PERT Practice Test 2025 – Comprehensive Study Guide for Postsecondary Education Readiness Success!

Understanding the main idea of a passage is crucial for effective reading comprehension, and one of the best strategies to achieve this is by looking for topic sentences and summaries. Topic sentences often express the central theme of a paragraph, presenting the primary idea that the subsequent sentences will elaborate on or support. By focusing on these sentences, readers can quickly grasp the overarching message of the text.

Additionally, summaries at the end of paragraphs or sections typically encapsulate the main points discussed, helping reinforce understanding. This approach enables readers to create a mental framework of the material, making it easier to digest and recall significant information.

While other strategies may have their merits, they are less effective for pinpointing the main idea. Summarizing without annotations may lead to a superficial understanding, as important details could be overlooked. Reading every word slowly can hinder comprehension, slowing down the reading process unnecessarily and potentially causing frustration. Ignoring secondary details and examples can also be detrimental, as these elements often provide context that enriches understanding of the main idea. Thus, focusing on topic sentences and summaries offers a comprehensive method for identifying and understanding the central themes in a passage.