The reading part of the TOEFL test will have several questions about the main idea of a passage. Questions can be worded in several
ways; for example, you may be asked to identify the topic, the title, or main idea.
With this type of questions we will
have to recognize the main theme or the primary thoughts of the passage, as
well as what the writer is trying to convey to us before all, we have to
understand what is the main sentence that is given as a basis in that research,
we know that this is sometimes in a scientific way or any other particular
subject.
Now let's see the example:
The
passage:
Basketball
was invented in 1891 by a physical education instructor in Springfield,
Massachusetts, by the name of James Naismith. Because of the terrible weather
in winter, his physical education students were indoors rather than outdoors.
They really did not like the idea of boring, repetitive exercises and preferred
the excitement and challenge of a game. Naismith figured out a team sport that
could be played indoors on agymnasium floor, that involved a lot of running,
that kept all team members involved, and that did not allow the tackling
andphysical contact of American-style football.
The
question:
What
is the main idea of this passage?
(A)
The life of James Naismith
(B)
The history of sports
(C)
Physical education and exercise
(D)
The origin of basketball
As
you can see in the first sentence discusses the invention of basketball, so
this is probably the topic. A quick check of the rest of the sentences in the
passage con firms that the topic is in fact the beginnings of the sport of
basketball. Now you should check each of the answers to determine which one
comes closest to the topic that you have determined. Answer (A) mentions James
Naismith but not basketball, so it is not the topic. Answer (B) is too general;
it mentions sports but does not mention basketball. Answer (C) is also too
general; it mentions physical education but does not mention basketball. The
best answer is therefore answer (D); the origin of basketball means that the
invention of basketball is going to be discussed.
For more information, watch this video: CLIC HERE FOR WATCHING
No hay comentarios.:
Publicar un comentario