Structure or Main Idea Questions | Verbal for GMAT PDF Download

Of all the Reading Comprehension (RC) types, “main idea” questions are the most common. You can expect the GMAT to ask this question about almost every passage within the RC section. Identifying the main idea is the quintessential RC skill, so expect to practice it over and over again. It will help to read at a relaxed pace (2.5 minutes for a short RC passage, 3.5 for a long passage). As you study, always check the official answers each time and read the explanation, regardless of whether you got the question right or wrong. Doing this will allow you to think more like the test-writers. By practicing diligently, you’ll begin to notice how to weed out trap answers and how to select the best answer from the available options.

How to Attempt Main Idea Questions

Typically, there will be only two answers that will seem like the right answer. So, even if you cannot narrow down to one, get to the Top 2. Once you are there, then check the wordplay and eliminate one.

1. Avoid answer choices that focus on only one detail or paragraph of the passage, and do not express the main idea as a whole.

• Remember, the "main idea" of a passage carries throughout the entire passage. 
• One paragraph might be a very detailed explanation of a model, theory, strategy, or scientific phenomenon, but you must ask yourself WHY the author includes these details, and how they fit into the bigger picture. 

2. Summarize each paragraph.

• Once you have read the paragraphs, summarize each of them. 
• The summary of each paragraph should cover the central idea of the paragraph.

3. Avoid answer choices that are overly extreme. 

• It's rare that the main point of a passage is absolute, so choices that state things in absolute terms are almost never correct. 

4. Avoid answer choices that distort the details of the passage. 

• These are the hardest to spot, but they are almost always there. 
• They often include an extra reversal (saying that two things are similar, when the passage says they are different, like the example below), or include a word that sounds like something from the passage, but isn't actually there (if a whole passage is about "nuclear physics," any answer about "atoms," "science" or "physics" would not be correct). 

5. Paraphrase the main summary

• Try to paraphrase the main summary from the summaries of each paragraph. 
• Sometimes the main idea is explicitly mentioned in one of the summaries, and sometimes it would be hidden in the summaries.

6. Identify questions which use words from the passage, but distort the details given. 

• When in hurry, you would be tempted to pick these answers, so be careful while reading

7. The first and last sentences of the first paragraph and the first and last sentences of the final paragraph are important.

• Example: One of the most persistently troubling parts of national domestic policy is the development and use of water resources. Because water management technology involves similar construction skills, whether the task is the building of an ocean jetty for protection of shipping or the construction of a river dam for flood control and irrigation, the issues of water policy have the mingled problems of navigation and agriculture. A further inherent complexity of water policy is the frequent conflicts between flood control on the one side and irrigation on the other and between the requirements for an abundance and those for a scarcity of water. Both problems exist in America, often in the same river basins; one is most typically the problem of the lower part of the basin and the other the problem of the upper part.
• Solution: Let’s look at the first sentence: One of the most persistently troubling aspects of national domestic policy is the development and use of water resources.  This is a clear topic sentence. “Troubling,” in the context of water management, is rather strong language. We know from the start that there is a serious problem with water management and that the author is going to explain what it is.

8. Eliminate and Select

• Now go through each answer options and eliminate options that are irrelevant, out of scope or that tries to generalize or classify the summary to a smaller category. 
• Select the answer option that is most close to the paraphrased main summary, and voila you cracked the main idea question.

Example of Main Idea Passage 

As with any private equity Business, leveraged buyouts have little concern for employee retention or welfare. The goal is to maximize the value of the assets that often involve massive layoffs after acquisitions. Managing public fund as a president requires a different skill set. Short-term loses and failure to win second-term presidential elections, are risks that presidents after the 2008 financial crisis must take. The crisis is different from the dot-com crisis in 2000 or the financial crisis in early 1980. The previous instances were the result of bubbles, where speculators raised the value of the asset to disproportionate highs, and when businesses failed to deliver, the bubbles burst. 2008 crisis is the result of institutional failures, which trickled down to other global economies. Presidents after 2008 will have very little control over global economies, and the promise to bring the economy back will take years to fulfil.

The election of Barack Obama in 2008 coincided with the financial meltdown. It was a historic moment in American democracy. Obama was the first African-American president to win a US presidential election. The promise of ‘Change’ galvanized American public and led Obama to a massive win in the elections. The promise of 'change' meant speedy execution and effective change in administration. But the fact that key personals in Obama’s team were from Wall Street didn’t help the president's quest for change. Public opinion was against Wall Street bankers; they triggered the 2008 crisis. Several retirees lost their pension funds and life savings. The news that large bonuses were paid for bankers from the bailout money didn’t help Obama’s image.

However, Barack Obama’s achievement can be summarized in one significant law - The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). He introduced the law with the goal to alleviate the healthcare cost of the less privileged individuals in America. The law is the first major reform or “change” in Healthcare system, aimed at providing a number of benefits for uninsured Americans, namely subsidies for the individual and tax credits for employers who increase the coverage. Insurance companies are required to provide the same rate for individuals regardless of their credit history, gender, or previous medical conditions. Although the cost for healthcare will increase in the short-term, the long-term benefits in reducing deficits and Medicare spending will be sizable.

Q: What is the main idea of the passage?
a) Mitt Romney is a better presidential candidate
b) Barack Obama made several bad choices that have weakened his chance for re-election
c) Although Barack Obama didn’t live up to the expectations of the voters, he introduced a significant law for the people of America.
d) With a background in Leveraged Buyouts, Mitt has a better long-term view for America.
e) US Economy will take several years to recover fully.

Answer: GMAT Main Idea

• Don’t look into details

  Especially paragraph 1 where the author gives us some background about Mitt’s achievements. The question here is about the main idea, so we don’t have to worry about the details

• Summarize and paraphrase each paragraph
  Paragraph 1: Mitt Romney, the presidential candidate, is a successful Businessman who entered the leveraged buyouts business.
  Paragraph 2: Leverage buyouts have little concern for employee retention or welfare. Presidential candidate required empathy (implied). Comparison of the financial meltdown of 2008 with 2000 and 1980.
  Paragraph 3: Barack Obama made some bad choices in selecting his team and monitoring the utilization of the bailout money.
  Paragraph 4: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a significant achievement for Barack Obama. However, the true benefits will be seen in the long-term.

• Eliminate and Select
  What is the main idea of the GMAT passage?
  Here are the answer choices
  a) Mitt Romney is a better presidential candidate
  This is not implied in the passage. Eliminate.
  b) Barack Obama made several bad choices that have weakened his chance for re-election
  Paragraph 3 mentions the bad choices, but it is not the main idea of the passage. Eliminate.
  c) Although Barack Obama didn’t live up to the expectations of the voters, he introduced a significant law for the people of America.
  The author clearly indicates that Obama didn’t live up to the expectations, but the PPACA is a significant law with a long-term view. Keep it.
  d) With a background in Leveraged Buyouts, Mitt has a better long-term view for America.
  Although Leveraged Buyouts experience gives Mitt an edge, presidents must take decisions with human welfare in mind. Eliminate.
  e) US Economy will take several years to recover fully.
  Paragraph 2 mentions this fact, “Presidents after 2008 will have very little control over global economies and the promise to bring the economy back will take years to fulfil,” but it is not the main idea of the passage. Eliminate.

• Correct Answer: C