Main Idea and Theme
How do I determine the main idea and
theme of a reading passage?
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Think about the last movie you
watched…
Did you get a chance to tell someone
what the movie is about?
Take a moment and jot down what the
movie is about in your notebook.
You just gave the main idea of the movie.
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Main Idea
Main Idea-What something is
mostly about
What would be the main idea of
The Outsiders?
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“The King and the Shirt”
a fable by Leo Tolstoy
adapted by J.M. Watson
 Read the story at your desk.
 As you read, think about how you
would answer the question “What is
the main idea of the story?”
 As soon as you finish reading, tell
yourself what the passage is mostly
about
 Write down the main idea.
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Tip 1: Both fiction and nonfiction
passages have main ideas
 Fiction main idea- what happens in the
story (fiction- a made-up story)
 Example:
In the story “The Tortoise and the
Hare,” the
Main Idea is “The tortoise beats the hare
in a race.”
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Tip 1: Continued
 Nonfiction main idea- the central point that
the author wants the reader to know
(nonfiction- any writing that is not made-up
like articles, reports, instructions, and
biographies)
 Example: In an article about horses in
Kentucky the Main idea might be “Kentucky is
a great place to raise horses.”
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Now, when answering multiple-choice questions
about main idea…
 Tip 3: Find the answer choice that is closest to
your statement of the main idea
 When taking a reading test, you will almost
always see a question about main idea, so be
prepared to think about the main idea with
everything you read.
 Then look for the answer that is the closest to
the statement that you made about main idea.
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Let’s practice Tip # 3
 What is “The King and the Shirt mostly
about”?
A. A king's son offers to buy a man's shirt.
B. A royal physician cannot cure his king.
C. A great king lies in bed mysteriously ill.
D. An ill king's men search for a happy
man.
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Tip 4: Don't mistake a detail for a
main idea.
 Detail- a small part of the larger, whole passage.
 Examples:
 The king's stallion is black.
 The happy man lives in a tiny hut.
 **Test questions about main idea usually include
answer choices that are just details from the
passage.
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Tip 4: Continued
 Which of the answers are just details from
the story?
A. A king's son offers to buy a man's shirt.
B. A royal physician cannot cure his king.
C. A great king lies in bed mysteriously ill.
D. An ill king's men search for a happy
man.
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Tip 5: Test questions about the title are
questions about the main idea.
 You may see questions such as, “Why was
the passage given this title?” or “What
would be another good title for this
passage?”
 These are main idea questions in disguise.
 A good title gives you clues about the main
idea.
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Let’s Practice Tip # 5
 Which of the following would be another
good title for this passage?
A. “The Source of Happiness”
B. “Potions, Pills, and Lotions”
C. “A Fortune in Fashion”
D. “All the King's Men”
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Think about the theme of the passage.
 Theme is the lesson or message that the
writer wants to get across in his or her story.
 Themes usually relate to life or the way the
world works.
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 To find the theme, ask yourself: What lesson did
the main character in the story learn or fail to
learn?
 Theme questions may be worded these
ways:
 What is the theme of the passage?
 What is the moral of this story?
 What lesson is the author trying to teach?
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 Common themes:
 Too much pride can destroy a person
 Crime does not pay
 Don’t judge people until you have seen
life from their point of view
 It is better to tell the truth than to lie
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Let’s Practice
 Which sentence best states the theme of
“The King and the Shirt”?
A. Planning ahead can save a lot of work later.
B. True friends are with you even in the worst
times.
C. The things you own can never make you
happy.
D. Stay loyal to those people who are loyal to
you.
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Think About It…
What is one of the themes of
The Outsiders?
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Summing Up:
 Fiction and non-fiction passages have
main ideas.
 As soon as you finish reading, tell
yourself what the passage is mostly
about.
 Find the answer choice that is closest
to your statement of the main idea.
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Don’t mistake a detail for a main
idea.
Test questions about the title are
questions about the main idea.
Summarize what the author says.
Think about the theme of the
passage.
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The End!!
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