READING FOR MAIN IDEA DANG-HOANG

What is the main idea of the following passage?

A letter of application is a sales letter in which you are both salesperson and product, for the purpose of an application is to attract an employer's attention and persuade him or her to grant you an interview. To do this, the letter presents what you can offer the employer, rather than what you want from the job.

• Advice on how to find a good job

• Things to avoid during a job interview

• Tips for writing an effective letter of application

• Differences between a résumé and a letter of application

What is the main idea of the following passage?

There are many African tribes but, for many people, the Masai are the most well-known. They are famous for their bright red clothing and their ceremonies with lots of music and dancing. Probably, one of the most colorful ceremonies is the festival of "Eunoto," when the teenage boys of the Masai become men.

• The ceremony that marks the beginning of Masai boys' adulthood

• The journey by Masai teenage boys to the festival of Eunoto

• The importance of Eunoto in African people's lives

• The reasons for the Masai's popularity over other African tribes

What is the main idea of the following passage?

Hawaii was originally settled by the natives of the South Pacific, who arrived in the islands in canoes laden with breadfruit, yams, taro, coconut, bananas, pigs, and chickens. Supplementing these food were over a hundred different edible fishes and 40 kinds of seaweed from the surrounding waters. Hawaiian food was eaten raw or wrapped into taro leaves, seasoned with coconut, and cooked.

• Hawaiian original foods come from the South Pacific.

• There are more than 100 fishes in Hawaii.

• South Pacific people were the first residents in Hawaii.

• People can eat Hawaiian foods in two ways.

What is the main idea of the following passage?

    In the early 1800s, the whalers and missionaries introduced stews, chowders, curries, corned beef, dried beef, salt salmon, and Indian and cornstarch puddings. Most likely, pipkaula (jerked beef), lomi lomi salmon, and haupia (coconut pudding) evoked during this period.

• Whalers and missionaries came to Hawaii in the nineteenth century.

• Whalers and missionaries brought new foods to Hawaii.

• Hawaiian people did not like foods brought by whalers and missionaries.

• Hawaiian gave local names to the foods brought by whalers and missionaries.

What is the main idea of the following paragraph?

In the late nineteenth century, immigrants from China, Japan, and Korea were brought to Hawaii to work the sugar plantations. The Chinese brought rice, soybeans, and vegetables and their ways of cooking them. The Japanese brought sukiyaki and teriyaki, among many other foods. Settlers from the continental United States also brought their favorite recipes and in the spirit of aloha, the Hawaiians have accepted each group's offerings and drawn the best from them. Thus, a Hawaiian feast is gastronomic experience, the essence of Hawaii and its many cultures.

• People from the continental US cooked the best.

• Asian people brought their food to Hawaii in the late nineteenth century.

• Asian people worked in sugar plantations in Hawaii.

• Hawaiian food is a good combination of local foods and foods from other countries.