theauthorsmessage,idea,point,concept,ormeaningheor（7页）.docVIP

The author’s message, idea, point, concept, or meaning he or she wants to portray to the reader is what is known as the main idea of the passage. It may also be referred to as the controlling idea, central idea, or gist. You, as the reader, must understand the importance in grasping the main idea the author portrays. The Main Idea is essential because: It helps you gain an understanding for further subtle clues in the reading. It helps you understand the point or object of the passage. It helps you answer other questions that test critical skills. An easier way to understand how to derive the main idea of the passage is to ask the question, “What is the point?” Your answer should be complete enough to cover the main points, and give a general summary about what the point is. Suppose Bill Gates was giving a presentation to a group of computer programmers. The main idea of his lecture would be computers, specifically Microsoft. To make it more specific, we can probably narrow his topic to programs for Microsoft Windows. Here is a technique to help you identify the main idea of an article. Topic/question/answer Model Identify the Topic. Determine the topic or subject by glancing quickly through the passage Question. Ask the key question: “What does the author want me to know about the topic?” Follow it up with: “What about dogs does the author want me to know?” Answer. The answer to the previous questions will make specific the message of the passage. Example: Identify the Topic: Music Question - Answer What does the author want me to know about the topic? – Music is beneficial to one’s health. What about music and health does the author want me to know? – Infants, when exposed to classical music, have increased brain activity. Journalistic Model The journalistic model goes back to the primitive Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How questions. The basic, most important questions that must be answered are Who – identifies the subject