TEN STEPS to
BUILDING COLLEGE READING SKILLS
FIFTH EDITION
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FIFTH EDITION
TEN STEPS
to
BUILDING COLLEGE
READING SKILLS
John Langan
© 2011 Townsend Press
This Chapter in a Nutshell
• Main ideas may be clearly suggested, or implied, rather
than stated directly.
• In such cases, look closely at the supporting details. Then
decide what general idea includes or summarizes those
details.
• A general idea must “fit” the details; it must not be either
too narrow or too broad for those details.
CHAPTER 9 Implied Main Ideas
What Are Implied Main Ideas?
Main ideas are not always stated directly.
Sometimes you must infer them from the evidence
presented.
CHAPTER 9 Implied Main Ideas
What Are Implied Main Ideas?
What is the main idea in this poster?
Answer: Smoking kills.
Explanation
There’s a hangman’s noose around one cigarette, and the other
cigarettes are waiting in line for the noose. These details vividly express
the idea that smoking kills, so anyone who smokes is waiting in line to
die.
CHAPTER 9 Implied Main Ideas
What Are Implied Main Ideas?
Which statement is the implied main idea of this cartoon?
1. The speaker will not be happy anywhere.
2. The speaker wants to live somewhere else.
3. The speaker does not get along with the other two penguins.
CHAPTER 9 Implied Main Ideas
What Are Implied Main Ideas?
Which statement is the implied main idea of this cartoon?
1. The speaker will not be happy anywhere.
2. The speaker wants to live somewhere else.
Explanation
3. The speaker does not get along with the other two penguins.
The penguin is complaining about the place where he lives. And all of the
things the speaker is unhappy about are things that cannot be changed—the
temperature, the snow, and what others look like. These details all imply that
the penguin wants to live somewhere else.
CHAPTER 9 Implied Main Ideas
Finding Implied Main Ideas in Reading
In reading as well as in visual materials, the main
idea is often not directly stated, but clearly implied.
CHAPTER 9 Implied Main Ideas
Finding Implied Main Ideas in Reading
Read the passage below. Then choose the statement that best
summarizes all the supporting details.
I was in an alley dressed in light summer clothing. Coming out of the
darkness at the end of the alley were hundreds of large gray rats. Their razorsharp teeth glistened with saliva, and their eyes glowed red with a cold fury. I
turned to run away, but attacking in the other direction were a dozen angry
dogs—pit bulls! And these particular pit bulls were foaming at the mouth; they
all had rabies. “Just my luck,” I muttered and did my best to wake up as quickly
as possible.
A. The writer is losing his mind.
B. Gray rats and pit bulls are scary animals.
C. Everyone has nightmares.
D. The writer had a really bad dream.
CHAPTER 9 Implied Main Ideas
Finding Implied Main Ideas in Reading
Read the passage below. Then choose the statement that best
summarizes all the supporting details.
I was in an alley dressed in light summer clothing. Coming out of the
darkness at the end of the alley were hundreds of large gray rats. Their razorsharp teeth glistened with saliva, and their eyes glowed red with a cold fury. I
turned to run away, but attacking in the other direction were a dozen angry
dogs—pit bulls! And these particular pit bulls were foaming at the mouth; they
all had rabies. “Just my luck,” I muttered and did my best to wake up as quickly
as possible.
7A. The writer is losing his mind.
The last sentence of the paragraph makes clear that the writer was having a
nightmare, not going mad.
7B. Gray rats and pit bulls are scary animals.
The statement that rats and pit bulls are scary does not account for the last
sentence, in which the writer reveals all the other statements describe a nightmare.
7C. Everyone has nightmares.
The scary details of the paragraph are in one person’s dream, but there’s no
support for the statement that everyone has nightmares.
3 D. The writer had a really bad dream.
The words “I . . . did my best to wake up as quickly as possible” plus all the scary
details make clear that this item is the implied main idea.
CHAPTER 9 Implied Main Ideas
Finding Implied Main Ideas in Reading
Following is a four-step process that will develop
your skill at finding implied main ideas.
CHAPTER 9 Implied Main Ideas
Finding Implied Main Ideas in Reading
Step 1: Recognizing Implied General Ideas
Read the following list of specific items, and then choose the general
idea that best covers them.
Specific ideas: baseball cap, football helmet, Easter bonnet
The general idea is
A. sports hats.
B. clothing.
C. hats.
CHAPTER 9 Implied Main Ideas
Finding Implied Main Ideas in Reading
Step 1: Recognizing Implied General Ideas
Read the following list of specific items, and then choose the general
idea that best covers them.
Specific ideas: baseball cap, football helmet, Easter bonnet
Too narrow
Too broad
The general idea is
A. sports hats.
B. clothing.
C. hats.
Answer C is the correct choice.
Since an Easter bonnet is not a sports hat, answer A is wrong—it is too
narrow to cover all the specific ideas.
Answer B is incorrect because it is too broad. All of the specific ideas are
items of clothing, but they have more in common than that—they are
only items of clothing worn on the head.
CHAPTER 9 Implied Main Ideas
Finding Implied Main Ideas in Reading / Step 1: Recognizing Implied General Ideas
When you are looking for the general idea, remember these
points:
1 The general idea must cover all of the specific
ideas. (Hats covers baseball cap, football
helmet, and Easter bonnet.)
2 The general idea must not be so narrow that it
excludes any of the specific ideas. (Sports hats
is too narrow—it does not cover Easter bonnet.)
3 A general idea that covers many kinds of
specific ideas in addition to the ones in the list is
too broad. (Clothing is too broad—it covers
specific ideas in addition to hats, such as shoes
and pajamas.)
CHAPTER 9 Implied Main Ideas
Finding Implied Main Ideas in Reading / Step 1: Recognizing Implied General Ideas
Read the following list of specific items, and then choose the general idea.
Specific ideas:
• “I couldn’t take the final because my grandmother died.”
• “I couldn’t come to work because I had a migraine headache.”
• “I couldn’t study because I forgot to bring my book home.”
The general idea is:
A. common remarks.
B. common excuses. C. common student excuses.
CHAPTER 9 Implied Main Ideas
Finding Implied Main Ideas in Reading / Step 1: Recognizing Implied General Ideas
Read the following list of specific items, and then choose the general idea.
Specific ideas:
• “I couldn’t take the final because my grandmother died.”
• “I couldn’t come to work because I had a migraine headache.”
• “I couldn’t study because I forgot to bring my book home.”
The general idea is:
Too broad
A. common remarks.
B. common excuses. C. common student excuses.
Answer B is the correct answer.
The specific ideas are common remarks. But all of the specific ideas are
one type of common remark—common excuses. Thus answer A is too
broad.
Answer C is too narrow because only two of the three specific ideas are
student excuses; one is a worker excuse.
Too narrow
CHAPTER 9 Implied Main Ideas
Finding Implied Main Ideas in Reading
Step 2: Putting Implied General Ideas into Your Own Words
Consider the four specific ideas, and then decide on a general idea
that is neither too broad nor too narrow.
Specific ideas: orange juice
water
milk
blood
What is the general idea?
CHAPTER 9 Implied Main Ideas
Finding Implied Main Ideas in Reading
Step 2: Putting Implied General Ideas into Your Own Words
Consider the four specific ideas, and then decide on a general idea
that is neither too broad nor too narrow.
Specific ideas: orange juice
water
milk
blood
What is the general idea?
Beverages
Not a beverage
Answer: Liquids
At first glance it might seem that the general idea of these specific ideas
is beverages. But blood does not fall into that category (except for
Dracula).
You must use a broader general idea to include blood.
Thus the general idea here is liquids.
CHAPTER 9 Implied Main Ideas
Finding Implied Main Ideas in Reading
Step 3: Recognizing Implied Main Ideas I
When figuring out an unstated main idea in a
paragraph, your choice must not be too broad or too
narrow.
You must select a general statement that includes
all or most of the specific ideas in a paragraph.
CHAPTER 9 Implied Main Ideas
Finding Implied Main Ideas in Reading / Step 3: Recognizing Implied Main Ideas I
Read the supporting statements below. Then choose the idea that
you think is the unstated point.
Support:
• Men accuse women of not trusting them.
• Men complain that women have little interest in sports.
• Men say that women change the subject when they’re losing an argument.
What is the unstated main idea?
A. Men think women don’t trust them.
B. Men accuse women of talking too much.
C. Men have various complaints about women.
D. Men have strong positive and negative views about women.
CHAPTER 9 Implied Main Ideas
Finding Implied Main Ideas in Reading / Step 3: Recognizing Implied Main Ideas I
Read the supporting statements below. Then choose the idea that
you think is the unstated point.
1
2
3
4
Support:
• Men accuse women of not trusting them.
• Men complain that women have little interest in sports.
• Men say that women change the subject when they’re losing an argument.
What is the unstated main idea?
A. Men think women don’t trust them. Too narrow
B. Men accuse women of talking too much. Too narrow
C. Men have various complaints about women.
D. Men have strong positive and negative views about women.
Too broad
Item A is too narrow to be the unstated main idea. It applies to only one
of the statements, the first one.
Item B is too narrow to be the main idea. It is a specific complaint, like
each of the three supporting details above.
Item D is too broad. It refers to positive and negative views.
Item C is the main idea—it covers all three of the supporting statements
(each of which is a specific complaint about women).
CHAPTER 9 Implied Main Ideas
Finding Implied Main Ideas in Reading
Step 3: Recognizing Implied Main Ideas II
The final step is to work at finding implied main
ideas in paragraphs.
CHAPTER 9 Implied Main Ideas
Finding Implied Main Ideas in Reading / Step 3: Recognizing Implied Main Ideas II
Read the paragraph below. Then choose the statement that best
expresses its main idea.
If people stop to think about the plots in children’s stories, they may be
surprised. Hansel and Gretel, for example, were abandoned by their father and
stepmother and left to wander in a dark forest. In another well-known story,
Cinderella was treated like a slave by her stepmother and stepsisters. Then
there is the case of Little Red Riding Hood, who was eaten by a wild animal.
Finally, consider the example of the three blind mice. As if being blind were not
bad enough, they also had to deal with the horror of having their tails cut off by
the farmer’s wife.
The unstated main idea is:
A. Children’s stories are about stepfamilies.
B. Cinderella was treated like a slave.
C. Animals and children are important characters in children’s
D. stories.
Children’s stories often deal with evil and violence.
CHAPTER 9 Implied Main Ideas
Finding Implied Main Ideas in Reading / Step 3: Recognizing Implied Main Ideas II
Read the paragraph below. Then choose the statement that best
expresses its main idea.
If people stop to think about the plots in children’s stories, they may be
surprised. Hansel and Gretel, for example, were abandoned by their father and
stepmother and left to wander in a dark forest. In another well-known story,
Cinderella was treated like a slave by her stepmother and stepsisters. Then
there is the case of Little Red Riding Hood, who was eaten by a wild animal.
Finally, consider the example of the three blind mice. As if being blind were not
bad enough, they also had to deal with the horror of having their tails cut off by
the farmer’s wife.
The unstated main idea is:
A. Children’s stories are about stepfamilies.
B. Cinderella was treated like a slave.
C. Animals and children are important characters in children’s
D. stories.
Children’s stories often deal with evil and violence.
Explanation
An important clue to the main idea of this paragraph is the first sentence.
From this we see that, in addition to having to cover most or all of the
details, the main idea must be about something surprising in children’s
stories.
CHAPTER 9 Implied Main Ideas
Finding Implied Main Ideas in Reading / Step 3: Recognizing Implied Main Ideas II
Read the paragraph below. Then choose the statement that best
expresses its main idea.
If people stop to think about the plots in children’s stories, they may be
surprised. Hansel and Gretel, for example, were abandoned by their father and
1 stepmother and left to wander in a dark forest. In another well-known story,
2
Cinderella was treated like a slave by3her stepmother and stepsisters. Then
there is the case of xLittle Red Riding Hood, who was eaten by a wild animal.
Finally, consider the example of the xthree blind mice. As if being blind were not
bad enough, they also had to deal with the horror of having their tails cut off by
the farmer’s wife.
x
3
Too
narrow
The unstated main idea is:
7A. Children’s stories are about stepfamilies.
Only two of the details of the paragraph are about stepfamilies. This statement
does not include Little Red Riding Hood or the three blind mice. Also, it is not
surprising. So answer A is too narrow to be the main idea.
CHAPTER 9 Implied Main Ideas
Finding Implied Main Ideas in Reading / Step 3: Recognizing Implied Main Ideas II
Read the paragraph below. Then choose the statement that best
expresses its main idea.
If people stop to think about the plots in children’s stories, they may be
xsurprised. xHansel and Gretel, for example, were abandoned by their father and
3
stepmother and left to wander in a dark forest. In another well-known story,
1 Cinderella was treated like a slave by her stepmother and stepsisters. Then
there is the case of xLittle Red Riding Hood, who was eaten by a wild animal.
Finally, consider the example of the xthree blind mice. As if being blind were not
bad enough, they also had to deal with the horror of having their tails cut off by
the farmer’s wife.
The unstated main idea is:
Too
narrow
7B. Cinderella was treated like a slave.
Only one of the details in the paragraph is about Cinderella, so answer B is much
too narrow to be the main idea.
CHAPTER 9 Implied Main Ideas
Finding Implied Main Ideas in Reading / Step 3: Recognizing Implied Main Ideas II
Read the paragraph below. Then choose the statement that best
expresses its main idea.
If people stop to think about the plots in children’s stories, they may be
1 and Gretel, for example, were abandoned by their father and
3Hansel
surprised.
stepmother and left to wander in a dark forest. In another well-known story,
x Cinderella was treated like a slave by her stepmother and stepsisters. Then
3 2
there is the case of Little Red Riding Hood, who was eaten by a wild animal.
3
Finally, consider the example of the3
three blind mice. As if being blind were not
bad enough, they also had to deal with the horror of having their tails cut off by
the farmer’s wife.
x
The unstated main idea is:
Too
narrow
7C. Animals and children are important characters in children’s
stories.
The detail about Cinderella has nothing to do with animals and children. Also, this
answer is not surprising—most people would expect animals and children to be
common characters in children’s stories.
CHAPTER 9 Implied Main Ideas
Finding Implied Main Ideas in Reading / Step 3: Recognizing Implied Main Ideas II
Read the paragraph below. Then choose the statement that best
expresses its main idea.
If people stop to think about the plots in children’s stories, they may be
3surprised. Hansel and Gretel, for example, were3abandoned by their father and
stepmother and
3left to wander in a dark forest. In another well-known story,
Cinderella was
3treated like a slave by her stepmother and stepsisters. Then
there is the case of Little Red Riding Hood, who was
3eaten by a wild animal.
Finally, consider the example of the three blind mice. As if being blind were not
bad enough, they also had to deal with the horror of having
3their tails cut off by
the farmer’s wife.
The unstated main idea is:
3 D. Children’s stories often deal with evil and violence.
The fact that children’s stories deal with very mean and violent behavior could
surprise people, since many think such themes are not suited to children. And all
of the examples in the paragraph are about children’s stories that include evil and
violence. Thus statement D expresses the implied main idea of the paragraph.
CHAPTER 9 Implied Main Ideas