TSIA2 Boot Camp - Identifying Main Idea

Fill in the Blank

The main ___ of a passage is the big takeaway the author wants you to understand.

Multiple Select

Identify which strategies can help you identify the main ideas of a passage. Choose all that apply.

• Watch for summaries or big-picture statements.

• Look at the first and last sentences.

• Assume the author is trying to trick you.

• Check for repeated words or concepts.

• Eliminate answer choices that focus on one small detail.

Multiple Choice

Passage: Janaki Ammal, widely regarded as a pioneering figure in the field of botany, holds the distinction of being India’s first female plant scientist and remains celebrated for her enduring scientific legacy. Her professional career was characterized by a relentless pursuit of ecological preservation and scientific inquiry, extending well into her later years. At the age of 80, Ammal staunchly opposed the development of a hydroelectric power facility that threatened a biologically rich tropical forest, demonstrating her unwavering commitment to environmental conservation. While this singular act garnered public attention, it represents only a fragment of her broader contributions; the cumulative impact of her extensive body of work continues to influence ecological and botanical research, preserving her memory in the scientific community and beyond.

Question: We can conclude from the information in the passage that the main idea is

• Janaki Ammal is considered India’s most prominent scientist primarily for her opposition to the construction of a hydroelectric power plant in a tropical forest.

• Janaki Ammal was a renowned female botanist whose life’s work focused exclusively on safeguarding ecological diversity within forested regions.

• Janaki Ammal’s scientific achievements and lifelong environmental advocacy formed a lasting legacy that continues to shape ecological and botanical research.

• Janaki Ammal, at 80 years old, resisted industrial development in an attempt to protect a tropical forest, highlighting her ongoing involvement in conservation efforts.

Multiple Choice

Which main idea matches the passage?

• Marine life is increasingly threatened by human activity and climate change, and while there are efforts to help, the damage is ongoing.

• Green and loggerhead sea turtles each have unique characteristics and habitats.

Multiple Choice

Which main idea matches the passage?

• Marine life is increasingly threatened by human activity and climate change, and while there are efforts to help, the damage is ongoing.

• Green and loggerhead sea turtles each have unique characteristics and habitats.

Multiple Choice

Passage: Erosion is the gradual displacement of rock, soil, or sediment caused by natural agents such as wind, water, or ice. These forces operate through both destructive and constructive processes, where material is first dislodged or worn away, then transported and deposited elsewhere. For example, wind can lift fine particles into the air, removing surface layers from landforms, while rivers carry sediment downstream to new locations. Glaciers scrape across the Earth’s surface in colder climates, displacing rock and depositing it as they melt. Erosion plays a critical role in shaping landscapes, redistributing material across regions and contributing to both degradation and formation of physical features.

Question: Which statement best expresses the main idea of the passage?

• Erosion changes land by shifting materials through various naturally occurring environmental forces.

• Erosion occurs when glaciers carry and drop debris across frozen or mountainous regions.

• Erosion usually happens where rivers or wind displace sediment across bare terrain.

• Erosion mostly destroys land and rarely contributes to building new geographic features.

Multiple Choice

Passage: For nearly a millennium, the Roman Empire exerted political, legal, and cultural influence across much of the known world, establishing centralized authority and relative order throughout its vast territories. Despite Rome’s enduring contributions to modern government, law, and civic life, its dominance was not permanent. The empire’s eventual collapse had far-reaching consequences, particularly for Western Europe, which was left politically fragmented and vulnerable to external invasions. In the absence of a unifying state, regional monarchs increased taxation to fund defense, which in turn sparked internal unrest and economic instability. Simultaneously, technological and intellectual progress deteriorated, as infrastructure decayed and scholarly institutions declined. Although the fall of Rome marked the end of an era, it also catalyzed the beginning of the Middle Ages, a period shaped by the enduring void left in Rome’s wake.

Question: Which of the following best expresses the central idea of the passage?

• The Roman Empire ruled with authoritarian control that spread fear and division across ancient Europe.

• A lack of centralized government caused Rome’s economy to collapse and technology to disappear.

• Rome’s fall ended a period of stability and ushered in a fragmented and turbulent era for Western Europe.

• The collapse of Rome had significant political, economic, and cultural consequences that reshaped the course of Western European history.

Multiple Choice

Passage: River valley civilizations played a foundational role in shaping classical civilizations. Typically located near fertile rivers, societies such as the Egyptians (Nile), Chinese (Yellow River), and Indians (Indus) developed sophisticated political hierarchies, administrative systems, and public infrastructure that set enduring precedents. Their governance models included codified authority structures and large-scale coordination of labor, particularly in agriculture and urban planning. Perhaps most transformative was their development of written communication systems, which enabled record-keeping, taxation, and centralized control across diverse populations. While some systems, like Ancient Chinese script, posed learning challenges due to their complexity, they also allowed for administrative unification over linguistically varied territories. These early innovations—political, infrastructural, and linguistical—not only supported internal cohesion but also influenced the evolution of subsequent civilizations by providing adaptable models for managing increasingly complex societies.

Question: The passage is primarily about

• River valley civilizations used military power to expand their territory and dominate other societies through conquest and occupation.

• River valley civilizations emerged near rivers and became early centers of agriculture, trade, and technological development.

• All later civilizations originated from river valley cultures and copied their political systems, writing, and infrastructure entirely.

• River valley civilizations introduced lasting models of governance, infrastructure, and writing that shaped the growth of later civilizations.