Part One: Video Lesson
Watch this short video about main ideas and supporting details.
Part Two: Example Questions
What will questions like this look like on the GED® Exam?
- The main idea of the passage seems to be?
- What details form the text support the authors notion that….
- Which of the following quotations best describes the main idea of the third paragraph?
Part Three: Practice Questions
Below is an excerpt from SleepBearDunes.com, an informational, travel website about Sleeping Bear Dunes in Northern Michigan. Read the excerpt then answer the questions that follow.
“During the Ice Age, continental glaciers spread southward from Canada repeatedly burying the area under ice. Those massive glaciers enlarged river valleys and carved out the wide, deep basins of the Great Lakes. They also created “Perched Dunes” which are dunes formed by glacial sands deposited on plateaus high above the shore. The Sleeping Bear Dunes are an easily accessible, beautiful example of this type of dune. As the glaciers melted, many of their carvings were filled with melted water and the setting we know today began to emerge.”
1. Which sentence below best describes the main idea of the paragraph?
A. The formation of the Sleeping Bear Dunes was a complex process.
B. It is impossible to understand how the Sleeping Bear Dunes were formed.
C. The Sleeping Bear Dunes are a new edition to the lakeshore.
Answer: A. The formation of the Sleeping Bear Dunes was a complex process.
2. Which of the following would be a supporting detail?
A. Knowing how many people visit the dunes every year
B. Discussing land erosion
C. Sharing an example of “Perched Dunes”
Answer: B. Discussing land erosion