IXL | Determine the main idea of a passage

Read the passage.

Wild West Boomtowns

In 1848, a few builders discovered gold in California. Hearing the news, many people moved out West in a hurry. This push west for gold was called the Gold Rush. Thanks to the Gold Rush, small towns grew into big and busy ones almost overnight. These fast-growing towns were called boomtowns. Only a few people got rich searching for gold. Others made money by selling things like food and clothing to people in the boomtowns.

What is the main, or central, idea of the passage?

The Gold Rush turned small California towns into boomtowns.

During the Gold Rush, most people got rich.

ref_doc_title.

Learn with an example

question

Read the passage.

It's Simple! It's Magic!

white-gloved hands holding a black hat and a wand

A good magic trick makes people believe they are seeing something amazing. But magic doesn't have to be hard to look real. One easy trick is to "bend" a spoon. First, hold the spoon's handle inside your hands with the end of the handle under your thumbs. Push the spoon's bowl down on the table. Next, let the handle slide down inside your hands. Since your hand is covering part of the handle, it will look like the spoon is bent.

What is the main, or central, idea of the passage?

It's easy to make a spoon appear to bend.

All magic tricks can be easy.

key idea

A main, or central, idea is what a text is mostly about. Usually, it is the key point that the author wants the reader to remember. The details in a text support, prove, or show the main idea.

solution

The main, or central, idea of the passage is It's easy to make a spoon appear to bend.

The title suggests that magic can be simple. The details in the passage tell about how to do one magic trick. This tells you that the main idea is about doing one easy magic trick.

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Not feeling ready yet? These can help:

G.1Use key details to determine the main idea

W.3Organize information by topic

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