Reading - Unmasking the Main Idea for CBEST Exam Study Guide

Answer

Use the Success Steps to help you answer the question.

1. The general topic seems to have to do with the DNA strands in the test tube and some marked ends that help people read them.
2. It looks as though a is off the topic because the passage does not mention criminal investigations.
3. Choice b seems too broad.
4. There don't seem to be any answer choices that are on the general topic but not the specific topic.
5. Choices d and e have to do with only one part of the passage.

You don't have to use steps 6 and 7, because you have one answer left: Choice c seems to fit.

Sample Passage and Question

Try your hand at another passage and main idea question.

Successful programs make the extended-time curriculum challenging but not overwhelming. Research indicates that a challenging curriculum should accommodate individual student needs, coordinate with other instruction, and focus on more than remedial work. For example, the TAP Summer Youth Employment Program, which serves a large number of students living in housing projects, teaches basic skills that students need for communicating with employers and coworkers, and it also provides students with the challenge of putting these skills to use while working in their communities.

2. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
   1. An Appropriately Challenging Curriculum
   2. Some Successful Programs
   3. Implementing Individualized Learning
   4. Steps in Curriculum Innovation
   5. The TAP Summer Youth Employment Program

Answer

Again, apply the seven Success Steps.

1. The passage seems to be about the curriculum for a program outside of school.
2. It looks as if all the choices are on the general topic.
3. Choices b and d are too broad.
4. Choice c is on the general topic, but not on the subject of the paragraph.
5. Choice e has to do with only a part of the passage. The paragraph is mostly about the elements of a challenging curriculum. Therefore, choice a would make the best title. Once again, you did not have to use steps 6 and 7.

Perfect Paraphrases

There will probably be at least one question that asks you to paraphrase an entire passage. Paraphrase questions can be troublesome because the choices are so long. However, only one of the five answers is correct, and a careful, attentive approach will help you find it.

Seven Success Steps for Paraphrase Questions

1. Read or skim the passage, noting or underlining main ideas as they flow from one to the other.
2. Look for phrases that restate the main ideas you underlined.
3. Eliminate answers that contain phrases that contradict ideas in the passage.
4. Eliminate answers that are off the topic or only address part of the passage.
5. Eliminate answers that include ideas that the author has not mentioned.
6. If you are left with two choices, choose the most complete one.
7. If you have eliminated every choice, take the paraphrase that contains the most main ideas without adding new ideas.

Paraphrase questions tend to start out like this:

• Which of the following best paraphrases the ideas in the passage?
• The best summary of the passage is …
• Which of the following is the best summation of the ideas in the passage?
• Which of the following best restates the main ideas of the passage?

How to Find Paraphrase Answers in the Passage

The main ideas of the passage can be found in each of the paragraphs, or in sections of the paragraphs. If you can follow the way the author has logically arranged the passage, you are more likely to find the correct answer to a paraphrase question.

Sample Passage and Question

Extended-time programs often feature innovative scheduling, as program staff work to maintain participation and respond to students' and parents' varied schedules and family or employment commitments. Offering students flexibility and some choice regarding when they participate in extended learning may be as simple as offering homework sessions when children need them most—after school and before dinner—as Kids Crew and the Omaha After-School Study Centers do. Or, it may mean keeping early and late hours to meet the childcare needs of parents who work more than one job or support extended families, as the Yuk Yau Child Development Center does. Another example of such flexibility is the Florida Summer Institute for At-Risk Migrant Students, which is a residential program so that students' participation does not disrupt their migrant families' travels.

3. Which of the following paraphrases best summarizes the passage?
   1. After-school programs should help children finish their homework after school.
   2. Kids Crew and other programs meet the needs of children.
   3. There are several ways to schedule programs outside of school time to meet the needs of students and families.
   4. Extended-time programs can be innovative, and Yuk Yau Child Development Center is an example of this.
   5. Extended hours may need to be late or early to accommodate families' needs.

Answer

1. The flow goes like this: innovative scheduling—family needs—examples: after school, early and late care, residential.
2. Choices a, c, d, and e have words and ideas noted in Step 1.
3. None of the choices is contrary to the passage. That tactic is usually used with persuasive passages.
4. The choices are all on the topic, but a, b, and e deal with only part of the paragraph.
5. All the ideas are in the passage.
6. You are left with choices c and d. Choice d only mentions only one example, and the passage gives three. Choice c does not mention any examples specifically, but encompasses all the examples as well as the idea of the paragraph. You can conclude that the answer is choice c, and you don't have to use step 7.

Six Success Steps for Author Questions

1. For author-purpose questions, eliminate answers that do not match the general topic. If it is a scientific passage, the author is probably objectively trying to disseminate information, so you might eliminate answers that suggest the author is trying to change the reader's behavior in any way. If it is a persuasive paragraph, however, the author is not simply conveying information. For questions on the author's intended audience, eliminate audiences that are significantly less or more technical than the author's style.
2. Eliminate answers that say the opposite of what the author is trying to say.
3. Look for a climax in the passage, a sentence or two that describes the author's purpose or audience. Then look for an answer that says the same thing in different words. Also, be on the lookout for clue words that could hint at the audience.
4. Look for words that indicate a change or shift in the author's meaning. Sometimes the author's purpose will follow words such as however, or be found somewhere in sentences beginning with words like although or instead of.
5. If you are looking for an author's tone, put the answer choices in order from very negative to very positive. Look for adjectives that describe the way the author feels about a topic; then look for synonyms or the same tone in the answer choices.
6. If you are left with two choices, look at the topic of the passage and decide what might be an appropriate response to the topic. If the topic discusses a dangerous future situation, an appropriate response of the author might be a warning.

Preparing for Main Idea Questions

For extra practice, check out some test books from the library that have reading comprehension sections and practice answering main idea questions until you feel very confident.