Reading Comprehension
🔒 Log in to trackMain idea, central theme and best-title questions
🔒 Log in to trackThese questions ask what the passage as a whole says. The main idea is the claim the author keeps returning to; the title is that claim compressed into a phrase.
Where the main idea lives: in the opening paragraph (often the first or last sentence of it) and again, restated, in the closing lines. Middle paragraphs supply support — examples, data, objections — and are rarely the theme themselves.
The whole-passage test. A correct theme/title must:
- be supported by every paragraph (not just one example),
- be covered by the passage (not drag in outside ideas),
- be no stronger than what the author claims.
Run the three failure checks on every option: too narrow (one paragraph's detail), too broad (a general truth the passage never argues), too extreme (adds always/never or a stance the author does not take).
Compression test for titles. Summarise the passage to yourself in ten words, then pick the option closest to your summary — never start from the options.
| Option type | What it looks like | How to kill it |
|---|---|---|
| Out of scope | True in the real world, never said in the passage | Ask: where is this stated? If nowhere, reject |
| Too extreme | uses always, never, only, must, completely | Passages usually argue moderately; extremes overstate |
| Reversal | says the opposite of a stated line | Re-read the line the option is built on |
| Too narrow / too broad | covers one example, or drags in ideas beyond the passage | A title must cover the WHOLE passage, not one paragraph |
| Verbatim bait | copies a phrase but changes its use | Word-for-word options in inference questions are usually wrong |
Example of scope: a passage that discusses heat islands in cities mainly to argue that local design fixes exist → theme = "urban heat is a local design problem with local solutions". "Global warming is heating the planet" is too broad; "white roofs reflect sunlight" is too narrow; "cities will become uninhabitable" is too extreme.
What is the main idea?
The main idea (also called the central idea or theme) is the one big point the whole passage makes. Every paragraph helps to support it. A title is the main idea squeezed into a short heading. The purpose is why the author wrote the passage — to inform, to argue, to warn, to encourage.
Everyday example: a friend talks for five minutes about late trains, crowded coaches and dirty platforms. The main idea is not "trains are late". It is "the railway service in our town is poor". Each complaint supports that one point.
Where to find it
- The first paragraph usually introduces the topic or problem.
- The last paragraph usually gives the author's conclusion or suggestion.
- Middle paragraphs give reasons, examples and data.
So the main idea = topic (from the start) + the author's point about it (often at the end).
The three tests for a correct main-idea option
- Covers the whole passage — not just one paragraph or one example. (Too narrow = wrong.)
- Stays inside the passage — does not add ideas the passage never discussed. (Too broad = wrong.)
- Matches the author's strength — does not say always, only, never when the author was moderate. (Too extreme = wrong.)
Worked example
Passage (short): "Many old stepwells lie full of garbage. Yet a few towns that cleaned them found they still collect rainwater and raise groundwater. Reviving them costs little."
- "Stepwells are full of garbage" → too narrow (only first line).
- "India faces a water crisis" → too broad (the passage talks only about stepwells).
- "Only stepwells can solve water shortage" → too extreme.
- "Cleaning old stepwells is a cheap way to improve water supply" → correct: covers all lines.
Title questions
A good title is short, covers the whole passage and often shows both sides if the passage has both. Titles with a colon ("Gig Work: Freedom with a Price") are common right answers because they hold two halves of the idea.
Title trap: a catchy option that names only the first example. If the passage starts with a farmer's story but is really about water policy, "A Farmer's Story" is too narrow.
Purpose questions
Look at the verbs the author uses:
| Author mainly… | Purpose word |
|---|---|
| gives facts, explains how something works | to inform / to explain |
| gives reasons for one side, says "should/must" | to argue / to persuade |
| points out a danger | to warn |
| praises something and asks readers to do it | to encourage |
| points out faults | to criticise |
If the passage is a neutral explanation, "to criticise" or "to persuade" is wrong even if the topic is serious.
Paragraph main point
Some questions ask the main point of just one paragraph. Apply the same three tests, but to that paragraph only. Its first sentence (the topic sentence) usually states the point.
Method (30–40 seconds)
- Before looking at options, say the main idea in about ten words.
- Remove options that are too narrow, too broad, or too extreme.
- Between two survivors, pick the one that includes the author's conclusion.
Question types you will see
Each type: how to recognise it, the method step by step, and one question to try.
Central idea / main theme of the passage
'The central idea/main theme of the passage is…', 'The passage is primarily concerned with…', 'Which option sums up the passage?'
Say the topic (from para 1) + the author's point (usually in the last para) in one line.
Cut options that cover only one paragraph (too narrow).
Cut options that talk about a bigger subject than the passage (too broad).
Cut options with only/always/never the author did not use (too extreme).
Why it works: the main idea must be supported by every paragraph, so partial or inflated options fail.
"Many families now buy bottled water. Yet a simple home filter gives safe water at a tenth of the cost, and it creates no plastic waste." The central idea is: (a) Bottled water is unsafe (b) Home filters are a cheaper, cleaner alternative to bottled water (c) Plastic waste is rising in India (d) All families should stop drinking water from taps
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Topic: bottled water. Author's point: a home filter is cheaper and creates no plastic. (a) is never said; (c) is too broad; (d) is extreme and unrelated. Answer: (b).
Most suitable title
'Which of the following is the most appropriate/suitable title for the passage?'
Build your ten-word summary first.
Reject titles that name only an example from one paragraph.
Reject dramatic titles that go beyond the author (e.g. 'The End of…', 'The Only Way…').
Prefer the title that covers both the problem and the author's answer if the passage has both.
A passage describes how a village built check dams, how its wells refilled and how farmers now grow two crops. Best title? (a) Check Dams Bring a Village Back to Life (b) How to Build a Wall (c) Farming in India (d) The Monsoon Always Fails
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(b) misses the effect, (c) is too broad, (d) is extreme and not discussed. (a) covers the action and the result. Answer: (a).
Author's primary purpose
'The author's main purpose is to…', 'The passage has been written mainly to…'.
Notice the author's verbs: explains (inform), should/must (argue), danger/risk (warn), praises + asks readers (encourage).
Match the purpose to the WHOLE passage, not to one sentence.
Reject purposes that are too strong (demand, prove) if the author only suggests.
"Fifteen minutes of reading to a child each evening builds vocabulary. It needs no costly books — a folk tale works as well. Busy parents can surely spare this time." The author's purpose is to: (a) criticise schools (b) encourage parents to read or tell stories to children daily (c) sell children's books (d) compare folk tales
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The author explains a benefit and then urges parents ('can surely spare this time'). Answer: (b).
Main point of one paragraph / best summary
'The second paragraph is mainly about…', 'What is the main point of the last paragraph?', 'Which option best summarises…'
Read the first sentence of that paragraph (the topic sentence).
Check that the option fits every sentence in that paragraph.
Reject options that describe another paragraph.
Para 2: "Discarded phones add to e-waste. Workers burn wires to get copper and breathe the fumes. New phones need fresh metals and energy." Para 2 is mainly about: (a) new phone features (b) the hidden costs of throwing gadgets away (c) the price of copper (d) government rules on repair
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Every sentence names a cost of discarding (waste, fumes, fresh resources). Answer: (b).
Shortcuts that save time
Read only the opening and closing sentences of the passage, plus the first sentence of each middle paragraph. That skeleton usually states or implies the theme — build your ten-word summary from it before looking at options.
Opening: 'Critics announced the death of the public library... The prediction has aged badly.' Closing: '...one of the few public institutions succeeding in both worlds.'
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Skeleton says: libraries were written off, but they now serve wider social roles and deserve recognition → theme = libraries remain vital public institutions, not relics.
The concept the author repeats in different words across paragraphs is the theme. If an option's core idea appears in only one paragraph, it is a detail, not the theme.
Titles are noun phrases ('The quiet comeback of the public library'); theme options are full claims. Do not reject a title for lacking a verb — reject it for wrong scope.
Mistakes to avoid
Where most students lose marks on this subtopic.
Picking a title that names only the first paragraph's example.
Choosing the broadest-sounding option; broadness without passage support is a trap, not a virtue.
Confusing the author's concluding suggestion with the theme — a suggestion supports the idea, it is not the whole idea.
Selecting an option because its words appear in the passage; theme options paraphrase, they rarely quote.
Quick revision
Read this the night before the exam.
Main idea = topic + author's point about it.
Check first and last paragraphs first.
Three killers: too narrow, too broad, too extreme.
Title = whole passage in a few words; colon titles often fit two-sided passages.
Purpose = why it was written: inform, argue, warn, encourage, criticise.
Make your own summary before reading options.
Practice: 12 questions
Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Every answer has a step-by-step explanation.
Topic test · 12 questions
Suggested time 8 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.