Date ______Name ______
Mr. Beilin Reading - ___
IMPLIED MAIN IDEA
The main idea is the central point of a paragraph or a longer text. It is the main thought the writer is making about the topic or subject matter. Sometimes the main idea is stated directly in the text, often in the first sentence.
Sometimes a selection lacks a directly stated main idea, but that does not mean it lacks a main idea. The author has simply decided to let the details of the selection suggest the main idea. You must figure out what that IMPLIED MAIN IDEA is by deciding upon the point of all the details.
I. Read Selection ONE on the accompanying sheet. Circle the letter of the sentence that expresses the implied main idea.
A. Standard AM radios could not pick up FM.
B. Several factors held back the growth in popularity of FM radios.
C. Many owners of AM stations also owned FM stations.
D. By moving FM to a different broadcast spectrum, the FCC made all existing FM radios useless.
II. Read Selection TWO on the accompanying sheet. Circle the letter of the sentence that expresses the implied main idea.
A. Orangutans live in the forests of Sumatra and Borneo.
B. Forests are being cut down worldwide for lumber and to create farmland.
C. The future of orangutans in Sumatra and Borneo is threatened.
D. Orangutans are intelligent apes that reproduce very slowly.
III. Read Selection THREE on the accompanying sheet. Circle the letter of the sentence that expresses the implied main idea.
A. Positive feedback is a very useful tool in managing motivation and performance.
B. To be effective, job feedback must be timely and accurate.
C. An annual performance evaluation is a poor feedback tool.
D. To be timely, feedback should be given as soon as possible after what is being evaluated takes place.
IV. Read the short article about “Prewriting” in selection FOUR.
Consider the key ideas in each of the three paragraphs and complete the idea web on the back of this sheet. Underline key details in each of the paragraphs as you read or re-read them.
IMPLIED MAIN IDEAS
I. Selection ONE
One factor that kept FM radio from developing as much as AM was that more people had AM radios than FM radios, and it was not possible to pick up FM shows on a standard AM radio. Moreover, many of the same people who owned AM stations also owned FM stations; to simplify the programming effort, they would broadcast the same show over both frequencies. So AM radio owners could listen to shows broadcast in FM. Third, after World War II, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) moved FM from the place it had originally occupied on the broadcast spectrum; this made all existing FM radios useless. Today, of course, FM is the more popular broadcast format and more people listen to FM radio than AM.
II. Selection TWO
Orangutans are intelligent apes that live in the forests of the Asian islands of Sumatra and Borneo. Because of a growing human population, those forests are being cut down for lumber and to create farmland. The less forest there is, the fewer the orangutans that can be supported. To add to the problem, orangutans reproduce very slowly. On average, females have just two or three babies over their lifetimes. Today, there are only two thousand orangutans in Borneo and even fewer in Sumatra.
III. Selection THREE
Feedback to workers should be timely. Timely feedback is that which occurs soon after a behavior occurs — the sooner the better. Although an annual job evaluation may be important for other reasons, it is not very effective as a feedback mechanism. The feedback must also be accurate. To maintain employee motivation and performance, give positive feedback to people doing the best work and negative feedback to people doing the poorest work. If people receive inappropriate feedback, the entire system looks foolish and will fail. It is also discouraging to give the same feedback to everyone.
Not everyone can be doing the best job (or the worst, either). If everyone receives the same feedback, then the feedback becomes meaningless, or worse. If
the better workers are receiving the same feedback as the poorer workers, the better workers may become less motivated and their performance may drop. Why perform well if you earn the same feedback (and rewards) as those doing less well?
IV. Selection IV
Read the short article and answer the questions below...
Prewriting refers to strategies you can use to generate ideas before starting the first draft of an essay. Prewriting can encourage imaginative exploration and therefore also help you discover what you already know about your subject and what more you need to find out. Having such a focus early in the writing process keeps you from plunging into your initial draft without first giving some thought to what you want to say. Prewriting thus saves you time in the long run by keeping you on course.
Prewriting can help in other ways, too. When we write, we often interfere with our ability to generate ideas because we continually critique (have negative thoughts about) what we put down on paper. We may think: “This makes no sense,” “This is stupid,” or “I don’t know how to explain that.” Such negative, self-critical comments stop the flow of our thoughts and can lead to “writer’s block.” We stop writing and feel “stuck.” When you pre-write your purpose is simply to get ideas down on paper without evaluating their effectiveness. Writing without immediately judging what you produce can set your mind free. Once you feel less pressure, you'll probably find that you can generate a good deal of ideas and supporting details. And that can make your confidence soar.
One final advantage of prewriting: The random associations typical of prewriting tap the mind's ability to make unusual connections. When you pre-write, you're like an archaeologist going on a dig. On the one hand, you may not find anything; on the other hand, you may stumble upon one interesting item after another. Prewriting helps you appreciate — right from the start — this element of surprise in the writing process. It can lead you to write that very clear and creative essay.
Adapted from Ten Steps to Advancing College Reading Skills, Third Edition, by John Langan. Copyright C 1999 by Townsend Press, Inc.. Reprinted by permission of Townsend Press. Implied Main Ideas and the Central Point pg. 119
MAIN IDEAS: Implied Page 1
M. Beilin 3/30/2009