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Main Idea

The main idea is the one focal topic of a passage. The main idea is usually found in the topic sentence near the beginning of a passage. However, not all professional writers conform to this convention.

If you look for the main idea towards the beginning of a passage, usually you will be able to locate it.

George Washington Carver is a famous American because he invented so many new things. He developed new ways to grow more crops on an acre of land. Many people planted the same crop on the same land year after year. Carver found that rotating crops helped the land to stay fertile. He started a school to teach farmers who couldn't read how to grow crops using these new methods. Farmers would visit his school and Carver would show them how to grow more and better crops.

Peanut butter is also one of Carver's inventions. He produced over 200 products from peanuts. These are just some of the reasons that George Washington Carver is considered one of our greatest scientists.

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4th Grade Reading Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test
Produced by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology,
College of Education, University of South Florida ©2013.