Question

canadian history
lesson 1
main idea
what the paragraph or
article is about;
the broadest, most
important idea
topic sentence
a sentence that tells
the reader what the
paragraph is about
tip
to find the main idea
of a paragraph, look
at the first or last
sentence. one of these
is often the topic
sentence. if you can’t
find a topic sentence,
look at the details.
what main idea do
they point to or
support?
studying canadian history helps us understand who we are and
how we came to be that way. canadian history is an important part of
the ged social studies test, making up 25 percent of the test questions.
european colonization of
north america
identifying the main idea
the most important idea, or point, of a story or paragraph is the
main idea. you need to look for the main idea when you read and
study and when you take the ged test.
how can you find the main ideas of a passage? first note how
many paragraphs it has. you should find a main idea in each
paragraph. looking at these main ideas all together will point you to
the main idea for the whole passage.
each paragraph focuses on a single topic—the main idea. the
main idea is presented in the topic sentence, which often appears
as the first or last sentence of the paragraph. every other sentence in
the paragraph supports this main idea. sometimes the main idea is
not stated clearly in one sentence. in that case, ask yourself, “what
one thing is the writer discussing throughout the paragraph?”
read the passage and answer the question below.
the term iroquois has several meanings. it applies to a group of
aboriginal people, their language, and their way of life. the iroquois-
speaking people lived in a region of north america called the eastern
woodlands. more than 500 years ago, the iroquois practised agriculture
and lived in rectangular longhouses that lodged a dozen or more families.
in the fifteenth century, the iroquois formed a league or council of five
peoples so that they could stand together against invasion. the council
had complex systems for choosing leaders and making important
decisions.
write m next to the sentence that best expresses the main idea of
the passage.
____ a. the term iroquois refers to a group of north american
aboriginal tribes who practised agriculture and lived in
longhouses.
____ b. the people referred to as iroquois spoke the same language
and had a distinct way of life and an advanced system of
self - government.
you are correct if you chose option b. the idea it expresses is broad
enough to include the information from both paragraphs.

Explanation:

The passage discusses the Iroquois, including their language, way of life, and self - government system. Option b encompasses these aspects (language, distinct way of life, advanced self - government) from both paragraphs. Option a only focuses on agricultural practice and longhouses (from the first paragraph) and misses the self - government part (from the second paragraph).

Answer:

b. The people referred to as Iroquois spoke the same language and had a distinct way of life and an advanced system of self - government.