ENGLISH: Implied Main Idea

ENGLISH: Implied Main Idea

The two basic parts of anything you read: a main idea and the supporting details that explain and develop that idea.

As you have seen, the main idea may be clearly stated in one sentence of a selection. 

However, sometimes the main idea is implied—only suggested by the supporting details and not clearly stated in one sentence.

The reader must figure out such an implied main idea by considering the supporting details.

Sometimes a selection lacks a sentence that directly states the main idea. In such cases, the author has simply decided to let the details of the selection suggest the main idea.

You must figure out what that implied idea is by deciding upon the point all the details support.

To decide on the main idea, we must ask the same three questions we’ve already used to find main ideas:

•  “Who or what is this paragraph about?” That will be the topic.
•  “What is the main point the author is    trying to make about that topic?”
•   And when we think we know the main point, we can test it by asking, “Does all or most of the material in the paragraph support this idea?”

Redo the assignment until you earn all the points!!

Directions: Read the group of supporting details or the paragraph. Then click on the answer that best states the implied main idea of the information.

EXAMPLE

Support:

• In most fad diets, the dramatic initial weight loss is mostly just a loss of water from the body.
• Fad diets suggest unrealistic foods to eat and avoid, causing dieters to soon give up.
• Fad diets tend to ignore exercise, which is a crucial element of any good weight-loss program.

The implied main idea of these sentences is:

ANSWER: b

The implied main idea is "Fad diets typically fail for several reasons."  

The support explains the reasons fad diets typically fail.