The correct answer is b, “Mr. Miller may have left his car door unlocked the day the radio was stolen.” How can you tell? Because this is the only idea that all of the sentences in the neighbor’s statement support. You know that Mr. Miller often doesn’t lock his car doors; you also know that he often forgets thing. The combination makes it likely that Mr. Miller left his car door unlocked on the day his car radio was stolen. Practice Passage 3 Now look at a paragraph in which the language the writer uses is what enables you to determine meaning. Here is a description of Coach Lerner, a college bas- ketball coach, written by one of his players. Read the paragraph carefully and see if you can determine the implied main idea of the paragraph. Coach Lerner, my basketball coach, is six feet ten inches tall with a voice that booms like a foghorn and the haircut of a drill sergeant. Every morning, he marches onto the basketball court at precisely 8:00 and dominates the gymnasium for the next three hours. He barks orders at us the entire time and expects that we will respond like troops on a battle- field. And if we fail to obey his commands, he makes us spend another 45 minutes under his rule. Before you decide on the implied main idea, list your observations. What did you notice about the lan- guage in this paragraph? An example is provided to get you started. Your Observations: Example: I noticed that Coach Lerner’s voice is compared to a foghorn. 3. Which of the following best expresses the implied message of the passage? a. Playing on Coach Lerner’s team is difficult. b. Playing on Coach Lerner’s team is like being under the command of an army general. c. Coach Lerner is a terrible basketball coach. Answer The correct answer is b, “Playing on Coach Lerner’s team is like being under the command of an army gen- eral.”There are many clues in the language of this para- graph that lead you to this inference. First, you probably noticed that Coach Lerner’s voice “booms like a foghorn.” This comparison (called a simile) suggests that Coach Lerner wants his voice to be heard and obeyed. Second, the description of Coach Lerner’s haircut is a critical part of the way the author establishes the tone of this paragraph. To say that he has “the haircut of a drill sergeant” (also a simile) makes us think of a military leader whose job it is to train soldiers. A writer wouldn’t use this comparison unless he or she wanted to emphasize military-like discipline. The author tells us that Coach Lerner “marches onto the basketball court,” “barks orders,” and expects his players to respond like “troops on a battlefield.” The writer could have said that Coach Lerner “strides” onto the court, that he barks “instructions,” and that he expects his players to act like “trained dogs.” However, since the author is trying to paint a picture of Coach Lerner that will bring to mind a military leader, he uses words that convey military ideas. Thus, though answers a and c may be true—it might be difficult to play for Coach Lerner and he might be a terrible bas- ketball coach—answer b is the only idea that all of the sentences in the paragraph support. Of course, this person’s description of Coach Lerner is very subjective, using as it does the first- person point of view. As an active reader, you should wonder whether everyone sees Coach Lerner this way or if this player is unable to be objective. – FINDING THE IMPLIED MAIN IDEA– 121 Practice Passage 4 Many people find reading literature a difficult task because in literature (fiction, drama, and poetry), the main idea is almost never expressed in a clear topic sen- tence. Instead, readers have to look for clues often hid- den in the language of the text. For example, the following fictional paragraph describes a character. Read it carefully, make your observations, and then identify the main idea of the paragraph: Every morning when Clara arrives at the gym, she is greeted with a buzz of warm hellos. She starts her workout in the weight room, where her exercise reg- imen is always peppered with lively chats with those around her. She then moves on to the pool, where she stops and converses with other friends and acquaintances before diving in and swimming laps. As she swims, her sole focus is the calming sound of her body gliding through the water—a rare moment in her always very social days. Your Observations: Example: I noticed that Clara talks with many people. 4. The main idea of this paragraph is that a. Clara is shy. b. Clara knows everyone at the gym. c. Clara is very friendly. Answer Although it is possible that b, “Clara knows everyone at the gym,” there is no evidence in this paragraph to support that inference. Thus, b cannot be the main idea. Answer a, “Clara is shy,” cannot be the correct answer either, since everything in the paragraph sug- gests that Clara is, in fact, quite outgoing. Furthermore, the language of the paragraph cre- ates a feeling of warmth and friendliness: Clara is greeted with “warm hellos” and she has “lively chats” and conversations with friends and acquaintances. She also has “very social days.” All these words work together in the paragraph to paint a picture of some- one who is very friendly and social. Thus, without directly saying so, the writer tells us that c, “Clara is very friendly.” Summary Many writers use implication to convey meaning rather than directly stating their ideas. This is especially true in literature, where readers generally prefer suggestion to direct statements. Finding the implied main idea requires a little detective work, but it is not as difficult as you may have thought, now that you know more about language and the way words can be used to sug- gest ideas. – FINDING THE IMPLIED MAIN IDEA– 122 – FINDING THE IMPLIED MAIN IDEA– 123 ■ Listen carefully to people today. Are there times when they imply things without directly saying them? Are there times when you use suggestion to get your ideas across? How do you do this? Be aware of how you and others use indirect language and suggestion to convey meaning. ■ Write a paragraph that does not have a topic sentence. You should have a clear idea of the main idea before you write your paragraph and make sure your sentences use language that will help your read- ers understand your main idea. For example, think of a topic sentence about the kind of person you are, but don’t write it down. Then, write several sentences that support your topic sentence with lan- guage that leads your reader to the proper conclusion. You may want to show your paragraph to others to see if they can correctly infer your main idea. Skill Building until Next Time . team is like being under the command of an army general. c. Coach Lerner is a terrible basketball coach. Answer The correct answer is b, “Playing on Coach Lerner’s team is like being under the. and the haircut of a drill sergeant. Every morning, he marches onto the basketball court at precisely 8: 00 and dominates the gymnasium for the next three hours. He barks orders at us the entire time. and acquaintances before diving in and swimming laps. As she swims, her sole focus is the calming sound of her body gliding through the water—a rare moment in her always very social days. Your Observations: Example: