Question

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:

Option a only mentions agriculture and longhouses, which are details from the first paragraph. Option b encompasses the language, way of life (from the first paragraph), and the advanced self - government (from the second paragraph about the league/council). It is broad enough to cover all the main aspects of the passage.

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.