All well-written paragraphs have a main idea, which is what the paragraph is about. Questions dealing with main ideas may be written in different ways on the TOEFL Test. Here are some examples:
| What is | the main topic of the main idea of the subject of the main idea expressed in the main purpose of the primary topic of the primary purpose of the main theme in |
the passage? |
| The passage | deals mainly with is mainly about |
|
| The passage | deals mainly with is mainly about |
The topic of a reading passage is usually given in the first sentence, although you may find it in the second for larger passages. Read the following paragraph.
Our Solar System consists of two main parts: the Sun at the centre and the planets around it. There are eight planets, and they can be divided into two categories (the inner and outer planets) which have characteristics that make them quite different.
In the preceding paragraph, the topic, the Solar System, is stated in the first sentence. In the following paragraph, the main topic is stated in the last sentence.
When the storm hit the town of Trapping, most residents were not aware that it would be one of the largest hurricanes in recorded history. They waited until it was over, huddled together in basements and storm shelter, and only then could then emerge from hiding and begin to see what damage had been done and what the rebuilding would entail.
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