03 The passage on the screen · 9 min

The main idea is not the first sentence

Korean reading practice often rewards the first sentence because textbooks put the topic there. TOEFL puts a familiar idea first and the real claim after a turn.

Objective

Find the claim that survives the word however, and reject answers that are only the topic.

On the exam

Main idea questions ask why the passage exists, not what nouns appear in it. If an answer is true but narrow, it is a detail, not the idea.

Don't translate it like this

Don't say

The passage is about meetings.

Say

The passage argues that hybrid rooms give more speaking time to people who share the physical room.

“About meetings” is a topic. A main idea has a verb and a claim. If you cannot disagree with it, it is not the idea.

Phrases

Read them aloud. Listen if you want a model. Nothing is recorded.

Let me check I understood.

제가 이해한 게 맞는지 확인할게요.

Then restate their point in one sentence. Do not announce that you understood everything.

In my view, the room should decide today.

제 생각에는 오늘 이 자리에서 결정하는 편이 낫습니다.

In my view, not according to me. According to needs a source that is not you.

I'm not convinced the data supports that.

그 데이터가 그 결론을 받치는지는 아직 모르겠습니다.

I'm not convinced is professional. I don't think so is thin.

In the room

A six-line passage

Read this the way you will read the longer passages. Do not translate every word. Find the turn.

Passage
Companies often treat a short memo as a sign that the writer did not work hard.
Passage
However, the memo that gets a decision is usually the short one, because the decision is visible in the first line.
Passage
Length can still matter when the reader must audit a number. It does not matter when the reader must choose.

What would you say?

All three have to be right to close the lesson.

1. Main ideaWhat is the main idea of the six-line passage?

Memos are a kind of business document.메모는 비즈니스 문서의 한 종류입니다.A memo that needs a decision should show that decision in the first line, even if the memo is short.결정이 필요한 메모는, 짧더라도 그 결정을 첫 줄에 보여야 합니다.Long memos are always a waste of time.긴 메모는 언제나 시간 낭비입니다.

2. Detail vs ideaWhich statement is a true detail, not the main idea?

Length can still matter when a reader must audit a number.숫자를 감사해야 하면 길이가 여전히 중요할 수 있습니다.Decision memos work because the choice is visible early.결정 메모는 선택이 일찍 보이기 때문에 작동합니다.The passage is mainly a history of paper.이 지문은 주로 종이의 역사입니다.

3. Trap answerWhy is “Companies dislike short memos” a weak main-idea answer?

It is the setup the passage turns against, not the claim it keeps.그것은 지문이 꺾어 버리는 도입이지, 지문이 유지하는 주장이 아닙니다.Because it uses the word companies.companies라는 단어를 쓰기 때문입니다.Because main ideas are always in the last word.주제는 언제나 마지막 단어에 있기 때문입니다.

Answer every question, then check.

Next lesson: The word they twist