Brainpop Main Idea

Which term best describes the main idea of a piece of writing?

• A supporting detail

• A central point

• A broad topic

• A statement of opinion

In the phrase, "The main idea is buttressed by supporting details," what is the best synonym for "buttressed?"

• Backed

• Refuted

• Confounded

• Weakened

In an essay, details serve a similar function to:

• An instruction manual for putting together furniture.

• The characters in a work of fiction.

• Blank pages in a notebook.

• The evidence an attorney uses to convict a criminal.

If you read an essay explaining why eating healthy foods is good for you, what would the topic be?

• Healthy foods include fruits, vegetables, and lean protein.

• Healthy foods

• Eating healthy foods is good for you.

• Eating is necessary to sustain life.

In the same article about healthy foods, what would the main idea be?

• Healthy foods include fruits, vegetables, and lean protein

• Healthy foods

• Eating healthy foods is good for you

• Eating is necessary to sustain life

What supporting detail might you find in the same article?

• That people who eat healthy foods live longer.

• That healthy foods include vegetables and protein.

• That healthy foods are good for you.

• That eating is necessary to sustain life.

If you wanted to find the main idea in a piece of writing, where would you look?

• In the first sentence

• In the first sentence of the second paragraph

• In the last sentence of the first paragraph.

• There's no one place where the main idea is always found.

If you can't figure out the main idea of a passage, what should you do?

• Try to recall every specific detail in the passage

• Ask yourself general questions about the passage.

• Read the passage once and don't look at it again.

• Read the passage over and over until you have it memorized.

In what section of a newspaper would you find articles with topics and main ideas? Choose the best answer.

• On the editorial page.

• In the letters to the editor.

• In the main news section.

• In virtually every section of the paper.

What inference can you make about main ideas in writing?

• They're always based in fact, and never opinion.

• To be effective, they must be supported by facts

• In many essays, they have nothing to do with the topic.

• Most pieces of writing lack main ideas.