Type One: The Main Idea

C. President Kennedy’s wife was popular with the press

D. President Kennedy’s older brother had died during World War Two

All four of those answer choices are factually accurate statements. But only one of them can be

the correct answer choice. The question was asking specifically about why a manned trip to the

moon was important, and only option A answers the question. So remember: an answer choice

can be factually accurate and contain true information without being the correct answer to the

question. This may be different from tests that you have taken in the past, so do not be

confused when you see multiple answer choices with information that is factually correct.

Remember to focus on what the question is asking you.

The PRAXIS Reading test questions are divided into twelve skill areas. We will now look at each

of those twelve areas.

TYPE ONE: THE MAIN IDEA

You have probably been learning about the main idea since you were in elementary school. Of

course, when this concept is tested on the PRAXIS, its presentation will be a little more

sophisticated than what a young student learns. For one thing, you may find questions about

the main idea that use other language, such as:

Which of the following is the best summary of this passage? Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

What is the core concept in this passage? What is the theme of this passage?

What is the author’s primary purpose in this passage?

All of these questions are asking you to reflect on the main idea of the passage.

If you are struggling to figure out what the main idea is, it can be helpful to first think about the

topic. You should be able to state the topic in just a few words, such as “The Gilded Age” or

“scorpions.” Once you have identified the topic, ask yourself, “What is the author saying about

the topic?” And your answer might be something such as, “The Gilded Age was brought about

by rapid technological change” or “scientists recently discovered three new types of scorpions.”

Now you have the main idea: once you have identified what the author is saying about the

topic, you have the main idea.

When test takers have difficulty with main idea questions, it is often because they had a hard

time distinguishing the main idea from the details. We will talk more about details in a moment,

but for now, remember that a passage would still be fundamentally the same if you deleted any

particular detail, but it would not be the same if you deleted the main idea. You can use this

knowledge to distinguish between a main idea and a detail by asking yourself, “Would the

passage be completely different if this were missing?” If the answer to that question is “no,”

then it is a detail. If the answer to that question is “yes,” then it could be the main idea. Details

are included in a passage in order to support the main idea, but they are not the point of the

passage.

One other technique that you can use to be sure that you have correctly identified the main

idea is to quickly skim the passage and be sure that what you think is the main idea applies to

the entire passage. If there are several sentences that aren’t relevant, then you probably have

not correctly identified the main idea. Remember: the main idea has to describe the entire

passage and not just parts of it.

Let’s look at a sample reading passage followed by a main idea question:

In recent decades, there has, rightly, been an increased emphasis on the needs of urban

schools. Unfortunately, this emphasis has been accompanied by a near-complete neglect of the

situation of rural schools. Perhaps part of the problem is that policymakers are unaware that a

full one-third of school districts are located in rural areas. But whatever the cause, the unique

challenges faced by rural schools are left largely unaddressed, and so critical issues such as

teacher retention, technology development, and a lack of diversity contribute to poor

performance in many of these struggling systems.

Question: What is the author’s primary purpose in this passage?

A. to criticize the emphasis on urban education

B. to condemn policymakers for living in urban areas

C. to remind the reader of the number of rural school districts

D. to emphasize the need to address challenges in rural schools

The correct answer to this question is option D. Overall, the passage is concerned with the fact

that rural schools do not receive enough attention, given their unique problems. Option A is not

correct, although it requires very close reading to determine that. Notice that the passage does

not actually criticize the attention given to urban education, but rather the author criticizes the

lack of attention given to rural schools without saying that attention to urban schools is a

problem. Options B and C are incorrect: notice that they contain some ideas and words from

the passage but go beyond what the passage states. The passage doesn’t condemn

policymakers for living in urban areas; it just points out that they might not be aware of the

number of students who live in rural areas. The passage doesn’t say anything about where the

policymakers live or should live. Similarly, the passage includes a reference to the number of

students who are in rural districts, but that statistic isn’t the point of the passage. Instead, it is a

detail used to support the main point of the passage.

Let’s try another sample passage followed by a main idea question.

Parenting can be described on a continuum from authoritarian to permissive. Authoritarian

parenting can best be summarized as expecting the child to be instantly obedient. At the

opposite end of the spectrum are permissive parents, who do not set consistent limits for their

children. Both ends of the spectrum result in children who are less well adjusted: children of

authoritarian parents tend not to learn the reasons why rules exist and therefore have trouble

once their parents are no longer managing their affairs, while children of permissive parents

struggle with a lack of security and connection. The happy medium is to be found when parents

set reasonable limits and enforce them by explaining to their children why the rules are

important.

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