TEAS EXAM STUDY GUIDE WITH
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
The Main Idea of a Text - Answer - Describes the author's main topic and general perspective on that
topic. It is expressed within and throughout the text.
The reader can recognize the main idea in any text by - Answer - considering the main topic and how it
is addressed throughout the passage.
On this test, you will be asked - Answer - not only to identify the main idea of a text, but to
differentiate it from topic and theme and to summarize it clearly and concisely.
The main idea is closely connected to - Answer - topic sentences and how they are supported in a text.
Questions about the main idea may - Answer - also deal with finding topic sentences, summarizing
ideas in the text, or finding the supporting details of a text.
In the sections that follow, - Answer - determine the distinctions between all these aspects of text and
practice answering questions related to them.
To determine the topic, - Answer - ask yourself what you're reading about.
To determine the main idea, - Answer - ask yourself how the author feels about the topic.
To identify the main idea, - Answer - first identify the topic
, The difference between the main idea and topic is simple, - Answer - The topic is the overall subject
matter of the passage; the main idea is what the author wants to say about that topic.
The main idea covers - Answer - the author's direct perspective about a topic, as distinct from the
theme.
Theme - Answer - Generally true idea that the reader might derive from a text.
Most of the time, - Answer - a fiction text will have a theme, while a nonfiction text will have a main
idea.
In a nonfiction text, - Answer - the author speaks more directly about a topic to the audience-his or her
perspective is more apparent.
Analyzing details the author includes - Answer - and looking for similarities among them guides the
reader to the conclusion. By identifying the supporting details the author's main idea becomes clear.
Summarizing the main idea requires - Answer - focusing on the connection between the different ideas
and how that connection helps the reader draw a conclusion.
A summary is a - Answer - very brief restatement of the most important parts of an argument or text.
To build a summary, - Answer - start with the most important idea in a text. To continue building a
longer summary, look for supporting details to add.
Remember that when you summarize, - Answer - your text should be much shorter than the original.
To build an outline of the text - Answer - as you read, jot down words or phrases that describe the
main idea as you're reading and underline important details.
Part of identifying the main idea is - Answer - understanding the structure of a piece of writing
, When looking at a short passage of one or two paragraphs, - Answer - identifying the topic sentences
and summary sentences will quickly tell the reader what the paragraphs are about and what conclusions
the author wants the reader to draw.
Topic sentences and summary sentences function as - Answer - bookends to a paragraph or passage,
telling readers what to think and then keeping the paragraph tightly together.
The topic sentence is - Answer - generally the first sentence or very near the first sentence in the
paragraph. It introduces the reader to the topic by making a general statement about that topic, clearly
and specifically directing the reader to access any previous experiences with that topic.
The summary sentence of a paragraph on the other hand, - Answer - frequently (but not always!)
comes at the end of a paragraph or passage, because it wraps up all the ideas the passage presents.
The summary sentence - Answer - gives the reader an understanding of what the author wants to say
about the topic and what conclusions can be drawn about it.
While the topic sentence acts - Answer - as an introduction to the topic, allowing the reader to activate
his/her own ideas and experiences with the topic, the summary statement asks the reader to accept the
author's ideas about that topic.
Finding a summary sentence, - Answer - will help to quickly identify the main idea.
Between a topic sentence and a summary sentence, - Answer - the rest of a paragraph is built by
supporting details.
Supporting details can - Answer - come in many forms; the purpose of the passage dictates the type of
information that will be used to support the main idea.
A persuasive passage may use - Answer - specific facts and data, or it may detail specific reasons for
the author's opinion.
An informative passage - Answer - will primarily use facts about the topic to support the main idea.
, Even a narrative passage will - Answer - have supporting details- the specific things the author says to
develop the story and characters.
The most important aspect of supporting details is - Answer - exactly what the name says; they must
support the main idea.
Looking at the various supporting details and - Answer - how they work with one another will solidify
an understanding of the author's perspective on a topic and what the main idea of the passage really is.
The supporting details contain important - Answer - information key to understanding the passage
Supporting details build - Answer - the argument and contain the key ideas upon which the main idea
rests.
While finding the supporting details - Answer - will help reveal the main idea, it is actually easier to
find the most important supporting details by understanding the main idea first; then the pieces that
make up the argument will become clear.
Signal words - Answer - or transitions and conjunctions that explains to the reader how one sentence
or idea is connected to another hint at supporting ideas.
Signal words and phrases - Answer - can be anywhere in a sentence, and it is important to understand
what each signal word means
Signal words can add - Answer - information, provide counterarguments, create organization in the
passage, or draw conclusions.
Some common signal words and terms include - Answer - for example, in particular, in addition,
besides, in contrast, therefore, because, or many other similar phrases.
Besides using supporting details to - Answer - understand a main idea, the reader must evaluate them
for relevance and consistency.
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
The Main Idea of a Text - Answer - Describes the author's main topic and general perspective on that
topic. It is expressed within and throughout the text.
The reader can recognize the main idea in any text by - Answer - considering the main topic and how it
is addressed throughout the passage.
On this test, you will be asked - Answer - not only to identify the main idea of a text, but to
differentiate it from topic and theme and to summarize it clearly and concisely.
The main idea is closely connected to - Answer - topic sentences and how they are supported in a text.
Questions about the main idea may - Answer - also deal with finding topic sentences, summarizing
ideas in the text, or finding the supporting details of a text.
In the sections that follow, - Answer - determine the distinctions between all these aspects of text and
practice answering questions related to them.
To determine the topic, - Answer - ask yourself what you're reading about.
To determine the main idea, - Answer - ask yourself how the author feels about the topic.
To identify the main idea, - Answer - first identify the topic
, The difference between the main idea and topic is simple, - Answer - The topic is the overall subject
matter of the passage; the main idea is what the author wants to say about that topic.
The main idea covers - Answer - the author's direct perspective about a topic, as distinct from the
theme.
Theme - Answer - Generally true idea that the reader might derive from a text.
Most of the time, - Answer - a fiction text will have a theme, while a nonfiction text will have a main
idea.
In a nonfiction text, - Answer - the author speaks more directly about a topic to the audience-his or her
perspective is more apparent.
Analyzing details the author includes - Answer - and looking for similarities among them guides the
reader to the conclusion. By identifying the supporting details the author's main idea becomes clear.
Summarizing the main idea requires - Answer - focusing on the connection between the different ideas
and how that connection helps the reader draw a conclusion.
A summary is a - Answer - very brief restatement of the most important parts of an argument or text.
To build a summary, - Answer - start with the most important idea in a text. To continue building a
longer summary, look for supporting details to add.
Remember that when you summarize, - Answer - your text should be much shorter than the original.
To build an outline of the text - Answer - as you read, jot down words or phrases that describe the
main idea as you're reading and underline important details.
Part of identifying the main idea is - Answer - understanding the structure of a piece of writing
, When looking at a short passage of one or two paragraphs, - Answer - identifying the topic sentences
and summary sentences will quickly tell the reader what the paragraphs are about and what conclusions
the author wants the reader to draw.
Topic sentences and summary sentences function as - Answer - bookends to a paragraph or passage,
telling readers what to think and then keeping the paragraph tightly together.
The topic sentence is - Answer - generally the first sentence or very near the first sentence in the
paragraph. It introduces the reader to the topic by making a general statement about that topic, clearly
and specifically directing the reader to access any previous experiences with that topic.
The summary sentence of a paragraph on the other hand, - Answer - frequently (but not always!)
comes at the end of a paragraph or passage, because it wraps up all the ideas the passage presents.
The summary sentence - Answer - gives the reader an understanding of what the author wants to say
about the topic and what conclusions can be drawn about it.
While the topic sentence acts - Answer - as an introduction to the topic, allowing the reader to activate
his/her own ideas and experiences with the topic, the summary statement asks the reader to accept the
author's ideas about that topic.
Finding a summary sentence, - Answer - will help to quickly identify the main idea.
Between a topic sentence and a summary sentence, - Answer - the rest of a paragraph is built by
supporting details.
Supporting details can - Answer - come in many forms; the purpose of the passage dictates the type of
information that will be used to support the main idea.
A persuasive passage may use - Answer - specific facts and data, or it may detail specific reasons for
the author's opinion.
An informative passage - Answer - will primarily use facts about the topic to support the main idea.
, Even a narrative passage will - Answer - have supporting details- the specific things the author says to
develop the story and characters.
The most important aspect of supporting details is - Answer - exactly what the name says; they must
support the main idea.
Looking at the various supporting details and - Answer - how they work with one another will solidify
an understanding of the author's perspective on a topic and what the main idea of the passage really is.
The supporting details contain important - Answer - information key to understanding the passage
Supporting details build - Answer - the argument and contain the key ideas upon which the main idea
rests.
While finding the supporting details - Answer - will help reveal the main idea, it is actually easier to
find the most important supporting details by understanding the main idea first; then the pieces that
make up the argument will become clear.
Signal words - Answer - or transitions and conjunctions that explains to the reader how one sentence
or idea is connected to another hint at supporting ideas.
Signal words and phrases - Answer - can be anywhere in a sentence, and it is important to understand
what each signal word means
Signal words can add - Answer - information, provide counterarguments, create organization in the
passage, or draw conclusions.
Some common signal words and terms include - Answer - for example, in particular, in addition,
besides, in contrast, therefore, because, or many other similar phrases.
Besides using supporting details to - Answer - understand a main idea, the reader must evaluate them
for relevance and consistency.
