Question 104·Medium·Central Ideas and Details
The following text is adapted from Jane Addams’s 1910 memoir Twenty Years at Hull-House.
On my first walk through the dingy streets that bordered the great Douglas Park, I was startled to find how persistently the smoke from the neighboring factories clung to the narrow doorways and begrimed even the pale spring blossoms that ventured through the fences. Ragged children trailed after the wagons laden with refuse, and a continuous clang of machinery beat in upon the houses as if no distance could soften the harsh rhythm. Standing there, I felt an abrupt conviction that mere observation was insufficient; if I lingered in this quarter at all, I must take my part in lessening its obvious burdens.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
For main-idea questions, briefly paraphrase the passage in one sentence that includes both (1) what the author describes and (2) the point or decision reached at the end. Then eliminate choices that introduce new topics, contradict the tone, or focus on only one detail instead of the passage’s overall message.
Hints
Look at the whole paragraph, not just the first sentence
Reread the entire passage, especially the last sentence, to see how the author’s description leads to a conclusion or decision.
Notice the tone of the descriptions
Ask yourself whether the images of smoke, refuse, and ragged children are meant to feel hopeful or grim.
Pay attention to what changes by the end
The author moves from observing the neighborhood to deciding what she must do. What is that decision?
Check each option against specific lines
For each answer, find a phrase in the passage that would directly support it. If you can’t, eliminate that choice.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what the question is asking
This is a main idea question, so the best answer must summarize the passage as a whole, including the author’s concluding point.
Track the passage’s focus from start to finish
Most of the paragraph paints a bleak picture: smoke from factories, refuse, ragged children, and constant machinery noise. The final sentence shifts from description to the author’s realization that she must do more than observe.
Eliminate choices that add unsupported topics or miss the conclusion
Cross out any option that introduces ideas not in the text (like festivities or construction details) or that ignores the author’s final conviction that she must take action.
Choose the option that includes both the harsh conditions and the decision to help
The choice that best states the main idea is: “The author is disturbed by the neighborhood’s grim conditions and decides she must help relieve its burdens.”