28/7/2014 Identifying Topics, Main Ideas, and Supporting Details--Reading Comprehension Guide--Academic Support

https://academic.cuesta.edu/acasupp/as/308.HTM 1/4

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Reading

Comprehension

Understanding

the Reading

Process

Levels of

Comprehension

Strengthening

Your Reading

Comprehension

Reading Rate

How to Read A

Textbook

Organizational

Patterns of a

Paragraph

Identifying

Topics, Main

Ideas and

Supporting

Details

Making

Inferences and

Drawing

Conclusions

Interpreting

What You Read

(Fact vs.

Opinion)

Techniques for

Concentrating

and

Remembering

Converting

Words Into

Pictures

Identifying Topics, Main Ideas, andSupporting Details

Understanding the topic, the gist, or the largerconceptual framework of a textbook chapter, anarticle, a paragraph, a sentence or a passage is asophisticated reading task. Being able to drawconclusions, evaluate, and critically interpret articlesor chapters is important for overall comprehension incollege reading. Textbook chapters, articles,paragraphs, sentences, or passages all have topicsand main ideas. The topic is the broad, general themeor message. It is what some call the subject. Themain idea is the "key concept" being expressed.Details, major and minor, support the main idea bytelling how, what, when, where, why, how much, orhow many. Locating the topic, main idea, andsupporting details helps you understand the point(s)the writer is attempting to express. Identifying therelationship between these will increase yourcomprehension.

Applying Strategy

The successful communication of any author's topic isonly as good as the organization the author uses tobuild and define his/her subject matter.

Grasping the Main Idea:

A paragraph is a group of sentences related to aparticular topic, or central theme. Every paragraph hasa key concept or main idea. The main idea is the mostimportant piece of information the author wants youto know about the concept of that paragraph.

When authors write they have an idea in mind thatthey are trying to get across. This is especially true asauthors compose paragraphs. An author organizeseach paragraph's main idea and supporting details insupport of the topic or central theme, and eachparagraph supports the paragraph preceding it.

A writer will state his/her main idea explicitlysomewhere in the paragraph. That main idea may bestated at the beginning of the paragraph, in the

28/7/2014 Identifying Topics, Main Ideas, and Supporting Details--Reading Comprehension Guide--Academic Support

https://academic.cuesta.edu/acasupp/as/308.HTM 2/4

middle, or at the end. The sentence in which the mainidea is stated is the topic sentence of thatparagraph.

The topic sentence announces the general theme ( orportion of the theme) to be dealt with in theparagraph. Although the topic sentence may appearanywhere in the paragraph, it is usually first - and fora very good reason. This sentence provides the focusfor the writer while writing and for the reader whilereading. When you find the topic sentence, be sure tounderline it so that it will stand out not only now, butalso later when you review.

Identifying the Topic:

The first thing you must be able to do to get at themain idea of a paragraph is to identify the topic - thesubject of the paragraph. Think of the paragraph as awheel with the topic being the hub - the central corearound which the whole wheel (or paragraph) spins.Your strategy for topic identification is simply to askyourself the question, "What is this about?" Keepasking yourself that question as you read a paragraph,until the answer to your question becomes clear.Sometimes you can spot the topic by looking for aword or two that repeat. Usually you can state thetopic in a few words.

Let us try this topic-finding strategy. Reread the firstparagraph on this page - the first paragraph under theheading Grasping the Main Idea. Ask yourself thequestion, "What is this paragraph about?" To answer,say to yourself in your mind, "The author keeps talkingabout paragraphs and the way they are designed. Thismust be the topic - paragraph organization." Rereadthe second paragraph of the same section. Askyourself "What is this paragraph about?" Did you sayto yourself, "This paragraph is about different ways toorganize a paragraph"? That is the topic. Next, rereadthe third paragraph and see if you can find the topic ofthe paragraph. How? Write the topic in the marginnext to this paragraph. Remember, getting the mainidea of a paragraph is crucial to reading.

The bulk of an expository paragraph is made up ofsupporting sentences (major and minor details), whichhelp to explain or prove the main idea. Thesesentences present facts, reasons, examples,definitions, comparison, contrasts, and other pertinentdetails. They are most important because they sellthe main idea.

The last sentence of a paragraph is likely to be aconcluding sentence. It is used to sum up adiscussion, to emphasize a point, or to restate all or

28/7/2014 Identifying Topics, Main Ideas, and Supporting Details--Reading Comprehension Guide--Academic Support

https://academic.cuesta.edu/acasupp/as/308.HTM 3/4

part of the topic sentence so as to bring theparagraph to a close. The last sentence may also be atransitional sentence leading to the next paragraph.

Of course, the paragraphs you'll be reading will bepart of some longer piece of writing - a textbookchapter, a section of a chapter, or a newspaper ormagazine article. Besides expository paragraphs, inwhich new information is presented and discussed,these longer writings contain three types ofparagraphs: introductory, transitional, andsummarizing.

Introductory paragraphs tell you, in advance, suchthings as (1) the main ideas of the chapter or section;(2) the extent or limits of the coverage; (3) how thetopic is developed; and (4) the writer's attitudetoward the topic. Transitional paragraphs are usuallyshort; their sole function is to tie together what youhave read so far and what is to come - to set thestage for succeeding ideas of the chapter or section.Summarizing paragraphs are used to restate brieflythe main ideas of the chapter or section. The writermay also draw some conclusion from these ideas, orspeculate on some conclusion based on the evidencehe/she has presented.

All three types should alert you: the introductoryparagraph of things to come; the transitionalparagraph of a new topic; and the summarizingparagraph of main ideas that you should have gotten.

Exercise:

Read the following paragraph and underline thestated main idea. Write down in your own wordswhat you are able to conclude from theinformation.

The rules of conduct during an examination are clear.No books, calculators or papers are allowed in the testroom. Proctors will not allow anyone with such itemsto take the test. Anyone caught cheating will be askedto leave the room. His or her test sheet will be taken.The incident will be reported to the proper authority.At the end of the test period, all materials will bereturned to the proctor. Failure to abide by these ruleswill result in a failing grade for this test.

Answer:

You should have underlined the first sentence in theparagraph - this is the stated main idea. What can beconcluded from the information is: If you do not followthe rules, you will automatically fail the test. Thisconcluding information is found in the last sentence.

28/7/2014 Identifying Topics, Main Ideas, and Supporting Details--Reading Comprehension Guide--Academic Support

https://academic.cuesta.edu/acasupp/as/308.HTM 4/4

You can't comprehend the subject matter if you haven'tidentifyied the topic, the main idea, and the supporting

details.

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