2. What is a topic?
"A topic is a word or phrase that tells what
the author is writing about in a paragraph."
"The topic of a passage is a word or phrase
that labels the subject but does not reveal
the specific contents of the passage."
3. To find the topic of a
paragraph or passage,
ask yourself:
Who or what is this
paragraph about?
4. Clues to Topic Location
The topic can . . .
Appear as a heading or title:
Doing Business and Learning About a Culture
Through Its Language
Appear in special type such as bold print,
italics, or color:
"A felony is a serious crime . . . A misdemeanor
is a minor offense, . . ."
5. Be repeated throughout the paragraph:
"Claustrophobia. Acrophobia. Xenophobia. Although
these sound like characters in a Greek tragedy, they are
actually members of a class of psychological disorders
known as phobias. . . ."
"Before the age of 13, Isaac Newton had invented the
mathematical methods . . . His was a lonely . . . His
father died . . ., and after his mother remarried, he was
raised by . . . In 1661, he was admitted to Cambridge
University, . . ."
Appear once and then referred to by
pronouns or other words
6. "Topics are general categories, like titles,
but they are not main ideas."
What is the topic for each set of items?
1) shirt, pants,
jacket, sweater
CLOTHES
2) history, reading,
math, English COURSES
7. 3) Texas, Arizona,
Pennsylvania, Virginia
STATES
4) corn, peas,
oranges, apples
FRUITS AND
VEGETABLES
5) basketball, volleyball,
baseball, hockey SPORTS
What is the topic for each set of items?
8. What is a stated main idea?
"A stated main idea is the sentence in a
paragraph that contains both the topic and the
author’s single most important point about the
topic."
"The main idea of a passage is the central
message that the author is trying to convey
about the material."
9. To find the main idea of a
paragraph or passage, ask yourself:
What is the most important
point the author wants me to
understand about the topic?
10. Where can the main idea
appear in a paragraph?
At the beginning of the paragraph
At the end of the paragraph
Within the paragraph
11. At the beginning of the paragraph:
"Beginning a new job is always
exciting and sometimes intimidating.
There is an invigorating feeling of a
fresh start and a clean slate. You face
new challenges and draw on a renewed
sense of energy as you approach them.
But you may also feel apprehensive . . . "
12. At the end of the paragraph:
“. . .Most Anglo-Americans, for instance, see the
extensive family obligations of Hispanics as a
burdensome arrangement that inhibits individual
freedom. Hispanics, in contrast, view the isolated
nuclear family of Anglo-Americans as a lonely
institution that cuts people off from the love and
assistance of their kin. This tendency to view
one's own cultural patterns as good and right
and those of others as strange or even immoral
is called ethnocentrism."
13. Within the paragraph:
" Jim always seems to score well on tests. How
does he do it? Jim offers these tips for
successful studying. The first step is to decide
what to study. Find out what topics will be
covered on the test. Next, organize your notes
and other materials on these topics. Third, make
study guides to use as memory aids. Your final
step is to review your notes and study guides
until you feel confident about taking the test."
14. "All organisms must insure that their offspring have a
reasonable chance to survive and begin a new
generation. Plants, however, face special challenges.
Plants do not have nervous systems, and they are not
able to run away from predators or pests. Because
nearly all plants live in fixed positions, they must
also manage to find mates without being able to
move around. Therefore they have evolved strategies
for dealing with these problems that are essentially
passive. An important part of such strategies is a
reproductive pattern enabling each individual to
produce large numbers of offspring."
15. Where is the main idea located?
"Plants, however, face special
challenges."
Within the paragraph (second sentence):
What is the most important point the
author wants you to know about
plants?
16. "Taking vitamins may be beneficial to
your health for several reasons. For one
thing, vitamins provide essential
nutrients that may be lacking in your
diet. Also, some vitamins may reduce
your risk of cancer and other diseases.
Finally, vitamins may increase your
energy and improve your well-being."
17. Where is the main idea located?
At the beginning of the paragraph:
"Taking vitamins may be beneficial
to your health for several reasons."
What is the most important point
the author wants you to know about
vitamins?
18. "Within the organization, information may be
transmitted from superiors to subordinates
(downward communication), from subordinates
to superiors (upward communication), among
people at the same level on the organizational
chart (horizontal communication), and among
people in different departments within the
organization (cross-channel communication).
These four types of communication make up the
organization's formal communication
network."
(Ober, Contemporary Business Communications, 1995)
19. What is the most important point
the author wants you to know about
formal communication network?
Where is the main idea located?
At the end of the paragraph:
"These four types of communication
make up the organization's formal
communication network."
20. Summary
A topic is a word or phrase that tells what the
author is writing about in a paragraph
clues
to find
topic are
topic as heading or title
topic in special type
topic repeated in paragraph
topic appears once and then
referred to by pronouns or
other words
21. Summary
A stated
main idea is
sentence in a paragraph that
expresses the most important
point about the topic
a main idea
can be
located
at the beginning of the
paragraph
at the end of the paragraph
within the
paragraph
22. Bibliography
Cortina, Joe and Janet Elder. (2002). Opening
Doors: Understanding College Reading. New
York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Kanar, Carol. (2000). Becoming a Confident
Reader. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Smith, Brenda. (2000). Bridging the Gap: College
Reading. New York: Longman.
