Buckle Down - Main Idea and Theme

1) Fiction and nonfiction passages have main ideas

2) As soon as you finish reading, tell yourself what the passage is mostly about

3) Find the answer choice that is closest to your statement of the main idea.

4) Don't mistake a detail for the main idea.

5) Questions about the title are questions about the main idea

6) Summarize what the author says

7) Think about the theme of the passage

8) Compare main ideas and themes