Main Idea/Topic Sentence Once you have found the topic of the text, you can then find the main idea or the topic sentence. The main idea explains the topic being discussed in the text supported by the details in the following sentences in the text.
Text 1
Music can be an effective study tool. Some people say that music helps them to relax and to focus better on what they are learning. Some studies show that many students actually perform better when they listen to artists like Beethoven, and Mozart while studying.
The main idea is the first sentence of the text which is “Music can be an effective study tool” because later it is supported by the details in the following sentences that show the effectiveness of music.
In many texts, the main idea is commonly located in the first sentence. However, the main idea is not always supposed to be in the first sentence. For instance :
Text 2
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… Oh it’s just a leaf. What does that mean? It’s autumn! Autumn, or fall, marks the transition from summer to winter. There are several different ways to recognize this transition without looking at the calendar. For instance, if the leaves start to change colors, and fall off, this is a good marker that it is autumn. The temperature, in many parts of the world, will also start to drop.
The topic of this text is autumn because it is repeated and everything is referring to it. Moreover, the first sentence of the text is not the main idea. “Autumn, or fall, marks the transition from summer to winter” is the main idea because later it is supported by the details in the following sentences that show the transitions of autumn.
**Note : notice that topics are expressed as words or phrases, and main ideas are expressed in sentences**
Contoh Soal
The global number of confirmed COVID-19 cases surpassed 100 million on Tuesday. The actual number of cases is likely much higher, experts say, but cases have been underreported due to inadequate testing and contact tracing. More than 2 million people have died of the virus worldwide, including 420,000 Americans, but that number is also believed to be higher. There has been a sharp increase in cases since last summer — there were 25 million global coronavirus cases at the end of August, and that number doubled to 50 million by mid-November. The United States has had the world's worst coronavirus outbreak, and while the number of new daily cases has declined in recent days, the number of deaths has not; on average, more than 3,000 COVID-19 deaths are reported daily in the U.S.
A. The United States had the world’s worst coronavirus outbreak.
B. The global number of COVID-19 cases keeps increasing.
C. The number of COVID-19 deaths reaches dramatic rising.
D. There are miscalculations on COVID-19 cases.
E. No track of surviving cases are reported.
Pembahasan :
Tipe soal ini adalah Finding Main Idea yang bertujuan untuk menemukan ide pokok dalam teks yang disajikan. Ide pokok biasanya terdapat pada awal atau akhir teks, jadi fokuslah pada kalimat pertama dan terakhir pada bacaan yang disediakan.z
Ide pokok dari teks di atas berada pada kalimat pertama, yakni tentang jumlah kasus COVID-19 yang mencapai 100 juta per hari Selasa. kalimat -kalimat selanjutnya menjelaskan ide pokok tersebut tentang bagaimana angka kasus semakin meningkat dan keadaan semakin memburuk.
Jawaban yang tepat untuk soal di atas adalah B (The global number of COVID-19 cases keeps increasing), atau angka kasus COVID-19 secara global terus meningkat.
Opsi A (The United States had the world’s worst coronavirus outbreak.) salah karena merupakan kalimat penjelas.
Opsi C (The number of COVID-19 deaths reaches dramatic rising.)</i> salah, karena tidak disebutkan angka peningkatan kasus kematian karena COVID-19 di dalam teks.
Opsi D (There are miscalculations on COVID-19 cases.) salah, karena detail mengenai salah hitung kasus yang dilaporkan merupakan kalimat penjelas.
Opsi E <i>(No track of surviving cases are reported.)</i> salah, karena tidak disebutkan kasus orang yang sembuh dari COVID-19 di dalam teks.
Main Idea/Topic Sentence Once you have found the topic of the text, you can then find the main idea or the topic sentence. The main idea explains the topic being discussed in the text supported by the details in the following sentences in the text.
Text 1
Music can be an effective study tool. Some people say that music helps them to relax and to focus better on what they are learning. Some studies show that many students actually perform better when they listen to artists like Beethoven, and Mozart while studying.
The main idea is the first sentence of the text which is “Music can be an effective study tool” because later it is supported by the details in the following sentences that show the effectiveness of music.
In many texts, the main idea is commonly located in the first sentence. However, the main idea is not always supposed to be in the first sentence. For instance :
Text 2
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… Oh it’s just a leaf. What does that mean? It’s autumn! Autumn, or fall, marks the transition from summer to winter. There are several different ways to recognize this transition without looking at the calendar. For instance, if the leaves start to change colors, and fall off, this is a good marker that it is autumn. The temperature, in many parts of the world, will also start to drop.
The topic of this text is autumn because it is repeated and everything is referring to it. Moreover, the first sentence of the text is not the main idea. “Autumn, or fall, marks the transition from summer to winter” is the main idea because later it is supported by the details in the following sentences that show the transitions of autumn.
**Note : notice that topics are expressed as words or phrases, and main ideas are expressed in sentences**
Contoh Soal
The global number of confirmed COVID-19 cases surpassed 100 million on Tuesday. The actual number of cases is likely much higher, experts say, but cases have been underreported due to inadequate testing and contact tracing. More than 2 million people have died of the virus worldwide, including 420,000 Americans, but that number is also believed to be higher. There has been a sharp increase in cases since last summer — there were 25 million global coronavirus cases at the end of August, and that number doubled to 50 million by mid-November. The United States has had the world's worst coronavirus outbreak, and while the number of new daily cases has declined in recent days, the number of deaths has not; on average, more than 3,000 COVID-19 deaths are reported daily in the U.S.
A. The United States had the world’s worst coronavirus outbreak.
B. The global number of COVID-19 cases keeps increasing.
C. The number of COVID-19 deaths reaches dramatic rising.
D. There are miscalculations on COVID-19 cases.
E. No track of surviving cases are reported.
Pembahasan :
Tipe soal ini adalah Finding Main Idea yang bertujuan untuk menemukan ide pokok dalam teks yang disajikan. Ide pokok biasanya terdapat pada awal atau akhir teks, jadi fokuslah pada kalimat pertama dan terakhir pada bacaan yang disediakan.z
Ide pokok dari teks di atas berada pada kalimat pertama, yakni tentang jumlah kasus COVID-19 yang mencapai 100 juta per hari Selasa. kalimat -kalimat selanjutnya menjelaskan ide pokok tersebut tentang bagaimana angka kasus semakin meningkat dan keadaan semakin memburuk.
Jawaban yang tepat untuk soal di atas adalah B (The global number of COVID-19 cases keeps increasing), atau angka kasus COVID-19 secara global terus meningkat.
Opsi A (The United States had the world’s worst coronavirus outbreak.) salah karena merupakan kalimat penjelas.
Opsi C (The number of COVID-19 deaths reaches dramatic rising.)</i> salah, karena tidak disebutkan angka peningkatan kasus kematian karena COVID-19 di dalam teks.
Opsi D (There are miscalculations on COVID-19 cases.) salah, karena detail mengenai salah hitung kasus yang dilaporkan merupakan kalimat penjelas.
Opsi E <i>(No track of surviving cases are reported.)</i> salah, karena tidak disebutkan kasus orang yang sembuh dari COVID-19 di dalam teks.