. In other words, it almost—but not completely—sums up the main idea. Revise
each statement to make it more effectively express the main idea.
1. Over the last two centuries, America’s soldiers have been given several nicknames, among
them “yanks,” “grunts,” “doughboys,” and “Johnny Reb.” However, none of those nicknames has
had the staying power of the nickname “G.I.” Derived from the words “government issue,” the
term “G.I.” emerged in World War II and gave birth to its own masculine and feminine forms, “G.I.
Joe” and “G.I. Jane.” It was even attached to one of the most famous educational bills in
American history, the G.I. Bill. At one point, the military tried to rid itself of the name G.I. claiming
that it dehumanized the people to whom it referred. Military manuals and pamphlets began
substituting the supposedly more favorable term “service members.” But the public would have
none of it. Newspapers, radio, television, and most importantly, World War II veterans themselves
clung to the nickname. Particularly for the veterans of World War II, being a G.I. was a badge of
honor, and they were not about to give up the name.
Imprecise Main Idea: Throughout the last two centuries, America’s soldiers have been given
many different nicknames.
Revised Main Idea:
2. While she lived, the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo was known mainly as the wife of the famed
muralist Diego Rivera. Yet in the decades since her death, Kahlo has become hugely famous in
her own right and is probably now better known than her husband. In 1990, Kahlo became the
first Mexican artist to break the one million mark at an auction. The vivid, self-portraits that Kahlo
created in the thirties and forties continue to be widely sought after by collectors willing to pay
high prices for her paintings. Although Kahlo is often described as a painter intent on exploring
her own personal reality, many of her paintings include references to Mexico’s political and social
history. It’s not surprising, then, that in 1985, the Mexican government publicly proclaimed her
work a national treasure.
Imprecise Main Idea: Unfortunately, the painter Frida Kahlo spent her life in the shadow of her
famous husband, the muralist, Diego Rivera.
Revised Main Idea: